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[Servbot24]

After seeing the almost borderless display of the Nubia z9 I have to say that this felt like something I would have expected to be revealed by Apple.

I wonder what they'll think off for the next iPhone, but right now it feels like they're stagnating.

That picture does a decent job of illustrating why borderless displays are a bad idea.

 

[commish]

That picture does a decent job of illustrating why borderless displays are a bad idea.

Yeah, do not want a borderless phone screen like this. So bad from a usability perspective.

 

[DopeToast]

With the way the iPhone is selling they haven't had to come out with anything revolutionary recently. I'd love for a new, awesome addition or renovation to their laptop line, but I don't think the new MacBook is it. At least not this year.

 

[rokkerkory]

Their CEO isn't an innovator, he is an Executioner.

That's why.

 

[sooperkool]

History is told by the victors, the general market had no idea other smart watches existed before the apple watch.

We may see tech blogs list the most innovative devices and say "the apple watch wasn't first, but it got it right." Revisionist history can be strong.

Ummm yeah, about that..

http://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-pebble-lock-up-smartwatch-sales-in-us/

And this was last year, I think if Apple had eclipsed anyone we'd have heard about it.

BTW, my Gear S has its own GPS, its own SIM, iS Water resistant to 1 Meter and the battery lasts for 2 days... oh and its less expensive.

 

[Jack Scofield]

A few weeks ago my company provided us all with new Macbook Pros. Up until recently, I had never used an Apple computer and didn't know what the big deal was. After using it for a few weeks, however, I gotta admit that it's one slick device. The keyboard, trackpad, and screen are absolutely fantastic, and it's super fast and easy to use. Every once in awhile, I tell myself that the next time I'm in the market for a laptop, I'll switch to an Apple device (I've been a Windows guy my whole life). However, I can't get over how Apple computers don't have standard ports (Ethernet, VGA) without paying extra for proprietary inputs, nor do they have numeric pads.

Right now I'm in a good spot where I have two laptops, each running a different OS. Even though I'd like to have a Macbook of my own someday, in the back of my mind I can't justify spending all that extra money for a piece of hardware that's lacking in some basic features.

 

[……forgetit]

Ummm yeah, about that..

http://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-pebble-lock-up-smartwatch-sales-in-us/

And this was last year, I think if Apple had eclipsed anyone we'd have heard about it.

BTW, my Gear S has its own GPS, its own SIM, iS Water resistant to 1 Meter and the battery lasts for 2 days... oh and its less expensive.

Actually I like those results. I really dislike the apple watch tbh.

 

[vwnut13]

The real irony is that my Gmail account is the only single sign-in I have that gives me access in one go to to my music, videos, photos, apps, contacts, calendar, mail, notes, reminders, location tracking, hardware ordering, remote wiping, instant messaging, video calling, cloud storage and cloud backup... But only when I use it on Apple devices.

If I use my Gmail address to log into an Android or Windows device, the same email doesn't set up all of that for me on all those devices.

Um, what are you talking about? A Google Account does all of that as well.


Music - Google Play Music
Videos - Google Play Movies & TV
Photos - Google Photos
Apps - Play Store (?)
Contacts - Google Contacts
Calendar - Google Calendar
Mail - Gmail
Notes/Reminders - Google Keep
Location Tracking - Android Device Manager
Hardware Ordering - Google Store (?)
Remote Wiping - Android Device Manager
Instant Messaging - Hangouts
Video Calling - Hangouts
Cloud Storage/Backup - Google Drive

 

[sooperkool]

man some of y'all really don't know what its like outside of the Apple ecosystem. Apple gives you a feature that the rest of us have had for years and you act like the scales have finally been lifted from your eyes.

 

[joedan]

Has there been any research in any journals as to why people are so invested in not only their smartphone of choice, but also of the choice of others? Some customers seem to stay awake at night in a smouldering rage that somewhere out there someone hasn't bought their approved phone.

 

[EightBitNate]

Has there been any research in any journals as to why people are so invested in not only their smartphone of choice, but also of the choice of others? Some customers seem to stay awake at night in a smouldering rage that somewhere out there someone hasn't bought their approved phone.

It's all to justify and assure them that they made the right decision. If other people's phones are bad, then there's must be good. It's really childish.

 

[Sir Abacus]

We may see tech blogs list the most innovative devices and say "the apple watch wasn't first, but it got it right." Revisionist history can be strong.

This is pretty much Apple in a nutshell. Like the iPod. Anyone remember this zinger?

No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame.

Creative already had a popular digital jukebox style player. It was huge because it had a 2.5" hard drive, it was slow and navigating the thing was a god damn nightmare. Just sit there pressing up and down to get where you need to go. It was a USB 1.1 monstrosity that took all night to fill.

Apple? They stick a 1.8" hard drive in there. It's more expensive than a 2.5" but it was far smaller and actually pocketable. They gave it a Firewire interface so transfers were minutes not hours. Then they gave it the scroll wheel which single handedly reinvented how to browse your music collection on the go. It was an absolutely perfect form factor for quickly scrolling and it was implemented perfectly from a usability perspective.

And they sold hundreds of millions of the things because of it.

 

[The Albatross]

Yeah, do not want a borderless phone screen like this. So bad from a usability perspective.

Is this the new "My thumb can't read the top of the screen" 3.7" phone argument?

 

[formasymphonic]

Uhh the ram apple puts in is third party

Don't do this. I'm sure you are smart enough to realise that I wasn't implying apple creates everything in house from scratch.

Just in case you weren't though, let me rephrase it as a after-market purchased RAM rather than what you get when you initially purchase.

 

[Jinkies]

Their CEO isn't an innovator, he is an Executioner.

That's why.

Is this pun intended?

 

[Natureboy99]

The real innovation has been with Android for about 3 years now.

Samsung 2012:

Iphone 2014:

(and still no stylus)

Sony 2012:

Apple 2015:

Samsung 2015:

So around 2017 Apple will be getting VR goggles, rounded edges on their phones (ironic), and still will be running a closed OS.

The commercials are funny, because they're true.

 

[Sir Abacus]

The real innovation has been with Android for about 3 years now.

Can I have something of what you're smoking? The iPhone clearly isn't doing anything to imitate the Note's trade dress. If anything the Galaxy 6 is basically taking every design cue from the iPhone 6 possible to try and rip it off.

Hell, they even ripped off bendgate.

As for the Sony watch, it's entirely touch based and misses the point of the Apple Watch. The crown is actually a usable navigation element, the two levels of touch vs press, the quick contacts button. It's the reason a lot of reviews are saying "it's a smart watch done right".

 

[Guy LeDouche]

ITT we confuse novelty for innovation

http://www.asymco.com/2014/04/16/innoveracy-misunderstanding-innovation/

 

[Liquidus Snake]

They never did in the first place......

 

[reKon]

After seeing the almost borderless display of the Nubia z9 I have to say that this felt like something I would have expected to be revealed by Apple.

I wonder what they'll think off for the next iPhone, but right now it feels like they're stagnating.

damn, that looks crazy...

Also, let's talk about Dell out of all companies just out designed Apple with that Dell XPS 13. I mean holy shit, lol.

 

[BlastProcessing]

They haven't been changing the game for awhile now. Too safe. They'll probabaly ride the coattails of their previous marketing, their marketshare, and their design team until they can do something interesting again. They certainly have the engineering and creative talent to shock the world again. Time will tell if their talent is held back by management and stockholder expectation.

The phone landscape has changed as well. Even cheap phones can do everything 95% of users need their phone to do. Smartphones in general don't have as much of the "new hotness" aspect anymore, because they're over 10 years old at this point, and as already mentioned, flagship phones don't have much advantage over mid range phones for most people. "I got the new Iphone/Galaxy!" doesn't impress people for more than 20 seconds.

The entire flagship business model is entirely held up by the cell company model of 2 year contracts. Shit like OnePlus One and the increase of no-contract, cheaper plans threatens that model going into the future. When we reach the point when even 100 dollar models can boast charge time of several days, decent cameras, and 1080p, Apple better have something else up it's sleeve.

The Carrier model you describe is really only a huge thing in America. There are other popular carrier models in Europe and China. China is where the iPhone's growth is right now and they don't do the subsidy model at all.

How do you mollify the fact that during the last 5 years, while the commoditization of smartphones has ramped up, The iPhone has simultaneously had the it's most explosive growth?

They don't really need to change the game now. As a brand Apple is fashionable, the typical apple customer doesn't buy stuff because they feel the products have "changed the game".

They buy them because they want the brand, people seem to aspire to own apple products, the same way some people aspire to have the four rings on the front of their car (Audi).

Apple could release anything with an Apple logo and mindless drones will buy it.

It's the same principle with Beats, have they "changed the game"? Are they the best headphones out there? But the average person doesn't buy beats because of that, they buy them for the perception of it being good owning the products, and being fashionable. That's why Apple purchased the Beats brand

The average person who wears beats has probably never heard of the various audiophile quality branded headphones.

Here's what I don't get about the "mindless Apple drones" thing. Apple doesn't have majority marketshare anywhere. They have around 12% in PCs and 20% in Phones. So you are telling me that the minority of the market is mindless drones and the vast majority is freethinking iconoclasts?

The whole argument smells of people trying to assert that they are special snowflakes for choosing the platforms that actually have overwhelming popularity.

Has there been any research in any journals as to why people are so invested in not only their smartphone of choice, but also of the choice of others? Some customers seem to stay awake at night in a smouldering rage that somewhere out there someone hasn't bought their approved phone.

Freud called it the Narcissism of Small Differences.

In terms of postmodernity, consumer culture has been seen as predicated on "the 'narcissism of small differences'...to achieve a superficial sense of one's own uniqueness, an ersatz sense of otherness which is only a mask for an underlying uniformity and sameness".[6]

When two groups are very similar they will work overtime to differentiate themselves. It makes the console wars make a lot more sense.

 

[Sir Abacus]

When two groups are very similar they will work overtime to differentiate themselves. It makes the console wars make a lot more sense.

Just have a foot in each camp. Apple laptop, tablet and phone. Android handheld (SHIELD). PC desktop. Then everyone hates you in Internet Arguments.

 

[PSYGN]

I feel like other companies rush out with new (and sometimes gimmicky) ideas but Apple comes in and actually thinks what will work both aesthetically and functionally and executes it well while adding their own twist or feature.

 

[Dion Blaster]

Is this the new "My thumb can't read the top of the screen" 3.7" phone argument?

I recently had to go back to an iphone 4 after I lost my phone, and I am still fully on board with that argument. The newer iphones I've used are so much less comfortable. I wish they would make a newer phone shaped like the iphone 3, still their most ergonomic model.

 

[Accident]

Ummm yeah, about that..

http://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-pebble-lock-up-smartwatch-sales-in-us/

And this was last year, I think if Apple had eclipsed anyone we'd have heard about it.

BTW, my Gear S has its own GPS, its own SIM, iS Water resistant to 1 Meter and the battery lasts for 2 days... oh and its less expensive.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/apple-aapl-watch-pre-orders-outnumber-android-wears/story?id=30278380

 

[thepotatoman]

I feel like other companies rush out with new (and sometimes gimmicky) ideas but Apple comes in and actually thinks what will work both aesthetically and functionally and executes it well while adding their own twist or feature.

True, and they deserve a ton of credit for that. But I think that still means Apple needs already existing innovative technology to put their interface design magic on it to make it appealing to the mainstream and "change the game" again.

The problem is that the innovative technology doesn't exist anymore in the space that Apple operates in. Most needs are already being met just fine when it comes to phones, and hugely better technology or design isn't really needed. All that's really left is a few tweaks and small enhancements.

The real next society changing technology is self driving cars, which has actual huge and obvious needs it'll be solving, and that isn't exactly Apple's business. Apple will still keep doing fine, but it'll be a long time until they repeat the iPhone and iPad phenomenons.

 

[sooperkool]

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/apple-aapl-watch-pre-orders-outnumber-android-wears/story?id=30278380

Yep, they have sold more than last years numbers, still aren't the leader though.

 

[Timbuktu]

After seeing the almost borderless display of the Nubia z9 I have to say that this felt like something I would have expected to be revealed by Apple.

I wonder what they'll think off for the next iPhone, but right now it feels like they're stagnating.

，
Wow. I almost didn't see the hand at first glance, almost the same tone as the wood behind.

 

[reKon]

I feel like other companies rush out with new (and sometimes gimmicky) ideas but Apple comes in and actually thinks what will work both aesthetically and functionally and executes it well while adding their own twist or feature.

Unfortunately, this comment still doesn't apply to iOS because as stable as it is, it could definitely improve substantially in its functionality. All they would have to do is take a look at Kit Kat/Lollipop.

Apple could easily have a liltle more customization OS that's just as easy to use, but they're still stubborn about doing that, just like they were stubborn to change the screen size for years. It's this stubbornness that is causing their products to be out designed and not make any significant functionality improvements compared to its competition. At least, the quality of their products and support is still top notch...

and in before "it doesn't matter what you say because Apple's ________ sold _________ last year and is the most popular _______"

 

[BFIB]

I always looked at Apple not as the inventors, but as the ones who takes existing ideas and simplifies them in an attractive package with the best salesman ever.

 

[Frank Serpico]

I always looked at Apple not as the inventors, but as the ones who takes existing ideas and simplifies them in an attractive package with the best salesman ever.

That's called running a good business

 

[Natureboy99]

Can I have something of what you're smoking? The iPhone clearly isn't doing anything to imitate the Note's trade dress. If anything the Galaxy 6 is basically taking every design cue from the iPhone 6 possible to try and rip it off.

Hell, they even ripped off bendgate.

As for the Sony watch, it's entirely touch based and misses the point of the Apple Watch. The crown is actually a usable navigation element, the two levels of touch vs press, the quick contacts button. It's the reason a lot of reviews are saying "it's a smart watch done right".

Why not show shots of the other angles of those phones? Throw an S6 edge in fora real innovation comparison. For completions sake why not find something to say about VR too. here I'll just do it: Apple is too smart to miss on any electronic trend like VR. They are waiting for the competition to break the ice then they will swoop in with real VR at the perfect moment with the best VR ever. Oh the same goes for self driving cars, curved phone screens, drone delivery, and missions to mars. Apple may not be first, second, third, or fourth, but they will always be the best. Never is it possible that they can't be construed to be the best.

 

[Abounder]

I always looked at Apple not as the inventors, but as the ones who takes existing ideas and simplifies them in an attractive package with the best salesman ever.

Yea, Apple may not be first but they do it right. RIP Nintendo's Virtual Boy, hello Oculus Rift

 

[sooperkool]

Last 2 posts are comedy gold. Some of y'all are sheep.

 

[Extra Sauce]

I think we have topped out in terms of practical devices.

I still have to face reality a few minutes every day, there's room for improvement.

 

[……forgetit]

Can I have something of what you're smoking? The iPhone clearly isn't doing anything to imitate the Note's trade dress. If anything the Galaxy 6 is basically taking every design cue from the iPhone 6 possible to try and rip it off.

Hell, they even ripped off bendgate.

As for the Sony watch, it's entirely touch based and misses the point of the Apple Watch. The crown is actually a usable navigation element, the two levels of touch vs press, the quick contacts button. It's the reason a lot of reviews are saying "it's a smart watch done right".

Can we atop with the " who ripped off who" arguments, designs get appropriated all the time. Just look at the HTC one verses the iPhone 6. We should just all agree everyone steals from each other.

 

[Natureboy99]

Can we atop with the " who ripped off who" arguments, designs get appropriated all the time. Just look at the HTC one verses the iPhone 6. We should just all agree everyone steals from each other.

Maybe, but some companies are thought leaders 99% of the time and clearly get ripped off way more than they rip off others.

Spoiler

/s

 

[Majine]

(and still no stylus)

I laughed at this.

Why not throw in a physical keyboard while you're at it. Or make it a flip phone.

 

[RaySpencer]

After seeing the almost borderless display of the Nubia z9 I have to say that this felt like something I would have expected to be revealed by Apple.

I wonder what they'll think off for the next iPhone, but right now it feels like they're stagnating.

Looks like a photoshop of a Nexus 5.

this might be the actual Nubia Z9

 

[cbox]

I had an iphone 4 and 4s for several years and just last September went to Android for the first time. I'll probably never go back to IOS unless they stop treating me like a child. The closed os is simply laughable now as a power user myself.

I find it incredibly frustrating that in 2015 I still can't drag and drop photos and files onto my ipad mini. Until I can do that without having to use a 3rd party app or itunes or any sync BS, I will keep my one plus one and cyanogenmod. Using my ipad mini hasn't been great for a while now, a shame as it's a beautiful device. I have no experience using the newest OSX but it sure does look nice running on a mbpr.

I'm glad they're pushing usb-c with the new macbook, I just wish they put two ports like the Chromebook. It just seems a lazy way to introduce a new selling feature on the next version. Though that's been Apple's strategy for a long time now.

 

[reKon]

Can we atop with the " who ripped off who" arguments, designs get appropriated all the time. Just look at the HTC one verses the iPhone 6. We should just all agree everyone steals from each other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSkTuGg7PgQ

Michael Fisher from pocket now sums it up pretty well within the first minute or so on phone comparisons.

To me yes, I think Samsung heavily took from the iPhone 6 design when it comes the out edge frame design, but I don't know why people declare that Samsung straight up ripped from the iPhone design entirely. Do the front of and back of the phones look exactly alike to you? Don't spend most of your time looking at the front of your phone? I don't think that the front of the devices look anything alike. I don't know how anyone can honestly say that they do, unless you're a straight up fanboy.

 

[Natureboy99]

I laughed at this.

Why not throw in a physical keyboard while you're at it. Or make it a flip phone.

Because both of those would disrupt the simple rectangle tablet design. You have never owned a device with a digital stylus have you. There is a reason Microsoft, Samsung, and others have had multiple generations of devices with stylus, and theres a reason why in every Apple store or section there are tons of stylus'.

 

[Wellington]

While I think Apple's innovation has peaked and I sold my stock, I think they are still leagues beyond anyone else in the market. Some examples:

- Impossibly precise manufacturing. The way Apple builds its hardware is so advanced and complex that supposedly even Swiss watchmakers are scratching their heads on how Apple was able to achieve a product like Apple Watch steel at such a low price. Specifically, the parts are precision machined to impossibly low tolerances, so that everything fits perfectly together and uses only premium materials. In fact, Apple's manufacturing finesse is way beyond even luxury phone maker Vertu.

- Consistently executed new core technologies. Apple introduces very few core technologies, but when it does it will support them, use them across platforms, and refines them so that once you learn to get used to them, they don't go the way of a gimmick, like is the case with Samsung for example. Some examples include TouchID, Apple Pay chip, Multitouch, Retina, Magsafe, Airplay decoding, Siri processing...

- Seamless cloud / mobile / tablet / laptop / TV / Watch ecosystem with one account. This is the real killer for me. Once I sign into any of my Apple devices I will have access to all my films, music, TV, apps, email, calendar, contacts, hardware shopping, family locations, photos, documents, notes, reminders, instand messaging, video calling, bookmarks... all that with one login! On top of that I can find all my devices and zap them if I lose them. They are backed up to Apple so I can restore my data if I switch to a new decice, and Apple will know which devices I specifically have so they can service me right. Compare that to having a Windows 10 PC, Samsung Android phone and tablet and a Roku... it's just so much simpler to use Apple.

Those are the three reasons I pay premium for Apple, and they are very hard, if not impossible to replicate with another brand.

Still wish they would push to redefine a category bigger than the watch.

You were a fool to sell your stock. They generate money from so many different streams it's ridiculous - sales of devices (computers, laptops, phones, tablets, watches, others like Apple TVs, over priced peripherals), sale of music on iTunes, sale of apps on the App Store, iAds, and many more I am surely not aware of. It is a money making juggernaut that even if it may not pay out via increased price of shares (it will) you would still be making good money via dividends. I'm not sure they have reached their ceiling.

 

[Majine]

Because both of those would disrupt the simple rectangle tablet design. You have never owned a device with a digital stylus have you. There is a reason Microsoft, Samsung, and others have had multiple generations of devices with stylus, and theres a reason why in every Apple store or section there are tons of stylus'.

And there is a reason all of those devices sell way less than iPhones do: simplicity. When you're asking Apple to include styluses with their products, you may as well ask them to make them heavier or go back to physical buttons. It's a bad business proposition.

The ones who want a stylus can get in separately as you pointed out.

 

[Caronte]

Man, some of you seem so pissed that Apple is succesful. Why do you even care? I don't get it.

 

[reKon]

And there is a reason all of those devices sell way less than iPhones do: simplicity. When you're asking Apple to include styluses with their products, you may as well ask them to make them heavier or go back to physical buttons. It's a bad business proposition.

The ones who want a stylus can get in separately as you pointed out.

Apple bundling a stylus would not suddenly make the device more difficult to use. Apple would not lose any sales. A stylus doesn't HAVE to be used with the Samsung Note line of smart phones. Rather, it just greatly enhances the experience for those who desire it.

Also, don't confuse simplicity with familiarity. I think both of these together create the impression that Apple devices are way more easier to use, when in reality the fact that people have used iOS on this touchscreen devices for multiple generations make it easier for them to pick up on. Then when they try Android, there's a learning curve because they aren't use to it. I actually think that stock Lollipop and KitKat are just as easy to use as iOS and that you can navigate through the OS much easier because of the back and and multitasking on-screen buttons.

 

[……forgetit]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSkTuGg7PgQ

Michael Fisher from pocket now sums it up pretty well within the first minute or so on phone comparisons.

To me yes, I think Samsung heavily took from the iPhone 6 design when it comes the out edge frame design, but I don't know why people declare that Samsung straight up ripped from the iPhone design entirely. Do the front of and back of the phones look exactly alike to you? Don't spend most of your time looking at the front of your phone? I don't think that the front of the devices look anything alike. I don't know how anyone can honestly say that they do, unless you're a straight up fanboy.

Yeah, I'm a big fan of pocketnow too and they were right on the mony with that video. Who gives a shit who copied who.

 

[Majine]

Apple bundling a stylus would not suddenly make the device more difficult to use. Apple would not lose any sales. A stylus doesn't HAVE to be used with the Samsung Note line of smart phones. Rather, it just greatly enhances the experience for those who desire it.

It's more about options bloat. I'd hate to pull out the cheesy-as-fuck line "less is more" but... when you include a stylus, it creates a lot of weird habits from non-pro users. Should I use the stylus for this task or not? Also it puts a lot of pressure on the software. A stylus requires a slightly different take on the UI to optimise it. The iPhone became (and continues to be) successful because it doesn't pile on with different interface methods and options. It's a simple easy-to-use phone with one interface method, and including a stylus detracts from that.

Now I'm not saying styluses are bad, they have their audience but it's pretty niche all things considered. And Apple is definitely not about that niche audience.

 

[kiguel182]

Having a stylus goes against the way Apple designs their devices. Having two control options makes no sense to them since you would need to optimize both or have both half work.

It's like you aren't paying attention. Apple tries to keep things as simples as possible when it comes to ios. Sometimes that's bad (for example, no back button) and other times is good like having no stylus out of the bag.

If you want you can buy a stylus for drawing or writing. But it's obvious Apple isn't going to focus on that out of the box.

 

[reKon]

Having a stylus goes against the way Apple designs their devices. Having two control options makes no sense to them since you would need to optimize both or have both half work.

It's like you aren't paying attention. Apple tries to keep things as simples as possible when it comes to ios. Sometimes that's bad (for example, no back button) and other times is good like having no stylus out of the bag.

If you want you can buy a stylus for drawing or writing. But it's obvious Apple isn't going to focus on that out of the box.

I understand what you're saying, but I'm not sure if I agree with your point about having to optimize both controls. Think about what you're saying here, lol. Touch screen technology has come a long way and most touch screens from flagship devices are pretty great.

Does not using a stylus with the Note 4, compromise your experience with using your finger only? Does it compromise the experience when using the Nvidia Shield Tablet? Find me a review that describes the issues with this. I don't think that optimization would be reason that Apple would avoid this.

I somewhat agree with the bolded though