Friday, December 28, 2012

New Android phones trash iPhone 5

This video of ten things the new (LG) Nexus 4 can do but Apple's iPhone 5 can't is quite popular right now. At least in Android circles but it's got a point:


The top comment even lists four more things:
  1. On Android you can connect your device as USB-storage device on your computer and copy and paste stuff
  2. On Android you can change the UI / launcher if you don't like the default look.
  3. On Android you can install apps from several different app stores or even from your SD-Card.
  4. On Android you can develop apps on any plattform (OSX, Windows, Linux), unlike iOS where you are more or less forced to get a Mac to do so.
The first extra reason (1 or 11) alone is enough to make me not even want to remotely consider paying for an iPhone.

I'm going to add a 15th advantage: superior cables and connectors. Rather than use brand specific outlet standards that has to be renewed with each new purchace (for example, iPhone 4 charger incompatible with iPhone 5 charger) Samsung is using standard jack for audio, standard mini-USB for data and power connections. And the power and data cable is one and the same, the power charger simply being an extension to the USB cable:



Another recent Android device, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, comes with an apparently kick-ass feature: hand writing recognition (at 7:19):


And the next Samsung Galaxy, S4, is imagined by a fan to come with a laser projection keyboard (at 0:44, not impossible as prototypes of such keyboards has been available for some time):


What were the latest iPhone innovations? Siri and Apple Maps?

Apple will probably hold on to its market share in rich countries for some time due to the psychological strength of its brand and its huge cash reserve allowing it to stick to its guns and advertise like mad. But if things continue this way, Samsung will take over the rich world while Huawei takes over the less rich world. Apple's market share will be that of iZealots and people paying ransom in one way or the other to get to data trapped in the iCloud.