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Editorial
The seed for this editorial was planted in my brain the day that the HTC Amaze 4G was released on T-Mobile 120 days after its predecessor, the Sensation 4G. It bears repeating: one hundred and twenty days. Even now, it makes my head spin.
Love it or hate it, Apple has done many things right in its relentless march to smartphone dominance over the past five years; the company's strategic prowess in deploying and growing the iPhone is practically a college textbook unto itself. But recently, its talent for building a patient, deliberate product cadence around a single brand has really spoken to me. By falling into a (roughly) annual release schedule, Apple owns the entirety of the hype machine that surrounds the iPhone at almost all times — a hype machine that's predictable and whole, never fragmented. Every iPhone customer wants every new iPhone that Apple makes, because they have sufficient time to understand the new model, tire of the old one, and gain some traction on a two-year contract. That's an enormously powerful weapon in Apple's arsenal.
I think the best way to demonstrate what I'm talking about is with a graphic. Here, we're taking a look at Apple's phone releases versus HTC's since the start of 2010, plotted over time:
And this isn't even every HTC, I've left out the Windows Phone and Brew MP products plus a few regional and carrier-specific variants. Clearly, I'm not revealing anything new here — we all know that Apple releases one phone a year while other manufacturers tirelessly pump out dozens — but it really hit home for me just how wild this difference was once I could visualize it.
Don't get me wrong, the amount of continuous engineering and marketing required to release and support devices at this kind of pace is humbling. I don't know how HTC, Samsung, or anyone else in this business is able to sustain the pace of iterative innovation that we're seeing right now — it boggles the mind. But as impressive as it might be to technology and business process nerds, it's just as upsetting to the average consumer.
Why?
You alienate your best customers. Over and over and over again. How do you think Sensation 4G customers felt when their phones were bested less than four months later? Mobile is the one and only durable goods industry I'm aware of where a gnat-like product life cycle is considered "normal." From the consumer's perspective, there's no great reason why it should be — top-tier phones are $200 to $300 upfront these days, and the financial commitment around that device can add up to $3,000 or more. This doesn't happen in home theater, it doesn't happen in gaming, and if you don't include component spec bumps, it doesn't happen in the PC business.
You induce paralysis at the register. After a few cycles of this madness, consumers catch on that they're stuck in a zero-sum game. They're always asking themselves (and us) what's around the corner. You deny them the comfort and the reassurance of knowing that their device will be "the best" in its class, if only for a while.
You confuse people. No human, much less a paying consumer standing in line at a corporate-owned carrier retail store, can keep track of 30-plus Android phones from a single OEM in the span of two years. If they claim they can, they're lying to you.
You make it more difficult on yourself to keep devices updated in a timely fashion. This one's just simple math: more SKUs means more firmwares, and more versions of those firmwares. Each of those versions needs the care and feeding of an engineering team, and there are only so many engineers to go around. If a particular model is unpopular — which is more likely when you're releasing a countless array of them — long-term support becomes an even greater risk. Think of the HTC Aria versus the wildly successful HTC Evo 4G, both released around the same time.
Obviously, there are many forces at play here, none more powerful than the American carrier bloc. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and the largest regionals all want their individual whims and design concerns catered to — and more often than not, they want their own model names attached to the devices. It's a practice that robs manufacturers of their identity and their ability to control the product cycle. It's a malaise that only Apple has been able to shake off thus far.
There's hope, though. Among Android manufacturers, Samsung seems to be fighting the hardest to establish a meaningful identity, focusing its products around the Galaxy name since the release of the original Galaxy S in early 2010. That's good, and regular consumers now seem to be recognizing that the term "Galaxy" goes hand-in-hand with Samsung and Android — strong word association, which is exactly the kind of thing you're trying to achieve with a good branding campaign. Even more importantly, Samsung looks poised to establish a yearly cadence for its premier line: the original Galaxy S in March of 2010, the S II in February of 2011, and in all likelihood, the S III in February of 2012 at Mobile World Congress.
Coincidentally, ridiculous names like "Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch" serve as evidence that carriers are fighting Samsung's attempt to establish its own carrier-independent identity — and that Samsung isn't backing down. It's the right move. OEMs can't continue to be goaded into producing dozens of similar, incremental devices when it doesn't serve either the end users' best interests or their own. Historically, Nokia and Sony Ericsson have been pretty hard-headed about this — hopefully that trend will continue as both brands reinvent themselves in 2012 — and Samsung's heading in the right direction. If HTC, LG, and Motorola can all stay strong, the world will be a better place (and there's already evidence that HTC is looking to release fewer devices next year). That's not to say carriers wouldn't look to backfill some of their bespoke requests with second-tier OEMs like Huawei, ZTE, and Pantech, but you can't displace the big-name manufacturers in the most visible product segments — no matter how unbending they may be.
It's simple: make a large high-end device, a smaller value device, and a QWERTY device. Maybe one or two other specialty form factors, tops. That's it. Update them once a year, and keep the names the same.
Goodness knows you're running out of names, anyway.
Comments
Nexus.
Kizipotamus - December 23, 2011
Agreed if you are going Android phone you go nexus line they may not be the most powerful but the are extremely good devices and won’t be outdated within a month or two because of the software it has
Silver Arrow - December 23, 2011
I only recommend two (maybe 3) smartphones to people now: Galaxy Nexus and iPhone 4S, and sometimes the Nexus S if they need to get a phone off-cycle or are stuck on T-Mobile.
Alex Xander - December 23, 2011
I agree that the way to go with Android is the nexus line but I’m surprised that Chris didn’t mention anything about Windows Phone and their annual release schedule. So far they have had a group of devices release on a somewhat annual basis much like iOS but with the variety Android offers. Although nokia might be screwing that up since they are talking about releasing products early 2012 and throughout the year when the cycle has been early holiday season thus far.
dirtybirdphoenix - December 23, 2011
Mentioning Windows Phone would validate it as a viable consumer option. Perhaps we’re not there yet.
saposmak - December 23, 2011
To each their own but I and many others think it’s a viable option, even one of the tech editors for technobuffalo switched to windows phone. I think Joshua Topolsky is right that the windows branding is hurting it more than anything else.
dirtybirdphoenix - December 23, 2011
Windows phones are getting fairly decent displays in UK shops these days, but I still don’t think people are buying them in significant numbers.
Whatever their merits, I think both the windows name, and the flat, rectangular UI are putting people off. Yes it’s clean and innovative, but in the shop, it just looks plain and uninteresting compared to all those whizzy android skins. Sense, Blur, TouchWiz et al may be bad to use in real life, but they are attention-grabbing and attractive to unsuspecting customers who have had no more than five minutes experience using the phones displayed in-store.
As far as I’m concerned they’re half UI, half billboard.
YellingMelon - December 23, 2011
That’s a very good analysis. I think if it weren’t for Sense (particularly on the Desire), Android would never have caught on in the UK.
urpert - December 24, 2011 via mobile
i think it has more to do with the short history of windows phone, they really haven’t established a pattern such as iOS and android have, its only been out for a little over a year.
Fernandez21 - December 24, 2011
I’m not so sure, I’d see WP7 variants as offering the variety of Android. They have to adhere to chassis specs. It’s the main reason why they’re so boring, there isn’t that breakneck Darwinian infighting you get with Android. I own a HD7 and as slick as the OS is..the whole package is just boring, I couldn’t see myself choosing WP7 over iOS, i don’t see the advantages.
avinash240 - December 23, 2011
I think the “variety” Android/Windows Phone offers is the problem. Everyone knows what Apple’s single model is each year, meanwhile Windows Phone has been out for barely over a year and there are “Top 10 Windows Phone” lists scattered about the internet. Not quite the same definition of “annual release schedule”.
midkay - December 23, 2011
The point of the article wasn’t that choice was a bad thing, Having your phone outdated every couple months is a problem, iOS and WP don’t have that problem and that’s part of the appeal of both systems.
dirtybirdphoenix - December 23, 2011
Thus far at least, we’ll see what Nokia does next year. I am hoping they don’t release new phones every couple months.
dirtybirdphoenix - December 23, 2011
I think the reason(s) why windows phone was not mentioned are two fold:
1: Besides build quality, and to a lesser extent the amount of on-board memory, there is nothing to differentiate one windows phone from another because the specs are locked down by Redmond.
2. Because the specs are locked down by Redmond, the version of the is that is available differentiates it from the other operating systems. To hat point, whole many reviewers feel that Windows Phone is a welcomed competitor in the mobile space, it is still lacking in somekey areas of the software.
The only real choices to make with Windows phone is what size screen do I want and what how do I want the body of the phone to be manufactured. This is not to say that this strategy is a bad thing, but it clearly does not afford the mobile consumer the wealth of choices Android manufacturers have available on the marketnor the singular, “guided” path that Apple makes availbe to its consumers.
PremierePrimo - December 23, 2011 via mobile
I hate auto-correct. “The version of the operating system. . .”
“To that point, . . .”
PremierePrimo - December 23, 2011 via mobile
So. Turn of auto-correct in settings. Takes 2 seconds.
ruub.ikon - December 23, 2011
Then we would not have fun moments like this. Auto-correct sucks, but like speed limits at 3:15am, it does more good than harm.
PremierePrimo - December 23, 2011
You don’t hate autocorrect, you hate that you’re using a technology site which uses a commenting system that doesn’t allow comment edits like it was 1996.
For the life of me I can’t figure out which one of the administration thought it would be good to turn off edits.
robotsongs - December 23, 2011 via mobile
As obnoxious as no edits are, they do leave a valuable paper trail. It’s more like a conversation that way.
isantop - December 24, 2011 via mobile
Just proof read your comment before hitting post – it’s not that hard!
Marko - December 25, 2011
They didn’t turn off edits, they are building this commenting system from scratch and its a live system that doesn’t require you to reload to see new comments. I’m sure edits will come in the future.
dirtybirdphoenix - December 24, 2011
I could program edits into this in less than 1 hour.
LeakedDave - December 25, 2011
Forum editing is a nightmare for forum admins and moderators to control.
redbullcat - December 24, 2011
Dead simply solution: Allow viewers to roll back the post edits to see each edit.
But anyway, there is a reasonable solution to the comment edit problem.
ImSpartacus - December 25, 2011
The problem is not autocorrect, it is that Apple’s implementation (and for all I know, everyone else’s) sucks.
What autocorrect SHOULD do is put a PERSISTENT indicator on each word that is corrected, eg a PERSISTENT blue underline, so that one can type one’s words rapidly, not looking at the screen, then scan quickly to see if the autocorrects make sense.
What Apple does now, with a brief flash of blue underline when autocorrect engages, works for very slow typists who look at the screen as they type each letter, but not for most users.
name99 - December 24, 2011
I hated how the only way to get rid of the autocorrect was to tap it (iOS) and a few times that even triggered it. Onmy Windows Phone (Samsung Focus original) I’ve typed a word right, had it changed to another, backspaced it and retyped what I wanted knowing it was correct and had it changed again. This has happened twice or three times in a row. Just unacceptable.
jtaylor991 - December 25, 2011
The article wasn’t about this so why would that be the reason it wasn’t mentioned? In my experience the build quality of all the HTC devices are great and while I don’t like the cheap plastic feel of Samsung’s phones the focus line has been on par with the galaxy line of android phones.
As for differentiation the OEM’s are differentiating in the places that matter with WP and in places many have argued should be where they differentiate on their android devices, apps and hardware.
There may be areas windows phone is lacking like apps but honestly that’s the only place I have heard lately from reviews that it is lacking and again that’s not what the article is about so why not include it in the article? In fact it would have helped the argument that releasing new hardware every couple months just to one up hardware is a bad thing.
Screen size isn’t the real choice and other than us “techies” most people don’t know what the innards of a phone are so that argument is null and void. I agree that Microsoft’s strategy doesn’t give the wealth of choice Android has or the singular path iOS makes available but it provides the benefits of both. The customer have choices of different hardware form factor, build materials, screen type and size, camera, flash, exclusive apps and features while keeping the latest OS update available to almost all customers in a short period of time.
dirtybirdphoenix - December 24, 2011
Last time I checked, the releases are all over the place for WP7 as well. They are as much “all over the place” as Android was in the first two years.
jalexoid - December 23, 2011
I don’t think that’s true. it appears that each manufacturer has two phones: a higher end and a low end. And since there’s been two major versions (vanilla and mango 7.5) we’ve really only seen at most 4 variants from each OEM. The Samsung Focus S and Focus Flash are the same in each country, albeit using the Omnia name instead in other places.
CandideYams - December 23, 2011
Or, it could be that OEMs don’t want to invest too heavily on a platform that continues to tank in sales.
isantop - December 24, 2011 via mobile
Every WP7 Phone has been updated to Mango within 2 months.
Link: http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2011/12/with-wp7-mango-available-for-all-microsoft-pushes-ahead-with-new-updates.ars
jpcg - December 25, 2011
I have to say I agree with you. I’ve been a long time user of Android and after a year of multiple Android phones released every quarter from the main OEMs (Samsung, HTC, and esp Motorola) and most sporting many unacceptable bugs that take entirely too long to update really has turned me to other options. Granted I’m very happy with my purchase of the Galaxy Nexus on launch day a little over a week ago, and don’t see myself leaving Android anytime soon, but during the wait for the Galaxy Nexus launch I couldn’t take another day with the HTC Thunderbolt and this tied with my obsession with technology and being curios of WP7 I purchased the HTC Trophy. This phone is by all means way behind anything on Android, it doesn’t have Verizon’s shiny, fast 4G LTE, doesn’t have a dual core beast of a processor, still sports a 480×800 resolution, and is at least a year behind with it’s 3.8" screen, but nonetheless is one of the best smartphones I have ever used. This is because of the software. For the longest time I’ve turned my back on Microsoft (except XBox 360 of course), but they have something with WP7.5 Mango. Metro is beautiful and adds a great layer to their OS. Not only this, but it runs much better than Android has run on any phone to date (the verdict is still out on the GNex as I just got it). It really surprised me and needless to say I’m very excited about WP7 and this year and I am banking on some great phones from the new MS/Nokia romance that has sprung up and can’t wait to see the offspring that is created. Nokia saw this and MS has been down this road and it is very smart to keep OEM skins off the platform as WP runs great even on year old hardware. Very excited to own the Trophy and I am very hopeful Verizon gets some great WP7 phones on their network preferably with LTE in tow.
angermeans - December 24, 2011
Many whispers on the internet are pointing to a spring LTE launch with WP, Verizon publicly stated that they told Microsoft LTE is very important to them, and the lack of a WP Mango device on Verizon all but confirms that. I agree with you though that the software is where WP shines, even if you look at iOS it runs great on lesser hardware and that’s where android is lacking. Sure its a powerful platform but at the cost of needing much more powerful hardware and the glitz and glam of customization wares off quickly or at least it did for me.
dirtybirdphoenix - December 24, 2011
My HTC Trophy came with Mango out of the box so they have one, but yeah it has been on Verizon since May (thats when it peaked my interest), but is just another phone that came out over a year ago (October ‘10 I think) overseas. I really like the hardware (I always have liked HTC hardware the most) even with the smaller screen, but your right the software is where it is at. It works well with no matter the size of the screen. I still carry it with me as one of my daily drivers (other is GNex). I dont see myself getting rid of it. I have seen those rumors and they may be testing an LTE Nokia device which I would be most excited about. I’m glad MS is taking aim to keep the platform pure by keeping skins off of it. We need to keep the upgrades clean and let’s face it OEMs are out to do one thing and that is make money and the way they are spreading themselves thin is they have so many phones being launched there is no way they plan to keep some updated, and as a consumer we have to look at that fact. I would rather get a phone I know will be getting OS updates straight from the source or I’m not interested I’ve just been burned too much. Not only this fact, but I have to say I have ran into almost no bugs with the platform and even being that it is outdated hardware wise (smaller screen and LTE is the most annoying) I think I would fully jump to WP7 if they only had more applications. It is pretty bare.
angermeans - December 24, 2011
I would be glad to stick with Nexus, but it’s not always on Verizon. Apple certainly knows how to build up a product, but I just can’t bring myself to give up the customization and flexibility of Android. If it’s not an Android phone on Verizon, it’s not an option for me.
niteperson - December 24, 2011
Me too. iPhone 4S and Galaxy Nexus. But i do like Lumia 800 too.
Leonardo Oliveira - December 26, 2011
Can we have some punctuation? Ta.
redbullcat - December 24, 2011
You’re right I think, if you want an Android device then it has to be a Nexus device.
It’s a problem which iOS can’t have due to its strategy and it’s one which WP7 hasn’t demonstrated yet. It’s one of the main weaknesses of Android.
d0mth0ma5 - December 23, 2011
But the issue is being semi-overblown with that graphic. Depending on regional differences, availability, and simple carrier differentiation, you won’t have access to all of the phones in the visual as given in the article.
Generally, when shopping for a phone, one starts with the carrier. It’s an unfortunate fact, but in the US at least the carriers have us by the balls.
So you go to…..say a Verizon store. You walk in and see all the Android phones available (let’s just say you knew you were going for Android in this case, as that’s what the author is criticizing)
So you walk into a store. Generally they have them laid out in the fashion of price points. So that’s your second filter: price points. What are you willing to spend on a new smartphone? How “fancy” of a smartphone do you want it to be?
So you go to the price point that you’re looking for. Let’s say this is top of the line, expensive. You go over to that section, and it is there that you meet your third filter: OEMs. You see probably 2 samsung devices, two HTCs, the Galaxy Nexus, etc.
What I’m trying to say is that, in reality, the stores are laid out better than the author is letting on. They generally want you to find the phone that you want without too much hassle. You’re actually dealing with several layers of filtering that helps the consumer not be overloaded at any given time with choices.
Mike10010100 - December 23, 2011
Why do you start with the Carrier? I have never understood why people say that about the US. I behave exactly the same way with my phone here as I did in the UK, when my contract ends I decide what phone I want and pick the carrier based on that.
mashles - December 23, 2011
Because price is a barrier for most people.
Kizipotamus - December 23, 2011
Not to mention grandfathering. I’ve been on Sprint since they still had PCS tacked onto the end.
I’ve gotten so many upgrades it’s not even funny. I’m paying so little due to grandfathering of price and retention services.
Mike10010100 - December 23, 2011
That’s the difference between the US and UK though, you guys are being made to pay through the nose on your contracts, we aren’t so much in the UK. So less of a need to keep the grandfathered perks.
d0mth0ma5 - December 23, 2011
DING DING DING.
Agree 100% with you. Wish it was different, but there’s no obvious solution, especially since nobody wants trust-busting regulation. It took AT&T wanting a GSM monopoly for people to finally realize, hey, this might not be a good idea.
Mike10010100 - December 23, 2011
It’s sad when we’re all on the same wavelength, yet the US carriers still refuse to move with the times. I still can’t believe they don’t offer a discount for taking a contract without a subsidised phone.
urpert - December 24, 2011 via mobile
T-Mobile USA is trialing the European model of contracted service with their Value plans. You have a base monthly rate you pay for the contracted service, and (if you wish to subsidize your phone) depending on the device you pick, your monthly rate will fluctuate up anywhere from $5 to $20 more per month. It still adds up to be less than the traditional American contracted service plans offered by all carriers, including T-Mobile.
Conan Kudo - December 24, 2011
Before T-Mobile introduced their Value/Classic plans, they had their Even More and Even More Plus plans, where once of them was $10 cheaper and didn’t include a phone subsidy. They’re already done the unsubsidized plan before.
lolstebbo - December 25, 2011
Say you want unlimited data, or a carrier is known for having great signal in your area, or you need a 4G signal?
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
Signal is always improving and so is 4G/3G coverage. 2 years down the line that’s a lot of time for changes.
jaggedspike - December 23, 2011
Don’t underestimate grandfathering of data and user loyalty for carriers. The retention departments are often good at offering deals you’d be stupid to refuse.
Mike10010100 - December 23, 2011
Depends what carrier you’re on. O2 has a lot of deals for their existing customers, but not so much for those that have joined recently and I think they have grandfathering.
I’m on Vodafone UK, and got offered an upgrade 190 days early. But the plans were crap, my data would be cut in half and my minutes reduced. I may have to switch carrier because 500MB is not enough.
jaggedspike - December 23, 2011
Yeah, here is where we run into cultural differences between carriers in the US and UK.
I totally wish carriers in the US were forced to compete like they are in the UK. And the sooner we merge GSM and CDMA into full LTE, the better.
Mike10010100 - December 23, 2011
Signal is not improving though. When I look at phones, I look to carriers first, most Americans will.
For instance, if I had no cell phone, no contract. I would still go with Verizon, because AT&T and T-Mobile as well as all other GSM networks do not have 3G coverage where I live or for a good distance around where I live. That leaves me with Sprint, Verizon, & some pre-paid/regional carriers like BlueGrass Wireless Etc..
Sprint has a considerably slower 3G network, less customer support satisfaction, spotty coverage and is only marginally cheaper than a similar Verizon Wireless plan when you step back and look at the big picture. Verizon is the obvious choice. Now that we finally have a Nexus, I can get one and rest easy knowing that my phone will recieve updates from Google for a good long time, and after they stop supporting the hardware, it’ll be up to the devs. By the time the Galaxy Nexus stops being supported though, we’ll have nationwide 4G LTE coverage, and I can’t even imagine the kinds of phones, much less the Nexus that will be out by then.
incrediblecub - December 23, 2011
Man, I totally forgot about COVERAGE! That’s very true!
Mike10010100 - December 24, 2011
Second this. In the UK it’s the phone, then carrier. You might have a preference from your own experience or coverage though.
jaggedspike - December 23, 2011
We have better competition amongst carriers though, it’s easier to switch around.
d0mth0ma5 - December 23, 2011
True.
jaggedspike - December 23, 2011
Everyone is a GSM network on the same frequency ranges… There is quite literally nothing they can do to stop you from moving with your phone to another operator.
They tried, but that only gave rise to the unlocking services for the devices….
jalexoid - December 23, 2011
Because all of the carriers here aren’t equal, coverage-wise. If you live in the US and rarely, if ever, travel overseas. Verizon is the best choice. I wish all carriers had the same coverage but that isn’t the case. If it was I would have bought the unlocked Galaxy Nexus and a month-to-month plan instead of the LTE Nexus on Verizon.
Mr_SoloDoelo - December 23, 2011
Most carriers in the UK have fairly ubiquitous coverage, whereas due to the size of the US, the carriers’ coverage is far more Balkanised.
coffeecoffee - December 23, 2011
I disagree as most will start with the carrier and which one provides the best coverage and fastest data in their area. Only geeks will follow hardware. I’m stuck on Verizon and thats where I want to be. I’ve used all four of the major carriers in America and Verizon is by far the best. Pair this with Verizon having true 4G and being over a year ahead of every other carrier in America and then look at their lineup. They have by far the best 3 Android phones to date (GNexus, HTC Rezound, and Moto Razr), both iPhone 4 and 4s, and the largest lineup of tablets. I think that one should, and most of the time will make their first choice by the network that provides them the best service.
angermeans - December 24, 2011
No carrier in the US has true 4g. I really hate that the carriers have skirted reality with that little lie.
anim8me2 - December 26, 2011
A thousand times this. It’s a common misconception on here that the rest of the world is like the US when it comes to buying mobile phones.
I’ve changed networks at the end of each of my past 4 contracts. (Orange > Voda > O2 > Three), chasing the best price for the phone I wanted.
urpert - December 24, 2011 via mobile
Most have to decide based on local quality of service/signal and price. For example, AT&T is useless where I live. T-Mobile is also pretty terrible.
BoneyNicole - December 25, 2011
Mike – even within a carrier you have the problem of (almost) instant obsolescence and, more importantly, failure to generate affinity for a brand. This is really important as retaining customers is a lot cheaper than recruiting new ones. If there is significant turn-over between devices (even Android devices) and customers regard their devices as throw away, it hurts the OEM, not the carrier. Moreover, the support costs of multiple variants are surely contributing to the crappy effort to keep Android devices anywhere near up to date.
Nexus models are not the answer because Google is trying to be agnostic to the OEMs. The OEMs just can’t seem to help themselves push the next thing.
Canucker2 - December 23, 2011
“(almost) instant obsolescence”
You don’t have to talk to me about instant obsolescence. I bought a Hero on Sprint. A month later, the EVO 4G came out. I, as a techie, was devastated that I hadn’t waited. My mother, who also got a Hero? Not so much.
In regards to the rest of your comment, you might want to talk to Samsung about that. They’re jumping onto the bandwagon you’re talking about. They’re optimizing their product line and focusing on making awesome products, a few at a time.
I think it has more to do with the maturing of the smartphone market than it does anything else. Every OEM jumped onto the Android bandwagon with everything they had, going all out in every subdivide. That’s worked really well for companies like HTC. Look at their profits and stock for the last year or so. Samsung? They seem to have better chances with the higher end market.
Again, to apply a generalized statement like that to every OEM is pretty silly. Some can do well in a particular market while others cannot.
Mike10010100 - December 23, 2011
Mike – in your situation with the Hero, would there be anything stopping you from selling the Hero on eBay and buying an Evo outright? That’s what I would do (in the UK) in such a situation.
urpert - December 24, 2011 via mobile
He’d have to clear the MEID from Sprint’s database, ensure it was ready for usage on CDMA networks, wipe the phone, and then put it up for sale. No SIM card means more hassle. This will change with Sprint’s 4G LTE service. It already has changed when Verizon deployed 4G LTE. Clearing the MEID isn’t required because the phone authenticates using UMTS protocols to both CDMA and LTE. Take out the SIM card, and the phone can’t connect to either.
Conan Kudo - December 24, 2011
Precisely. I basically priced it out and the cheapest way to get a new phone on a current contract would be to buy the phone completely subsidized with a new 2 year contract, transfer your existing number, and then cancel the existing contract, while returning your old phone for a $50 (or whatever) reimbursement.
All-in-all, it’s basically around $300. On Sprint.
Mike10010100 - December 24, 2011
You hit the nail on the head. I personally like to be able to shop on price point, even though I usually go with the newer phones when an upgrade is available.
niteperson - December 24, 2011
i dont think that’s at all what chris is talking about. and his point is still on the spot, there are too many phones on any given carrier throughout the year. his arguement about the amaze 4g and sensation 4g. i mean, who cares if there’s a bunch of different phones all going by the same name (captivate, fascinate, vibrant) it’s the same phone. but it is a problem when there’s one phone released, then a successor released 4 months later, then a very similar phone released 4 months after that. it’s too much too fast.
simbadogg - December 27, 2011
The salespeople in the store always want you to buy the phone that is their favorite. I never go into the store without knowing the actual specs. I don’t bother with the price of the phone because all the new phones are $200-$300. They don’t display all the information for the phones so the average consumer leaves with the phone the salesperson suggests because there are too many options to choose from. The average person that goes into the store to buy an iPhone will leave with the iPhone. Conversely, the average person to go in and look for an android phone can leave with something they didn’t want and be unhappy because the salesperson convinced the consumer to buy their favorite phone.
NicholasJChen - December 30, 2011
+1. I started with a Nexus One, and my experience with it was far better than the one I had with the Desire Z that came after it.
emmanuel.buttigieg - December 23, 2011
The Nexus line is the exception to Android, not the norm.
richlizard24 - December 23, 2011
Exactly what I came to say. Also, prior to the Galaxy Nexus, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the Nexus series hasn’t sold very well at all. Major difference compared to the iPhone.
worthbak - December 23, 2011
I think, personally, that has more to do with marketing than anything else. Google is making a name for itself with Nexus advertising. I’ve seen it in a ton of places. Not even Verizon advertising either.
They’re putting out a ton of commercials for the Galaxy Nexus. I think that’s reflected pretty well in the lines that a lot of people saw out of Verizon on launch day.
Mike10010100 - December 23, 2011
But the fact remains that the nexus is the only way to experience what android should feel like. I can’t help but feel consumer ignorance is to blame here because any tech pundit will find little reason to pick any phone over the nexus line (unless you think its too big or something exceptional)
LustyLamprey - December 24, 2011
No, certainly not. Android is not about what it SHOULD be but rather what you personally WANT it to be. Android was and always has been about personalization. The Soul of Android further reinstates this man-made nature of our beloved down to earth OS.
Therefore, the Nexus line should never be stated that it is the only definite way to experience what Android truly is, even for techies. Imagine the beauty of various techies re-crafting various phones! There are techies who like to thinker skinned Android phones, right?
In my case, I want mine to be personally special, unique, exceptional and simply, according to me. Thus, I choose Samsung Galaxy Note over Samsung Galaxy Nexus as my preferred choice~
(Hey, there’s a huge world to explore within this beastly 5.3 inch one of a kind mobile device)
HakimJamil.94 - December 24, 2011
I think you may have the best first comment on any article on the Verge yet. Congrats
TheMilkWars - December 23, 2011
Even getting the galaxy nexus has its issues, yes you are getting a pure ice cream sandwich experience but with last year specs except for the 720p display, quad core will be here within a couple months with much much better camera’s. It was the same with Nexus S and GSII was out in Feb. 2010 only 2 months later.
Raja2837 - December 23, 2011
Yes, but the difference with the Nexus series is that they keep up with the new devices. My 1 year old Nexus S running ICS smokes most current Android phones. My friends Evo 3D? Terrible. Bionic? Doesn’t stand a chance. Your argument could go for any phones. The iPhone 4S is going to be outdated in a month or two also. But like the Nexus, it doesn’t matter as it can still hold its own for a long time to come.
Kizipotamus - December 23, 2011
yea because the Nexas One is getting ice cream sandwich… oh wait, it’s not
jdguggs10 - December 23, 2011
It’s two years old and there’s not enough internal space for it. I assume an Apple II should be able to run Lion, right? Oh wait, it can’t.
Kizipotamus - December 23, 2011
Yeah, because Apple 11 is only 2 yrs old. LOL, what a moronic comparison.
tahpics - December 23, 2011
The industry moved a lot slower back then, and it’s a completely different type of device, with a very different culture.
isantop - December 24, 2011 via mobile
“The industry moved a lot slower back then”
Sigh … yeah, really slow. Mind to google when was Apple II released and when was Lion released?? Idiot.
javalin - December 24, 2011
Moronic?
I mean, sure, the first iPhone can totaly run iOS 5, and all other iPhones can run Siri, amirite.
Don’t want to take sides here since all this comment section looks like monkeys throwing shit at each other with FUD, anecdotal evidence and half truths, but I seriously think it’s sad how you are not able to perceive your own bias.
cumanzor - December 24, 2011
Yet a 2.5-year-old iPhone 3GS runs iOS 5. Hmm, how old is the Nexus One?
Your analogy crashes and burns.
RedHotFuzz - December 23, 2011
Google are leaving the N1 on a great, well supported OS. The 3Gs barely runs iOS 5, and probably will not see future upgrades.
There are a few shortcomings with the N1 that Google has addressed with the NS and GNex. Mostly with internal storage.
isantop - December 24, 2011 via mobile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Oi9BG6wDwg
The 3GS runs just fine, I should know.
All of this bickering is ridiculous and unnecessary. The iPhone 3G was released a few months BEFORE the G1 (the first Android phone) and was supported until last November. Many Android phones aren’t updated once or twice; and people still find a way to criticize Apple.
SmithOSU - December 24, 2011
Absolutely. I don’t know where this myth about the 3GS running 5 slowly has come from.
urpert - December 24, 2011 via mobile
Because it’s unthinkable to many people that a 2 year old phone should so capable at running a modern OS when their 2 year old phone looks like a stuttery pile of crap and can barely run the OS It shipped with.
iOS-5 must be slow on the 3GS or their whole worldview comes crashing down. It’s pure cognitive dissonance.
Cloudgazer - December 24, 2011
You guys hold on to your preconceived ideas in such a rabid way that I don’t if it is hilarious or sad. I mean, they are just phones, normal people don’t care.
But back on topic, the idea of iOS5 running slowly on the 3GS comes from anecdotal evidence, from people saying so on the net. Is it valid? Maybe not. Is it an idea spread by many users? Well it is.
cumanzor - December 24, 2011
iOS 5 runs OK for me but sometimes will stall on animations etc. I am not doing much with it other than reading emails, messaging, web browsing and I usually shut down apps running in the background (double clicking the home button).
One issue though – my wife also has a 3GS and gets one bar of wi-fi standing three or four metres from the router, and no signal at all in our bedroom (while I have 2 bars). Consequently we aren’t getting any more Apple products – but we only have phones at the moment so that’s not a big deal. Keen to get a couple of Lumia 800/900(?) when they get released.
We had a friend over last night and she said she had problems updating her iPhone in iTunes (just keeps coming back telling her iTunes is up to date). She is still running iOS 4 and really doesn’t care. That’s normal people.
mgk69 - December 24, 2011
My point in this statement is that back when the Nexus One was released, Android phones didn’t have much internal memory. ICS is MUCH larger of an OS than previous versions. You people expect that Google should have known two years ago that their phone would require more OS space in the future? That’s absurd.
Kizipotamus - December 29, 2011
With devs working like they have been, the Nexus One will get a good, solid, stable build of ICS. I mean it runs perfectly well enough on my Droid Incredible to be used as a daily driver minus the camera, it should have no issues on the Nexus One.
incrediblecub - December 23, 2011
Seconded that. If you want the highest consistency and quality being focused on just a single device once per year, look no further than a Nexus device from Android’s perspective. Plus with a Nexus device, you wouldn’t need to worry about not getting OTA updates on time.
leegh229 - December 25, 2011
Completely agree, a good smartphone comes once a year… and this year it was the Galaxy Nexus! Absolutely loving mine!
r5ingh - December 23, 2011
That wasn’t the point. Chris wasn’t saying that only one good phone comes out each year, but rather by releasing numerous phones of similar spec you confuse and alienate your consumer base.
d0mth0ma5 - December 23, 2011
While that is the point he ended up making, thats not how the article starts or the title reads .
sirawesome - December 23, 2011
The title might sway differently but I think the opening paragraph of the article clearly states its intentions.
moemonster - December 23, 2011
Try reading it again, this time with your eyes.
Hussain Rahim - December 23, 2011
Spells our perfectly why I enjoy the iPhone so much. Stability, smooth updates and knowing (roughly) when I can look forward to a new model. I never feel like I am looking around and other phones wondering why I don’t have a certain feature/spec.
bradjw - December 23, 2011
Agreed that is one of the advantages of the iPhone since they only come out once a year you can buy one knowing it will last you a long time
Silver Arrow - December 23, 2011
I’ve enjoyed the same with Android.
Nexus One > Nexus S > Galaxy Nexus.
If you’re really serious about Android, the Nexus line of handsets is the way to go.
Chaz_UK - December 23, 2011 via mobile
Seems that way. I have never owned an Android device, but if I were to purchase one it would for sure be a Galaxy model.
bradjw - December 23, 2011
You sure you’re not tempted by the HTC Desire 3D Epic Sensation XL with Sense :)
Chaz_UK - December 23, 2011 via mobile
That name cracks me up.
bradjw - December 23, 2011
Wait till you get a hold of the HTC Durex Super Sensation 4D Multi-Org with LubeSense. Coming soon!
Canucker2 - December 23, 2011
Needs more commas!
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
That device is going to be loaded with Trojans.
CroakVan - December 23, 2011
Oh, very good.
urpert - December 24, 2011 via mobile
You mean the one with sense 3.5? ;)
jlnprssnr - December 24, 2011 via mobile
You mean a nexus model?
ColinR - December 23, 2011 via mobile
It is the same way with the HTC G line. I bought a G1 when it came out, and two years later they released the G2. In another year from now I expect a G3. Think of them as the Nexus line, but with keyboards.
Loomis2 - December 23, 2011
Oh you’re right. This whole time I forgot that it was 2 years between the G1 and G2. And here I was thinking they’ve dropped the G line. I suppose next year when my contract is up I’ll be looking at the G3 or the next Nexus.
Although, I’ve already switched over to the Nexus S. Which makes me think a 2 year release cycle is too long to keep consumer interest. HTC should be making the G line a yearly release.
rahulp - December 23, 2011
My criticism of the G line, as someone who also bought a G1 when it came out, is that it should really be an annual release cycle rather than bi-annual. This is perhaps somewhat less of an issue now, but before the G2 was officially announced, it wasn’t really clear whether a successor was coming at all, and given how HTC treats the rest of its product lines it wasn’t crazy to think that one wouldn’t. That informed my choice what to buy next as my G1 was getting long in the tooth.
Your’e right that we’ll probably get a G3 sometime around fall 2012, but a little more reassurance would be nice. And given the total scarcity of QWERTY Androids running stock, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to get an upgrade every year.
iankeiththomas - December 23, 2011
My problem with following the Nexus line is that it seems to jump carriers every year.
If I’m not mistaken:
Nexus One → T-Mobile
Nexus S → T-Mobile and Sprint
Galaxy Nexus → Verizon (unless you want to pay $650)
I’d like to stick to a single line of phone AND a single network provider. People may not like AT&T, but I’ve had little problem with them, AND I’m grandfathered into Unlimited. I’d like to keep that when it comes time to move to LTE.
silellak - December 23, 2011
You make a valid point, but just as the iPhone, the Nexus line has always had an unlocked version. You still cannot get a subsidized iPhone with T-Mo, and the iPhone just came to Sprint. The Galaxy Nexus will eventually come to other carriers I’m sure, but the iPhone had AT&T exclusivity for a couple years too. So it kind of goes both ways there.
lividcreature - December 23, 2011
I agree 100% with you boss. I am not paying ETF fees to keep the latest (greatest) phone. God knows I loved when I had Android, but my Droid X was all the hype until a few months into my contract. That POS was soon outdated. I purchased a 4s recently knowing that if nothing else, it will hold its value, or depreciate rather, at a much slower rate than any Android phone will. I shall return to that little green monster, but the HTC’s and Motorola’s have to “find themselves” first.
MUSCLENERD - December 23, 2011
Except the Nexus line (with the exception of the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon) has always been sold unlocked without a contract. Sure, there’s an exclusivity period now in the US, but I fully expect within 3 months or so to be able to buy one from Best Buy at full retail price ($649). That’s not that much out of line compared to the $529 of the Nexus One (512MB storage) and Nexus S (16GB).
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011
I’m guessing Verizon demanded an exclusivity window, and Google gave in because they knew there was a lot of demand for a premiere android phone on Verizon. Hopefully in a few months we’ll see the GSM model sold for T-mobile & AT&T.
If you’ll recall, the Nexus S came out for T-mobile in December, then Sprint got their own version about 3 months later, and finally the AT&T model showed up at Best Buy another 3 months later. Hopefully we see a similar pattern with the Galaxy Nexus.
rahulp - December 23, 2011
“People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware”
- Alan Kay
(and quoted many times by Steve Jobs.
So they were basically right.
aThingOrTwo - December 23, 2011
Google don’t manufacture the Nexus. It’s just a stock Android OS phone.
teqnick - December 23, 2011
I thought Google worked with the OEM to design the Nexus phones, and it’s also the only phone each year that Google actively endorses and promotes.
rahulp - December 23, 2011
True, but Google doesn’t actually manufacture it.
TjerkR - December 23, 2011
Apple doesn’t manufacture the iPhone, Foxconn do.
But Apple design it.
aThingOrTwo - December 23, 2011
Google design the Nexus for sure.
It is manufactured by an OEM of their choice.
But they get to decide the feature set.
aThingOrTwo - December 23, 2011
I don’t think Google is totally responsible for the design of the Nexus phones, but they work with the designers at Samsung or HTC etc.
puzzlepunk - December 23, 2011
The Nexus S was an epic mess which resulted in Samsung quickly hashing out with Google the design for it and pushing it out…
Conan Kudo - December 24, 2011
Well I’m an Android user and yeah the fragmentation is a frustrating problem. You iPhone users have a type of fragmentation too. Apple tends to leave out features when they release the latest iOS for previous models.
My iPhone 4 & 3GS toting friends are not too impressed about having to fork out for a 4S just so they can have the latest thing (Siri). Some of them are only a few months into their 2 year contract.
TechHead - December 24, 2011
To be fair when they signed up to the contracts they must have known the 4S was just around the corner?
mgk69 - December 24, 2011
For comparison, the G1 may have never gotten an official Android 2.x update, but it did get turn by turn navigation within a couple of months of the feature’s debut.
Compare to the iPhone 3G not getting multitasking in iOS4 (and yes, I know it’s because the hardware was too weak).
It’s not always obvious or cut and dry as to when the support of something ends. By the logic of versions, the G1 was left in the cold, but it got the main new feature that android phones headlined with in 2010.
I wouldn’t be surprised if when Google moves to voice input that is natural language capable that it is available on older phones (at least some of them).
jforbes - December 25, 2011
Or you can choose a phone and be happy with it. I don’t care if better model comes out in the next season. As long as the phone does what I want it to and as long as it gets software updates…
niels.tromper - December 23, 2011
But most of these phones don’t get timely software updates.
Look at the Galaxy S line. It won’t be getting ICS because of all the crap Samsung laden it with.
Steev182 - December 23, 2011
Look at the iphone 4, no siri.
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
1 feature vs and entire OS? Not the same thing.
rdohanyos - December 23, 2011
One MAJOR feature that Apple trumps as game changing vs. what? face unlock?
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
*photo unlock
Jameseh - December 23, 2011
It’s Face Unlock, not Photo Unlock
emmanuel.buttigieg - December 23, 2011
I believe he was joking…. because the feature has the flaw that it can be unlocked with a photo.
rdohanyos - December 23, 2011
Damn, you’re right, didn’t get the joke XD My bad every body.
emmanuel.buttigieg - December 23, 2011
Some might argue that it actually is “photo unlock”…
Shishire - December 23, 2011
I think it was a play on the fact you can hold up a photo of the owner’s face and it will still unlock…
Steev182 - December 23, 2011
You sir, are very smart
who? - December 23, 2011
amazingMic - December 24, 2011
Actually, despite trying, I haven’t been able to trick face unlock with a photo yet.
isantop - December 24, 2011 via mobile
A BETA feature, you mean…
Steev182 - December 23, 2011
When a Beta is advertised that heavily it stops being a Beta, at least in my eyes. A prototype is not the finished product, and shouldn’t be advertised as such.
emmanuel.buttigieg - December 23, 2011
If they say it’s a beta. It’s a beta. When you have voice recognition and some sort of AI you need to collect data.
jaggedspike - December 23, 2011
to this I respond with everyone one of google’s services that remain in beta for years with millions of active users world wide.
Dube - December 23, 2011
If by that you mean that Gmail should get treated like a finished product I agree. But I would add that it never felt like a beta, it worked perfectly since 2005 as far as I can tell.Unlike Siri!
max232 - December 23, 2011
gmail lost the beta label a couple years back. There’s a labs feature that allows you to switch back to the beta logo, though. . .
Chikn - December 23, 2011
Siri?
incrediblecub - December 23, 2011
I don’t disagree, I own a 4 and wish it siri on it, but the difference between Android 3 and 4 is far greater then just face unlock.
rdohanyos - December 23, 2011
I can do every feature worth doing in 2.3.
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
You right its really 2.3 vs 4, because 3 isn’t for phones. I think a lot of people would like the UI tweaks.The UI on 2.3 looks old now (not to say that io5’s look isnt’ getting tired as well) I find it frustrating that they would rather pile their touchwiz garbage on top of ICS then to actually deliver the latest OS. Not that it matters though because I own none of the phones on the list. To each there own though.
rdohanyos - December 23, 2011
I agree with you there. Touchwiz was an improvement back in the 2.X days, but ICS has changed that. Samsung needs to drop TW now.
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
If OEM and carrier idiots would actually read our comments they could fix ALL Android issues in a year.
But they refuse to see that Apple changed the game in the entire industry not just the phones.
AbsoluteDesignz - December 23, 2011
iPhone 4 is pretty good without Siri. It’d be nice to have it, but despite this, it is up to date and is the same OS as that on the 4S. If they left iOS4 on the iPhone 4, then I’d be pissed. But Apple cares about keeping their customers happy for the length of their phone contract.
Steev182 - December 23, 2011
Like when iTunes flashed the new [3GS] firmware on to the 3G and it became essentially unusable for 2 months? That was great.
boom1shot - December 23, 2011
The 3GS firmware isn’t meant for the 3G. The 3G couldn’t even handle backgrounds well.
jaggedspike - December 23, 2011
Also the 3gs can handle ios5. and it runs really good.
marnuc - December 23, 2011
What about people getting a new 3Gs now? I doubt those will see to many updates beyond bugfixes and patches. Definitely not iOS 6.
isantop - December 24, 2011 via mobile
I wouldn’t be too sure about that, though obviously it depends on what Apple does with iOS-6. In hardware terms the 3GS isn’t hugely less capable than the iPhone-4 – the big power jumps were from 3G→3GS and 4→4S.
Cloudgazer - December 24, 2011
The Galaxy S line will be recieving updates. Just not the S1. If you want ICS on the Galaxy S1 then get Cyanogen. Or upgrade your 2 year old phone.
teqnick - December 23, 2011
I think this is what the average person thinks, to be honest. The mindset of “must have the latest” belongs to tech journos and guys like us, really. However, there is an argument that you devalue a product by making it one amongst a sea of SKUs belonging to the same brand. iPhones have an identity which the majority of Android phones don’t.
MCRayRay - December 23, 2011
My phone doesn’t need an ‘identity’. I didn’t buy my phone so other people could see me with it and look on in envy. I bought my phone because it’s what I wanted and what I enjoy using and abusing.
incrediblecub - December 23, 2011
That’s not easy for a lot of people – namely, those who frequent tech sites like this one.
You buy a device at launch because it’s new and exciting and maybe has some cool new features, and then a few months later, another one comes out that’s even better. The carrier and OEM’s rub it in your face how great the phone is and how much better it is. The tech blogs write reviews and detail why this latest device is better than the last one. Consumers visit discussion forums and go on and on about how great it is, developers and hackers might come up with better software and solutions for the new device while the older one slowly loses support. Rumors begin to pour in about how the latest device will get the latest Android update, while the older one might have a delay. Soon, reports come in regarding mechanical defects on the new device… but that’s all right because there’s another new device coming out in just three more months!
.jay - December 23, 2011
That was sorta the point. With all the phones that OEMs like HTC and Motorola produce each year, most of them don’t get timely updates, and some don’t get updates at all because they just weren’t popular enough.
rahulp - December 23, 2011
True. Most of the time they wouldn’t even know a newer version came out or a newer version of the software was out and about because so many Android devices get buried. They just buy their phone and move on.
Cinnamon267 - December 23, 2011
Agreed, I wish there was an Android device that truly focused on releasing one or two differentiated, but great products per year with good attention to detail, design, user experience, and support. The only thing close to that is the Nexus line.
Evan Halley - December 23, 2011
The Samsung Galaxy Series is once a year and the Nexus series is once a year for every major revision.
Apple’s cycle is really every two years for every major revision.
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
I think you are forgetting internal components like CPU/GPU that really make each phone a major revision, especially to developers.
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011 via mobile
No, I realize that but look at a lot of reviews for the iphone4S and you will see that anyone who already has an iphone4 probably should not upgrade.
Now look at the difference of a Nexus S and a Galaxy Nexus or even better a Galaxy S and a S2. It’s a far bigger jump IMO.
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
I’d say the jump from 3GS to 4 was huge and hopefully so will the 4S to 5/6.
I think you feel it’s a bigger jump just because the design changed. In all respects aside from the design the 4S is a brand new phone with new internals.
jaggedspike - December 23, 2011
That’s like saying going from a 3G to 3GS wasn’t worth it, when the former doesn’t have multi-tasking. With software updates, there are features the 4S will get that the 4 will never have.
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011
Isn’t that fragmentation?
isantop - December 24, 2011 via mobile
I’m pretty sure that as of right now the only thing the 4s has that the 4 doesn’t is Siri and a faster processor.
SlicingBot - December 24, 2011
This.
teqnick - December 23, 2011
The two-year cycle is one that Intel has used for a long time, and it’s a great one for many companies: release a new flagship product, then a substantial upgrade that shares the same architecture the next year. This means that last-generation Intel CPU’s are compatible with the next year’s chip- thereby satisfying the geeks who see the improvement of the next year’s model, and satisfying general consumers by not rebranding everything.
Intel: i3, i5, i7 with 3 digit model numbers, this year i3, i5, i7 with four digit model numbers.
Apple: iPhone 3, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S
See, it’s so much simpler than HTC’s disaster of a product lineup.
Chikn - December 23, 2011
Good point Chris! However, I would rather have too many choices than no choice at all… but that’s just me. =)
William Alexander - December 23, 2011
Are the phones on this chart to scale?
Laura June - December 23, 2011
I actually scanned these comments twice to see if someone made this joke yet.
I lose again.
Appstache - December 23, 2011
I have to hand it to you, nice troll work. Watch your back.
Chris Ziegler - December 23, 2011
This article is spot on. It seemed as though Samsung was going to attempt this route with the Galaxy series, but US carriers quickly muffed that up. I hope HTC is reading.
iPaulPro - December 23, 2011
They might be onto something with the Sensation line. A big might.
emmanuel.buttigieg - December 23, 2011
I so wish HTC would take this advice and run with it. I love HTC’s products—started with the G1 and never looked back. There is a common, not completely unwarranted complaint that all their phones look the same; there’s a grain of truth there that makes me wonder—why don’t they take that form factor and make it into a brand?? Just advertise the heck out of it, and use their ever increasing market clout to put it out on different carriers with the same name? The carriers know that HTCs will sell, and if HTC says “this is gonna be our Galaxy, our iPhone, it’s going to be a real brand”—the carriers will want it.
::er - December 23, 2011
Dude. They have it. Evo.
jforbes - December 25, 2011
I think the issue is probably internal rather than a failure to understand the power of a single brand. They probably want to have one strong brand, but keep iterating thinking their previous brand name was a failure, never giving one single brand a fighting chance.
The closest they came was the Desire brand.
guizzy - January 3, 2012
I think that the main reason why they release so many devices in such a short period of time, is because their brand has very little impact. When HTC announces a new phone most people who like technology will, at most, glance at it. When Apple announces a new phone, or is about to announce a new phone, everyone sits down and listens or types, tirelessly, for days, weeks sometimes months.
When a new iPhone comes out, it’s an atom-bomb in terms of attention and media coverage. When a new HTC phone is announced, it feels like the brand is a drug addict, just trying to get one more “fix” of attention, just to remain relevant, even if it’s only for a day, or a few hours.
Marco Jardim - December 23, 2011
I think the point Chris is trying to make is that you cannot have impact when you release so many products. It’s not a symptom, it’s the cause.
WhoaEagleRay - December 23, 2011
Also, people get tired of hyperbolic names after the 2nd time.
bootareen - December 24, 2011
That’s why the Nexus is the way to go.
Mfg68 - December 23, 2011
A lot of people say that, and it’s true to an extent, but I imagine we’re going to see a whole lot of ICS phones at CES that make the Nexus looks like a joke. That’s what happened with the Nexus One, and I’d imagine it’ll happen again.
Appstache - December 23, 2011
IMHO that’s not the point of the Nexus line. Even today and with all the buzz surrounding it the Galaxy Nexus isn’t particularly amazing on the hardware front (pentile display anyone?).
What the Nexus line gives you is the peace of mind that you are very likely to get android updates in a timely manner that skinned phones don’t get and all that in a pretty good package and virtually no carrier crap tacked on (Verizon version excluded).
I’m happy with my Nexus S and I’ll probably get ready to pick up whatever google replaces the Galaxy Nexus with next year (since I mostly switch phones on a two year cycle).
Dextro - December 23, 2011
I agree, but if you really think about what that means for Android as a whole: Google has the Nexus line because there needs to be a series of phones that will be given updates for at least two years.
That’s hard to swallow. It shouldn’t be that way and shows how fragmentation is at every level of Android.
That said, Apple in the past didn’t do such a great job of supporting twilight aged hardware, but has kept up lately. Hopefully Google and Co. can sort this out.
Appstache - December 24, 2011
I’d say they already sorted it out. They just couldn’t sort out the N1, since it already exists. I think the NS will get ICS+1 at least.
isantop - December 24, 2011 via mobile
HTC hits several different price points even if you count just their android phones. For instance, the ChaCha, Salsa and Wildfire S are a lot cheaper than the Sensation(s).
gripfx - December 23, 2011
And so does Apple. iPhone 3GS Free. iPhone 4 $99. iPhone 4S $199.
Renverse - December 23, 2011
That’s just looking at the US prices. Where I’m from, the norm is to buy phones unlocked and separate from a carrier. The difference between the chacha (rrp: RM899, in USD, 285) and the sensation XL (rrp: RM 2099, in USD 665) is huge and what separates them is a lot clearer.
gripfx - December 23, 2011
At least Apple’s phones will get updated, even if they run older hardware, and, probably perform better. Not to mention that they’re typically higher quality.
Renverse - December 23, 2011
So then release 3 phones a year: High-end, midrange, l0w-end. Apple has this strategy with the 3GS, 4, and 4S.
nutbunnies - December 23, 2011
The 3GS is not a new phone. Apple’s strategy is bump the old one down a price tier and sell the new one at the highest tier. HTC has a new phone for most categories each year. There are plenty of people who would rather buy a new phone than a one year old one with better specs
gripfx - December 23, 2011
It’s pretty risky to release fewer models. I think the phone and PC industries are similar in that they rely on lots of different, product lines, specs etc. but these doesn’t really make sense to me. Of course, manufacturers will say different needs have to be met and not all customers are equal, but in the chart pictured it looks like HTC has released the same phone multiple times.
steakwich - December 23, 2011
I agree with those mentioning the Nexus line. I kind of wish that was the only Android line, and that they were available on all carriers from the beginning.
HTC definitely over does it…
.jay - December 23, 2011
Oh, and two year contracts don’t work with annual refreshes. Contracts need to be shortened to one-year.
.jay - December 23, 2011
Come to Canada we have three year contracts
Silver Arrow - December 23, 2011
You guys still have one year and two year contracts too… Just choose one year contracts! Down here in America, we no longer have that option!
Conan Kudo - December 24, 2011
I would be sad if Nexus was the only line for Android.I LOVE the existence of the HUGE variety of Android phones. The presence of distinction between each Android phone is just beautiful and the moment of choosing the RIGHT Android phone that fits the true me is truly breathtaking, I always find joy when people are satisfied after they do their BEST to discover the phone that fits them~
Remember, personalization is a part of the Soul of Android~
HakimJamil.94 - December 24, 2011
I was just thinking this, HTC needs to slow down. I follow technology pretty regularly and even I can’t name their latest phone. Average, similar design doesn’t help to differentiate themselves either.
HTC: Listen, we get it. market saturation helps, but confusing everyone with ridiculous names and similar looking phones is helping no one.
techblitz - December 23, 2011
Not seeing anything wrong with it. If you’re happy with your purchase why would you care what’s out 4 months later? It seems nothing more than foolish regret and jealously.
I’d rather have phones keeping up with technology instead of having to wait a full year to get what is already considered old.
Pretty much everything works like this in the technology sector. Buy a PC today, 6 months later you’ll find a faster CPU, GPU for the same price.
I really don’t see a problem here.
alcohol - December 23, 2011
“I really don’t see a problem here.”
That’s because there really isn’t one. Just like with fragmentation, they’re trying to make an issue out of a non-issue. The only people who care about this stuff are the ones sitting on the sidelines, or frontlines of the tech-blogosphere.
incrediblecub - December 23, 2011
I think everyone’s on the same page for this one. This is a game carriers play with each other. You have to end up releasing one different phone for every carrier in America, and that’s just a sad reality that OEMs have to play.
omo - December 23, 2011
I agree but htc should just do a high,mid and low end phone each year and nt just one high end one. Hopefully they learn and nt put out crap phones like the htc chacha and salsa which were total bullshit.
Droid Mama - December 23, 2011
Plus… it’s gotta cost a ton of money to design and build 10 different phones a year… even if they are rather similar.
From an efficiency standpoint… it’s a nightmare.
You’re right… if they hadn’t spent time and money making the ChaCha and Salsa… they could have used those resources for other better phones.
And then what happens… they make a production line for a phone that only sells 10,000 copies? What a waste!
Michael Scrip - December 24, 2011
Chris, this is brilliant. I’m a hardcore iPhone fan, personally, but Samsung is doing a great job of this with the Galaxy line, as you mentioned, and Google is doing a decent job with the Nexus line as well. This is really important – consumers don’t want to feel led on, duped or like they’re going to be left with strong buyer’s remorse a few months later. Apple works with the realty of what your average consumer lives with to make the smartphone buying experience an enjoyable one that lasts.
jsrief - December 23, 2011
What you said is exactly what I thought Apple was gonna do with their iPhones 2 years ago, but alas I was wrong. How I wish this is what Nokia will do to the Lumia line. Imagine a Lumia qwerty phone. Man..
jiggeroo - December 23, 2011
Great piece, Chris, but I’m worried that there might be a newer one coming soon with better features.
BenGuzman - December 23, 2011
Haha…nice.
I’m one of the guys who always wants the next great high end phone but even I am getting burnt out. Now that I have my Nexus that I have been waiting for the last two months, I think I am just going to stay on the Nexus once a year upgrade path. Seems like its the best option given the fact that I am not an iPhone fan.
dbdynsty25 - December 23, 2011 via mobile
This article brings up many of the same points that I rose back in October at Droid-Life: http://www.droid-life.com/2011/10/27/android-manufacturers-need-to-slow-down-opinion/
ronoffringa - December 23, 2011
Maybe also of interest (http://www.minimallyminimal.com/journal/2011/11/16/coffee-time-market-share-vs-profit.html)
DarthNicklas - December 23, 2011
Is this graph to scale?
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
Please point out where the “graph” is.
Jameseh - December 23, 2011
Follow the link, remove the parenthesis at the end of the link.
d0mth0ma5 - December 23, 2011
doh!
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
You do realize that there are flip phones and non-smartphones in there too, right? Somebody needs to make these still, as the majority of handsets in THE WORLD aren’t smartphones. Apple is going for the extreme top of the line. If every manufacturer did that, India, Brazil, China, Africa and many other developing nations wouldn’t advance nearly as quickly.
Not to mention the fact that many of those devices are obsolete or have redundant hardware to support multiple American carriers.
Someguyperson - December 23, 2011
It’s a point. But if Samsung did not associate itself with cheap handsets it might help improve its image, there are very little margins on the low end devices anyway. The 3GS is Apple’s lowest end phone and it’s better than any phone in its class.
jaggedspike - December 23, 2011
Why do you as a consumer care about Apple’s image or Samsung’s image ? Do you profit from that ? Are you a shareholder like the dudes rambling on AI ? What is wrong with low end dumbphones ? Are they too low esteemed or what ? You only buy “posh” ?
id4andrei - December 23, 2011
You’re correct..there is very low margin on low end phones..but world wide low end phones out sell high end phones…for a GLOBAL company the key is to cater to every range of consumer…..
I know Nokia hasn’t been mentioned on this thread much but their strategy can be used to prove my point…
Nokia’s next big push is connecting the next billion… where do you think those billion people are coming from? countries like China, India, Brazil etc..low end feature phone still sell pretty well… also now even feature phones have a lot of smart phone type of capabilities… look at the new Nokia Asha lineup…..also when these low end phone consumers are ready to switch to a high end phone…they will likely look at the offering from their current phone company first..
ukpatel - December 23, 2011
It’s clear in 5 years, flip phones will be dead. And people who are shopping in that market don’t need 12 different flip phones to pick from.
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011
Who would have thought that the best way to sell a phone is to make them in model years….like a car.
T.Grant - December 23, 2011
I think it’s good to have choice than to have just one a year.
Also, I have my Droid X, and I don’t really worry about the newer phones. I won’t feel left behind until batteries last longer than a day really.
LOLDSFAN - December 23, 2011
How does this even benefiit the OEM’s apart from gaining market share? Nothing. Android is gaining market share over Apple, but I can bet my right arm that there are only a few companies who are profiting while they rest have been left in the dark. This seems however the only possible way for the OEM’s to survive, spam the market with enough phones and hope on receiving small margins.
Kareemovich - December 23, 2011
Youngsters, he who does not remember the past is condemned to relive it. Apple used to own the PC market. When Windows was available in a vast variety of prices and types of computers Apple became basically irrelevant and almost went bankrupt. Now Android phones are proliferating like bunnies and taking more and more of the total smartphone market. Even the tablet world is showing some new blood with the Fire and Asus Prime. It will take a while but history shows that tons of consumer choices at various price points wins every time. Apple will be highly profitable for a while selling their higher priced, premium goods; but eventually as their market share declines they’ll be back in their 1990’s position. The next few years promise to be interesting.
solom01 - December 23, 2011
The difference between Android and Windows is that the former has no identity due to it’s open nature. The Android you get on a HTC is very much different from the Android you get on a Samsung. For that reason (and the influence of the carriers) I’d say that comparison is not apt. Will be an interesting few years though.
steakwich - December 23, 2011
And what you are forgetting is that only a few of the PC manufacturers have very low margins. Why do you think HP was planning on selling of its PC division.
Kareemovich - December 23, 2011
Did you mean to reply to me? Can’t see the relevance of your comment. If I recall, quite a few of the PC manufacturers have low margins.
steakwich - December 23, 2011
That may be true, but consider that there are also lots of strone ties that keep many Android phones together. The market is a big one, and the basic operation is usually similar as well.
isantop - December 24, 2011 via mobile
Have you been living in a cave since 2004 or something?
nutbunnies - December 23, 2011
Or a different history lesson. Dell pioneered the model that Android OEMs are utilizing today in the late 90s and believed that the path to computer sales success was through bottoming out the sticker price and producing as many models as possible to acquire the most possible marketshare. Other companies followed suit with this idea, Compaq, Gateway, eMachines, HP…etc.
Today, Dell and HP are basically all that remain from that era and each control about 15-16% marketshare . HP is considering leaving the PC business entirely because it is so high risk and low reward. While Dell as a company is worth about as much as Apple makes in a year.
Also, Apple never “use to own the PC market”. The most marketshare they had was ~15-20%, and that was in 1980, well before the Mac, but also well before the PC market even really existed.
Qfax - December 24, 2011
Is it worth pointing out that the real winner was Microsoft who ended up with Windows on all those PCs and probably Office on a lot of them?
If history holds true I guess the winner from Android proliferating should be Google as Android users naturally gravitate to Google services?
mgk69 - December 24, 2011
It is worth mentioning, but this is also where the comparison of the two situations begins to break down. Microsoft sells Windows. They sell it to OEMs and they sell it to users. It isn’t cheap either. $100-250 per unit. So for Microsoft, every unit of marketshare, every % point they can increase correlates to a substantial increase in revenue and most importantly profit. With Android, Google ‘wins’ by taking in revenue from all of the OHA collectively(while the OHA is largely fending for themselves as well as competing amongst each other) but because they don’t sell Android(and because their business isn’t really set up for selling anything directly), an increase in marketshare is not as strong or reliable of a correlation to increased revenue and profit. Which is not to say that it isn’t one. Of course more eyes seeing more Google ads = more revenue, but the relationship is nowhere near as strong as when you are actually selling something directly. (for instance, iOS users supposedly use the (mobile) internet more than Android users, which also drives Google revenue)
Apple, meanwhile, makes more money than Google and MS, so if that is “losing”, the definition of winning probably needs to be rethought.
All that said, Google might come out on top in one way, which is that Advertising is kind of timeless. Any company that sells products to make money is always fundamentally at risk that their products will become obsolete or fall out of favor and they will need to adapt. Google dealing in Advertising does give them a revenue stream that, while maybe not as profitable as selling hardware and software directly, is potentially much more resilient. It’s a topic for another thread though, because for as easy as it is to say Advertising will always be around, no one really likes it either, so it might not be that simple.
Qfax - December 26, 2011
Nailed it.
By the way, what does the 10:08 on HTC stand for? And why do some of them have 12:05 and 10:54?
regiobaden - December 23, 2011
It’s the version number.
urpert - December 24, 2011 via mobile
What would all of you guys at The Verge do if there was so few tech releases per year? :D
Chaz_UK - December 23, 2011 via mobile
Party!!!!
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
Great article.
I do disagree slightly on the Samsung portion, though.
If Samsung just released a Galaxy S phone for each carrier and that was it, fine. But that isn’t the case.
Phones deemed a part of the Samsung Galaxy S line: Galaxy S, Galaxy S Captivate, Galaxy S Epic 4G, Galaxy S Mesmerize, Galaxy S Fascinate, Galaxy S Vibrant, and the Galaxy S Showcase.
Ok, fine. One for each carrier with some differentiation. But it doesn’t stop there. Then came the OTHER Galaxy S phones.
Galaxy S Indulge has much lower specs. The Galaxy S Continuum is some Frankenphone with a second display for…something. The Galaxy S 4G is the Vibrant with a new radio. . The Droid Charge, and Infuse 4G have Galaxy S internals. Are they Galaxy S phones? They came out after the Galaxy S 2 was released in other countries. Who knows.
Furthermore, these phones aren’t simultaneously released. The GSM models came out in the US in the summer, the Epic 4G a month or two after, the Fascinate way into September/October, and the regional ones after that and the spin-offs after THAT.
nutbunnies - December 23, 2011
Oh, and I forgot the recently released Captivate Glide & Stratosphere, both of which are essentially Epic 4G clones.
nutbunnies - December 23, 2011
You are correct on the Stratosphere but the Glide is a SGS2 with a keyboard.
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
I really don´t know why the carriers in the U.S. have the right to change the phone´s names. Here in Germany, the carriers release the phones with the names, the manufacturers gave them. Simple.
p.rod - December 23, 2011
Introducing the brand new HTC HD VIEW DESIGN 4G LTE on Sprint!
Richard Gilboy - December 23, 2011
I suspect the reason that the OEMs end up replacing the top-of-the-line model so much faster than Apple is because they are completing with the other OEMs. They always want to have the most powerful Android phone while all Apple has to do when they release a new phone is be better than the previous iPhone.
Just look at the iPhone 4S, Apple didn’t really try to compete with HTC, Samsung, etc, they didn’t try to have a bigger screen, a faster processor, more RAM, etc. They just put out numbers of 7x the graphics performance of the iPhone 4 and it’s now dual-core, they don’t say what clock-speed each core is running at or even if the clock speed is any different to the iPhone 4.
JPenguinCA - December 23, 2011
The worst example of this is the Droid 3 and Droid 4 as well as the Droid Bionic and Droid Razr. Products that are so quickly obsoleted, it’s not even funny.
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011 via mobile
Android has always been shit. My advice to everybody reading this article deciding to get an iPhone 4S or an Android phone…….. GET AN iPHONE!
reddexuk - December 23, 2011
Or a Nexus.
MrHaroHaro - December 23, 2011
To be fair, Android 1.0 was kind of shit However with Gingerbread and up, it’s come to be about 95% awesome, 2.5% meh and 2.5% shit. In my opinion.
Never having used an iOS device, I can’t contrast that with anything else at the moment. I do think it’s bad advice to tell people to buy an iphone 4S when the iphone 5 is coming in probably about 6 months.
::er - December 23, 2011
Or buy whatever the hell you want.
DoctorComrade - December 23, 2011 via mobile
If you want a tiny screen and a not customizable OS yeah go with IPhone, else go with the Galaxy Nexus.
Azzoth - December 23, 2011
If you want to play games and get updates, go with the iPhone, otherwise get the Galaxy Nexus.
aThingOrTwo - December 23, 2011
Te fact that you think a Nexus phone wont get updates proves you literally have no idea what you’re talking about. Right now in Android labs engineers are crafting the next big updates on a Nexus S and a Galaxy Nexus.
There are plenty of games for Android. Not as much but a lot.
AbsoluteDesignz - December 23, 2011
Nexus One
aThingOrTwo - December 24, 2011
Can we leave these sort of discussions on *ngadget? Thanks.
urpert - December 24, 2011 via mobile
However, it must be put somewhere here, that some people want differentiation. I don’t want the phone I have to be just as anyone else’s. The fact that they push out so much means that chances are better that someone else has the same powered phone that I do, but it’s different in so many ways. So for me, I like the fact that they pump so many different models.
[Easy fix comes about with Zagg skins for overpopular phones though xD]
Parry - December 23, 2011
1. Thinking about buying the best Smartphone?
2. Think about it.
3. Decided? Yes, Android: Goto 1.
4. Buy it.
djodjo - December 23, 2011
I see a flaw within your pseudo code. There’s an infinite loop. ;)
DoctorComrade - December 23, 2011 via mobile
well that is unless you assume the NO is understood as choosing not to buy an Android…:-)… but i think you’re right.. the OP wanted to make it an infinite loop..
ukpatel - December 23, 2011
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA
incrediblecub - December 23, 2011
I think its a sign of how much the mobile market has changed. Not everybody can afford an iPhone or Galaxy so OEMs make a few “less smart” phones to cater to this demographic. There is something to be said for pushing out the latest and greatest, but the bulk of sales go to these middle of the road phones that get marked up/branded differently for each carrier, creating a huge brand identity problem.
bradjw - December 23, 2011
That “graph” is misleading. Not all of those HTC devices constitute a successor to the phone immediately before it or even in its origins. It’s stuff like that that make fodder for the fanboy wars. I expected more from the Verge.
sooper_verge12 - December 23, 2011 via mobile
That “comment” is misleading. No where does the graph or Chris say that those devices are direct successors—only that hTC is undermining it’s own narrative by releasing so many variants competing for mindshare. It’s interpretations like this that are the fodder of fanboy wars. Fortunately, I expect nothing from sooper_verge12.
azulum - December 23, 2011
Nicely done.
urpert - December 24, 2011 via mobile
The “graph” is in support of his text which in the very FIRST sentence establishes the notion succession. The fact that the “graph” is in the style of timeline doesn’t go far enough to separate it from the primary thesis of his editorial. Even so, let’s say you’re right why not include the variants of the iPhone 4 released for VZW and Sprint? They’re variants no? The reason he didn’t is because they don’t represent succession of product, invalidating his primary thesis. It’s one or the other, but it can’t be both.
sooper_verge12 - December 24, 2011 via mobile
If you believe that the chart is inaccurate because it does not include the CDMA iPhone 4, then you should have said so. I think it probably should be in there, but even though it is redesigned internally (with a slight difference on the outside), Apple markets it as the definitive iPhone 4 as if there is no difference. (And there is no difference between the Verizon and Sprint iPhones.)
What kills me about your initial comment is that you assert your interpretation of the chart as intentional—to incite a flamewar—and then add a few gallons of gasoline for good measure. That, dear friend, is the definition of a troll. You could have pointed out the potential inaccuracy without taking stabs at the motivation behind the error. What you did, however, not only hurt your own credibility, but you appealed to the lizard brain mentality that throws up defenses against reasoned thinking, kind of like what Topolsky did with his tactless Horseshit post—even though he had a valid argument (Gruber’s binary thinking coupled with Siegler’s terrible analogy were certainly worthy of critique). Being social animals with some billion years of flawed, crufty hardware that overrides our state of the art software, we’re bound to commit gaffs and mental lapses.
In other words, to fuck up is human; to not be a condescending asshole is divine. Guess that makes me human through and through.
azulum - December 24, 2011
Cheap and mediocre. It’s laughable.
rickr - December 23, 2011
love the nexus…..
Mallik - December 23, 2011
And every fucking tech nerd in my zone knows the legendary HTC Leo. Please come on HTC be a brand and not a shitload of shit.
I LOVE HTC Phones and built quality so much more than this shitty samsung plastics. :(
You know why everyone in EU and US bought your phones? Not because everyone suddenly paid attention to them in stores nope. They bought them because all these nerds hacking the HTC Leo recommended them to their friends.
Needo - December 23, 2011
I love my Leo. It is the phone I will NEVER get rid of. Definitely not my everyday phone… Lol but not ever in a drawer.
gr4vity - December 23, 2011 via mobile
You’ve nevet owned a Samsung, have you?
isantop - December 24, 2011 via mobile
I 100% agree with your whole post. I’m sure HTC is able to make money on every phone being released, which is why they keep pumping out so many p hones, but less can be more.
Gadginator - December 23, 2011
Yeah… options suck… socialism rules!!!
C’mon guys, get real!
akarol - December 23, 2011
love the false analogy. you have a bright future in politics. keep up the reductionist thinking.
azulum - December 23, 2011
I’m just not down with a unisex, one-size-fits-all proposition. Can you get the iPhone on Verizon with a QWERTY slider with global radio? These things are useful to me.
Champs794 - December 23, 2011
Yes, the iPhone 4S is a world phone … and the iPhone 4 is available in a GSM/CDMA quadband global phone version.
drumsmack - December 23, 2011
… QWERTY slider?
Champs794 - December 23, 2011
With Siri you dont need a keyboard to send a message…. and actually dragon dictate app can send messages via iMessage and to FB and so forth. The QWERTY is only useful on non-data connected dumb phones for note taking and sms/ txt: I roll with an iPod Touch 4/ ENV3 combo to get the best of both: and use a real camera for picture taking!
drumsmack - December 23, 2011
I suppose Suri was the band aid for the crappy keyboard that apple users complain about? And how long before every other phone has a suri function? Two weeks?
You're JK right? - December 23, 2011
actually google voice control in Android predates Apple’s roll out of SIRI in iPhone 4S: its just that Beta Siri is more powerful that the android voice control because Apple spent more time buying other companies and intellectual property to make SIRI work really well: note that it is also still a beta: they need a lot of user generated data to perfect SIRI; and it will eventually be backported to other iOS devices and Apple computers.
drumsmack - December 23, 2011
100% agreed, near 2 years but they are so far apart they aren’t comparable in my opinion but than again I haven’t typed a text in years on my Android either. They did took the idea and ran with it but just because Santa uses it doesn’t mean I have to be an apple clone. haha It won’t be long before google roles out its own version and it won’t take a year plus like apple would take.
You're JK right? - December 23, 2011
You’re jk right?
urpert - December 24, 2011 via mobile
Honestly the only time I need to talk to my phone is when i can’t touch it. 99% of the time that is while driving. Windows Phone nailed that on the head. To use reply to a message with siri you still have to pick it up and push the button which will get you a ticket around here. Same with android btw.
gr4vity - December 23, 2011
it’s handy when it’s cold outside and you don’t want to take your hands out of your gloves.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
I wondered about this too, but if you have bluetooth I think you can still do the long press on the talk button to get voice control (which in the 4S is Siri). This is how I call people on my 3GS anyway… so you could ask Siri to read you the latest message, or does it not do that?
mgk69 - December 23, 2011
On Iphone it is very well put so that you can use natural speech to do damn near anything. On my wife’s phone I couldn’t use the longpress but she has a cheap bluetooth. May be the style we used. Maybe Bluetooth 3.0 will. But when you press the square button on bottom and say" Siri please read me my text messages" and it will read them out loud on speaker.
On Windows phone with a bluetooth, when you receive a message it automatically activates the bluetooth link and says “Text message from (wife), say read, ignore or cancel” Then you say “read” and it goes ahead and reads it out loud, afterwards it automatically says “Say reply, or i’m done” and I say reply, say my message and naturally stop, it processes, repeats what i said back to me, then i approve “send, try again, or cancel” All this is done either via bluetooth or over speakerphone. If you are using bluetooth and gps it tells you the next turns via bluetooth. no looking at the screen needed.
Android i only have a little experience with, but from the month i’ve used it, you drop a shortcut to google search on the background. Hit the microphone and say" send text message to wife, then it pops up preformatted, hit the body, hit the microphone and then speak, then hit send. A lot of keypresses.
gr4vity - December 24, 2011
Thanks for that – so on the iPhone after the message has been read out you say “send a text to my wife” and from there you just dictate it I guess? I think maybe MS has a better thought out solution because it assumes bluetooth means hands-free (and for me personally that is exactly what it means).
One thing I think is missing from WP7 is things like car head units and so on – but WP7 seems to be made for bluetooth rather than any sort of dock connector.
mgk69 - December 24, 2011
I wish another manufacturer would take the Nexus approach to Android, if not in it being stock Android then definitely in a product release cycle that makes sense. The Galaxy S II (excluding the carrier specific variants) is almost there: they have a marketable series of devices with a regular release cycle. Motorola’s Droid line was almost there but they messed up by first adding MotoBlur and then releasing the Droid 4 just a few months after the Droid 3.
As a Sensation owner I don’t feel shafted by the Amaze release because I find it uglier than the Sensation, with minimal spec-bumps. But I’m sure someone else would feel cheated. The thing is you just don’t know when your phone will be obsolete both hardware-wise and software-wise. As far as these mistakes, as shown in the article, HTC is probably the worst offender. The closest thing to a stable brand they have is the EVO line but that’s only on Sprint, and that line is a bit of a mess thanks to the EVO “Design” model. Otherwise they should repeat their success with the EVO brand (in the marketing sense) on other carriers. Say make the Sensation the template of this on T-Mobile. Make the Wildfire a low-end model across carriers but keep the flagships flagships, and say “no” to having a clusterfuck release cycle. Re-release in September-October to boost holiday sales. just make it make sense.
MrHaroHaro - December 23, 2011
Asus has stayed relatively stock and quick to update with their transformer tablets so I hope they will bring this goodness to the phone arena one day.
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
The Evo line wasn’t successful because it was stable, it was the advertising. The majority were sold with in the first month or two that it dropped and kept selling because there was nothing better being sold by sprint. The nexus s was a flop and so was the photon. The first because it flat out didn’t work properly and the second was because there was no advertising at all.
You're JK right? - December 23, 2011
The NS4G works quite well. It flopped because it was a rehash of s phpne that came out 4 months earlier.
isantop - December 24, 2011 via mobile
I don’t think it has to be 1 phone per year. In fact, it doesn’t make sense to just be 1 phone per year. I think there is value to having like 3 phones per year from a company. HTC can make 3 phones per year. One is a nexus class super phone. One is a middle of the road phone or maybe a slider that’s still a superphone. And a cheapo one that people can get android on with like.. a single core 700mhz processor something. But they need to just release one phone PER CLASS.
Verizon did this dumbass thing with the Razr and the Nexus Galaxy. Why the hell would you release a fairly similar spec’ed phone running an older version of the OS on the same freaking day? They also have the Bionic, the Photon, the Atrix 2. These are all basically interchangeable.
lostinspacebar - December 23, 2011
apple is selling a livestyle ornament, not a phone. normal people simply regard the consumer electronics as a torrent of products, and dip into it once in a while, choosing based on meeting specific use cases. because appleheads are buying a sense of self, they’re willing to pay 60% margins, and they don’t want to do it too often.
the real surprise here is that mainstream phone makers are doing such a poor job of supporting the phones, software-wise. they seem incapable of addressing the fact that regulatory concerns apply only to the radio parts, where software changes infrequently. properly designed, non-radio software could be updated frequently, without much trouble (indeed, simply have its interface opened.)
markhahn - December 23, 2011
Should mention Samsung as well, the still released many, many phones in 2011, but for most of the year there was only ONE flagship phone from samsung, the galaxy s ii.
It came around 8 months ago now, hit the US 6 months later, but in all that time it was the single finest (in my correct opinion) android phone/variant on the market. As far as FLAGSHIP phones go, I think Samsung is doing it right as they did not change the basics, they just released gsII variant after gsII variant for theit high end.
Not so with HTC, the evo 3d had a weaker camera than other htc devices, it was a weaker ship of the line.
Sammael - December 23, 2011
The problem with Apple’s release schedule is, what happens when you don’t like this years model? What if you wanted a larger screen? What if you didn’t want an all glass case? You’re SOL. No thanks. I’d rather have too many choices than no choice. As far as the hype Apple gets, that’s half the reason I stay away. The scale at which they’re fawned over is unwarranted and nauseating.
PixelTycoon - December 23, 2011 via mobile
+1
laoh - December 23, 2011
If you don’t like it, like I don’t like the 4S you can wait or get another phone lol.
jaggedspike - December 23, 2011
Get another phone and lose access to all your apps or stick with old tech when you’re ready for something new. Two lousy options. I’d suggest avoiding getting locked into Apple in the first place.
PixelTycoon - December 23, 2011 via mobile
Hardly a lousy option. An iPhone will last you 3 solid years easily, so you’ll have at least 2 handsets to choose from – and given how good each model has been so far, at worst you’d end up with a phone like the 3GS which is merely very good, rather than the iPhone-4 which was, for its time, astonishing.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
A friend of mine had a 3G that barely ecked out two years.
Just sayin’.
isantop - December 24, 2011 via mobile
Then he’s the exception. I could put a sim into my Og-iPhone and it would work fine. Certainly the enclosure looks close to pristine, and I used it non stop from launch until the iPhone-4 came out.
I may actually use it as my UK handset when I move abroad next month.
Cloudgazer - December 24, 2011
Not being rude man but if you don’t like the phone it’s probably you’re issue. I don’t like the 4S but I don’t complain about it. If you’re locked in the iOS ecosystem I suggest to anyone to get the cycle where the model changes i.e. 4, 5/6.
jaggedspike - December 23, 2011
Magnifying glass metal case. Problem solved. Seriously though guys at my office got new iPhones and immediately went to get the glass back replaced with a metal one from the fly by night smartphone repair stores.
gr4vity - December 23, 2011 via mobile
if you bought a phone, and after 2 months you’re so sick of it you want to upgrade, you should be able to wait 8 more months…if you can’t, then you have a problem.
simbadogg - December 27, 2011
Uh, Chris, what phone should I buy?
Joanna Stern - December 23, 2011
Trolls be trollin’
Chris Ziegler - December 23, 2011
Partly why I love this site :’)
Parry - December 23, 2011
Pick one, Chris.
T.C. Sottek - December 24, 2011
Ideally, if I were to migrate to Android, I’d want to follow the Nexus line.
My problem with that, however, is that it seems the Nexus line is that it seems to jump carriers every year.
If I’m not mistaken:
Nexus One → T-Mobile
Nexus S → T-Mobile and Sprint
Galaxy Nexus → Verizon (unless you want to pay $650)
I’d like to stick to a single line of phone AND a single network provider. People may not like AT&T, but I’ve had little problem with them, AND I’m grandfathered into Unlimited. I’d like to keep that when it comes time to move to LTE.
silellak - December 23, 2011
I think the galaxy nexus will be on other carriers later.
Azzoth - December 23, 2011
But you see, the difference is that HTC only makes phones (and some crappy tablets). Apple, if an iPhone fails can fall back on its other products.
When you’re in the business of making mostly phones, you naturally will have more phones coming out that Apple.
Ray Wong - December 23, 2011
What about Samsung who makes phones, tablets, laptops, TVs? They bring out just as much phones [unresearched statement]
Parry - December 23, 2011
I hold a completely opposite view. So Apple has 5 iphones since 2007. Sure, their phones are great (hardware and software both have top notch polish) but again, you only have had 5 to choose from and if you’re on a 2-year contract cycle, you have only but one choice when you’re ready for the next iphone and if you’re in mid-cycle like it is now with 4S, then you’ll be perpetually stuck with a mid-cycle phone. The lack of choices from apple is off putting. How many people really bought a 4S b/c they really truly wanted it? They were really looking for iphone 5. Not only did iphone 5 NOT come after a year since iphone 4’s release, apple released the mid-cycle 4S 16 months later. So many iphone fans simply settled and resigned into getting an iphone 4s b/c they didn’t want to wait yet another 1-1.5 years for that perfect next iphone.
Choice is good. Be it confusing, off-putting, too many, or whatever, I’d rather take more choices than less any day. Plus, even if you release a dozen devices a year, if you keep the true flagships to one or two (GS2, Nexus), you can keep the customers happy and anxious for the next product. I don’t think the Sensation—>Amaze release was great ploy but then look at the camera industry. The computer industry. The TV industry. You can always wait forever for the latest and greatest and never get the latest and greatest. You just have to pull the trigger and get it. Why should it be any different for phones just b/c apple refuses to release anything but one lone device per cycle?
laoh - December 23, 2011
Your point about choice when bashing Apple is not a balanced point. Apple is only one company. Samsung really only releases one good smartphone per year. HTC really only release one good smartphone per year. Motorola really only releases one good smartphone per year. Sure you have a choice with a lot of other android handset: but they are not good values: just like most cheap android tablets: the non-flagship android handsets are weak: and why would you pay for mobil data for a handset that sucks if you could get the flagship model for a similar total operating cost?
drumsmack - December 23, 2011
Don’t forget the role of the carrier. If the carriers didn’t want and didn’t agree to purchase multiple handsets from the same vendor every year, this would be less of an issue. I think different carriers have had different strategies. Verizon has new phones coming out from the same carrier every few months. Motorola is a primary example, where they released the Droid X2, Droid 3, Droid Bionic, Droid RAZR and will soon release a Droid 4. I’m sure that someone who bought a Bionic is probably not pleased that the RAZR has emerged just a couple of months after the Bionic was released. In contrast, I think Sprint has a lot fewer models. Maybe good or bad, but definitely less confusion. There are 4 flagship phones: the iphone and one each from Samsung, Motorola and HTC. Not to mention a couple of lower tier phones at lower price points, not unlike Apple selling last year’s model or the last 2 year’s models.
Carriers want different options and don’t care about just having one great smartphone for each carrier. Maybe you should ask carriers why they don’t just carry one smartphone per year per manufacturer.
ML100 - December 23, 2011
This is going to be a problem with Android until Google takes a more active role with the OEM’s.
Cynicalone - December 23, 2011
.. to unify and consolidate and set standards for the user experience. This lack of consistency in the android handset space makes the iPhone even more popular. Apples highly unified and consistent UI and Hardware design language in the mobil devices makes moving from one iteration to the next seamless, efficient, easy and simple.
drumsmack - December 23, 2011
My upgrade from one version of iOS to the next has been a disaster – first 3 to 4, then 4 to 5. It’s the main reason I won’t buy another Apple product (not just phone) ever again.
My user experience with Apple is that moving from one version of the OS to the next is anything but efficient or simple.
mgk69 - December 24, 2011
You are describing the role of Microsoft in Windows Phone, is that what you want?
mgk69 - December 24, 2011
True, Nexus One, Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus.
Azzoth - December 23, 2011
Actually, I’m frugal. So that means whichever phone I buy, it’s gonna have last me about 2 years, or whatever the “discounted” upgrade period is. I’m not buying another phone until I’m upgrade eligible and the discount pricing kicks in. I just upgraded from my original HTC Droid Incredible to the New Samsung Galaxy Nexus. And I’ll be shopping again in about another 2 years. That’s why I buy the top-of-the-line, latest and greatest, with all the bells & whistles when I buy. They might release a thousand new phones between now and then, but I’ll be sportin’ my VZWSGN until my upgrade is eligible! ;)
butch_yon - December 23, 2011
good thing HTC has decided to focus on quality instead of quantity. LINK
hotsizzle - December 23, 2011
Smartphones in America still do not make sense for all but a very small minority of people who use them.
1. Battery life in all modern smartphones and especially 4G LTE phones is horrible. Where fearure packed dumb phones like LG’s ENV3 can operate in standby for 4 or 5 days with light use, most modern smartphones struggle to give their users even 1 useful day worth of power. This problem can be addressed in most android handset with swapping the battery, but Apple’s sealed battery is an epic fail in this respect!!!
2. Most modern smartphones are so tightly packed with sensitive components, they are extremely fragil if dropped. Sure a case can address this issue, but that adds more bulk to devices that already border on the uncomfortably large in ones pocket/ hand size range.
3. Android handset makers have fragmented the hardware so badly that the user experience on an android handset is totally variable from one maker to the next. Add in things like Touch wiz and software lockdowns and lockouts and you have a whole bunch of fail.
4. The main reason I dont have a smart phone comes down to the unethical choice of the carriers, all of whom Require and overpriced slow Data package. I already pay Verizon way too much every month to have a dumb phone that can connect everywhere I go. They can take their required data plan and stuff it in the ethics bag. That is sleazy as bernie madoff to require your customers to add an overpriced service plan to their policy if they want a smartphone. If I am willing to pay the full unsubsidized retail price for the given smartphone device, then the carrier has absolutely no ethical right to make me buy a data plan that I will never use. I have free wifi everywhere I need to have internet access and in many places I dont need access. I realize for some people, mobil data is incredible useful, but not for me and I am not interested in it and neither is anyone else on my family plan.
So to conclude: Smartphones will not be ready for the majority or for me and my immediate relatives until they extend the battery lives to 24 hours or better, make the devices water resistent, and remove the required data plan sleaze!
I would argue at this point for the point I made above that a “good” smartphone does not yet exist!
drumsmack - December 23, 2011
Smart phones have been great for my gf and I, we used to each have crappy samsung dumb phones, I upgraded to iPhone 4 one year ago and my gf Galaxy Vibrant about 6 months ago.
It is very expensive to get internet where I live, we use the data on our smartphones for Facebook, email and all the apps we want, we even watch some videos.
We each have a plan that we pay 55.00/mth, 200 anytime mins., unlim. night and weekends start at 5, unlimited talk and text to 10 nation wide buddies, free unlimited WIFI at Starbucks, unlim. national picture messagin and 1gb of data a month. She never goes over and I iften do only to the tune of 2-3 dollars per month.
She’s quite clumsy and has damaged 2 mobiles beyond repair within days of buying them, her Galaxy has been the sturdiest and longest lasting she has had!
jesseseguin - December 23, 2011
Sounds like you two might be actually getting your $ worth out of the mobil data then.
$55,00 month x 2 is $110 + cell taxes ~ $14o total est per month x 12 $1680 per year or over a two year period = $3360
If you threw two dumb phones without data onto a family plan and rolled with an iPod Touch for mobil internet over free wifi spots: over a two year period you would spend:
$35/ month for each family plan line x 2 = $70+ tax ~ $80 × 12 is $960 per year x 2 years = $1920 + 2x $300 for iPod Touch’s (free iMessaging, facetime, internet over free wifi) = $2520
$3360 – $2520 = $840 savings over two years or $420 (LOL) per year less> or you save about $35 a month combined (enough to almost cover a comcast cable internet bill for blazing fast internet access at home)
Each persons case is unique: I already have comcast at home so and fast internet anywhere that I need it and my dumbphone iPod Touch combo works fine and saves me $. Again, I just think the mobil data is a ripoff because its required with new smartphone activations: and I would never get my value worth out of the service. You very well might be getting your value worth… each persons situation is different, each persons needs and wants are unique. To each their own, I was just sharing my view!
drumsmack - December 23, 2011
Just a comment regarding #4. A friend of mine bought a used Samsung Fascinate on eBay and uses it successfully without a data plan on Verizon. He links it up to the wifi networks at the hotels he stays at.
PossumK - December 23, 2011
Interesting/ I am not sure how he was able to do that/ Verizon refuses to allow me to connect a smartphone to my plan without a data package.
drumsmack - December 23, 2011
Have to wonder if the public would suffer from handset fatigue. I’m in Canada, we have 3 majors, each with an off brand and a few regionals. We don’t seem to see that many handsets… the adverts seem to advertise the same handsets over a quarter or 2.
Whenever I watch a show from a US feed on my dish and see all the VZW and ATT ads, it’s like handset ADD!
jesseseguin - December 23, 2011
I think the person who compared the continuous updates to phone is similar to hardware computer updates is appropriate. Consumers aren’t stupid and definitely not the ones who are reading tech sites and commenting on them. This has long been the difference between apple and the rest of the p.c. industry. Mac’s will not always have the top of the line hardware, but they will have a specially designed and somewhat unique product once a year. This has been going on since the iMac days and I expect it will continue. The iPhone and iPad continue with a well designed piece of technology that comes out once a year. If other OEMs and Android is to “win” they will “win” the market by oversaturation and the ability to have better hardware. in both the phone and tablet market. The naming and lack of updates is frustrating but lets face facts if you really need or want to maximize your superior android hardware likely you are going to put a rom on it and hack it to your own likings.
I am more interested to see what WP7 and Nokia can put together as Nokia can design a pretty smooth product but Microsoft has such a hard time being seen as corporate, kind of passe as well as being relatively late to the game. I think the whole environment will benefit from having more OSes being successful rather than just a pissing contest between android and iOS. I miss Meego and WebOS stuff and wish more companies would take a risk on these. I mean this is coming from a Linux user though so my opinion really is worth crap.
tjduhamel - December 23, 2011
I enjoy the hilarious paradox that carriers resent the unparalleled amount of power Apple has in the mobile market, so they respond with exclusive phone agreements with branding and carrier software that only limit Apple’s competitors from focusing on the customer, and competing with their best efforts.
The solution is a law allowing carriers to subsidize the 2year contract, but prohibiting them from subsidizing the phone hardware. In my humble opinion.
Greasy_Taco_Aficionado - December 23, 2011
So wait a second, the solution to Apple’s success is to change the law to ban handset subsidies? That’s even more hilariously paradoxical than the problem! If you remember with the iPhone-1 Apple refused to allow the carriers to subsidize.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
Thanks for reading my comment. Nice to know at least one person did :)
I like the way it is in Europe and asia, you buy just about any phone you want from any retailer, and you can get service for it. I’d like to see that same model in North America. In my humble opinion. :D
Greasy_Taco_Aficionado - December 23, 2011
Europe still has carrier subsidies though, or at least most of it does. You can connect your handset to an alternative network, but you’re still going to have to pay of the remainder on your old contract.
I’m about to move from the UK to Sweden – so I can take my iPhone and stick in a swedish SIM no problem, but I’ll still have 6 months of UK contract to pay for, even though I won’t be using it.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
Interesting.
His Shadow - December 23, 2011
Yes, yes be like apple! Makes perfect sense to me. Make people wait a year to get a half a** camera, a year and a half to get 4g(but only at att, lord knows how long if youre on verizon and lol if you have sprint) and never get flash support because Steve was anti flash, you know the software that everyone uses. Apples business model is a joke, it didn’t work with computers and won’t work with cell phones. I know some of the biggest apple jockeys there are and when they tell me that they will wait for the iphone 6 what does that tell you? It tells me that there isn’t enough product innovation. Is andriod much better? No but at least when ever i choose I can get the latest technology when ever I want. This must me a pro apple site. You guys should join up with cnet.
You're JK right? - December 23, 2011
you know the software that everyone uses
Please give us a single example of Flash on mobile that made any difference to the end user, changed the way you used your phone, or was superior to H.264. And throw in a description of the rich browsing experience that was mobile web browsers prior to the iPhone.
Oh wait. There wasn’t one.
His Shadow - December 23, 2011
Um most any site that streams video content. It’s irrelevant what is better than another, it’s what is common place. This article is not about past achievements of apple, which are few and far between, its the fact that when a new a new iphone comes out its borderline technologically archaic. You can not dispute that. Apples hardware is lapped by the likes of Htc, Motorola and even Samsung three to four times in 6 months, then you have to wait another 6 months for another to drop. Technology right or wrong is about the latest and greatest and the cool factor. I think you will see apple give up on hardware in the not to distant future.
You're JK right? - December 23, 2011
It’s irrelevant what is better than another,
No it isn’t, it is the heart of the matter. Apple did not bother with Flash because Flash is a battery raping CPU hog. They made a decision to support H.264 because it was a superior methodology for watching video on mobile. This is not in dispute. Never mind that it took 3 years before Adobe had something worth releasing, mobile Flash is dead. That would be the nail in the coffin of any argument that Apple should have supported Flash.
Technology right or wrong is about the latest and greatest and the cool factor. Only for attention deficient tween wanders who think they are tech experts. The rest of the world doesn’t give a shit what hardware is in their phone as long as it does what they want it to do. Since none of the steady stream of abandon ware crap phones coming out of Apple’s competition has a shelf life of more than 6 months, and none of those competitors are making any real profit to speak of, The idea that Apple will ever give up their lucrative hardware business is ridiculous if not insane.
His Shadow - December 24, 2011
This editorial is amazing. It pretty much sums up my thoughts exactly.
LyndonWhitlow - December 23, 2011
Samsung sort of gets it…they only release one flagship a year…granted, that flagship goes by five different names in the US alone, but it’s really just one phone, and for the international market, it IS just one phone. :)
HTC is horrible about flooding the market with models, especially on Verizon. HTC goes through about as much aluminum as Coca Cola. :)
Motorola is also getting bad about this, also on Verizion (see a pattern?).
That frequency of new releases kept some traffic and excitement going for VZW, but they probably don’t feel the need for as much of that now that they’ve finally got a seat on the Apple money train.
I think you’ll see fewer models this coming year from everyone but HTC. They’ll continue pumping out new models every 10 minutes because that’s the only way they know how to do business, and it’s actually worked for them in the past.
CroakVan - December 23, 2011
Companies like HTC are forced to ‘keep up with the Jones’ the leapfrogging of specs happens weekly.
They would have much lower costs if they all stopped… probably.
PCG1 - December 23, 2011
What incentive would a person have to buy a 9 month old HTC device when Samsung would now be releasing the latest and greatest. It only works for apple because they have no competition on ios. A single Android manufacturer may never have the same market share apple does and that’s OK.
macphees - December 23, 2011
I believe it is time to start the twitter rage campaign against Samsung again. It worked so well last time to get them to be more responsible with updating their phones perhaps it would get them to change their stance for “Touch Wiz or Bust”.
Matthew Ary - December 23, 2011
You make it more difficult on yourself to keep devices updated in a timely fashion. This one’s just simple math: more SKUs means more firmwares, and more versions of those firmwares. Each of those versions needs the care and feeding of an engineering team, and there are only so many engineers to go around.
This could have been the only paragraph and it would still make a devastating critique of the way these companies are alienating customers.
His Shadow - December 23, 2011
None of these companies seem to be interested in building a relationship with their customers. They just try to sell as many phones as they can to whoever they can. There is very little loyalty among brands… because there are quite a few brands to choose from.
That’s what happens when something becomes a commodity. In this case… the “Android phone” has become a commodity.
It doesn’t really matter which company you buy an Android phone from.
You could go from a Motorola, to a Samsung, to an HTC… they’re all running Android.
Samsung, Motorola, HTC and LG are all competing for shelf space in the store. When someone walks in… each of those companies have a 1 in 4 chance of selling a product to that person. It’s brutal.
So that’s why the manufacturers keep pumping out phones hoping to grab as many people as they can. It’s a shotgun…. instead of a rifle.
The same thing happens with Windows. It doesn’t matter if you buy an HP, Dell, Acer, Sony, Asus, Toshiba, etc.
These companies know the other guys are selling something almost exactly like theirs. They try to differentiate themselves… but they’re all basically the same.
The same thing happened with dumbphones. I went from a Motorola StarTAC, to an LG cameraphone… to some Samsung flip-phone.
I wasn’t married to any particular brand. When I went to buy my next phone.. I looked at the whole line and noticed they were all basically the same. At that point I bought the one that was on sale.
Also… these companies NEED to start making damn good phones to establish their reputation… in order to get repeat customers.
Funny story… I know half a dozen people who all had the Droid X…. and they all had to get multiple replacements because that phone was a piece of shit.
I bet they will never buy another Motorola phone again.
Michael Scrip - December 24, 2011
I’m looking at the HTC Amaze and Sensation on T-Mobile right now and I have no idea what the difference is except $30.
WilliamF - December 23, 2011
I couldn’t agree more. The dearth of smartphones does nothing to contribute to the overall advancing of the platform as a whole. The idea behind this quote from Steve jobs is as apparent as ever when you look at the handy graphic Chris provided:
"People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying ‘no’ to 1,000 things."
lostandsafe - December 23, 2011
I must admit that I “protest” against this article. Mr. Ziegler only saw the good things about Apple’s approach from the perspective on an Apple fan that feels “safe” and “cocooned” by Apple’s decision. Exactly like the late mr. Jobs put it, users want us to tell them what to use and how to use it. Never did I see a hint of criticism worthy of cynicism that all consumers should have.
id4andrei - December 23, 2011
Is it just me, or is there an increase in the amount of editorials on The Verge?
explosionshurt - December 23, 2011
Not just that, but they all seem to antagonise Android manufacturers while disregarding the difference in business models. It’s beginning to smell a bit dangerously like Gizmodo…
moisiom - December 23, 2011
And they (HTC) look the same.
The Wizard of Huz - December 23, 2011
Those carrier branded phones just need to die. Or the carriers* should just start manufacturing those devices.
jalexoid - December 23, 2011
Amin!
Laza - December 23, 2011
If anyone asks me I without a second thought recommend iPhone, Google Nexus, and any WP7 Phone that you like visually…coz they r mostly the same device in a different shell
Aesar Leao - December 23, 2011
So we should only look at the Nexus… just disregard the other product lines they don’t matter. Except when it’s time to tally up sales numbers. Then we should add then. Makes sense.
Luph - December 23, 2011
It wouldn’t be so bad if HTC took Samsungs model and had one Premium Phone series that you could be sure they were going to solidly support. Like the Galaxy S series….
gregorian - December 23, 2011
oh that’s just cruel! :)
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
I like the multiple product line, high turnover.
I plan on buying a phone once a year. I do it because I use my phone for business. This way i always have two phones that are somewhat current. If one goes down, battery, cracked screen, random bald eagle attack; I’ll have a backup that is current enough i could easily continue working with no interruption.
I like having a multiple product line on the same manufacture. I would be heartbroken if HTC stopped making my line of phone because IMO they have the most resilient phones. My phones have been rained on, dropped, fallen upon, and most have continued working where my previous Motorola haven’t. (Casio makes some hardcore phones too). I chose windows phone purely for the speed of actions. Before they came out i was using Palm Pre. Android was slow to navigate.
I figure a phone is to me as a ratchet is to a mechanic. Necessary to replace before it is worn out.
If HTC dropped to one line of phone, Android only and Two models a year, upper and lower price tier: they would have lost me as a customer because i prefer windows phone.
In any manufacturers defense I would do the exact same thing. Make money on every customer possible. Loyalty can’t be gotten until they buy any product. Then once you have them. Tempt them with new products. Make your one brand awesome phone in your lineup. Market it to hell and back to your loyal customers. They will buy. I Do.
gr4vity - December 23, 2011 via mobile
What the author wants would mean a reduction in choice. I can’t see this as being good, as every line has its fans. Just because a few are confused doesn’t mean those who have specific requirements should be ignored.
Tams - December 23, 2011
I agree, a good example is the Casio Commando. It is what i believe is an ugly phone. However for my employees in the field, it is a dreamphone.
gr4vity - December 24, 2011
This was an idiotic article that totally ignores the fact that Apple, had not Android come along, would be milking its customers every successive generation with less than stellar upgrades. Anyone remember what the resolution on the iPhones were before the Droid and Nexus One?
The simple fact of the matter is that this is the kind of article that keeps the SOPA articles coming. It’s really less than dignified, but eh, it’s not the end of the world. Feel free to belabor arguments below me, it’ll keep the lights on. For now, I go off to make Christmas cookies and ignore this article for the rest of the night.
Kilgore Trout - December 23, 2011
Apple’s iPhone has peaked and is being slowly pushed out by Android. Apple needs a new business strategy; the current “one phone every 1-2 years” is getting them left behind in tech.
The still-rumored iPhone 5 has a lot of catching up to do; and still more for iPhone 6. How long can this last?
slick312 - December 23, 2011
Slowly being pushed out while increasing sales 100% YoY. That’s a remarkable paradox there. HTC would love to be getting pushed out of the market if it meant such growth.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
LOL; Apple had double Android’s market share 3 years ago, now the positions have reversed; and HTC is a part of that.
Apple is taking market share from BB. Once that plays out things will change.
slick312 - December 24, 2011
You don’t seem to understand that the entire smartphone market is growing, Apple didn’t lose share to Android, non-consumption lost share to Android.
When viewed as the entire handset market Apple has never stopped growing, and gone much below 100% YoY. This matters because that’s the actual rate that they’re having to accelerate maufacture.
In 3Q2008 Apple sold under 1 million devices, in 3Q2011 the sold 20million. If you believe that this represents a failure for Apple, then you need stronger meds.
Cloudgazer - December 25, 2011
“pushed out”
“needs a new strategy”
“left behind”
Are you talking about RIM?
Because Apple is doing just fine… in case you haven’t noticed.
Market share is not the game Apple is playing.
Michael Scrip - December 24, 2011
Another insightful article!
What’s up with HTC and the time 10:08?
Kometa - December 23, 2011
""But as impressive as it might be to technology and business process nerds, it’s just as upsetting to the average consumer." ————————Chris, I can’t really agree with you here on this. Now you show the picture comparing APPLE and HTC to an average consumer who owns an Android phone. (which I just did.) You’ll find out how shocked they will be seeing the pic. That means, an average consumer doesn’t even really know that HTC/Samsung/Motorola have released so many phones over the years. Plus. compared to Apple, HTC/Samsung/Motorola are the ones that are doing the old-school style by launching a few products a year. The consumers will be well accustomed to that.
Ray Du - December 23, 2011
For a minute I thought this was a serious article.
Tminus - December 23, 2011
It really is true, though I guess I only partially recognized it. Whenever friends ask me to recommend a smartphone and they don’t want an iPhone I usually identify whatever the current top Android phone is. The rest is white noise.
talrico - December 23, 2011
Imagine, for a second, what HTC would come up with if they put the effort they put into 30 phones into one phone.
cf_torchie - December 23, 2011
“I don’t know how HTC, Samsung, or anyone else in this business is able to sustain the pace of iterative innovation that we’re seeing right now — it boggles the mind.”
-—————————————————Seriously, what innovation?
All the phones are starting to look more and more the same. There are far less distinctive phones than there were 1 year ago, 2 years ago and 3 years ago when featurephones ruled more.
Can someone tell me what’s new here? Camera quality? Video quality? Resolution and quality of the screen? Minor OS tweaks adding nothing we haven’t seen years prior?
We have nothing more than iPhone-like phones of varying specs with a far more homogenised similar experience between phones. They can release 30 per year and no casual observer can tell the difference between any of them.
A few years ago we had much more variety with the TYPE of phones (and size!) that were released that catered to different needs. Today there’s LESS choice.
Everyone is trying to be an iPhone, when in fact not everyone is served by that type of phone.
nori - December 23, 2011
I do hate that companies (mainly HTC) release 20 phones a year, but I also realize the benefit of differentiation. Not every want a purely touchscreen phone, or can afford an iPhone or Galaxy S II. I think HTC, Samsung, Moto, etc. could benefit from a three phone lineup every year:
1. A high-end option: this is the flagship/brand name phone like the Galaxy S II, iPhone 4s, or Lumia 800. This is the phone everyone should know about. It has high-end specs, minimalistic, wide appealing design and $200+ on-contract.
2. A low/mid-range option: this an entry-level option for people who either can’t or don’t want to dish out the full price of the high-end. Think LG Optimus, Focus Flash, Incredible 2. It has mid-range specs, but still has great software optimization. Runs for less than $100 on-contract.
3. A keyboard option: This is for those who can’t live without a keyboard. Think Droid, Venue Pro, Samsung Stratosphere. $100-$200.
barock3ts - December 23, 2011
I’m sorry if this sounds rude, but why does it matter?
If anything with many different models, I get to choose what I like and those who don’t care about choosing will just get what the sales rep sells them – nothing different to Apple there. All most people care about is whether it will do what they want, not the specs. If you care about the specs, you should probably have enough nouse to know which model offers what.
I’m sure you can compare OSes that have multiple manufacturers vs an OS that only has one in this regard either.
Tams - December 23, 2011
not sure*
Anyway, telling multiple companies and competitors to work to together probably isn’t going to happen.
Tams - December 23, 2011
Just a thought – if Apple made the iPhone 4Gs but with a 12 megapixel camera would it be a different model? What if you could choose to get a 4" screen? You can already get different drive sizes, so you would have a matrix of 6 models in one release; e.g. 64Gb, 12 megapixel, 4" screen.
I assume that this is essentially what all those different phones represent, except maybe with an option for a 5 megapixel camera etc. etc. to be available at different price points (like a 3GS/4/4S to be honest).
Just a thought.
mgk69 - December 24, 2011
If the carriers would support all of these phone variations it wouldn’t be an issue. I don’t think anyone would complain saying “Stop, we have to many choices.” If they were assured they wouldn’t be left out of an update 6 months down the road.
Appstache - December 24, 2011
Actually having too,any choices can be a bad thing. See http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html and http://bigthink.com/ideas/19529
BC2009 - December 24, 2011
With the exception of retail experience it seems to me that Apple and Honda have adopted the same strategy in their respective industries. Both limit the number of models and options available. Both produce quality products that last and work well. Both seek to provide the best all around experience rather than providing some extreme in one feature at the cost of another. As a result both produce products that have incredibly high resale value relative to their competitors and both have a very high customer satisfaction rate. It seems to be a very good strategy that simplifies the decision making process and will delight a majority of the market at the cost of alienating a few who are fixated on some specific option or feature that the majority does not care about. Some folks will never buy a Honda or Apple product because it does not suit them, but those who are are willing to sacrifice some options in exchange for higher build quality, better support, better overall experience, reliability, and solid overall performance will be delighted by the simplicity.
Now if only Honda could open up their own dealerships so I would not have to drive out of state to get treated fairly when buying a be vehicle, then that would be great.
BC2009 - December 24, 2011
The era of the smart phone is passed. Now that ipad’s PS vita’s galaxy notes, kindle fire’s, nook tablets exist. you get better rates on data with no contract as well. I am among the new generation of tech enthusiast that does not require a smart phone. android and ios are becoming more restrictive and expensive and time goes on. I will be just fine with a 3G PS vita, i will have facebook, twitter, web browsing and skype. all with out a contract.
Hell if your like me and down to ditch the smart phone you save so much money even in one year you could have a ipad a ps vita and a real digital camera for less than a smart phone with its expensive and limited data plan.
I see where your coming from chris. But waiting around for some 800 dollar cell phone is a thing of the past. the vita and the transformer prime examples of what i’m proposing. you get more for your money when you take the phone out of the gadget. “point blank.” I know there are other out there that feel the same.
Alexander_tron - December 24, 2011
Except smartphone data rates are better than tablet data rates.
descendency - December 24, 2011
23 phones in two years that means a new Android phone every month. This is mind boggling really.
techomaniac - December 24, 2011
NEVER SLOW THE GROWTH OF TECHNOLOGY. GET OVER YOURSELF AND ACCEPT THAT THIS WORLD SHANT BE HALTED FOR YOU
LustyLamprey - December 24, 2011
I agree with the grand point here. I definitely think that all of the Android phones are nice to have but at the same time, it has caused a fragmented user base. My Galaxy Nexus, which is brand new, can’t play certain games in the marketplace which is nuts.
The iPhone business model is really nice because I know that on day 1, anyone who buys it can do everything in the app store.
I still prefer Android and have just come to accept that there is no way right now to get the “perfect smartphone” but the rate of technology marching on makes the one I bought better than the one I would have gotten without all of it.
descendency - December 24, 2011
You bring up a good point.
Imagine being a game developer for Android… knowing that there are tons of customers who simply can’t play your game. That must be frustrating.
Michael Scrip - December 24, 2011
The chart leaves off the introduction of the white GSM iPhone 4, which was delayed much to many people’s chagrin. I, for one, might have gotten a white iPhone 4 had it come out “day 1”, instead I’ve followed a crazy path that’s led me to having a Palm Pre 2 on Page Plus Cellular (a Verizon MVNO). Then there’s the Verizon iPhone 4, which actually has different internals and a different antenna layout which was then used for the iPhone 4S and finally it discounts the fact that each iPhone 4S for the 3 networks in the US are not interoperable on the other networks due to carrier locks (though the initial Sprint handsets were apparently not locked for some reason). I think the physical hardware on each of the iPhone 4S models is identical though (this helps Apple’s supply chain and inventory management) and if you could get them unlocked you’d theoretically be able to use them on any of the networks assuming the other networks would be willing to activate the device. My point here is that Apple has come out with quite a few more than “1 phone per year” since the iPhone 4 came out. Prior to that I can agree the first 4 iPhones all came out within ~1 year of each other.
I scanned through the comments and didn’t see anyone else mentioning that many iPhone models have come out in the last “year” which surprised me and I think speaks to Apple being very good at manipulating the perception of their products so people might think there’s only one iPhone 4 and one iPhone 4S when really there were many. I’m not sure if they actually made any physical changes to the iPhone 4 to address “antenna-gate”, but that would be another hardware revision to include if they did make some changes. The stupid design of putting an active antenna where you’d hold the device w/o having antenna diversity and AT&T’s terrible service are other reasons I didn’t get an iPhone 4 after my iPhone 3g contract expired.
alphacheez - December 24, 2011
There are quite a few iPhone SKUs… but they are mostly cosmetic and capacity differences.
The iPhone 4 had a GSM version and a CDMA version. Then it was broken down into white or black… and 8GB, 16GB or 32GB.
That’s been tightened up this year. There is now a single 4S for both GSM and CDMA… but you’ve still got the color and capacity choices.
Technically there was more than one iPhone released this year… but I hardly consider a black iPhone and a white iPhone to be different models…
Now compare that to HTC. Here is a non-exhaustive list of HTC models released this year:
Evo Shift 4G
ThunderBolt
Incredible
Wildfire
Desire
Sensation
Evo 3D
ChaCha
Salsa
myTouch 4G Slide
Rezound
Those are NOT just cosmetic differences… those are all individual models with their own hardware and engineering.
I also counted 8 different processors and 9 different screen sizes in HTC’s product lineup.
So yeah… I agree with the chart in the article. HTC makes waaaaay more phones than Apple.
Michael Scrip - December 24, 2011
The CDMA model of iPhone-4 really is a different device. It may have almost the same enclosure as a GSM iPhone-4, and it may have the same OS and UX, and Apple may have done such a good job that the user doesn’t perceive it as a choice between models but simply a choice between carriers – but it is a significantly different device.
Cloudgazer - December 24, 2011
Correct. The iPhone 4 had a separate GSM and CDMA model.
But the iPhone 4S is now a GSM/CDMA phone… one phone for all carriers.
So… they did make one phone this year… and it comes in different colors and capacities.
Michael Scrip - December 24, 2011
Well the CDMA device was released in 2011, but yes – the 4S should have a full year all to itself, or perhaps a little less if the next model is in June 2012.
Cloudgazer - December 25, 2011
I should have said they released one phone this year. That was the 4S in October.
You’re right… Apple continues to sell the 4 and the 3GS.
But no response to HTC’s many, many models? :)
That’s the whole point of this article.
Michael Scrip - December 26, 2011
The problem with the author’s opinion is that he assumes that the majority smartphone buyers are phone geeks like us, that spends countless hours following sites such as this, and others, hanging on the latest tidbit of wireless news (I know I’m not the only one on here that refreshes the page in hopes of catching the latest post).
The truth is, the clear majority are your average Joe/Jane, who simply buy a smartphone so they can read their email, light web browsing, listen to internet radio, Google Maps, etc. They don’t care if they are running 2.3.3 vs 2.3.4 of any given operating system, and they don’t run to the nearest AT&T or Verizon store every week to check out the latest and greatest device.. Nope, they have jobs and familys, along with day-to-day responsibilities that consume their every waking minute. Believe or not, they don’t lose sleep over the tech things we do.
All they care is that their smartphone does assists them with their lives by enhancing the way they communicate and work, and the way they take a brief moment out of their day to enjoy themselves with a quick game of solitaire or their fav music. The only time the majority of buyers purchase a new phone is if theirs break or is lost, or ceases to do what they want of it. Phone geeks like us might not admit it, but last years Capitvate can do all of these basic functions almost as well as a Galaxy SII. We could argue about the finer details, but for your average user, they likely won’t care (at least, not enough to want to invest the time and the money to migrate to another phone).
dclin - December 24, 2011
Actually, the best phone comes only once. The Nokia N9 was truly exceptional.
The Sameer - December 24, 2011 via mobile
Great article, the phone industry’s business plan is out of control. Hype up a new phone to be the greatest thing since ever, and then completely abandon new support and release a whole slew of new phones a couple months later.
My first smartphone was a Droid X (in lieu of Verizon taking away unlimited data). At the time it was a toss-up between the Droid X and the Droid 2. I bought this in July 2010, when it launched. It has only been a year and a half, my contract is not even up, and we are already talking about the Droid 4 launching in Q1 of 2012 (after being DELAYED). Not to mention the Droid X2 was released this year (a yearly upgrade, that’s ok).
But it gets more ridiculous if you look past simply the names of the phone. The Bionic is basically a 4G Droid X2 that might get ICS. The Razer is basically the Bionic, but slimmer and without a removable battery. Now we’re already hearing about a possible Droid X3.
And you can barely even tell the difference in terms of power! I downloaded CM7 on my Droid X, and that software alone made the phone feel like brand new. Imagine ICS? But of course the DX won’t get it, otherwise Moto would have to update the DX2, Bonic, Razer, etc as well. And it would surely hurt their selling point as their new phones get ICS out of the box.
I really love Android, but I am tempted to make my next phone an Iphone. While Apple doesn’t always have the most powerful hardware, their software is superb and you know that your purchase will definitely be future proof for a while. I don’t like iOS that much, the walled-garden is terrible, and it is behind in some aspects (multitasking and widgets). Plus you still need to tie it with iTunes, which is one of the worst interfaces I have ever experienced with my iPod. But I’ll get a decent to good powered phone that has amazing battery life, a stable OS, and that will last me for a while so I don’t feel like I got crapped on and abandoned.
HappyG0at - December 24, 2011
I think what you suggest will come about once the smartphone reaches a majority market share and it becomes a zero sum game. Until then, it is a race for a share of the billions (phones or dollars).
stu99 - December 24, 2011
The Nexus is the best phone this year, hands down! I never felt so sure about a phone before and after a week of use it’s still better than any Android phone or iphone before it. If I bought the iphone 4S I would be 100% sure that I would upgrade to the iphone 5. Can iphone 4 users that upgraded to the iphone 4S honestly say they would not upgrade to the iphone 5? I don’t have that feeling with the Nexus. The development community is doing wonders with the phone and has made it crazy fast.
Apple is playing it too safe while Android OEM’s are taking too many risk. . The 3.5 inch display is a major weakness. When you go from a 4.65 inch display to 3.5 inches it feels as if you went from a 55 inch tv to a 27 inch. But Android is not perfect either. Motorola is releasing more phones than they do software updates and that’s a problem. Hence why I choose Nexus as the best phone. Razr may temp you with a sexy body but it lacks brains.
fanboy1974 - December 24, 2011
What are you on about with the iPhone-5? There’s no such phone! Are you saying that you won’t upgrade to the next Nexus? Given how relatively weak the SoC is in the Galaxy Nexus, I imagine that when the Droid Nexus (or whatever the next one is called) rocks around, you are going to want to upgrade to it.
Cloudgazer - December 24, 2011
Great article with many good points. I’m not an iPhone lover at all and can’t see myself ever owning one but have to admit that Apple have done a lot of things right as you said.
Manufacturers do hurt themselves by alienating customers, like Samsung not updating the Galaxy S to ICS…utterly ridiculous and it will annoy people. I whole heartedly agree that manufacturers should release a few less phones in the year, establish that brand association like the Galaxy line has started to do and the Nexus line has done to a point. Build up some consumer loyalty and trust by letting people know they can count on their phone being supported for at least 3/4 of their 2 year contract.
Also I’d love to see Google force manufacturers to give users a choice as to whether they want to run these bloated UI’s or the stock Android experience. It would lead to not only faster updates but also a greater deal of what I love about Android…..CHOICE.
The_Razza - December 24, 2011
What is it about phones that makes people think that they need the best? How many of us are driving Maybachs and wearing Glashutte Original watches? You probably don’t have the best in anything else in life and you get by just fine. What is it about phones that people suddenly change their tune? So a newer better phone comes out in a couple months. So what? You don’t hear people bellyaching that their car that they bought will be replaced with a newer better model every single year and that’s something that we spend some real money on. I do agree that I would like to see fewer models but that is because of of accessory compatibility and updates. The fact that a new model is better than mine doesn’t somehow make my phone any less than it was the day before.
Stop identifying with your phones. It’s just a tool. It isn’t who you are. And stop thinking that you need the newest, best thing.
Minjin - December 24, 2011
soo true dude. i mean i absolutely love apple products but i never force my view on people. i hate when people engage in the “my phone is better then your’s” topic. it is only a tool that is very overpriced. i love apple cause they product are flawless with one another. but to each their own
size9soul - December 24, 2011
It makes me think. Apple are the subject of jokes often from people who aren’t knowledgable of the industry for outdating their products once a year.
But.. that’s longer than most of it’s competitors, if not them all..
Qassim - December 24, 2011
I’ve got a Nexus One that I got just after it was released, and I’m only just now looking to upgrade, but I’m having a hard time deciding between a GS2 or a 4S. I love Android, but I’m getting tired of the crap that is required with Android to keep it up-to-date and relevant. I like how the iPhones maintain their relevance, even up to and beyond the release of the next new model. Not to mention the accessory market has loads and loads of more offerings on the iOS devices than any Android device will ever have, even the Galaxy line.
The_Vergen - December 24, 2011
Your point boils down to the fact that this is “upsetting to the average consumer.” I’d say the average consumer doesn’t care. My girlfriend got her Droid 3 in October. Does she care that the Droid 4 came out so soon? No because she doesn’t even know it exists. The “average consumer” doesn’t care that their phone didn’t get the 2.3 Android update because their phones are already amazing to them in the first place. ALL of my non-tech friends who have iPhones said they didn’t even notice any changes really when they updated to iOS 5.
Technology has gone mainstream and honestly people who care about the latest OS update or if their phone has the latest processor are in the VAST minority.
Burgerman - December 24, 2011
And of that minority, most know how to install the latest ROM.
Tams - December 24, 2011
I’m glad WIndows Phone is around now to give people a good viable alternative to the iOS ecosystem.
Leica_Virgin - December 24, 2011
Couldn’t agree more. This is an opinion I’ve held for a while now. Samsung strikes me as the worst offender by far. They’re constantly churning out nearly identical variations of the same damn phone. If you ignore the minor spec bumps pissing customers off, this high quantity approach does nothing but confuse customers. Instead of having five million slightly different Galaxy SII S X Cadence Inspire Epic 4G+ Super Ultimates… why not just have one, single Galaxy SII? They’re just diluting the piss out of their own brand, and I have to imagine driving costs way up producing dozens of variations.
You buy an iPhone, you know exactly what you’re getting. You buy a Galaxy phone, you have no idea what you’re getting.
I think all these cheap, diluted, bloatware infested, carrier-specific phones need to disappear. There’s no reason to buy them in the first place. If you’re buying a smartphone, you’re buying a data plan on top of a voice plan. Saving 50 bucks (out of like 2000) buying some cheap Samsung Galaxy variation, instead of the top of the line flagship makes no sense at all. And it’s not like carriers don’t offer older flagships for free on a contract, if you really want to save 50 bucks.
Samsung, HTC, Motorola: You want an iPhone like following for your phones? Slow the fuck down. Focus!
I’ll even suggest a nice, concise device portfolio. Three phones:
- The big screened flagship (this is what most people will buy).
- A smaller version of the same thing (for people who find enormous screens ridiculous)
- A version with a physical keyboard (demand for these is still quite strong)
Release new versions of those maybe once a year. Keep producing the previous year’s version for consumers on a budget. Do that, and your brand will actually mean something.
floobie - December 24, 2011
Look at amazon’s list of Top Rated smart phones,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/top-rated/wireless/2407747011/ref=pd_zg_rss_tr_cps_2407747011_1?tag=smartpreview-20
’nuff said
Mustafa taleb - December 24, 2011
Great article Chris! Really enjoyed reading it, but I have a couple of notes I’d look to put around your point (from my experience down here in Australia, and froma Customer experience perspective)
You alienate your best customers. This is true, but in my experience – keeping things constantly fresh means that whilst you may alienate your ‘best’ customers – they’re generally the ones that are able to ‘cut through’ the forests of other devices, to focus only on the one. For example, if I had bought a HTC HD2, my natural progression would have been HD2, Desire HD, Rezound/Vigor (whatever the name is) – I would never consider any of the “lesser” devices, purely because I, in fact care enough about HTC to be classified as one of the ‘best’ customers. I’m taking my own view on your definition of ‘best’ here, so please don’t be insulted if I’ve gone down one rabbit hole when you meant another!
You induce paralysis at the register. Again, two points here that I’d like to raise.
1. Not many people actually pay, for smartphones. Not in the usual sense. You sign a piece of paper and it’s done – this is largely what happens here in Australia (where handset repayments are included in plans). The buying procedure for a smartphone or any phone, is still akin to signing up for a new internet service, or a cable service. You don’t pay for the phone in the traditional sense, you sign up to a service, and get a phone on the side. I agree that you pay want a specific handset, but customers generally do not “purchase” a device, like a TV.
2. The average customer just does not care: Whilst I am loathe to say the general wider population (not us) do not care about these things, I’ll just come out and say it: The general population does not care about these things. Ironically the general population would care MORE if HTC or Samsung took Apple’s approach to delivering a couple of devices a year with lots of fanfare. They, as you duly mentioned, are catching on to this slowly, but I do not believe that they’re even ready to operate like that. They are hardware companies first and foremost, and delivering what they deliver currently is what they’re good at. Also, from an objective of higher sales perspective… it may not actually add up to play “Apple’s” way.
You confuse people. No human, much less a paying consumer standing in line at a corporate-owned carrier retail store, can keep track of 30-plus Android phones from a single OEM in the span of two years. If they claim they can, they’re lying to you.
Similarly, (and this is a tangent) – our collective gripes with android skins are not shared by the general public, unless it actively detracts from the general experience (ie. it’s slow etc)
You make it more difficult on yourself to keep devices updated in a timely fashion. Completely agree here, but I must add that once again: the general populace does not care about these things, and skins ‘reduce’ the difference between 2.2/2.3 devices. Similarly, customers do not expect phones to ‘change’ much during their lifetime of use – the average customer would be rather annoyed if their phone one day went from 2.3.6 to 4.0. Again, this is where skins come in to provide a cohesive ‘face’.
Customers who aren’t forced to hook up their devices (iTunes) to their machines, just will never see the little “update now” icons – they’re not fussed if the phone they chose on Day 1 is still the same phone as they’ve got on Day1 +2 years.
Because by then, it’s time for a new phone! :)
PooJou - December 24, 2011
Sounds entirely like an Apple fanboy article. Let me get this straight. Just because HTC doesn’t wait a year to provide a phone with improvements, that’s somehow bad for customers? Providing a choice of handsets is bad? If you really like how Apple does the iPhone, then just go with that. The rest of us like Android, choices, frequent releases of better and better products that leave the competition in the dust, etc., etc. Nexus is a great product for near-leading-edge tech and no fragmentation. But, there’s nothing about the Nexus that can’t be done in other phones if manufacturers and carriers decide it’s good marketing to “go pure.”
droidbeat - December 24, 2011
No he points out that Samsung is in fact following Apples lead and creating a brand aware top line phone called the Galaxy on an annual update schedule. Did you read the article, or stop as soon as a single word of praise was given to Apple and marginalized him as a fanboy? The point is very simple and clear, choice is there, there are many phones, but we don’t need our best phone become second best in a few months. You think HTC didn’t have the Amaze already in the works when the Sensation came out? So this is a game that is not good for consumers. Slow down and release the better one, not a worse one so lots of people can buy it only to be pissed with the better one comes out just 4 months later. I’d be pissed too. But your comment about choice makes no sense. Apple doesn’t release 15 phones a year and because of that iPhone owners have enjoyed consistent and guaranteed updates. The 3GS is almost 3 years old now and it got ios5. So choice between dozens of crappy phones is hurting Android because of all the problems with getting upgrades. My Incredible 2 will likely never get ICS and it’s only 10 months old.
JRX16 - December 25, 2011
What exactly is this article proposing? That manufacturers make one and only one flagship smartphone every year? I wonder if that is how communism started.
Honestly, I am glad that there is only one Apple. They have been successful by going against the basic prinicple of consumerism – choice. What would the smartphone world be like if there was only HTC? Now only Apple?
nicksti - December 24, 2011
I honestly think you don’t understand the article, the issue, or communism at all.
JRX16 - December 25, 2011
Communism is based on common ownership of property (historically this meant land). Kind of like a hippie commune. It doesn’t have a lot to do with the release schedule of phones.
mgk69 - December 25, 2011
While I love this article and agree with it completely, I wonder how much the average consumer mass does care. We are on this website because we love gadgets and tech and have various degrees of geek in us, but for the masses who don’t know one phone from the other and never visited Engadget or The Verge, I wonder if they even know their Sensation was bested so quickly. This is what the carriers feed off of, ignorance and indifference, and so want 30 new models a year to feed those masses with. Makes me wonder if it will change much.
JRX16 - December 25, 2011
Galaxy Nexus tyvm
nblufire12 - December 25, 2011
Irrespective of whether the consumer is simply an average guy, or a tech geek like us, it is impossible to deny the importance of successful marketing and branding. All the top-end smartphone manufacturers have this to varying degrees, but it’s impossible to deny the Apple strategy.
thisisryanon - December 25, 2011
So as many have said before… The only “Safe (ish)” bet for an Android phone is the Nexus range!
T1nman - December 25, 2011
I think the update problem can be solved by two ways. One is reducing the amount of phone released in one year and or the second way is just to go pure Android.
dephiros - December 25, 2011
I think something is missing here. Flooding the market with products has been a successful strategy since…ever. It worked for Windows, every cell phone, Android, and I am willing to bet it will work for HTC and Samsung too.
The problem I have with this article is that the VAST majority of smartphone users don’t really care that much about technology to worry about buying the latest and greatest. As long as it does most of what they see on TV they are happy.
For example, where I work has about as average a population as one can imagine. Most do not own smartphones, but the few that do think they have the latest and greatest, even if it is an iPhone 3..
If you really start asking people on the street, you might find that the only time they worry about their next phone, is when they want a new phone. So if they have the choice between the iPhone that came out 6 months ago and the Samsung that came out last week, experience shows the newest device wins…regardless of quality.
Dedren - December 25, 2011
Then lets see how well the 4S sells compared to Samsung’s GN over the holidays. Hell ill wager that the 4s will outsell the nexus and gs2 line combined!
UCLAKoolman - December 25, 2011
The Evo 4G was the last HTC phone to ever stand out. Ever since then they just all kinda bleed into one.
hiroprotagonist - December 25, 2011
I’m an Android guy, just got a Nexus, but did really consider switching over to the iphone after fooling around with one. They are really nice. REALLY NICE… and easy easy easy to use. However, the Galaxy Nexus is really really really nice and I love it. It’ s easy for me to use and it’s fast as all get out with 4g running. SMOKING!
buildakicker - December 25, 2011
I feel the exact same way but the other way around… I played with the Galaxy (one of the new ones) and really liked it, even considered the switch from iOS for a second. But for me, it’s about the simplicity, reliability, support and ECOSYSTEM of iOS.
Fanboys will disagree and call names, but the fact is the majority of tech sites agree the iOS ecosystem has the more robust apps, and some of them for me are deal breakers.
lancelott - December 26, 2011
absolutely correct
kvasmj - December 26, 2011
the problem with the article is the denial to understand that consumer have different needs. everyone may want the best phone in whatever brand they like. but there are other factors: it may be out of their price range. they may want only some special features. they may want to use it only for a couple basic apps, they may not care for mobile gaming. and so on. And let’s not kid ourselves, most consumers don’t follow software or get software update until they have to get their phone fix or something. It’s only tech-savvy who are well inform about these things. Also, we should not deny to another important fact. There are also fragmentation in iOS. The reason for fragmentation varies from Carrier, OEM, Unlocking/Jailbreaking capabilities, to User preferences. Lastly, we should not forget the risk adapting new OS quickly. Most software won’t be compatible yet and therefore users won’t enjoy the product. Hence, one of the problem with Honeycomb which made it got bad review in compare to a 1year older product like the iPad.
Ps. Someone might not want a large high-end device, they might just want a 4" high-end device…. by the way does any brand even have that?
vishesh - December 26, 2011
Hey Chris, I wrote almost the exact same editorial a while back in the forums! Check it out http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/8/2547126/a-new-android-strategy-for-htc
simon.ly - December 27, 2011
Great Article Chris! Totally Agree. Samsung is also doing the same with the Galaxy S 2 Series on AT&T. Oct they came out with the Galaxy S 2. Nov The Galaxy S 2 Skyrocket came out. Jan The Galaxy S 2 Skyrocket HD is announced WOW. Will never buy a Samsung Phone ever. Whats next The Galaxy S 2 Skyrocket HD with 3D lol – Props to Apple for making just 1 Phone a year. You have the latest and greatest phone for a full year.
JeanAllTrekkie - January 15, 2012
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