Apply fanboy vs the Apple anti-fanboy
I got this from a crazy dude I know. It is about some stupid article written by the Apple fanboy "John Martellaro": http://duggmirror.com/apple/Apple_is_Outsmarting_the_iPhone_s_Competition/
It is always fun to bash someone elses rant, so I decided to publish it here:
[...]Some companies that sell mobile phones are going to fall into hard times as a result over the next five years. That's because they don't know why they're winning now, nor do they have the corporate insight to see how they're going lose in the future as the smartphone evolves. [...]
WTF? they been in the business for so long and they don't know what Apple knows? Because Apple have not been a part of that industry? Is this some kind of inverse logic?
[...] It's the OS, Stupid. In time, it will be found that the development of the user interface on smartphones will be the driving factor in consumer expectations and market success. How fast Apple can innovate compared to the other manufacturers like Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson will drive the adoption of a new breed of hand held, wireless devices. [...]
"It's the OS, Stupid", and at least to me, the big bloated OS X seems to be the wrong OS for cell phones with limited power. Or at least, not as good choice as the OS's that were design with the cell phone limitations in mind.
"How fast Apple can innovate compared to ...". Was that a really a question? Or did you tried to present that as a fact? And while we are at it, do you really consider iPod an innovation? I consider it "the other, less capable, more expensive brand", because I own a Sony Walkman (ok, Sony is evil, but lets just ignore that for a moment) that gave me twice the storage space, 40 hrs play time for about half the price of the iPod (and the battery is replaceable and the hard drive has crash protection, or whatever that goofy IBM technology is called).
[...] In Apple's case, the use of Mac OS X is the extraordinarily shrewd move that will allow that rapid, competitive innovation to happen. When we think about the expertise Apple's competitors have, only Microsoft has experience with a User Interface. But Microsoft doesn't design the wireless hardware that Windows Mobile runs on. That decision is left to Motorola, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson. Right out of the gate, Apple has given themselves a key advantage that has been working on the Macintosh side for a long time. Namely, as Steve Jobs likes to quote Alan Kay, "People that love software want to build their own hardware." [...]
This one is just plain stupid. First of all, Apple is not the only one with UI expertise. In fact, in this particular field (limited resources etc.), their expertise is much less than the competitors (such as Sony). Thats why they had to continue doing the only thing they can do good: using the OS X interface. And thats why the iPhone needs about four times faster CPU and considerably more memory than a competitors phone. And thats probably why they cant afford 3G right now, and why the iPhone is much more expensive.
[...] For far too long, largely based on the hardware capabilities and hand-held state-of-the-art, we've been limited to toy OSes like Symbian. Now that the CPUs and memory systems support it, we're going to see much more capable OSes in the palm of our hands: Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. [...]
If you are calling Symbian a toy OS, you should really consider using it once. Consider that the Palm was superior to Newton and that Symbian is an evolution of the old Palm OS. Symbian even has Java support. I run hundreds (!!) of Java application on my cell phone. Some of which I have written myself and also run on my desktop. I even have a very nice 3D game that looks identical on my cell and in Windows XP (except the screen resolution, of course :). The XP version is written in C while the Symbian version is pure Java!
[...] Which of those OSes is both Unix and has the force of the world's greatest company in terms of innovation, user interface, and customer enthusiasm? [...]
I dont know. The PS3s "other OS"?
Now, this is just plain fanboyism. You really gave yourself away there ;)
[...] Apple, over the years, has shown a unique, focused ability to put its corporate will and intelligence behind a single device. The whole company's resources can be devoted to the iPhone, not only in terms of the hardware and integrated OS, but also in terms of marketing, retail sales, and integration with its own technologies, like iTunes. [...]
You are simply "forgetting" all Apple things that did not work, or worked very bad. Or was so much more expensive than competition that it simply died. Apple makes cute but expensive devices. Some are good, some are not.
[...] That should scare the hell out of Apple's competitors. [...]
Apple has been competing with Microsoft for decades now. Is Microsoft out of business yet? Some people prefer Vista to OS X. Some prefer Windows XP to both Vista and OS X. Some prefer a 80x25 shell b/w, so stop the fanboyism and accept that not all people are like you, because this the same attitude that almost killed Apple twice.
[...] The pace of Apple's ability to change the iPhone as the market and technology evolves will be a major challenge to both the business models of the competitors and their technical abilities. If one doubts that, one need only review the articles written as a result of taking an iPhone apart. Rather than exhibiting the careless mistakes of a newbie to the market, there was instead serious engineering fascination and marvel. Apple is a hardware company that's been building fabulous, compact, beautiful PowerBooks and MacBooks for years. [...]
The hardware was not made by Apple. It was a modified Samsung model. Stop praising Apple for things someone else did. Furthermore, the hardware is not that impressive, unless you have not opened a phone the last five years. In fact, most people in business will point out that Nokia and SonyEricsson design much better hardware.
About the quality of PowerBooks and MacBooks. Why lie? We all know that there have been major quality problems. In fact, I dont have a single working Mac laptop as today (yes, I am writting this from a Linux laptop).
[...] Why should we be surprised that the iPhone is also rugged, elegant, and well engineered? Similarly, why should we be surprised when major new iPhone features take the competition by surprise?[...]
First line is plain fanboyism. In second line you are just speculating about things you know nothing about! Maybe the "competition" are sitting in a bar laughing their asses off?
[...] Infrastructure. When Apple first started talking about the desktop computer as our digital hub, they weren't kidding. And the mobile phone companies weren't listening. Instead of seeing the mobile phone as an extension of the desktop computer, they saw it as a stand alone device, precisely because they weren't in the computer business. (It's that well known business issue of knowing what business you're really in.) If anything, Apple has the required expertise in this market as opposed to the fanciful notion that they are new and inexperienced in the monstrous wireless market. The activation of the iPhone is an example of the kind of infrastructure that Apple has developed. We plug our iPods into a dock, sync our music and contacts, and update the software. The iPhone is just an iPod that makes phone calls, so it didn't require a stroke of genius to see that the iPhone activation could be easy and painless with iTunes plus an Apple ID.[...]
I know no one that refers to their iMac as their "digital hub". Some do call their over-expensive PS3s or 360s "digital hubs". Apple is far behind the competition here.
The activation of iPhone was a disaster to some people. And the activation is really a carrier problem. Furthermore, these things are US specific. In other places you just insert the SIM-card and everything just works.
[...] Putting key pieces into place until the whole becomes more than the sum of the parts has been an Apple theme for quite some time. We saw Sound Jam evolve into iTunes for ripping, then the iPod, then the iTunes Store. The rest of the industry has nothing to compare to this. Think about it. Every time you charge your iPhone, iTunes has the opportunity to check the software and install fixes and new features. This elegant, evolving infrastructure should also scare the hell out of Apple's competitors. [...]
So you are basically praising Apple because they couldn't get it right the first time and need a couple of years to get there they wanted? To be fair, probably no one gets it right the first time. But I cant see how you can turn this into something positive for Apple, while it has been a major source for Microsoft-bashing for decades :)
[...] As if that weren't enough, Apple figured out how to make the buying experience cheerful and productive with a nation-wide chain of Apple stores that, oh by the way, also sell some pretty nifty computers, accessories, and the Apple TV. Analysts are seeing this Apple triad, Mac, Music, and iPhone, as a powerful revenue generator, and that's why the stock projections are so positive.[...]
This is, again, plain fanboyism. Did you ever notice that they were taking your money for these "nifty" overpriced things? If Apple had placed a big tattooed biker at the front door to fuck you in your ass, you would have praised them for making the buying the iPhone also a sexual experience...
[...] Right now, the iPhone is not a mature enterprise instrument. If Apple had tried to shoehorn the iPhone into the business sector, it would have added complications and defocused the product from its very large and intended audience. Remember, of those billion cell phones sold each year, only a fraction are used by Fortune 100 companies tied into MS Exchange. So it made perfect sense for Apple to do what it does on the Macintosh side, namely, build a mobile phone for the rest of us, that demonstrates simplicity, technical restraint, and joy.[...]
What you are missing is that almost all of those billion cell phones can be tied into MS Exchange if the owner wants to. Well, unless you have an iPhone. So you are now praising iPhone for its (current) shortcomings??
[...] What they are overlooking, however, is that changes in the world culture and changes in the technology will eventually overcome that fastidious devotion to The Way Things Are. The iPhone creates a new platform. It's Mac OS X basis will propel it into new user experiences that will eventually surface as part of the collective mind of the mobile phone community. That's when the BlackBerry sub-culture will revolt and create problems for RIM. [...]
Well, you could say the same thing about Symbian, PocketPC, Windows Mobile, etc... I mean, you dont know what technology will "win" in future. I belive that no single vendor will "win", but your take seem to be the usual "OMG, apple ftw! cuz tehy have osx, osx so much better than windows, LOL!"....
[...] Apple will do some expected things and some unexpected things that will change the iPhone from first generation newbie to something that Captain Kirk could only dream about. We know that, in time, developers will come up with fabulous add-ons. Once the reputation of the iPhone for reliability and security is insured, some developers may be allowed into the internals. We know that Apple will also be adding features and functionality via updates.[...]
Developers? what developers? you mean HTML-monkies? If you want to see developers, turn your head and look into the Symbian or Windows Mobile camps which already have a huge developer base.
[...] What we can't see right now are those magical building blocks on the whiteboard in Phil Schiller's office. We can only guess at novel content distribution agreements. Hidden features of the iPhone that may be unlocked. Future licensing that will allow the iPhone to better integrate into business systems for those who just must have it. Possible movement to AT&T's 3G network. MacBooks and traditional iPods with multi-touch displays. Video and audio phone calls. Retail purchases, via credit card, simply by waving an iPhone and utilizing a very secure radio link.[...]
I dont consider 3G (if it is ever supported) a "magical building block". I consider it years-old technology that should have been there in the first place. Retail purchases, via credit card have been there for a long time. Maybe you should check your past before you tell the future??
[...] None of these ideas for the future will evolve in a satisfactory way unless the mobile phone develops as a secure, trusted, integral part of our lives and also lives within an understandable, human-focused digital hub and vendor provided infrastructure. The hand held mobile phone is no longer just a telephone with some added features. It's an emerging platform for a new digital culture. The "electronic wallet" that the carriers imagine for the future will have a tough time gaining traction, compared to Apple, amidst the current dysfunctional relationship they have with their manufacturer pseudo-partners.[...]
Again, you really need to check what the other players have been doing for years.
[...] In short, Apple can change and innovate faster with Mac OS X, exploit their in-place infrastructure, and therefore evolve and mature faster than other smartphones in order to create a next generation device.[...]
You could change that line to "In short, Microsoft can change and innovate faster with Windows Mobile , exploit their in-place infrastructure, and bla bla bla bla". Still a stupid line and a very naive guess/wish at best.
[...] That's why the Apple iPhone is not just another smartphone. Most of all, that should have Apple's competitors really worried.[...]
What you have said (when lots of fanboyism, FUD, lies and plain BS is removed) is that the iPhone is not really a phone, its a portable OS X. I cant really see why Apple's competitors would care. After all, iPhones current OS is more blaoted and requires vastly more resources, is a vendor lock-in (how comes this is a bad thing only when Microsoft does it?) and has locked out the huge mobile developer community right from the start.
You are assuming that Apple single handedly can create better software than all their competitors plus all their third parties. You need only to look at Opera Mobile v4 to see that Apple has no monopoly in innovation. And at the end, we all know that the one with the biggest developer base and the most open platform will "win".
