hittrj01

spice-boy said:

Can some one please tell me what the benefit of wireless charging is? I've seen those Samsung ads and there appears to be a small platform thing which does the charging if so how is that an improvement over a small cable and outlet plug?

It comes down to ease of use and device integrity, really. If implemented properly, wireless charging is dead simple. Lay it down, magnets automatically align, and charging immediately starts. Even easier than a dual sided cable like Lightning or USB-C because there is no plugging anything in. That also ties into the second advantage, which comes down to wear and tear. Using the lightning port less because you aren't constantly plugging and unplugging a charging cable will make that port last much much longer, and will theoretically increase the lifespan of the entire device.

rogifan_new said:

I hate that the 4.7" iPhone gets treated like a second class citizen. Not everyone wants a phablet. Apple brought OIS to the 4.7" model. That leads me to believe bringing stuff to 5.5" model only isn't technical but for upsell purposes.

Nevermind the fact it took them 2 additional generations to get it into the 4.7" model.  If it was just for upsell purposes, why not put it in the 6s? Why wait for the 7? I'm sure there is some pressure to differentiate and justify the higher price, but screen size and battery life more than justify it. It's not like they withheld water resistance or things like that from the smaller model.

Edit: fixed a couple typos

tryd said:

Personally I wouldn't touch anything Google does with a ten-foot pole, and I really (really, really) hate Office. So this is just what the doctor ordered.

I guess I just don't understand these comments. If it's a privacy thing, fine, I guess, but Google has never had any history of doing anything malicious with all this data it has on us. Plus, whether you avoid them or not, you're not avoiding Google trackers on web sites, people you email who have Gmail, people you text who use Android, businesses you work with/buy from who use Google Apps on their backend, etc. And hating Office (with the passion you apparently do) doesn't make sense either. It is by far the most powerful productivity suite that is out there, and has only gotten better, and at a faster pace, since they switched to a subscription model. Office, even on the Mac, is far superior to iWork, Google Docs/Sheets/Slides, or anything OpenOffice or LibreOffice makes.

Don't limit yourself to one company just because you like them a lot. I love my Apple stuff, but if there is a better solution elsewhere, it doesn't make sense to ignore it.

EsquireCats said:

hittrj01 said:

EsquireCats said:

This "gift" is grossly overstated.

A product fault and recall harms the brand to the general population, the general population is less brand loyal. Thus switching behaviour from consumers will likely benefit other Android device makers first, then Apple second, due to platform stickiness.
However as Android is dilute, their per-vendor gains will be small in comparison to Apple.

The largest movements will be in price driven sales (fear) and mid-range sales (brand trust) to the general population, not buyers of flagship devices who are very brand loyal. (I.e. Sales of iPhone SE would see a gain, not so much the iPhone 7 Plus.)

Finally: Since the Samsung Note is purchased by the most avid fans of Samsung devices - waiting for a replacement device is not going to sway them to another vendor, they're far too deep in cognitive dissonance to associate the battery issue with the brand.

I think you're misunderstanding what the general population (i.e. not readers of tech blogs) thinks in their mind when they hear about this recall.  They hear Samsung Galaxy. The general population (again, think your parents, grandparents, average person shopping at the mall, etc.) doesn't associate the Galaxy S7 from the Galaxy Note 7, they just hear that Galaxy phones are blowing up and burning down cars and hotels, and that will make more of them stay away than would have previously.

Following up: With all due respect I don't think you read my comment in full. I specifically call out fear based purchases - to help clarify these are general consumers (those parents and grand parents you mention) who will associate 'Samsung' with danger/shoddiness, this doesn't directly benefit Apple anymore than other vendors since their newly learnt behaviour is to *avoid* Samsung, not to specifically embrace another brand. To a smaller extent these are also the type of consumers who may be turned off by smartphones or tablets entirely due to a perceived danger. (For the most part these are not Apple-consumers, these are people who are price driven because they don't know the difference between brand A and brand B and end up being the buyer "victim" to those crappy phones and tablets that barely get used.)

Thanks for the follow up, and I agree, it doesn't technically benefit Apple any more than LG, Motorola, or any other brand out there. But I keep coming back to what my wife thinks, or my mom thinks, or the countless number of people I used to interact with when I worked Geek Squad back in the day: In their eyes, there are really only two options, Samsung and Apple. Why? Those are the brands that are plastered all over the place. Almost all of the commercials are those two. Nearly all of the ads and "deals" at carriers and stores like Best Buy involve those two. The celebrities and athletes they watch on TV use pretty much only those two. Almost all of their friends and family have either a Galaxy phone or an iPhone. When it comes time for them to upgrade, this recall and threat of Galaxy phones blowing up will be lingering in the back of their mind, and Apple will have all of this built-up reputation of solidly built, reliable products with great support. Which one would they choose?

EsquireCats said:

This "gift" is grossly overstated.

A product fault and recall harms the brand to the general population, the general population is less brand loyal. Thus switching behaviour from consumers will likely benefit other Android device makers first, then Apple second, due to platform stickiness.
However as Android is dilute, their per-vendor gains will be small in comparison to Apple.

The largest movements will be in price driven sales (fear) and mid-range sales (brand trust) to the general population, not buyers of flagship devices who are very brand loyal. (I.e. Sales of iPhone SE would see a gain, not so much the iPhone 7 Plus.)

Finally: Since the Samsung Note is purchased by the most avid fans of Samsung devices - waiting for a replacement device is not going to sway them to another vendor, they're far too deep in cognitive dissonance to associate the battery issue with the brand.

I think you're misunderstanding what the general population (i.e. not readers of tech blogs) thinks in their mind when they hear about this recall.  They hear Samsung Galaxy. The general population (again, think your parents, grandparents, average person shopping at the mall, etc.) doesn't associate the Galaxy S7 from the Galaxy Note 7, they just hear that Galaxy phones are blowing up and burning down cars and hotels, and that will make more of them stay away than would have previously.