iPhone XR Thoughts
I didn't even know Apple was releasing a new product. But, apparently they are. And apparently the Apple fans are already declaring it a success.
I read the above linked article. And I couldn't help but find flaws with it immediately.
Let's just get this out of the way first. Just as some people will buy Apple products regardless of quality, competition or any other factor. Android, and even some specific vendors like Samsung and the Pixel phones have their own following.
As far as I can tell, the lines are largely drawn in the sand already. I see just as many stories of people leaving Apple for Android as I see leaving Android for Apple. So, possibly the most amusing thing about this article is that it seems to miss the point. While I'm sure Apple would love to lure hoards of Android user's to their ecosystem... the real people they are selling these phones to? Are people who already own Apple products.
And while I think that is the biggest takeaway, it is far from the only one. So, let's start. The article singles out the Pixel 3 and other flagships. Which is fitting, because the cost of the lowest end model of new iPhones is firmly in that range. So, in my criticism, I'll be focusing there as well.
Firstly, price. The Pixel 2 started out less than the cheapest iPhone XR. And rumors are that the Pixel 3 will actually be sticking closer to Pixel 2 on specs and going lower on price than the last gen. So, automatically, the assumption that the XR is somehow crazy cheap is automatically blown out of the water. The top end model is fully $150USD more than the top end Pixel 2 and only $50 less than the top end Pixel 2 XL.
And don't for one second critique my choice of including the non-XL Pixel 2. It is spec'd IDENTICALLY to the XL, aside from screen size and battery. If we wish to make that comparison fair, we'd actually need to compare to the iPhone XS or XS Max. And doing so rather amusingly humiliates Apple on price very quickly. The cheapest model of each is more expensive than the top tier Pixel 2 XL. And the most expensive models are painfully more expensive.
From a pricing perspective, Apple has really done nothing revolutionary here. The most revolutionary thing for Apple has to be that they actually copied the Pixel approach. All three phones have effectively the same innards. And even within this model, the new "cheap" Pixel will still likely be less expensive than the XR and the Pixel 3 XL will likely remain cheaper than the XS and XS Max.
That being said, according to the article, it may not even be fair to say they have the same innards. The XR may actually sport on 3GB of RAM instead of 4GB like the bigger ones. In effect making, in at least one tangible metric, not as much of a flagship as the other phones.
The article then goes on to say that the Pixel 3 XL and Galaxy Note 9 will cost more. Again, missing the fact that those are THE MOST EXPENSIVE of their lineups, whereas this is the CHEAPEST of Apple's lineup. Also, the Pixel 3 XL may actually end up cheaper deliver yet another nail into the coffin of this horribly one sided debacle.
Next the article goes on the rampage about support. But, we're talking about flagship phones. And the article titles specifically mentions the Pixel 3. Google ALSO support their phones for YEARS. So too does Samsung (for it's flagship devices) which is also named in the article.
To wrap things up, the article goes into some demented rant about the notch. Complaining that others wouldn't invest in 3D face authentication or replicate the full screen design. The problem is... Face Id is a flawed piece of garbage. It is less secure and less fast than Touch ID or the Android equivalents. It is PROVEN. And the device IS NOT F***ING full screen. The NOTCH IS EXACTLY WHAT STOPS IT FROM BEING SO. I don't care how you FEEL about the notch. You can love it. You can hate it. The device is NOT full screen.
I know I sound passionate about this. I really don't care. Apple's strategy looks like this because phones are now getting where PC's were just after the turn of the millennium. Hardware advances are too small to give a shit about and software still needs to target older hardware. So, businesses like Apple need to promote sales not by offering anything leaps and bounds better, but rather by offering more price points to help entice consumers to stay in the upgrade cycle.
Here is what would have blown my mind. If Apple offered NO new products. Just slashed the prices on existing ones and promised to wait until they had something worth selling to you. This forced annual release cycle only makes sense when hardware is actually tangibly improving on that cycle.
If I'm being completely honest with myself. My Nexus 6P, which was a 2.5 year old model by the time I replaced it with my Pixel... wasn't markedly worse than my Pixel 2. If I hadn't smashed the screen and the charging port weren't on the fritz (and I didn't love buying new tech), I probably wouldn't have a Pixel 2 right now. And probably wouldn't care.
In fact, the only reason why I'm interested in the Pixel 3 is Wireless charging. For the aforementioned reason about charging ports wearing out.
I read the above linked article. And I couldn't help but find flaws with it immediately.
Let's just get this out of the way first. Just as some people will buy Apple products regardless of quality, competition or any other factor. Android, and even some specific vendors like Samsung and the Pixel phones have their own following.
As far as I can tell, the lines are largely drawn in the sand already. I see just as many stories of people leaving Apple for Android as I see leaving Android for Apple. So, possibly the most amusing thing about this article is that it seems to miss the point. While I'm sure Apple would love to lure hoards of Android user's to their ecosystem... the real people they are selling these phones to? Are people who already own Apple products.
And while I think that is the biggest takeaway, it is far from the only one. So, let's start. The article singles out the Pixel 3 and other flagships. Which is fitting, because the cost of the lowest end model of new iPhones is firmly in that range. So, in my criticism, I'll be focusing there as well.
Firstly, price. The Pixel 2 started out less than the cheapest iPhone XR. And rumors are that the Pixel 3 will actually be sticking closer to Pixel 2 on specs and going lower on price than the last gen. So, automatically, the assumption that the XR is somehow crazy cheap is automatically blown out of the water. The top end model is fully $150USD more than the top end Pixel 2 and only $50 less than the top end Pixel 2 XL.
And don't for one second critique my choice of including the non-XL Pixel 2. It is spec'd IDENTICALLY to the XL, aside from screen size and battery. If we wish to make that comparison fair, we'd actually need to compare to the iPhone XS or XS Max. And doing so rather amusingly humiliates Apple on price very quickly. The cheapest model of each is more expensive than the top tier Pixel 2 XL. And the most expensive models are painfully more expensive.
From a pricing perspective, Apple has really done nothing revolutionary here. The most revolutionary thing for Apple has to be that they actually copied the Pixel approach. All three phones have effectively the same innards. And even within this model, the new "cheap" Pixel will still likely be less expensive than the XR and the Pixel 3 XL will likely remain cheaper than the XS and XS Max.
That being said, according to the article, it may not even be fair to say they have the same innards. The XR may actually sport on 3GB of RAM instead of 4GB like the bigger ones. In effect making, in at least one tangible metric, not as much of a flagship as the other phones.
The article then goes on to say that the Pixel 3 XL and Galaxy Note 9 will cost more. Again, missing the fact that those are THE MOST EXPENSIVE of their lineups, whereas this is the CHEAPEST of Apple's lineup. Also, the Pixel 3 XL may actually end up cheaper deliver yet another nail into the coffin of this horribly one sided debacle.
Next the article goes on the rampage about support. But, we're talking about flagship phones. And the article titles specifically mentions the Pixel 3. Google ALSO support their phones for YEARS. So too does Samsung (for it's flagship devices) which is also named in the article.
To wrap things up, the article goes into some demented rant about the notch. Complaining that others wouldn't invest in 3D face authentication or replicate the full screen design. The problem is... Face Id is a flawed piece of garbage. It is less secure and less fast than Touch ID or the Android equivalents. It is PROVEN. And the device IS NOT F***ING full screen. The NOTCH IS EXACTLY WHAT STOPS IT FROM BEING SO. I don't care how you FEEL about the notch. You can love it. You can hate it. The device is NOT full screen.
I know I sound passionate about this. I really don't care. Apple's strategy looks like this because phones are now getting where PC's were just after the turn of the millennium. Hardware advances are too small to give a shit about and software still needs to target older hardware. So, businesses like Apple need to promote sales not by offering anything leaps and bounds better, but rather by offering more price points to help entice consumers to stay in the upgrade cycle.
Here is what would have blown my mind. If Apple offered NO new products. Just slashed the prices on existing ones and promised to wait until they had something worth selling to you. This forced annual release cycle only makes sense when hardware is actually tangibly improving on that cycle.
If I'm being completely honest with myself. My Nexus 6P, which was a 2.5 year old model by the time I replaced it with my Pixel... wasn't markedly worse than my Pixel 2. If I hadn't smashed the screen and the charging port weren't on the fritz (and I didn't love buying new tech), I probably wouldn't have a Pixel 2 right now. And probably wouldn't care.
In fact, the only reason why I'm interested in the Pixel 3 is Wireless charging. For the aforementioned reason about charging ports wearing out.
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