Day: January 24, 2014

Should I be on the development teams for some monster tech company or should I be on the development team for some monster tech company????

Back in September when Apple had just launched the iPhone 5c and 5s I wrote that releasing the cheaper 5c was a mistake because Apple users want and had been accustomed to getting the best hardware on the market.  I also argued that what would drive much higher margins and sales would be a larger iPhone like the Galaxy Note.

Here is the post from September 12, 2013 the day they released the iPhone 5c and 5s-

iPhone 5s and 5c and What I Would Have Done If I Were Apple

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Joey C

I’m am an apple product fan.  Huge fan of the iPhone and the iPad.  I own a first gen iPad and still use it. Even though I am an android phone user I can still appreciate Apple hardware.

Every product refresh they make they include great enhancements but I think there is one move they have yet to make but I think would be an absolute monster boost to their sales.

A larger iPhone to me would be a monster hit.  As a Samsung Galaxy s3 user I really appreciate the extra screen real estate and I appreciate even more the ability to strap on a cheap aftermarket battery to the back of my s3 which triples the battery life.

I believe there are many people out there that want the smallest and lightest phones they can get but with the sheer computing power available on today’s smartphones they are being used more as portable computing machines and I think there is a distinct trend with people who want larger phones to be able to hit the keys easier and navigate easier, see videos more clearly, ect, ect ect.

The success of the Samsung Galaxy Note which is basically a Samsung Galaxy with an even larger screen shows there is big demand.

I don’t agree with Apple’s tactic of offering a low cost iPhone either with the 5c and it’s plastic parts.   Apple has always been synonymous with unapologetic top grade hardware and premium pricing.  people were and are willing to pay for it knowing they are getting the best hardware without ever questioning it.

I equate coming out with a lower grade iPhone to a brand like Tommy Hilfiger who for a brief moment was competing with the likes of Polo/ Ralph Lauren and then went and sold out and buried there products into discounters like Marshalls and TJ Max.  Forever to be equated with a poor man’s Polo and never will they ever be able to command the premium pricing they once did.

I say instead of offering a cheaper iPhone option that they should have offered a larger iPhone option with a mongo battery and charge even MORE for it.  That would have pleased Wall Street I bet.

Here’s the poll I created a few days later (it seems the GMG readership had the same opinions when asked)-

In light of the recent iPhone releases of the 5c and 5s a poll for iPhone users or potential iPhone users

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Joey C

and Now from the Wall Street Journal it seems that EXACTLY TO A T WHAT I HAD PROGNOSTICATED HAS COME TO FRUITION-

WSJ: Apple planning to launch two iPhone models with bigger screens, ditch the iPhone 5c

Posted by Stephen Hall at 10:31 am

According to a report published today by The Wall Street Journal, Apple is planning to launch two new iPhone devices with larger screens by the end of this year. The report also says that the Cupertino corporation plans to discontinue the recently launched iPhone 5c in favor of having two flavors of metal-body devices similar to the iPhone 5 and 5s.

It has been long rumored that larger screens were on Apple’s roadmap, but this is the first we’ve heard that the company may be releasing more than one new screen size for its future flagship smartphone. One of the rumored devices will supposedly sport a screen size of “more than 4.5-inches” diagonally, with the other shipping with a display of “more than 5-inches” diagonally.

Facing competition from rivals offering smartphones with bigger screens, Apple Inc. plans larger displays on a pair of iPhones due for release this year, people familiar with the situation said.

The people said Apple plans an iPhone model with a screen larger than 4½ inches measured diagonally, and a second version with a display bigger than 5 inches. Until now, Apple’s largest phone has been the 4-inch display on the iPhone 5.

Both new models are expected to feature metal casings similar to what is used on the current iPhone 5S, with Apple expected to scrap the plastic exterior used in the iPhone 5C, these people said.

Interestingly, the report also notes that Apple has no plans to release a phone with a curved display.

[WSJ]

APPLE OR MICROSOFT JUST HIRE ME ALREADY.  I’LL SAVE YOU A BUTTLOAD OF MARKETING ANALYSIS MONEY.

Oh and while we’re at it Microsoft I have a couple of quick suggestions for you-

I absolutely love the idea of the Surface tablet and being able to run all your desktop windows programs applications on a hybrid tablet, I especially love the idea of being able to plug into a usb port and use a mouse, condensor mic, external hardrive containing a shit ton of media files, ect, ect, ect on such a portable device.  Every part of that Surface tablet I loved to death except one important factor- compared to the iPad the thing feels like you’re holding a brick and it is in no way near even the last generation iPad’s comfort for holding.  With the weight of the Surface, you may as well buy yourself a more powerful ultrabook laptop.  It needs to be lighter.  Bottom line end of story.  Otherwise I’d buy a way cheaper android tablet or iPad if I wanted portability or a ultrabook or a Macbook air if I wanted to run desktop programs applications.

On to Windows 8 which is about to get an overhaul.  I understand the idea of everything being able to sync between a windows phone, tablet and desktop but it seems for you to be able to do this you needed to cripple the metro Windows default programs applications and dumb them down so they would be compatible on the less powerful Windows Phone and Tablets.  But by doing this you’ve only succeeded in frustrating Desktop users who want horsepower and powerful creation tools and not simply media consumption devices.  I get that 80% or more of computer/tablet users are using their devices as consumption devices, but for those of us who prefer a powerful desktop you should have let us have that powerful desktop experience and not steer us to the crippled windows 8 “Metro” programs applications just because they will sync better.

This is evidenced by HP announcing just this week that they are offering Windows 7 desktops (stepping back a generation)-

HP brings back Windows 7 ‘by popular demand’

By Tom Warren on January 20, 2014 08:26 am