[djgreedo]

Originally Posted by Gurvan

And, Of course, Androïd does not suffer from that same flaw ? Yeah, right...

Android does suffer from 'app spam', but not nearly as much as the iPhone. Typically there are a hanful of Android apps for any given thing. On the iPhone there tends to be dozens of similar or identical apps for any given thing. That's not a bad thing, but it illustrates that using the total number of apps as a comparison is a bit misleading.

That is another point... A lot of Apple critics say that there is a better system available somewhere. Just give us examples that are on sale today (At least in the US, as in Europe, we are still waiting for the iPad...).

There are tablets available today that are vastly superior to the iPad, such as the Dell XT2 tablet PC. Some people find the slimmer build of the iPad to be a benefit (though it doesn't make the device any more portable, so I don't really understand that). There are smaller tablets similar to the iPad that have the benefit of being as powerful as the iPad but able to be carried around more easily. The iPad form factor is a major criticism of it. It's not small enough to lug around wherever you go, but it's not powerful enough to replace a laptop or netbook in the home. There are lots of devices that don't have that problem.

And of course when it comes to 'openness' of the platform, pretty much anything you can buy beats anything that Apple makes.

Of course Androïd is probably better... It had 3 years to capitalize on the iPhone success and, frankly, they don't seem to be doing that great as some people are already saying that the momentum is slowing and that Androïd Phones don't live up the hype...

Android devices are selling as well as the iPhone now. Android is projected to overtake the iPhone in terms of actual marketshare within the next 12 to 24 months.

The iPhone got its start from geeks buying it and showing it to people. Geeks have since flocked to Android due to its superiority in choice, openness, etc.

As for Windows mobiles... Don't get me started on those...

Windows phones are great. The HTC HD2 is one of the best phones available now. Windows Mobile 7 is a great phone OS and makes the iPhone and Android both look seriously dated.

Apple Phone OS was radically different 3 years ago and that is what moved people... How is Androïd different ? It is more open ? "La belle Affaire" ! That does not mean anything to the people in the street who are still happy to find whatever they wants on his phone. And the fact that there are dozens of "fart App" on the Appstore says probably more on humanity at large than we care to realize !

You're not wrong. But what makes Android different is that it allows for choice. Want a phone with a physical keyboard? Want a phone with a small or large form factor? Want a cheap phone? A phone with a high resolution screen? Want to pay more for the absolute best? With Android and Windows you have those choices, and people will exercise them.

Part of Apple's way of doing business is the 'one size fits all' philosophy. But people like their phones to suit their own needs.

Sure, it will make some "experts" sad... But frankly, they are not the ones who counts as far as the companies are concerned. Apple, Google, Microsoft and others don't make software for "experts"/Geeks or whatever else. They try to make software for the masses because this is where the money is. You may lament that fact, but the fact is that right now, the iPad is the ONLY slate/tablet/big iPod Touch/eReader poised to make a success. Bar none...

You're right that tech is now being made for the mainstream. It's a shame that the iPad gets all the press when it is clearly not the best product, simply the product that is marketed most successfully.

And do you realize that this is exactly what some people (And Apple is banking on that "some" as being "most"...) need/want ? They are not marketing an "Oeuvre d'Art", but a mass-market appliance. And the choices they made are the one they expect will work... I bet they are right. In fact, FOR ME, they are...

Well they have succeeded in making a product that doesn't really have any use.

I have read a whole bunch of discussions on the iPad and the common thread is that the people defending the product can never actually give examples of what they are going to use it for, and when the (occasionally) do, they are things that are better suited to a different form factor.

But fortunately for Apple there are people willing to buy their product first and only then work out something it can actually do for them. I prefer to work the other way around buy buying tech that solves problems I have.