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When your aim is ubiquity, 18 models of the same basic product is a positive, not a negative. Apple and Samsung are playing entirely different games. Apple is b

When your aim is ubiquity, 18 models of the same basic product is a positive, not a negative. Apple and Samsung are playing entirely different games. Apple is built on brand and large profit margins, Samsung on controlling the components and being everywhere. They are equally valid plans, but Apple's way is more likely to win fans.

SoftwareMaven 16y ago
But Apple is successfully training customers that it is nice to be able to shop a simple product line. People are tired of being confused, and Apple makes it trivial to not be confused. Samsung's ubiquity game isn't going to work if the customers are sick of playing it.
- mgkimsal 16y ago
  Agreed. I know there's going to be an 'iPhone' for a long time to come, and I'm confident now that there'll be a peripherals ecosystem around it. I have no such confidence that any other company will keep the same model of phone around for more than a few years. Even the mighty RAZR seemed to lose the support of Motorola - RAZR, ROKR, PEBL, SLVR variations came out, and now none of them are being actively pursued - MOTO shifted focus to Android as 'flavor of the month'. They'll have no such problems shifting to something else more profitable in 2 years if it suits them, leaving everyone who purchased or supported current phones high and dry.
  - StavrosK 16y ago
    Knowing Apple, I have no confidence that the peripherals that work for this iPhone will keep working for the next.
    - mgkimsal 16y ago
      Interesting - I do. Not all of them, but it's more than I can say for other devices I've owned. And I'm pretty sure there will be some 3rd party vendors that will provide support for my model for a while to come, given the size of the installed base of the same model. I don't expect it forever, but I do expect it (and seem to get it).
    - SoftwareMaven 16y ago
      I sort of agree with this statement, in that I do think that Apple will mercilessly drop support for things that they think aren't worth continuing support. Alternatively, I think that helps keep their platform healthy. Compare OS X to Windows as an example: one of Microsoft's core tenets is backwards compatibility, and it means their platform has been a mess (you can still write Win16!! applications)[1]. [1] "Has been" because it has been a while since I've written anything at that win api layer and I'm assuming it has been cleaned up a lot since they now virtualize access to old APIs.
      - StavrosK 16y ago
        I partially agree, except that they've been known to make forwards-incompatible docks just so you had to buy new ones with your phone, even though it's basically just a USB extension. I don't think that's justifiable...

SoftwareMaven 16y ago

But Apple is successfully training customers that it is nice to be able to shop a simple product line. People are tired of being confused, and Apple makes it trivial to not be confused. Samsung's ubiquity game isn't going to work if the customers are sick of playing it.

mgkimsal 16y ago
Agreed. I know there's going to be an 'iPhone' for a long time to come, and I'm confident now that there'll be a peripherals ecosystem around it. I have no such confidence that any other company will keep the same model of phone around for more than a few years. Even the mighty RAZR seemed to lose the support of Motorola - RAZR, ROKR, PEBL, SLVR variations came out, and now none of them are being actively pursued - MOTO shifted focus to Android as 'flavor of the month'. They'll have no such problems shifting to something else more profitable in 2 years if it suits them, leaving everyone who purchased or supported current phones high and dry.
- StavrosK 16y ago
  Knowing Apple, I have no confidence that the peripherals that work for this iPhone will keep working for the next.
  - mgkimsal 16y ago
    Interesting - I do. Not all of them, but it's more than I can say for other devices I've owned. And I'm pretty sure there will be some 3rd party vendors that will provide support for my model for a while to come, given the size of the installed base of the same model. I don't expect it forever, but I do expect it (and seem to get it).
  - SoftwareMaven 16y ago
    I sort of agree with this statement, in that I do think that Apple will mercilessly drop support for things that they think aren't worth continuing support. Alternatively, I think that helps keep their platform healthy. Compare OS X to Windows as an example: one of Microsoft's core tenets is backwards compatibility, and it means their platform has been a mess (you can still write Win16!! applications)[1]. [1] "Has been" because it has been a while since I've written anything at that win api layer and I'm assuming it has been cleaned up a lot since they now virtualize access to old APIs.
    - StavrosK 16y ago
      I partially agree, except that they've been known to make forwards-incompatible docks just so you had to buy new ones with your phone, even though it's basically just a USB extension. I don't think that's justifiable...