The Real Reason Samsung is Beating Apple - pretty amazing

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

I seem to have forgotten the earlier part of the exchange in which sakura-panda either hadn't or failed to specify she had checked the amount of internal memory in the Epic 4G prior to buying one. My interpretation was based on the more immediate exchange which took place today, so I appreciate the clarification.

I find it hard to believe anyone considering a Galaxy S phone at that time could have avoided reading about its limited memory on sites like Gizmodo and Android Central. Ditto Sprint's rather spotty network penetration -- all of that was common knowledge.

My parents never read anything about the phones that they buy. They have a shop that they like, and they have loyalty points from Vodafone that they can use to get a discount on phones. They decide on which phones they buy in the shop.

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

However, the mere mention of a product's being the flagship should not be taken to mean the person saying so has failed to examine the specs carefully.

I know. I got the impression that this was the case from the fact that she replied with 'no' when I asked if she read the amount of memory on the box.

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

It can mean, however, that the user is more interested in processor speed and added features than avoiding practical limitations which can impair the functionality of a device. I've been guilty of that myself, but then again, my uses are so specific that I haven't even bothered to replace my Epic 4G, which I intend to do when I move this summer and possibly switch to T-Mobile if coverage allows.

It is absolutely fine if someone is primarily interested in other features.

Here's the thing: her husband had this phone for 6 months when she bought her own. She would have been familiar with its performance to some extent. Either the memory was an issue or it wasn't. If it was an issue, then I don't understand why she got it, when there are new phone models being introduced all the time. If it wasn't an issue when she got it, when did it become one?

Also: looking at it I see that the Epic 4G was released September 2010. She got it 6 months later and had it for 18 months, which brings us to September 2012 and it means that she had her iPhone for 7 months.

[sakura-panda]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

My parents never read anything about the phones that they buy. They have a shop that they like, and they have loyalty points from Vodafone that they can use to get a discount on phones. They decide on which phones they buy in the shop.


I know. I got the impression that this was the case from the fact that she replied with 'no' when I asked if she read the amount of memory on the box.


It is absolutely fine if someone is primarily interested in other features.

Here's the thing: her husband had this phone for 6 months when she bought her own. She would have been familiar with its performance to some extent. Either the memory was an issue or it wasn't. If it was an issue, then I don't understand why she got it, when there are new phone models being introduced all the time. If it wasn't an issue when she got it, when did it become one?

Also: looking at it I see that the Epic 4G was released September 2010. She got it 6 months later and had it for 18 months, which brings us to September 2012 and it means that she had her iPhone for 7 months.

I'll just jump in here.

I work in the automotive industry and "flagship" cars are the vehicles that bring people to the dealerships, even if people don't necessarily by that model. Think Corvette or the new Camaro, Challenger, etc. They are not necessarily what gets bought, but it brings people in and hopefully they leave with *something.*

I was not trying to say that the Epic 4G was the best phone ever; I was trying to say that it was what Sprint put out as the best example of their then current offerings, rather than having to put in a long explanation as to why I thought that was *my* best choice. I tend to get long winded and that was an effort to abridge my post.

When I bought the Epic 4G, I compared all of their Android phones across the board and it had more of everything (with the exception of the HTC Evo, which had comparable specs). I couldn't now tell you whether or not I *specifically* compared memory. Since I had never run into memory issues before, available memory was not as big of a concern to me as what the phone and UI felt like in my hand, the version of the OS running, and whether it would receive support and updates.

Yes, I was familiar with the performance of my husband's phone, which is why I went with the same phone. (And I was very happy it it for almost the entire time I had it.) It wasn't until the much later that the memory limitations became an issue. By the time we were ready to upgrade, both phones were constantly performing random uninitiated reboots as well, but for me, the memory issue had become a bigger deal (not so much for him.) Also by then, Samsung had released the Epic Touch and the Galaxy SII and there were no more updates coming to the Epic 4G.

Yes, I have no intention of leaving Sprint. It's just a phone. AT&T has poor coverage in my area and Verizon costs significantly more without any better coverage or performance. I also have a really good local Sprint store with fantastic customer service (in store). This is one of those areas where service trumps product in *my* decision making.

I stopped following Android iOS updates when I knew my Epic wouldn't go past Gingerbread, but it seems to me that with Honeycomb / Ice Cream Sandwich, Android has stabilized enough that if I had bought an S3, I would still have a usable phone even with the S4 so close. But seeing now the size of the S3, I speculate that had I compared them in the store (the S3 was not out when I bought my iPhone) I probably still would have gone with Apple -- *this* time.

Samsung continues to be my brand of choice, even though, based on my limited experiences, I seem to be not fond of the Android OS itself. You could say that if I had been following the tech blogs, I would have known that at that time Android was young and not fully realized. I took what I thought was the best of the initial options I had and although it has worked for others, it didn't work for me.

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Remember, Sony made a small profit last quarter after years of heavy losses. And Sony was being propped up by their movie studio. If Apple will be "coasting along" that will mean a share price of $100 or less, not $4-800. Nobody said Apple will go under, just that they will have to settle for a 20% or so market share and a much smaller share of the profits than they do now. Being #2 or 3 isn't bad, I suppose. To stay on top they will need something big. Share prices reflect future earnings prospects not past successes. They can keep prices up for a while by distributing their cash booty.

Don't confuse market share with profitability. They aren't the same thing, and they don't work in lock step with each other. In a choice between greater market share and higher profits, I'll take the profits every time.

[Sil_liS]

I wasn't asking the question in relation with the brand, or the OS. The initial comment sounded like you had issues with the performance of the smartphones from the beginning. Thank you for clarifying it.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

Don't confuse market share with profitability. They aren't the same thing, and they don't work in lock step with each other. In a choice between greater market share and higher profits, I'll take the profits every time.

High margins are not sustainable. You can charge a premium if you are first to market or you have features that nobody else has, but competition catches up sooner or later and your margins are going to shrink. If you don't have market share, your revenue will go down.

Interestingly, Dediu finds that the iPhone’s average selling price (ASP) has remained constant in the low-to-mid $600 range while the iPad’s ASP has fallen more dramatically over the past year from $531 to $449. The big difference, Dediu says, is that the cost of iPhone components has increased by around 29% over the past year, which has helped cut iPhone gross margins from 58% to 48%.

Source

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by afv011

High margins are not sustainable. You can charge a premium if you are first to market or you have features that nobody else has, but competition catches up sooner or later and your margins are going to shrink. If you don't have market share, your revenue will go down.

Yes, you've got to keep finding different markets to be first/featureful into.

Source

A lowered ASP for the iPad could also have something to do with introducing the cheaper iPad Mini?

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington
Don't confuse market share with profitability. They aren't the same thing, and they don't work in lock step with each other. In a choice between greater market share and higher profits, I'll take the profits every time.
High margins are not sustainable. You can charge a premium if you are first to market or you have features that nobody else has, but competition catches up sooner or later and your margins are going to shrink. If you don't have market share, your revenue will go down.

Quote:
Interestingly, Dediu finds that the iPhone’s average selling price (ASP) has remained constant in the low-to-mid $600 range while the iPad’s ASP has fallen more dramatically over the past year from $531 to $449. The big difference, Dediu says, is that the cost of iPhone components has increased by around 29% over the past year, which has helped cut iPhone gross margins from 58% to 48%.

Originally Posted by afv011

High margins are not sustainable. You can charge a premium if you are first to market or you have features that nobody else has, but competition catches up sooner or later and your margins are going to shrink. If you don't have market share, your revenue will go down.

Source

You are as smart as a whip, my fine friend, but you leave an old salt wobbling in your wake, wondering what you said and what it meant.

Try speaking in larger or simpler terms, if that is the proper nomenclature.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by SeaKing

You are as smart as a whip, my fine friend, but you leave an old salt wobbling in your wake, wondering what you said and what it meant.

Try speaking in larger or simpler terms, if that is the proper nomenclature.

Basically the days of 60% margin for the iPhone are over, and with the iphone being the lifeblood of apple, people are questioning its future. Not as "it's going down!", but more as in "is it any different than Microsoft or the other tech giants"? The iphone is definitively getting very long in the tooth, has barely changed since 2007 and the only significant change (0.5" increase) came after lots of market pressure - the same market pressure that forced apple to come out with a 7.x incher after ridiculing them for years. Unless apple can come up with another cash cow like the iphone, they'll become just another boring tech company.

[forsooth]

Originally Posted by afv011

Basically the days of 60% margin for the iPhone are over, and with the iphone being the lifeblood of apple, people are questioning its future. Not as "it's going down!", but more as in "is it any different than Microsoft or the other tech giants"? The iphone is definitively getting very long in the tooth, has barely changed since 2007 and the only significant change (0.5" increase) came after lots of market pressure - the same market pressure that forced apple to come out with a 7.x incher after ridiculing them for years. Unless apple can come up with another cash cow like the iphone, they'll become just another boring tech company.

at iPhone price it becomes like "fool's gold"

[John F]

I saw this commercial last night, and for some reason it reminded me of MR:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Z19vR1GldRI

[tubemonkey]

^^^ I love it

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by John F

I saw this commercial last night, and for some reason it reminded me of MR:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Z19vR1GldRI

LOL!
Reminded me of Samsung's 'The Next Big Thing is Already Here' commercial for the Galaxy S3. Both commercials are great and funny!

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by John F

I saw this commercial last night, and for some reason it reminded me of MR:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Z19vR1GldRI

We need the cake.