4 ms·

Ah yes, the good old feature checklist comparison. Because that tells a customer so much about what it's actually like to use the thing they're buying. Strange

by funkah 15y ago

Ah yes, the good old feature checklist comparison. Because that tells a customer so much about what it's actually like to use the thing they're buying. Strange how customer-satisfaction rates (or anything of the like) don't show up in these comparison charts -- too squishy, I guess. And really, who cares whether people actually like using this thing? It's got a Super AMOLED Plus display, dangit!

ZeroGravitas 15y ago
Some slides you may have missed from the recent iPhone 4S reveal: iPhone 4S vs download speeds: http://regmedia.co.uk/2011/10/04/speeds.jpg http://regmedia.co.uk/2011/10/04/speeds.jpg and iPhone 4S camera response speeds: http://www.thewwwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/iphone-4s-camera-comparison.jpg http://www.thewwwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/iphone-... Apple is all about the specs when it thinks it can win, and when it cant (like the 4G downloads or the classic Altivec bake-offs with Photoshop) it's not beneath cooking up ridiculously misleading nonsense to use for spec-whoring.
- wvenable 15y ago
  Download speeds and camera response speeds aren't really tech specs. It's the difference between the gigahertz of your process vs. how fast you can launch an app. One is a spec, the other is a measurement. One gives the user an idea of what the experience will be.
  - ZeroGravitas 15y ago
    Even if we accept your argument about what is a spec and what is not, the download numbers seem obviously cooked and don't reflect actual speeds experienced by users but theoretical limits that your are unlikely to ever see for various reasons. And I've read that people are having trouble replicating the photo speed numbers, so we'll have to see exactly what circumstances lead to these numbers. Apple's benchmarks have never been very fair (not that they're alone in that as far as marketing goes) so I'd rather see independent confirmation before taking anything they say in a keynote as gospel.
- sjwright 15y ago
  I don't disagree with your main point, but camera responsiveness isn't exactly nonsense. For many people, it's possibly one of the most infuriating waits on current smartphones.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
  - ZeroGravitas 15y ago
    By nonsense I meant that they compared HSDPA speed (I believe, though there are conflicting reports online, that the iPhone 4S does not support HSPA+) so they placed an artificial cap on the speed of the other phones and explained it solely with an obscure acronym that no-one would understand. (And of course historically, the use of Altivec-based Photoshop filters that didn't reflect general processor speed).
- funkah 15y ago
  You're right, Apple does use specs when they make Apple look good. This is marketing we're talking about, after all. And checklists certainly are helpful when the presence or absence of a particular feature really does matter. But I just can't see myself as a consumer using a comparison chart like this to decide which one I will actually buy. I don't care if the screen is "Super AMOLED Plus" or "Retina", I care which one looks better.

by funkah 15y ago

ZeroGravitas 15y ago

Some slides you may have missed from the recent iPhone 4S reveal: iPhone 4S vs download speeds: http://regmedia.co.uk/2011/10/04/speeds.jpg http://regmedia.co.uk/2011/10/04/speeds.jpg and iPhone 4S camera response speeds: http://www.thewwwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/iphone-4s-camera-comparison.jpg http://www.thewwwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/iphone-... Apple is all about the specs when it thinks it can win, and when it cant (like the 4G downloads or the classic Altivec bake-offs with Photoshop) it's not beneath cooking up ridiculously misleading nonsense to use for spec-whoring.

wvenable 15y ago
Download speeds and camera response speeds aren't really tech specs. It's the difference between the gigahertz of your process vs. how fast you can launch an app. One is a spec, the other is a measurement. One gives the user an idea of what the experience will be.
- ZeroGravitas 15y ago
  Even if we accept your argument about what is a spec and what is not, the download numbers seem obviously cooked and don't reflect actual speeds experienced by users but theoretical limits that your are unlikely to ever see for various reasons. And I've read that people are having trouble replicating the photo speed numbers, so we'll have to see exactly what circumstances lead to these numbers. Apple's benchmarks have never been very fair (not that they're alone in that as far as marketing goes) so I'd rather see independent confirmation before taking anything they say in a keynote as gospel.
sjwright 15y ago
I don't disagree with your main point, but camera responsiveness isn't exactly nonsense. For many people, it's possibly one of the most infuriating waits on current smartphones.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- ZeroGravitas 15y ago
  By nonsense I meant that they compared HSDPA speed (I believe, though there are conflicting reports online, that the iPhone 4S does not support HSPA+) so they placed an artificial cap on the speed of the other phones and explained it solely with an obscure acronym that no-one would understand. (And of course historically, the use of Altivec-based Photoshop filters that didn't reflect general processor speed).
funkah 15y ago
You're right, Apple does use specs when they make Apple look good. This is marketing we're talking about, after all. And checklists certainly are helpful when the presence or absence of a particular feature really does matter. But I just can't see myself as a consumer using a comparison chart like this to decide which one I will actually buy. I don't care if the screen is "Super AMOLED Plus" or "Retina", I care which one looks better.