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So I think there are two points that Paul makes: hardware and services. On the hardware front: I don't really buy the notion that Android hardware is up to par

by jmduke 13y ago

So I think there are two points that Paul makes: hardware and services. On the hardware front: I don't really buy the notion that Android hardware is up to par with Apple. I realize this is an inherently subjective argument: I've played with my friends' Android phones and I just don't like the way they look or feel compared to the iPhone. On the services front: I think the argument that "Google is an advertising company and that makes them an inherently worse ecosystem" is weak, but I absolutely agree that we're past the point of "this is the best solution for everyone." Personally -- I don't use any Apple services besides, well, the App Store, despite relying on them 100% for the hardware side (iPad + MBA + iPhone). And I don't use Google to the extent Paul does: I use GMail, Search, and Chrome. This has the advantage of portability: I don't have to tie myself to a given ecosystem because I'm stuck there. I tie myself to whatever makes my life the easiest.

greedo 13y ago
It'd be interesting to conduct a blind test, where all the logos/branding were removed from the devices.
- 67726e 13y ago
  I don't know about you, but the device itself is branding. If I pick up an iPhone, I know pretty much immediately that I'm holding an iPhone based on the layout of the buttons, especially the "God" button. Similarly I would never mistake my Nexus 4 for an iPhone 5.
- jjindev 13y ago
  It would be interesting to live in a world where you couldn't show off your logo at ... I was about to say "Starbucks" but I should say ... the coffee shop. This isn't to indict any particular brand, but when a brand is strong enough consumers of that brand use it to self-brand themselves. They wear the halo effect. And as I read Paul's essay I get some undercurrent that he's "hey, it's ok" to self-brand differently.
jinzo 13y ago
> On the hardware front: I don't really buy the notion that Android hardware is up to par with Apple. I realize this is an inherently subjective argument: I've played with my friends' Android phones and I just don't like the way they look or feel compared to the iPhone. It's not totally related to this discussion, and I'm not picking on you - but I had to mention this: I have a friend that bought himself a MacBook Pro (for around 2200€) and then went on to observe how this laptop is far better than any previous he owned, and how it's better than what his colleagues ad friends own. I agreed with him, and then told him that most of them paid way less than 1000€ for their laptop, and probably noone paid even close to what he paid (alas. there are not a lot of MacBooks around here), ofcourse a MacBook is way better than a 600€ HP laptop. People forget that, most of the Android devices (analog to laptops) are actually cheaper than a iPhone.
- r00fus 13y ago
  Is it cheap if you replace it regularly? The Core2Duo Macbook I bought in 2006 is almost as useful (albeit with an SSD now) as it was when I got it. It runs the latest OS and has decent enough graphics. Most Windows systems just don't age as well (exception being perhaps an Thinkpad, but then again, that's cost equivalent to a mac anyway). For phones, the argument is skewed by mobile operators as that service cost over a 2 year period greatly exceeds the cost of the phone itself.

by jmduke 13y ago

greedo 13y ago

It'd be interesting to conduct a blind test, where all the logos/branding were removed from the devices.

67726e 13y ago
I don't know about you, but the device itself is branding. If I pick up an iPhone, I know pretty much immediately that I'm holding an iPhone based on the layout of the buttons, especially the "God" button. Similarly I would never mistake my Nexus 4 for an iPhone 5.
jjindev 13y ago
It would be interesting to live in a world where you couldn't show off your logo at ... I was about to say "Starbucks" but I should say ... the coffee shop. This isn't to indict any particular brand, but when a brand is strong enough consumers of that brand use it to self-brand themselves. They wear the halo effect. And as I read Paul's essay I get some undercurrent that he's "hey, it's ok" to self-brand differently.

jinzo 13y ago

> On the hardware front: I don't really buy the notion that Android hardware is up to par with Apple. I realize this is an inherently subjective argument: I've played with my friends' Android phones and I just don't like the way they look or feel compared to the iPhone. It's not totally related to this discussion, and I'm not picking on you - but I had to mention this: I have a friend that bought himself a MacBook Pro (for around 2200€) and then went on to observe how this laptop is far better than any previous he owned, and how it's better than what his colleagues ad friends own. I agreed with him, and then told him that most of them paid way less than 1000€ for their laptop, and probably noone paid even close to what he paid (alas. there are not a lot of MacBooks around here), ofcourse a MacBook is way better than a 600€ HP laptop. People forget that, most of the Android devices (analog to laptops) are actually cheaper than a iPhone.

r00fus 13y ago
Is it cheap if you replace it regularly? The Core2Duo Macbook I bought in 2006 is almost as useful (albeit with an SSD now) as it was when I got it. It runs the latest OS and has decent enough graphics. Most Windows systems just don't age as well (exception being perhaps an Thinkpad, but then again, that's cost equivalent to a mac anyway). For phones, the argument is skewed by mobile operators as that service cost over a 2 year period greatly exceeds the cost of the phone itself.