Has Apple Lost Its Cool To Samsung?

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by CommonReader

The review is also quite parochial, as services like Netflix are irrelevant outside of the US.

CNET is owned by CBS and their website focuses primarily on *US* technology news and issues.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNET

If you want a tech news site that focuses on International tech news and issues you might be happier at one of the ZDNET websites: Australia, Asia, China, France, Germany, UK, Belgium, Netherlands, or Korea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZDNet

Since they, too, are owned by CBS they also have a US website but it is predominantly corporate IT focused.

CNET has a broader mission: they even have a regular column devoted to snark.

[CommonReader]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

CNET is owned by CBS and their website focuses primarily on *US* technology news and issues.

Well, thanks, apparently I haven't expressed my point very well. I don't complain that CNET as a website primarily caters for the US market. I do complain that they claim that a product that depends on a global customer base like BB will fail just because it hasn't focused on very specific needs of a single national market. Obviously the US market is very important but Europe and Asia are equally substantial markets.

[Prestidigitweeze]

I'm not really affected by cool when it comes to smartphones. My Galaxy S with keyboard is so old and fat that no one would be interested. The Note II I've been coveting since September isn't so much fashionable as it is useful, versatile and correct.

Another thing that makes devices fashionable is their use. A lot of young users fancy themselves DJs and musicians, which is one of the reasons that MacBooks and iPads do well. I'd love to see touchscreen versions of Reaper, Sibelius and Live implemented on higher end Android tablets.

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by CommonReader

Well, thanks, apparently I haven't expressed my point very well. I don't complain that CNET as a website primarily caters for the US market. I do complain that they claim that a product that depends on a global customer base like BB will fail just because it hasn't focused on very specific needs of a single national market. Obviously the US market is very important but Europe and Asia are equally substantial markets.

Yet, BB has done very well in the past!

[afv011]

Originally Posted by SeaKing

Yet, BB has done very well in the past!

Especially in emerging markets. Indonesia has been very successful for BB because BBM offers a cheap and convenient way for people to communicate. But Android has started to steal their market, and, though BB's presence is still large, they'll have their work cut out for them.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by CommonReader

I do complain that they claim that a product that depends on a global customer base like BB will fail just because it hasn't focused on very specific needs of a single national market.

He doesn't articulate it very well but the examples he cites are due to a very real *global* problem. The lack of the apps he cites are a *sympthom* of the hurdle BB has to surpass.

As I said above, BB needs apps.
And they need to get the popular apps to run on their system in a timely fashion.
But unless they are going to *pay* developers to port to their OS, they are going to be a low priority for most independent app developers.

If you are a developer looking to sell your blood sugar monitor app (for one example) you want the app to run on phones and tablets that people already own. Well, developing the app for BB is developing for a phone nobody owns, yet. Developing for android or iOs is developing for phones owned by millions all over the planet.

In all the talk of the market power of the iTunes and Play app stores you usually only hear about how they add value for consumers and make those devices more attractive than, say, Windows Phones. Which is true.

But it is also true that the large customer bases commited to those platforms are a compelling draw for app developers. Bill Gates calls that a "virtuous cycle"; app availability atracts customers who attract developers who provide more apps.

"Them's as have, get; those that lack, don't."

It killed Palm.

Cool gets you attention--apps get you sales.

[MrDoug]

Originally Posted by afv011

Well, it's a matter of opinion. Having to leave an app to change its settings is not "easy to use" or "intuitive" in my book, but to each their own.

Having to rewrite some of your app because the screen resolution changed does not speak volumes about flexibility either, but you might disagree.

Having to go through itunes to copy a movie to your tablet, well, it's neither easy to use nor flexible.

You should maybe ditch Nook for a bit and try something else.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by MrDoug

You should maybe ditch Nook for a bit and try something else.

I have other tablets, though they're not listed in my profile.

[frahse]

A young relative of mine works in DC for the Govt. and travels to the midEast and elsewhere and has found a Blackberry a requirement for security reasons.

[PatNY]

Some of the faithful have frequently said that Apple customers were more satisfied than Android customers. Is this true anymore? In a recent survey, Samsung beat out Apple in customer loyalty for the first time ...

Samsung now leads in consumer loyalty in most of the consumer electronics categories it competes in … including arch-rival Apple’s former territory: laptops and smartphones.

For laptops, Samsung and Apple were tied, according to the Brand Keys’ 2013 Consumer Loyalty Engagement Index, released today. But Samsung led in flat screen TVs, and, in perhaps the biggest shocker, beat out Apple for consumer loyalty in smartphones ...

If you’re wondering whether this is just some dinky little no-name survey, think again. The Brand Keys customer loyalty index surveys 39,000 people, making it generalizable to the entire United States population with 95 percent confidence. And if you’re also wondering how big the delta between number one and number two actually is, Passikoff says there’s a “significant difference.”

http://venturebeat.com/2013/02/05/ou...fzfSeL1Cqds.99

The times they are a-changin'.

--Pat

[BWinmill]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

He doesn't articulate it very well but the examples he cites are due to a very real *global* problem. The lack of the apps he cites are a *sympthom* of the hurdle BB has to surpass.

True. On the other hand, BB can take a look at who their customer base is and focus upon developing apps for their needs (and encouraging other developers to develop for BB in those markets). Once they have solidified their core markets, they can expand into other markets.

As for taking iOS or Android head on, I doubt they have a chance. Google managed to do it, but the circumstances were different: they offered choice where an iOS dominated market didn't. They offered more focus than Symbian, which always felt like a scatterbrained mess. They offered vendor stability when most Linux based phones were produced by small companies or were concept products. They offered a platform that was open to third-party developers, when most popular platforms were controlled by the vendor.

[Tony1988]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Why change after you find perfection?
Jobs had a closet full of identical turtlenecks and jeans because he never saw a reason to change his look.
Android, like a good fashion victim, changes its look every six months.

Yeah but he could of at least changed it up a little. I know he wanted to make himself a uniform and try to not expend energy like einstein but geezz he could have picked a more functional and durable uniform.

[miki2]

Samsung leads Apple in smartphone customer loyalty, Amazon number one in tablets

Good report on Android Authority on this subject; while some reports may be wrong they can't all be wrong.

http://www.androidauthority.com/sams...ablets-154187/

All in all, it’s becoming more and more obvious we’re living in an Android world and anyone that doesn’t adapt will be crushed. Even you, Apple!

Yeah !!

[frahse]

Originally Posted by PatNY

Some of the faithful have frequently said that Apple customers were more satisfied than Android customers. Is this true anymore? In a recent survey, Samsung beat out Apple in customer loyalty for the first time ...

The times they are a-changin'. --Pat

"And the first one now Will later be last For the times they are a-changin'"