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The iPhone is no longer The Benchmark for Smartphones
At what point did Marconi stop being the de facto radio manufacturer? When did Roy Jacuzzi sit in his hottub and realise that other people where outstripping him in the market place for spa baths? When will the fanbios journalists realise that iPhone is not the smartphone benchmark anymore?
I love Apple products. They are at the heart of my business to the same degree as Canon but I’m open to offers of improvement. Had you asked me in 2010 whether I would jump ship to Nikon, all things being equal and walking away from £20k worth of Canon lenses wasn’t an issue, then yes, I’d have gone in a heartbeat as Nikon was kicking Canon all over the place. But not so much anymore and yet people still look at me using Canon and make a stupid statement about Nikon being 'The Pro choice' and simply a 'better camera’. Not for valid tech reasons but sheer Tech Snobbery. About now, Canon and Nikon are pretty equal in my mind and jumping ship from one to the other is simply not worth it, but that may change.
In short, I’m a tech realist. I’m not driven by dogma. I can look at what’s in front of me and see the shortfalls to MY utilisation and the benefits. Based on the emails I’ve had this week, many of you are struggling with this concept and also struggling to separate your opinions on technology from personal insults.
iPhone is still a great device. In fact it’s perhaps the closest to a technology ‘total package’ out there on the market given the support offered by Apple Stores and the significantly great marketplace for apps, but its not for its feature set alone.
When I’ve been asked why I like Windows Phone I’ve given very specific use-cases to me which include; I like the interface, I like the size of the screen and that the camera is without doubt the finest cellphone camera ever made. Finally the price across the whole WP8 range is excellent making it an excellent choice and a great all-round package. On balance, my personal view is that the range is the best out there for features and price.
Yet I’ve been attacked as an ‘Apple Hater’ just for buying a Windows Phone. I get at least 2 emails per week calling me a "wanker" or "stupid" or both because I offer open criticism of Apple (I criticise and support lots of other tech firms as well if you bother to listen closer) and people often suggest that I can’t host an Apple based podcast without owning an iPhone. Unfortunately the tactic of the Fanbois seems to to shout at and bully anyone who doesn't agree with them. Fanatics are a bad thing in all walks of life. Only a fools speaks with absolute certainty.
The Yosemite and iOS Keynote was a great Keynote. After a couple of years in the doldrums, there was bite and excitement around what was coming. That said, both OS played catchup with features that were already being done by other programs and devices. 'Swipe to Text’ is a year or more too late and still not here. The ‘Spotlight’ feature is now only up to what AlfredApp was 3 years ago and the list continued on the night.
Apple is a great innovator but iPhone has fallen well behind in innovation, well behind in what the rest of the smartphone market is doing for individual features and the world is a more competitive place for phones, especially at the price that Apple is charging.
Maybe tonight will prove all of what I have written above to be wrong, but I doubt it. Apple’s market share is down year on year and Cheap Android phones from China are doing the damage, even in traditional strongholds like the US (44% March 2012 to 35% March 2014 - Source Kantar). If you want a utopian argument about quality smartphones, then Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, iPhone 5S & Nokia Lumia 1020/935 are probably the only real choices to debate…and there’s nothing wrong with any of them, it’s purely personal choice. They are all fine smartphones.
The point is, that they are all fine smartphones, not one of them hold the title for ‘benchmark’. They all have fine features but offer different things. The iPhone has not been the benchmark since perhaps the iPhone 4 or perhaps 4s.
I love Apple products, I hope tonight shows us something amazing that could restore that mantle, but I’m not holding my breath. I think the dog may have learnt a few new tricks but they'll be tricks that other dogs can do too.
Ewen
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