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> It didn’t look anything like an iPhone, nor like anything Apple would ever be interested in making. It looked like a BlackBerry or Windows Mobile phone — hard
by csallen 16y ago
> It didn’t look anything like an iPhone, nor like anything Apple would ever be interested in making. It looked like a BlackBerry or Windows Mobile phone — hardware keyboards and non-touch screens. ... What’s goofy is the idea that Google would do this — to aggressively change Android from a BlackBerry/Windows Mobile competitor into an iPhone competitor...
He's dividing phones into two categories here: BlackBerry/Windows Mobile-like phones and iPhone-like phones. This is a very questionable standpoint. It's like dividing tablets into Windows-like tablets and iPad-like tablets, and claiming that they're two separate markets.
On the contrary, tech hardware is constantly evolving. What's possible in 2010 wasn't possible in 2005, and what was possible in 2005 wasn't possible in 1995. In the past, it made sense to go with the benefits of a physical keyboard at the expense of screen real estate. Today, phones are extremely powerful, their screens run at high resolutions, carriers are more liberal, and mobile app developers abound. Google isn't switching markets to suddenly start competing with the iPhone; they're just keeping up with the times. Saying that Google should have "kept Android targeted at BlackBerry" is like saying the US should have focused on producing spears and arrows during the nuclear arms race.
- allenp 16y agoI took this to mean that Google switched their target demographic from corporate to consumer and that Gruber thinks the consumer market segment is Apple's turf. I don't think his argument is about technology at all - more about money and Google actively attacking Apple's income stream (instead of RIM's).
- sprout 16y agoIt still makes sense to go with a physical keyboard if you're strapped for cash. Touchscreens big enough and responsive enough to handle a soft keyboard do not run cheap.
- msg 16y agoOr if you need the precision and speed that a physical keyboard provides (until Swype or something changes the game).
- jokermatt999 16y agoPhysical keyboards definitely feel more accurate and nicer to type on. I could have gone touch only when I got my phone, but I specifically went with the Droid rather than wait for a Nexus One because I wanted a physical keyboard. I don't understand how people can use those on screen keyboards all the time. There's no feedback whatsoever.
- sprout 16y agoI can understand it, but I too prefer my Droid's keyboard.
- mcantelon 16y ago>It's like dividing tablets into Windows-like tablets and iPad-like tablets, and claiming that they're two separate markets Exactly. Apple didn't invent touch-screen smartphones: they pretty much just evolved the ideas of Palm.