Apple's iPhone 5c ate up Android while Google's Moto X flopped: why everyone was wrong

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  • Reply 161 of 218
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by macxpress View Post

     

     

    AppleCare+ DOES cover water damage and is the only AppleCare you can buy now. Not sure where that came from. I have yet to see any links to this magical $40 phone.


    You are correct. That was my mistake. I had looked up the cost of getting Apple to repair a water damaged phone and it was a full price replacement so I got that mixed up. I could not find a link to the deal I got at Amazon but here is a slightly older one for $30 after a rebate:

    http://slickdeals.net/f/6748700-back-metropcs-alcatel-one-touch-fierce-4g-nokia-lumia-521-lg-optimus-l9-29-ar-fs

    MetroPCS claims that they are free now after all discounts but I sense a contract there. The one I got had no contract (which is why it was a deal and why I compared it to a full priced contract free iPhone 5c). I have no intention of activating the phone. I just want it to look into doing some software development. Android has a WiFi SDK and sadly iOS does not but that's another rant.

  • Reply 162 of 218
    Keep in mind that even Samsung is openly talking about moving their phones and tablets into a "post-Google" world. The kids at Google have to be worried about talk like that.

    I thought Samsung and Google renewed their wedding vows recently.
  • Reply 163 of 218
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post



    Wow. This thread has attracted some off-the-wall posts.



    Wonder what woodwork these weirdos are wandering out from....

     

    Pro and con...

  • Reply 164 of 218
    Look it up. They want all the money and advertising for themselves. All they get is legal trouble with Android.

    Google uses the Apple boogeyman to keep handset manufacturers in line. "You wanna survive the iPhone revolution? Then you need to join our Open Handset Alliance. There are rules, like 'Thou shalt not have other Android forks before mine,' but Google promises to protect you from big ole nasty Apple who wants nothing more than to eat your marketshare. And we will even indemnify you if Apple sues." Most members are too weak or scared to leave the OHA. They'd rather pay protection money to Google.

    Strange that Microsoft got patent fees from the manufacturers using Android, and Google couldn't stop it.
  • Reply 165 of 218
    drblank wrote: »
    Are you referring to Tizen?  I don't think that will be the answer for Samsung.  

    But it's the only way out for them, or at minimum, a bargaining chip they can give away to win concessions. It's not like Windows Phone 8 is gonna come to rescue them from Google.
  • Reply 166 of 218
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post





    But it's the only way out for them, or at minimum, a bargaining chip they can give away to win concessions. It's not like Windows Phone 8 is gonna come to rescue them from Google.

    That's for sure right after Microsoft buys Nokia.  I'm wondering how long it's going to be until Microsoft waves the white flag with Windows phones.  Maybe all Microsoft really cares about is having a tablet and phone that say Microsoft on it because their employees would rather use iPhones and iPads if given the choice.   

  • Reply 167 of 218
    chiachia Posts: 713member
    Originally Posted by GrangerFX View Post
    This is an Alcatel Onetouch Fierce 4G.

    The Onetouch Fierce 4G isn't a $40 phone, the cheapest new, unlocked price I could find on eBay was $75; the going rate is around $100.

     


     It has a 5MP camera with a flash. I can't tell if it has autofocus or not but the image is in focus and looks OK to me.






    All well and good for you but even favourable reviews of the phone refer to its mediocre fixed focus camera with bluish tint.

    The lesson here, if you want a phone with autofocus, very handy for reducing blurriness, and reasonable colour accuracy, expect to pay more than $40 or even $100.


    Not sure what the screen resolution is but my eyes are not good enough to see retina pixels anyway. Bigger is better for me.



     

    That's the point of the retina display, a screen with such a high resolution the viewer can't discern any pixels or associated jagged edges.

    If you're fine with looking at the pixellated jagged edges on the mediocre screen of a $40 Android phone, all well and good.

     

    For the record the Alcatel screen resolution is 960 by 540,

    less than the 960 by 640 of the iPhone 4s

     and less than the 1136 by 640 of the iPhone 5c.

     
      No comparing the camera quality to an iPhone's certainly but I come back to the 14x price difference. We are going to see a lot of decent $40 and under Android phones this year.

     

    Well, the price difference between the Onetouch Fierce and the 5c is a lot less than the 14 times you said, yet the Fierce lacks the much faster LTE data, the superior cameras and screen of the 5c.  This is before you even consider the faster processor, larger storage capacity, easier official OS updates and superior build quality of the 5c.

     

    I've looked at these $40 Android phones, you'd be lucky to even get 3G data with them, never mind HSDPA "4G".

    Forget about watching good quality video or photos on the move without wifi; could be a blessing in disguise with the poor screen.

     

     

    Daniel's article highlights that the iPhone 5c is a good phone that has been selling well.

    Yes, there are cheaper phones, but people have made the judgement call that what you get with the iPhone 5c is worth the asking price.

     

     I still question why anyone would pay the premium for a second best iPhone? If I am going to shell out that kind of cash, I only want the best and that is the 5s.


    maybe for the same reason you bought your Onetouch Fierce instead of a Galaxy S5.

    The iPhone 5c is cheaper than a 5S yet it's still a most capable phone.

    If people aren't into the slomo cam, super fast 64-bit processor or Touch ID then why pay more?

  • Reply 168 of 218
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post



    What's also pathetic is how MG Siegler has become a complete Google shill since joining Google ventures, while he used to be one of the biggest apple advocates online. I expected better from him.

     

    Shill...advocate...insider. In this context, they all mean the same thing.

     

    Funny how we get the 60% came from Android thing, but we don't get the reverse. Surprise, surprise, a lot of people already owned smartphones. You think the people buying 5c previously had a 4s or something? Ridiculous. No, they previously had some free-on-contract crap. And again, no word on how many switched in the other direction.

     

    Then we have the issue of calling the 5c the second top-selling phone. Well yeah, when you only make a couple models of phone compared to companies that make many more, shouldn't be surprising that a larger number of iPhone owners get lumped together. "We're number 1!" Well, yeah, if you ignore that Samsung sells twice as many smartphones as Apple.

     

    Motorola Mobility was bought for their patents. Or more specifically, so no one else would own their patents. Google sold off parts of the company for billions, kept billions more in patents, and sold off the remainder for billions. They didn't lose much on that deal, especially considering how strategic those patents are to them.

  • Reply 169 of 218
    dev14nt wrote: »
    .... didn't lose much on that deal, especially considering how strategic those patents are to them.

    Lol, that 'S' word, right up there with 'Silly' and 'Stupid.'

    Care to tell us which patents, why they're worth billions, and how you've concluded this? (Links to to some press articles will be pointless; show us cases they might've won, whether they're getting paid by others for the use of the patented idea, etc.)
  • Reply 170 of 218
    joshajosha Posts: 901member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post

    However there was of course a recent reduction in the 5C price in the very countries which did well last quarter. That indicates that the demand is elastic. They also said the 4S was selling well. The 4 isn't but that might be its age.

    So next year a 5C priced at or below the 4S price will sell like gangbusters.

    If I were to upgrade now my, still working perfectly after 3y-3m, iPhone4; it would definitely be the iPhone5c.

    The 5c is slightly lower in price than my 4 was over 3 yrs back.

    IMO the 4s 8GB being sold makes no sense. It only has about 1GB for the user and is only slightly  lower cost up front, but the usage cost is the same as for all  phones.

     

    I've decided my next iPhone purchase will be an unlocked one from the Apple store, so I can pick the usage plan I need and can use it in other countries without roaming charges.

  • Reply 171 of 218
    These weekend-articles of AppleInsider are ... biased.

    Lots of people have the iphone 5s over here, but I've never seen an iPhone 5c.
    Never.
    Nowhere.
    Not There.
  • Reply 172 of 218
    josha wrote: »
    If I were to upgrade now my, still working perfectly after 3y-3m, iPhone4; it would definitely be the iPhone5c.
    The 5c is slightly lower in price than my 4 was over 3 yrs back.
    IMO the 4s 8GB being sold makes no sense. It only has about 1GB for the user and is only slightly  lower cost up front, but the usage cost is the same as for all  phones.

    I've decided my next iPhone purchase will be an unlocked one from the Apple store, so I can pick the usage plan I need and can use it in other countries without roaming charges.

    Springing for unlocked phones has made the most sense for me for the last few years. Especially if you're only buying for yourself.
  • Reply 173 of 218
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post





    Market surveys. . .

     

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post





    Market surveys. . .image

     

     

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Dachar View Post



    I don't know how Tim Cook can say 85% of purchasers go the iPhone 4S are new to iOS . When I purchased one for my wife from an Apple store no one asked me any questions like this and when I took out a monthly contract for an iPhone 5 no questions were asked either.

    When you go to the app store and sign in - they know your entire history.  If you have no app history - then you are presumably new to iOS.  If you have an app history - they can tell if they were previously serving an iPod touch, iPad, or previous iPhone.  They can even tell if one app store account is simultaneously being used by multiple iPhones.  They do not have to ask.

  • Reply 174 of 218
    wovelwovel Posts: 956member
    peterbob wrote: »
    And why are you comparing the moto x to the iPhone and a company Google separated Motorola from themsleves and at the end stated they couldn't give the effort needed to make moto a success so they sold it off. Moto x was built in the U.S and only available in the u.s for about 6 months.analysis should of been surprised that it sold any phones in this saturated U.S market.

    Because you still see few if any analysts calling Google's Motorola adventure a failure. It was an absolute undeniable failure, but no one seems to want to say it.
  • Reply 175 of 218
    wovelwovel Posts: 956member
    dev14nt wrote: »
    slurpy wrote: »
    What's also pathetic is how MG Siegler has become a complete Google shill since joining Google ventures, while he used to be one of the biggest apple advocates online. I expected better from him.

    Shill...advocate...insider. In this context, they all mean the same thing.

    Funny how we get the 60% came from Android thing, but we don't get the reverse. Surprise, surprise, a lot of people already owned smartphones. You think the people buying 5c previously had a 4s or something? Ridiculous. No, they previously had some free-on-contract crap. And again, no word on how many switched in the other direction.

    Then we have the issue of calling the 5c the second top-selling phone. Well yeah, when you only make a couple models of phone compared to companies that make many more, shouldn't be surprising that a larger number of iPhone owners get lumped together. "We're number 1!" Well, yeah, if you ignore that Samsung sells twice as many smartphones as Apple.

    Motorola Mobility was bought for their patents. Or more specifically, so no one else would own their patents. Google sold off parts of the company for billions, kept billions more in patents, and sold off the remainder for billions. They didn't lose much on that deal, especially considering how strategic those patents are to them.

    Some damn expensive patents that haven't done them any good. They also put billions into operations of a company that lost money every year they owned it. There is no way a reasonable person calls this a successful move by Google.
  • Reply 176 of 218
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    dev14nt wrote: »
    Shill...advocate...insider. In this context, they all mean the same thing.

    Funny how we get the 60% came from Android thing, but we don't get the reverse. Surprise, surprise, a lot of people already owned smartphones. You think the people buying 5c previously had a 4s or something? Ridiculous. No, they previously had some free-on-contract crap. And again, no word on how many switched in the other direction.

    5C can be bought by 3GS buyers. I'm not sure what mean by reverse. Should Android vendors release that info?
    dev14nt wrote: »
    Then we have the issue of calling the 5c the second top-selling phone. Well yeah, when you only make a couple models of phone compared to companies that make many more, shouldn't be surprising that a larger number of iPhone owners get lumped together. "We're number 1!" Well, yeah, if you ignore that Samsung sells twice as many smartphones as Apple.
    What are you talking about? iPhone 5S is #1 and the 5C was #2 on the US carriers. You realize we're talking about models, right.

    We all know Sammy ships the most units and Apple earns the most $$$.

    [/quote]
  • Reply 177 of 218
    In my view the bad press over the 5C was mostly because the media and analysts convinced themselves that Apple will and has to offer a cheap phone to say competitive in Asia. However, that is what the 4svis, whereas the 5C was intended for the middle (at least upon introduction). The same media/analysist then punished Apple fore not meeting their expectations without really considering what Apple had up their sleeve.

    When as Aplle ever cared to compete at the bottom. Almost never. Maybe iPod nanosecond could be considered the low end of a very mature market that is gradually being eclipsed by the iPhone. It is a safe bet that any analyst that predicts Apple will release some cheap device to lock up market share doesn't understand apple.
  • Reply 178 of 218
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member


    When you go to the app store and sign in - they know your entire history.  If you have no app history - then you are presumably new to iOS.  If you have an app history - they can tell if they were previously serving an iPod touch, iPad, or previous iPhone.  They can even tell if one app store account is simultaneously being used by multiple iPhones.  They do not have to ask.

    When you activate the phone and set up iCloud, iTunes or App Store and you get all the free stuff, iBooks, iMovie, iPhoto, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, etc

    The free Apps alone are worth more than some shitty Android phone.
  • Reply 179 of 218
    hejishhejish Posts: 4member
    Mr. Dilger,

    Your comment about the core ad business collapsing intrigued me. I took the opportunity to read some recent 10-Q's from Google:
    Q1 2014: cost per click dropped 9%, P32
    Q4 2013: cost per click dropped 8%, P28
    Q3 2013: cost per click dropped 8%, P33
    Q2 2013: cost per click dropped 6%, P32
    Q1 2013: cost per click dropped 4%, P29

    It does seem to be a pattern that I feel comfortable calling a collapse. However, the rate of increased number of clicks always seems to outpace the cost per click decrease, resulting in increased revenues for Google. That makes the concept that Google's business is collapsing seem not true. Do you care to comment further?
  • Reply 180 of 218
    512ke512ke Posts: 782member

    Samsung, Moto, and Amazon are going to have problems going forward.

     

    They have Apple beating them at the top of the market and Chinese manufacturers beating them increasingly at the bottom.

     

    The middle is also going more to Apple, especially once the iPhone 6 comes out, pushing the 5S to mid tier pricing and the 5C toward the lower end.

     

    Apple won't compete at the bottom, but they are gonna be pretty formidable this year at the middle/top and top.

     

    So watch out, Samsung, Google, and Amazon -- I personally predict a tough remainder of 2014 for all 3 companies at least in terms of smartphone sales.

     

    I was dead right about the 5C, in lots of posts on these forums, and I'll betcha I'm dead right about this too!

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