Android KitKat set to crush Apple? | Hacker News Reader

Android KitKat set to crush Apple?

corp.versus.com

5 pointsversusdotcom18 comments

"The only thing iOS does to improve is steal old ideas from Android and other operating systems."

Every time I see this I get irritated. What Apple does is take technology out there and do it better than anyone else. This is why they are the most valuable company and continue to make excellent product.

When I have to deal with an Android device at the office I feel immediate disgust because they all suffer the same flaws. * An OS that can hardly run well on any hardware * Garbage build quality * Too much customization * Vendor and carrier bloat

Have you used the HTC One?

I've been using an HTC One alongside my iPhone 5 for several months. When you first see it, you think "oh, this is great hardware, it's not far off from the iPhone." But then you live with it and use it and you realize it's a far cry from Apple hardware.

One example is with the hardware buttons. They are so flush against the body (both the sleep/wake and volume), that you almost always have to look to see what you're doing. I can't blindly turn down or up the volume nor can I wake up the phone in my pocket before I take it out like I do on my iPhone.

I think in the grand scheme of things that is a very minor complaint and a testament to how far android and in this case HTC have come.

Not yet. I believe the most recent (tablet or phone) was the Nexus 2. I did hear nice things about the One however.

EDIT: I was referring to the Nexus tablet that came out not long ago (though we do have a Nexus 7 at the company also)

Whats wrong with the Nexus 7 v2 ? (I havent used it myself).

It was a significant improvement. Hardware was much better all around. The biggest thing for me was that even as a recent device I still see a noticeable screen lag as I scroll on it.

Of course the rest of the problems are OS-related (even vanilla).

Your skin deep assessment of the Apple model so misses the point. What's that old saying? "Less is more". Apple understands this - the Android ecosystem doesn't.

And that's why they have captured 80% of the smartphone market of the world ... oh wait ...

Did microsoft know the saying in 90s while it laughed its way all the way to the bank?

"Google have built something technically equivalent to a trusted household brand. For starters, Android KitKat builds brand power on top of existing brand power via a licensing deal with Nestlé"

You cannot accrete X no . of brands and somehow end up with more "Brand Power" unless the optics are right.

KitKat and mobile devices are unrelated save for Googles running gag on Android code names - something which the majority of customers are not aware of and don't care about.

The author is really scraping the bottom of the barrel to support his argument.

"... the future doesn’t look so bright for Apple, who are currently sitting on an enormous amount of unsold stock"

What unsold stock are they referring to?

iOs still has a higher adoption rate than Android. The App Store is still number one in revenue.

No, this will not crush Apple.

Yes, this might not crush Apple, the article itself doesn't make much sense. The App store, however is number one in the revenue not because it's "better", it's mainly because Apple users are rich (and more likely girls) [1][2][3], and most Apple users buy their iPhones as a 'show off' device than a thing they want to use to its extent. Of course, rich people buy more. They don't buy because they need, they buy because they want. Rich girls will continue to exist.

[1]: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20092784-71/study-android-...

[2]: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/06/ma...

[3]: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/06/06/iphone_owners_high_i...

So basically the upper class uses iPhones, and that is bad because...?

It's not bad. Just that the criteria for "better" app store/market should not be based on that, which many people tend to do. We're not looking at the same kind of population. Of course, that still means a developer would want to develop preferably for the app store just because of the money involved.

Yes, App Store is number one in revenue.

Android has something around %80 of the smartphone market. Higher adoption rate? Laughable. Not because Android is better, but because its cheaper.

The feature phone of this generation.

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