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This is sort of an odd article. He is calling out Samsung for their walled garden approach yet yearns for a 7" iPad. Secondly, he is critical of the dock connec

This is sort of an odd article. He is calling out Samsung for their walled garden approach yet yearns for a 7" iPad. Secondly, he is critical of the dock connector but, if rumors are to be believed and it looks increasingly likely, that Apple will adopt a new, smaller dock connector for iOS devices. I can't blame Samsung in wanting to reduce their dependency on Google when they control over half of the Android phone market and sell as many, if not more, smartphones than Apple.

cstross 14y ago
You missed the key angle: ecosystem size. Apple has first-mover advantage: an 8 year legacy of dock-connector-compatible third party peripherals. Samsung does not, and if they keep changing proprietary connectors like underpants nobody in their right mind will even think about producing compatible hardware peripherals for their devices. Similarly, Apple has a pre-existing, pre-iOS market of loyal OSX customers who can be coaxed into embracing iOS as a portable extension of their desktop, with Calendar and Mail and Address book syncing. Samsung doesn't have such a captive audience, and won't build one by going about it this way. You're right about Samsung having reason to reduce their dependency on Google, but my point is they're going about it the wrong way from a UX point of view. Per Drucker, the job of any successful company is to acquire customers. Preferably loyal repeat customers. This is not how to do it.
- Tloewald 14y ago
  And mail doesn't restrict you from emailing non iOS users (indeed, it supports Exchange and gmail), etc. etc.
  - DeepDuh 14y ago
    Did Samsung really restrict an E-Mail application to one maildomain? Yes I read the article, but I still can't believe it... why would anyone want to use such crapware? Are they even asking themselves this question?
    - jsight 14y ago
      No, Samsung has never done that.
    - Tloewald 14y ago
      "chat to other Galaxy Tab users, mail via walled garden servers, share photos with other Samsung owners, and so on" so this is all incorrect? (I genuinely don't know.) Consider the way iOS Messages works — it bypasses SMS when possible to save you money, but transparently supports SMS. The point stands even if the particulars are slightly incorrect.
- technoslut 14y ago
  >You're right about Samsung having reason to reduce their dependency on Google, but my point is they're going about it the wrong way from a UX point of view. I would agree about them not switching connectors every year but I don't think that Samsung should be criticized for having a proprietary connector if they believe it's better than the standard. Samsung is underrated in how much consumer draw they have. Samsung, along with Apple, have made every other Android OEM unprofitable. They've probably benefitted most from the collapse of Nokia. >Apple has first-mover advantage: an 8 year legacy of dock-connector-compatible third party peripherals. In a way it may be worse for Apple if they do change the dock connector because of the legacy hardware support for it and potential customer complaints.
- tjoff 14y ago
  Apple has first-mover advantage: an 8 year legacy of dock-connector-compatible third party peripherals. Hah, apple deliberately made changes to how an iPod was charged just so that every third party peripherals would be useless - even though the physical connector was identical - which is of course way worse than just changing the connector. The reason apple has a lot of peripherals is because apple has so few products, they will be sold for much longer than a samsung phone that is obsolete 6 months after release (especially considering that customers aren't loyal to samsung as they are to apple, the barrier to buy another android device isn't big). That is what is killing the peripheral market.
gutnor 14y ago
Actually this is the typical view from a reluctant switchers : they adjust their expectation based on what the new platform is advertising, not what the old one was providing. Android is selling openness to ios users, so that's what the switcher expect: eg "OK Apple will not sell me the tablet I want, so I will have a look at this Android thingy, they say it is open and all, so at least I will have that." Same thing for the apps: Samsung is selling an Android device - so when Apple is getting away by having facetime only working with iPhone user, being restricted to a single brand is not something you expect from an Android phone. The guy is quite mild in his criticism and only look at the stuff he owns. That is refreshing from the "Apple sucks because there is a rumor that in the future they will delete all your books", or "Android is great because the next version that will only run on your next phone will support feature X"
- technoslut 14y ago
  I don't believe that the reason people are buying Android is because of openness. I doubt most can even understand the concept because they know relatively nothing about computers. If they did then they would understand what Samsung has been doing for the past year and move away. Instead, the SIII is seeing unprecedented demand for an Android phone. It's always been about price. Buying an unlocked iPhone, even for the low-end model, is extremely expensive because of the extra $200 that is tacked on.
jcromartie 14y ago
The problem is that Samsung's walled garden sucks. Apple's is clearly good enough for the millions of iOS customers.

cstross 14y ago

You missed the key angle: ecosystem size. Apple has first-mover advantage: an 8 year legacy of dock-connector-compatible third party peripherals. Samsung does not, and if they keep changing proprietary connectors like underpants nobody in their right mind will even think about producing compatible hardware peripherals for their devices. Similarly, Apple has a pre-existing, pre-iOS market of loyal OSX customers who can be coaxed into embracing iOS as a portable extension of their desktop, with Calendar and Mail and Address book syncing. Samsung doesn't have such a captive audience, and won't build one by going about it this way. You're right about Samsung having reason to reduce their dependency on Google, but my point is they're going about it the wrong way from a UX point of view. Per Drucker, the job of any successful company is to acquire customers. Preferably loyal repeat customers. This is not how to do it.

Tloewald 14y ago
And mail doesn't restrict you from emailing non iOS users (indeed, it supports Exchange and gmail), etc. etc.
- DeepDuh 14y ago
  Did Samsung really restrict an E-Mail application to one maildomain? Yes I read the article, but I still can't believe it... why would anyone want to use such crapware? Are they even asking themselves this question?
  - jsight 14y ago
    No, Samsung has never done that.
  - Tloewald 14y ago
    "chat to other Galaxy Tab users, mail via walled garden servers, share photos with other Samsung owners, and so on" so this is all incorrect? (I genuinely don't know.) Consider the way iOS Messages works — it bypasses SMS when possible to save you money, but transparently supports SMS. The point stands even if the particulars are slightly incorrect.
technoslut 14y ago
>You're right about Samsung having reason to reduce their dependency on Google, but my point is they're going about it the wrong way from a UX point of view. I would agree about them not switching connectors every year but I don't think that Samsung should be criticized for having a proprietary connector if they believe it's better than the standard. Samsung is underrated in how much consumer draw they have. Samsung, along with Apple, have made every other Android OEM unprofitable. They've probably benefitted most from the collapse of Nokia. >Apple has first-mover advantage: an 8 year legacy of dock-connector-compatible third party peripherals. In a way it may be worse for Apple if they do change the dock connector because of the legacy hardware support for it and potential customer complaints.
tjoff 14y ago
Apple has first-mover advantage: an 8 year legacy of dock-connector-compatible third party peripherals. Hah, apple deliberately made changes to how an iPod was charged just so that every third party peripherals would be useless - even though the physical connector was identical - which is of course way worse than just changing the connector. The reason apple has a lot of peripherals is because apple has so few products, they will be sold for much longer than a samsung phone that is obsolete 6 months after release (especially considering that customers aren't loyal to samsung as they are to apple, the barrier to buy another android device isn't big). That is what is killing the peripheral market.

gutnor 14y ago

Actually this is the typical view from a reluctant switchers : they adjust their expectation based on what the new platform is advertising, not what the old one was providing. Android is selling openness to ios users, so that's what the switcher expect: eg "OK Apple will not sell me the tablet I want, so I will have a look at this Android thingy, they say it is open and all, so at least I will have that." Same thing for the apps: Samsung is selling an Android device - so when Apple is getting away by having facetime only working with iPhone user, being restricted to a single brand is not something you expect from an Android phone. The guy is quite mild in his criticism and only look at the stuff he owns. That is refreshing from the "Apple sucks because there is a rumor that in the future they will delete all your books", or "Android is great because the next version that will only run on your next phone will support feature X"

technoslut 14y ago
I don't believe that the reason people are buying Android is because of openness. I doubt most can even understand the concept because they know relatively nothing about computers. If they did then they would understand what Samsung has been doing for the past year and move away. Instead, the SIII is seeing unprecedented demand for an Android phone. It's always been about price. Buying an unlocked iPhone, even for the low-end model, is extremely expensive because of the extra $200 that is tacked on.

jcromartie 14y ago

The problem is that Samsung's walled garden sucks. Apple's is clearly good enough for the millions of iOS customers.