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Disclaimer: Android user. Every time I'm up to get a new phone I come this close to switching to iPhone. My wife has one, and I've switched to Macs. But there
by joebadmo 14y ago
Disclaimer: Android user.
Every time I'm up to get a new phone I come this close to switching to iPhone. My wife has one, and I've switched to Macs. But there are certain utilitarian functions that keep me on Android.
As of the last two design revs, though, I also have an aesthetic aversion to the iPhone. Gruber describes the jewelry or fine watch-like quality very well. But I don't wear jewelry or fine watches. (Ok, I wear a wedding ring, but it's a plain band.)
Maybe I'm just a philistine, but there's something about old original Motorola Droids that are at this point beaten up and worn that have a really nice aged, aesthetic weight to them.
It's a sentiment similar to the one Khoi Vinh lays out here: http://www.subtraction.com/2007/07/16/designed-det http://www.subtraction.com/2007/07/16/designed-det but not quite, because I think smart phones become obsolete too quickly for 'designed deterioration' to be realistic.
Maybe it's more that I don't want to feel that precious about these objects. I like to be able to not have to worry that much about taking care of my phone, to be able to toss it around without worrying about damage.
Or maybe it's just an emotional, class-based aversion to luxury goods because I grew up in working class conditions.
- cageface 14y agoThere is something a little crass about this angle of iPhone marketing. But marketing the iPhone as a luxury status symbol could be a little dangerous for them since they really only make one flagship phone. Even here in Vietnam I see iPhones all over the place and it just isn't a very effective signal of wealth anymore. But when I pull out my S3 people always want to look at it and play with it.
- samstave 14y agoWhat do you do in vietnam?
- seanmcdirmid 14y agoSame here in China. iPhone's are so commodity now, even migrant workers have them.
- scott_meade 14y agoThe phrase "luxury status symbol" caught my attention. More often than people realize, the utility of luxury is independent of signaling status. There are many well designed and built items which people would own and use even if no one sees them using or knows they own it. For me, Apple products fit into this category.
- pbreit 14y agoIt's not being marketed as a luxury status symbol. It's the same price as competing products but much, much better.
- jawngee 14y agoI'm in Saigon and I would disagree. I pull out my Nexus 7 and nobody gives a shit. I pull out my iPhone and people ask me if its the iPhone 5 (some weird racial correlation between white americans and Apple). You do see iPhones everywhere though, but when they still cost a good 2-3 months salary for most of the people here, it can only be a signifier of wealth, afaic. I think people still view it as the "right" pair of jeans versus Android's kind of cheap impression. But that's just my observation, I'm probably wrong. Edit: Also, if you're in Saigon, we should grab a coffee or something. jon@interfacelab.com
- cageface 14y agoNormally I'm happy to meet up with other hackers here but you were such an extravagant douche to me earlier on HN and to other people here I think I'll pass, thanks.
- jawngee 14y agothrows white glove on ground And just to be clear, not a douche, just a touch on the asshole side. I've never worn an Affliction shirt in my life. (sigh) The life of a new yorker, nobody gets us.
- technoslut 14y agoI consider this curious excuses. >Gruber describes the jewelry or fine watch-like quality very well. But I don't wear jewelry or fine watches. Being like jewelry isn't jewelry. The reference is to the build quality. >but there's something about old original Motorola Droids that are at this point beaten up and worn that have a really nice aged, aesthetic weight to them. No tech device is resistant to get beaten up. This is why there is a very healthy iPhone case market. >Maybe it's more that I don't want to feel that precious about these objects. These are phones. They are supposed to serve your purpose and not the other way around.
- joebadmo 14y agoHm. For what am I making excuses, if I may ask? > Being like jewelry isn't jewelry. The reference is to the build quality. Build quality of this level is inherently luxurious, IMO. > No tech device is resistant to get beaten up. This is why there is a very healthy iPhone case market. I think you missed my point? Which was that I prefer objects that wear well to objects you must protect with cases that sort of defeat the purpose of having something of such high aesthetic quality. > These are phones. They are supposed to serve your purpose and not the other way around. I agree. That's why I want a phone I'm not afraid to scratch or dent, or I have to protect with a case (see above).
- technoslut 14y ago>Build quality of this level is inherently luxurious, IMO. I don't know what that means. If you're saying that all smartphones at this level are luxurious then why do you care that the term 'jewelry' is being thrown around? >Which was that I prefer objects that wear well to objects you must protect with cases that sort of defeat the purpose of having something of such high aesthetic quality. Your point makes less sense to me. When has metal been lees durable than plastic? Metals traditionally dent and plastic cracks. I view the latter as being far worse.
- joebadmo 14y ago> I don't know what that means. If you're saying that all smartphones at this level are luxurious then why do you care that the term 'jewelry' is being thrown around? Sorry, I'll try to explain more clearly. I'm saying the build quality of Apple products, especially iPhones, is far higher than that of other phones, and is in that respect inherently luxurious. So luxurious, in fact, that it's only natural to be afraid of damage. > Your point makes less sense to me. When has metal been lees durable than plastic? Metals traditionally dent and plastic cracks. I view the latter as being far worse. It's not about the material. It's about what the wear does to the aesthetic quality of the phone. To use a different example, compare a jeep to a BMW. I'm not afraid of aesthetic damage to the jeep, because it's built for that, and built in such a way as to wear the damage well. Not so for the BMW. (Car analogies always work, right?)
- initself 14y agoI think the OG Motorola Droid is THE phone to have: Wonderful keypad with the buttons in the right places, has a nice heft to it that gives confidence, Froyo is a fine operating system that doesn't have any frills and cruft. It can run hot from time to time depending on what the phone is doing, but it's manageable. I just love the original vision that Google had for Android with that phone. It feels like the smart people involved in that original design have long since departed and a lot of other people spoiled the pot overthinking the next revs afterwards. I always think of Louis CK when I'm picking up my OG Droid - how amazing this "outdated" technology is in our amazing world. Nothing has convinced me yet that I need more. I've felt 4G and OLED but it doesn't really matter that much. I can't wait 3 more seconds here and there. Here's my mini review of the Droid 4 and why I didn't upgrade: http://mikebaas.org/writings/Technology/CellPhones/droid_4_review http://mikebaas.org/writings/Technology/CellPhones/droid_4_r...
- Mythbusters 14y agoYou probably want to get your hands on a Lumia 920 then. Much better keyboard (I compared it to SG III) Does not run hot and looks much much cooler than moto
- bluthru 14y ago>As of the last two design revs, though, I also have an aesthetic aversion to the iPhone. Gruber describes the jewelry or fine watch-like quality very well. But I don't wear jewelry or fine watches. (Ok, I wear a wedding ring, but it's a plain band.) I can understand this perspective for the 4 and 4s, as it's made from relatively delicate glass. But this phone, carved from aluminum, should be extremely rugged. The chamfer polish (not the geometry) is ornamental, but beyond that it's a purely functional expression. Apple didn't say, "Hey, Aluminum's pretty, let's make a phone out of it!" An aluminum unibody requires less parts, is more structural, more rugged, highly recyclable, dissipates heat, etc. Beauty and function are not at odds. Often they are related, especially in nature.
- alphang 14y agoGreat comment. You're arguing that there's an aesthetic that you prefer for smartphone hardware designs rather than the iPhone's. I think, as Windows Phone and (teenagers who continue to use) Blackberry have proven, people have different uses and visions for how they use their phones. Phone makers could do well to listen carefully and offer solutions, rather than follow Apple's design aesthetic and try to beat them at their own minimalism game.
- Tichy 14y agoThe Galaxy Nexus (which I love) costs 328€ now in Germany. The iPhone 5 will set you back at least 679€, and it has a much smaller screen. It just doesn't make sense to me, unless you want an expensive status symbol.
- dkd 14y agoI am in De for short business trip. From which shop you can buy with 328€ as I am interested in buying one for my gf? BTW, i m currently using galaxy nexus.
- Tichy 14y agoI saw it at Cyberport in Berlin, Friedrichstraße. They have several outlets in different cities: http://www.cyberport.de/stores http://www.cyberport.de/stores. Also online: http://www.cyberport.de/smartphone-und-foto/smartphones/A409-155/samsung-galaxy-nexus-i9250-16gb-titanium-silver.html http://www.cyberport.de/smartphone-und-foto/smartphones/A409... They also have the white version. I think you can check online if the phone is available in a specific store at a given time. Edit: Amazon.de has one for 319€ at the moment: http://amzn.to/S4rtbZ http://amzn.to/S4rtbZ
- dkd 14y agoDanke Schon.