|
|
|
| Authored by: NigelWhitley on Saturday, July 20 2013 @ 04:51 PM EDT |
"Android tablets only survive given their wallet-friendly prices...".
Do you claim it is also true that Android phones only survive given their
wallet-friendly prices? There are expensive Android tablets and expensive
Android phones which sell well, giving the lie (IMHO) to your assertion that low
price is essential.
Far from low cost of the device being the key, I suggest the flexibility and
low-cost (because free is pretty low cost) of the base OS is the overriding
characteristic. That allows system builders great freedom to produce devices
across a broad price range and is a facility Apple cannot and do not match.
It's certainly true IMHO that Android thrives because it offers low-cost devices
as well as premium ones, but the success of the higher cost devices indicates
that many people buy Android for other reasons. Some people state they prefer
the usability and/or flexibility of their costly Android devices to similarly
priced Apple ones.
One of the great advantages of a FLOSS environment (IMHO) is that it supports,
even encourages, diversity compared to the enforced monoculture of the iOS
regime. This allows manufacturers to choose different areas to focus on in the
search for improvement and then the best ideas can spread (stupid patents
permitting) according to natural selection : Apple seems to prefer an
Intelligent Design approach (not really a fair analogy for Apple, I know, but I
couldn't resist).
FLOSS can innovate and improve more rapidly than proprietary software because it
is not tied to a single supplier. A decade ago one couldn't comfortably claim
that the FLOSS alternatives outmatched the Microsoft offerings. Similarly, it's
hard to argue that Windows 8 is more usable or feature-laden than modern
Gnu/Linux desktop environments and that goes double for Android on mobile
devices. When the first Android devices appeared, they were clearly second-best
to Apple's : that's no longer clear. Already, in an apparent effort to stay
ahead, Apple have started using patents to stifle the competition from Android.
Before very long we may see Apple struggling to catch up as FLOSS continues to
offer a huge choice of hardware and software across a vast price price range.
To put it simply, Android thrives because it is good and can also be cheap. We
must wait to see whether Apple, like Microsoft, has shot its bolt.
------------------
Nigel Whitley[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
|
- Cheap shot - Authored by: Anonymous on Sunday, July 21 2013 @ 09:32 AM EDT
| |
| Authored by: Anonymous on Sunday, July 21 2013 @ 05:00 AM EDT |
>because of Apple FanBois they had a pool of fanatic iFollowers ... the iPad
was assured success
When Microsoft released its first tablet, it had a fan base that was much
greater in size than Apple ever had.
What Microsoft did not have, was vendors willing to actively sell the product.
Then Microsoft went on a binge, doing its utmost to ensure that the only people
loyal to it, were people that were paid to be loyal to it. A tactic that is
guaranteed to destroy one's good will, customer base, fan base, market share,
and revenue.
I'll also point out that Lisa and the Newton are probably the two best known of
Apple's failed products. Fanatic followers didn't save those products.
[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
|
|
|
|
|
