4 ms·

Ask YC: Buy the iPhone or wait for Android?

2 points by agotterer 18y ago

The new iPhone becomes available in a few weeks. Is everyone rushing out to get it or waiting to see what Google does with Android? Why?

hcho 18y ago
Android still has some way to go. Google was talking about delays to Q1 2009. After that they have to convince a manufacturer to produce an Android device; customization will surely take some time and it might not be as good as iPhone UIwise. After that comes acceptance tests. And then they have to find operators to subsidize the device. Then comes the sales and penetaration into market. I know Google has the power to push these things but they still take time. So don't hold your breath for an Android device yet.
- agotterer 18y ago
  Thanks for your comments, very interesting. I was under the impression that Google would be all set by end of summer, but I have no idea why I thought that. iPhone it is! It's too bad, cause I really like Verizon.
ichverstehe 18y ago
HTC, LG, Samsung and Motorola are members of the Open Handset Alliance (http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/ http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/) so the manufacturers should be there already. A HTC Dream (the rumoured Android-phone, supposedly the one used in the Android-video below) + Android combo would be my iPhone killer. The Android interface seems good and the HTC Touch Diamond is just as slick as the iPhone. And with Android being much more open than the iPhone, that's more or less a strike! Android: http://www.everythingdream.com/android-demoed-all-sorts-of-information-and-videos-20080528/ http://www.everythingdream.com/android-demoed-all-sorts-of-i... HTC Touch Diamond: http://www.everythingdream.com/htc-diamond-videos-from-htc-press-event-in-london-20080509/ http://www.everythingdream.com/htc-diamond-videos-from-htc-p... – it is running Windows Mobile, yes, but the interface, TouchFLU 3D, is largely a work of HTC.
- hcho 18y ago
  HTC, LG, Samsung and Motorola are members of other Linux alliances as well. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they will commit to a product. Productization needs a big investment and giant manufacturers take a bit of time to decide. HTC seems most likely to jump the gun. Demo and real life products are light years apart in handset business.
alaskamiller 18y ago
Here's how to solve your problem: Get both. iPhone now and/or in July and Android whenever they come out in 2009, 2010, or 2011.
mattdennewitz 18y ago
i want an iphone, but am waiting for android for one reason: adding my wife to my tmobile plan = contract += 2 years.
- mattdennewitz 18y ago
  and i pretend that the poor reception i see everyone else get (t-mobile rules in chicago) matter, too ;)
frankus 18y ago
Unless you're stuck with an early termination fee to switch to AT&T, I'd say at $199 you can't go wrong with an iPhone. Even if you're not developing software for it, it's a damned good phone (easily the best I've ever used in terms of sound quality, reception, and battery life). AFAIK the development environment blows away that of any other mobile platform. But there is that bit about forking out $99 for a signing key to use your own code on your own phone, unless you go the jailbreak route.
- agotterer 18y ago
  My contract has been up for over a yr with Verizon. So switching wont be a problem. I just didn't want to regret getting the iPhone if Android was coming out soon (which doesn't seem to be the case). But it seems like no one is waiting around for Android. I will def be playing with the SDK if I get the phone.
- allenbrunson 18y ago
  ... and even if you are willing to fork out 100 bucks for the key, Apple probably won't give you one. According to their own numbers, 25k people asked for one, they handed out only 4k keys, and won't be giving out anymore until some unspecified point in the future. ALSO, I've heard from other parties that if you use the key to install apps on an iPhone, you can't make calls with it anymore. A current limitation of the SDK development process that will likely be fixed in the future, I bet. In other words, you don't want to buy an iPhone because you think you're going to use Xcode to whip yourself up some simple apps and install them on your phone. The situation right now is suitable only to hardcore types.
clb22 18y ago
I think Mr. Jobs choose to sell the Iphone cheaper this time, because he knows that Google Android will be a very stronger competition to Iphone, so it was pretty clever in that way. I will definitely wait for the release of the HTC android mobile system.
- agotterer 18y ago
  Actually I think they subsidized it to compete with the Blackberry and Palm phones. Most phones are subsidized to entice users to sign plans. With this price decrease it will be easier then ever for people to justify getting an iPhone. Apple is going to capture a huge chunk of the smart phone market because of this.
breck 18y ago
I'd go with the iPhone. I think Android could be the next Vista. Or it could be a smash hit. The point is, any prediction of Android's success will have a wide margin of error. I think the chances that Android will be better than the iPhone in the next 2 years to be very slim.

2 points by agotterer 18y ago

The new iPhone becomes available in a few weeks. Is everyone rushing out to get it or waiting to see what Google does with Android? Why?

hcho 18y ago

Android still has some way to go. Google was talking about delays to Q1 2009. After that they have to convince a manufacturer to produce an Android device; customization will surely take some time and it might not be as good as iPhone UIwise. After that comes acceptance tests. And then they have to find operators to subsidize the device. Then comes the sales and penetaration into market. I know Google has the power to push these things but they still take time. So don't hold your breath for an Android device yet.

agotterer 18y ago
Thanks for your comments, very interesting. I was under the impression that Google would be all set by end of summer, but I have no idea why I thought that. iPhone it is! It's too bad, cause I really like Verizon.

ichverstehe 18y ago

HTC, LG, Samsung and Motorola are members of the Open Handset Alliance (http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/ http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/) so the manufacturers should be there already. A HTC Dream (the rumoured Android-phone, supposedly the one used in the Android-video below) + Android combo would be my iPhone killer. The Android interface seems good and the HTC Touch Diamond is just as slick as the iPhone. And with Android being much more open than the iPhone, that's more or less a strike! Android: http://www.everythingdream.com/android-demoed-all-sorts-of-information-and-videos-20080528/ http://www.everythingdream.com/android-demoed-all-sorts-of-i... HTC Touch Diamond: http://www.everythingdream.com/htc-diamond-videos-from-htc-press-event-in-london-20080509/ http://www.everythingdream.com/htc-diamond-videos-from-htc-p... – it is running Windows Mobile, yes, but the interface, TouchFLU 3D, is largely a work of HTC.

hcho 18y ago
HTC, LG, Samsung and Motorola are members of other Linux alliances as well. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they will commit to a product. Productization needs a big investment and giant manufacturers take a bit of time to decide. HTC seems most likely to jump the gun. Demo and real life products are light years apart in handset business.

alaskamiller 18y ago

Here's how to solve your problem: Get both. iPhone now and/or in July and Android whenever they come out in 2009, 2010, or 2011.

mattdennewitz 18y ago

i want an iphone, but am waiting for android for one reason: adding my wife to my tmobile plan = contract += 2 years.

mattdennewitz 18y ago
and i pretend that the poor reception i see everyone else get (t-mobile rules in chicago) matter, too ;)

frankus 18y ago

Unless you're stuck with an early termination fee to switch to AT&T, I'd say at $199 you can't go wrong with an iPhone. Even if you're not developing software for it, it's a damned good phone (easily the best I've ever used in terms of sound quality, reception, and battery life). AFAIK the development environment blows away that of any other mobile platform. But there is that bit about forking out $99 for a signing key to use your own code on your own phone, unless you go the jailbreak route.

agotterer 18y ago
My contract has been up for over a yr with Verizon. So switching wont be a problem. I just didn't want to regret getting the iPhone if Android was coming out soon (which doesn't seem to be the case). But it seems like no one is waiting around for Android. I will def be playing with the SDK if I get the phone.
allenbrunson 18y ago
... and even if you are willing to fork out 100 bucks for the key, Apple probably won't give you one. According to their own numbers, 25k people asked for one, they handed out only 4k keys, and won't be giving out anymore until some unspecified point in the future. ALSO, I've heard from other parties that if you use the key to install apps on an iPhone, you can't make calls with it anymore. A current limitation of the SDK development process that will likely be fixed in the future, I bet. In other words, you don't want to buy an iPhone because you think you're going to use Xcode to whip yourself up some simple apps and install them on your phone. The situation right now is suitable only to hardcore types.

clb22 18y ago

I think Mr. Jobs choose to sell the Iphone cheaper this time, because he knows that Google Android will be a very stronger competition to Iphone, so it was pretty clever in that way. I will definitely wait for the release of the HTC android mobile system.

agotterer 18y ago
Actually I think they subsidized it to compete with the Blackberry and Palm phones. Most phones are subsidized to entice users to sign plans. With this price decrease it will be easier then ever for people to justify getting an iPhone. Apple is going to capture a huge chunk of the smart phone market because of this.

breck 18y ago

I'd go with the iPhone. I think Android could be the next Vista. Or it could be a smash hit. The point is, any prediction of Android's success will have a wide margin of error. I think the chances that Android will be better than the iPhone in the next 2 years to be very slim.