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The holy grail for me (and one that keeps me on iOS) is hardware. Apple knows this, which is why they are so aggressive in patent submission and litigation. And

The holy grail for me (and one that keeps me on iOS) is hardware. Apple knows this, which is why they are so aggressive in patent submission and litigation. Android terrifies them. If Samsung/LG et. al. could make a somewhat more affordable handset with the design ascetics of an Apple device that ran stock Android, it would seriously disrupt Apple's position. I had hope for Intel's concept phone [1], but it doesn't look like it manifested in the way it was originally sold. 1. http://www.businessinsider.com/intel-medfield-concept-phone-tablet-2011-12 http://www.businessinsider.com/intel-medfield-concept-phone-...

stcredzero 14y ago
> Samsung/LG et. al. could make a somewhat more affordable handset with the design ascetics of an Apple device that ran stock Android, it would seriously disrupt Apple's position. Or, what if Google bought a company with great supply chain expertise? Then they could sell tons of those Nexus phones. What about a Google retail arm? It should probably be a different company entirely that Google owns. It could sell Nexus devices and Chromebooks and have its own version of the Genius Bar.
- purephase 14y ago
  I've never been a fan of the Nexus product line, so hopefully a company with a better design ascetic. The HTC/Samsung/LG triumvirate clearly focuses on a market saturation instead of flagship products. Frankly, I'm a bit shocked that none of the other manufacturers have tried shifting focus to less, but much better handsets. RIM is trying it now though, so I guess we'll see how that works out for them.
  - 2muchcoffeeman 14y ago
    I really liked the previous Nexus phones with the curved glass. The slight curve feels good in the hand. It also solves the problem of placing the phone face down and getting scratches on the screen without using a raised bezel. Also, why would these companies abandon their currently successful business model? They know it works for them. I am sure they will all start pumping more resources into building a 'premium' brand like Samsung is doing with Galaxy.
cheald 14y ago
The Nexus 4 is honestly an excellent piece of hardware. I'd still say the iPhone is better-built, but I don't feel like the N4 is far enough behind to leave me feeling jealous. The screen size is a sticking point for some folks, but the device doesn't "feel" big (my dad is a vocal critic of too-big phones, and he rather likes my N4) like some other phones of similar sizes. The battery life is absolutely an issue, but that's a software issue rather than a hardware one; I average about 36 hours on a charge on my N4, but that did take a bit of tweaking (turning off location reporting services that are on by default, primarily) to get there. All that said, I feel that in terms of software, stock Android is so much better than iOS at this point that it's not even a contest; the "battery life" issue is part of the double-edged sword that is developer freedom - on the other edge is a system that lets developers do wonderful things. Apple is absolutely still top of the game in terms of hardware, but they're going to have to do a hard burn to catch up on software.
- purephase 14y ago
  Honestly, I used the N4 for a few hours and was left wanting. The size of the device really throws me off because I can just barely use it with a single hand, and it is extremely awkward. It may not sound important, but as a parent of a 5mth old, being able to use a device with a single hand is essential.
  - cheald 14y ago
    Oh, I hear you. It's very different if you're coming from a smaller device. The screen size is a showstopper for some people, no doubt. It works for me, but I can see how others would like something more iPhone-sized. (Parent of two here, I totally understand the "one hand" thing!)
myko 14y ago
The Nexus 4 feels much better to my hand than any iPhone. The iPhone 5 feels really awkward to hold to me and the aluminum feels much weaker to me than previous iPhones.

stcredzero 14y ago

> Samsung/LG et. al. could make a somewhat more affordable handset with the design ascetics of an Apple device that ran stock Android, it would seriously disrupt Apple's position. Or, what if Google bought a company with great supply chain expertise? Then they could sell tons of those Nexus phones. What about a Google retail arm? It should probably be a different company entirely that Google owns. It could sell Nexus devices and Chromebooks and have its own version of the Genius Bar.

purephase 14y ago
I've never been a fan of the Nexus product line, so hopefully a company with a better design ascetic. The HTC/Samsung/LG triumvirate clearly focuses on a market saturation instead of flagship products. Frankly, I'm a bit shocked that none of the other manufacturers have tried shifting focus to less, but much better handsets. RIM is trying it now though, so I guess we'll see how that works out for them.
- 2muchcoffeeman 14y ago
  I really liked the previous Nexus phones with the curved glass. The slight curve feels good in the hand. It also solves the problem of placing the phone face down and getting scratches on the screen without using a raised bezel. Also, why would these companies abandon their currently successful business model? They know it works for them. I am sure they will all start pumping more resources into building a 'premium' brand like Samsung is doing with Galaxy.

cheald 14y ago

The Nexus 4 is honestly an excellent piece of hardware. I'd still say the iPhone is better-built, but I don't feel like the N4 is far enough behind to leave me feeling jealous. The screen size is a sticking point for some folks, but the device doesn't "feel" big (my dad is a vocal critic of too-big phones, and he rather likes my N4) like some other phones of similar sizes. The battery life is absolutely an issue, but that's a software issue rather than a hardware one; I average about 36 hours on a charge on my N4, but that did take a bit of tweaking (turning off location reporting services that are on by default, primarily) to get there. All that said, I feel that in terms of software, stock Android is so much better than iOS at this point that it's not even a contest; the "battery life" issue is part of the double-edged sword that is developer freedom - on the other edge is a system that lets developers do wonderful things. Apple is absolutely still top of the game in terms of hardware, but they're going to have to do a hard burn to catch up on software.

purephase 14y ago
Honestly, I used the N4 for a few hours and was left wanting. The size of the device really throws me off because I can just barely use it with a single hand, and it is extremely awkward. It may not sound important, but as a parent of a 5mth old, being able to use a device with a single hand is essential.
- cheald 14y ago
  Oh, I hear you. It's very different if you're coming from a smaller device. The screen size is a showstopper for some people, no doubt. It works for me, but I can see how others would like something more iPhone-sized. (Parent of two here, I totally understand the "one hand" thing!)

myko 14y ago

The Nexus 4 feels much better to my hand than any iPhone. The iPhone 5 feels really awkward to hold to me and the aluminum feels much weaker to me than previous iPhones.