Hello. My name is Leigh. I started this whole thing back in 2002. Back then it was all about the Microsoft Smartphone but over the years there’s been a colossal change in the mobile landscape.
Today Apple announced the iPhone 4S. Despite what people say, it’ll be yet another huge success for Apple. Just one question though…
..why ?
When I wrote the Galaxy SII review I knew that it was a special handset. This was blisteringly quick, beautifully designed and produced amazing images. It was and still is the best Android handset we’ve ever seen. I went out and bought one.
Here’s the BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jone showing some of the new features in the iPhone 4S..
Comparing this to my Galaxy SII is tricky. The iPhone has a gerzillion apps and the brilliant iTunes for grabbing music and more easily. But, as I watch Rory showing the 8 megapixel camera and voice recognition, I can’t help but murmur some “anti-iPhone” statements. I can pick up the Galaxy SII and take some excellent photos on the 8 megapixel shooter. Here’s one I snapped the other day. I was in a pub. I’d had a few beers. I wasn’t even trying to make it look all “arty” but it’s a brilliant shot.
Then I can pick up my phone, tap the action button twice and say “What’s the weather like today” in exactly the same way that Rory did in the video above. It’ll show up weather for my current location in exactly the same way.
The Galaxy SII has a dual-core 1.2GHz chip. This should match or possibly beat the specs of the new iPhone 4S. I’ll no doubt get shot down in the comments, but I sometimes don’t get why the iPhone is as successful as it is. Then, suddenly… I realise why it is. Apple have an unbelievably strong brand and the iPhone is beautifully crafted, despite the slightly ageing looks. People want to be seen using an iPhone and, despite the “antennagate” saga, it’s still perceived as a quality bit of kit.
Personally I believe that Samsung have produced the best alternative to the iPhone and I think Apple are well aware of it – the endless lawsuits flying between the companies almost prove that. For me, I’ve got no intention of getting rid of the Galaxy S II.
Heh, I just tried that 🙂 I’m sticking with my Galaxy S2 also. Cracking phone.
Completely agree with this. Apple is all abuot branding and nothing else. They aren’t doing anything new. Great post Leigh.
I don’t think anyones going to shoot you down here, the Galaxy s2 is here to stay.
Thing is, whilst the Androids are just as good technically as the iPhones they still aren’t as simple to use out of the box. I think 4″ screens are just to big for a majority of users and the main Android players should have bought out a 3.7″ iPhone killer instead of these behemoth battery killers. Apple seem to strike the right balance all round for the non-technical user. The other players overdo the feature list. I compare it to the minimalist approach of an Audi dashboard to that of a busy Lexus one.
Apple excels in PR. They have created a distortion field where even the mention of Apple has people drooling, dropping to their knees and thrusting their wallets forward.
I’m starting to wonder why we have the phrase “iPhone killer” anymore. The iPhone hasn’t been the ‘best’ phone out for a while. This phone hasn’t got what it needs to stand up to 12-18 months worth of Android phones until the next iPhone is announced.
iphone is good. apple let you do what you want the way THEY want you to do it, personally…i love the fact i can make my phone my own! i guarantee my SGS2 is unlike anyone elses. what makes an iphone user different from another iphone useappsr? nothing but the different sets of apps they have. all the screens are the same as are the menus! today dragged drooped n watched ahi def movie on my phone, my friend tried it on his iphone and spent 14hrs converting it handbrake
leigh love this article, and i also wont be getting rid of the S2
I think a lot of the ‘loyalty’ apple receive is actually down to people want to keep the investment already made in ios. I have a few hundred apps, some paid some free. I have no particular loyalty to any os, but this is a big reason I have stuck with apple rather than trying out android
I completely agree with you on this Gary. Having spent I don’t know how much money on the various apps out there on iOS apple have kind of got us by the balls! I wouldn’t want to purchase all the apps again, but I do like the idea of supporting the various developers out there.
Before iOS most apps I would get would be free or related to tweaking the phone. Now its much easier to just go ahead and purchase on the app store.
The other option is to get an iPod Touch for all the apps and purchase a different phone, but I don’t want 2 devices, I’m happy with just the one device.
Converting all my videos to MP4-V, no mass storage no removable storage keeps me well away from the iphone, but for thos who have invested in ios the last 3/4 years its too much of a wrench, Microsoft are also going down this root so i won’t be buying a mango phone either.
The only reason I won`t buy an Android phone, is because I won`t have a guarantee of OS upgrade. I currently have a 3GS and I will be able to upgrade to iOS5!! Which other OS does that? I really wan`t to use Android phones, but I don`t want to be dependent on Samsung/Motorola/HTC to have the upgraded OS.
You don’t have to waut. Just root your phone and upgrade yourself. It isn’t particularly techincally challenging…
It is indeed all about the PR. People see the ads & news reports about the latest new thing the iPhone brings to the marketplace and lap it up, while Windows Phone & Android owners are screaming at their TVs, “My phone already does that, & so did the one I had before it!”
I can’t see this changing either. People naturally mistrust ads from the “monster” that is Microsoft, and Google leaves promoting Android pretty much to the handset manufacturers. It seems only Apple have the correct approach to marketing. Let’s face it, they even made the iPhone4 holding-the-phone-stops-it-working debacle disappear without hurting sales noticeably.