Pure tosh
"If you compare an iPhone to another machine which contains similar hardware, it is hugely more expensive."
Really? Samsung Galaxy II? HTC Desire S?
Here we are again on iPhone day, and once more the world waits on the edge of its seat to see what the fruitchomp masterminds of Cupertino have in store. We'll tell you what they've got in store - and none of it's good. Without further ado, here are ten points you should ponder before you even think of buying a new iPhone 5. …
Even if you buy Samsung or HTC phones upon release they're $100 cheaper than old iPhones. Buying a new iPhone will cost at least another $100 - more if you want it unlocked.
Most droids price at around $200 with a two year contract. Most iPhones are priced at $300 under the same terms and almost every feature is worse. If having a phone that has access to iTunes but can't properly browse websites created after 1995, swap a dead battery or add more storage is for you, fine. Personally I prefer a smartphone with a full-size screen, a decent feature set and the ability to stay connected to a phone call for that kind of money.
Comparing _subsidised_ prices is pointless: all sorts of factors enter into the equation.
I bought my iPhone 4 because it was – by far – the _cheapest_ smartphone on offer (that didn't have a shit resistive, 320x400 screen). I was actually planning to buy an HTC model, but it was fully €150 _more_ expensive.
Of course, Italian operators don't do subsidies much. And phones here are rarely locked either.
(France has a similar market: phones _must_ be unlocked there. It's the law. Or it was when I was working there over a year ago.)
Not everyone lives in the US. Or the UK.
Do you know the last time i took the site extension into account? Never. Heck unless i am looking to buy something i don't even care about the language. The internet is about connection on a WORLD level, it should not matter if you are in USA, Italy, UK, Venezuela or freaking Somalia.
You wouldn't expect an article entitled "Ten reasons why you shouldn't buy an iPhone 5" to be a balanced summary. In fact you would expect it explicitly not to include any arguments in favour whatsoever. It's just a summary of the arguments in favour of a viewpoint; the conclusion precedes the discussion.
Obviously I'm confident that the opposing case will be forthcoming. Our favourite irreverent technical publication wouldn't descend to taking sides, surely?
"Pompous tosser", hehehehehe.... LP/UK humor is more lively than US humor, I'll say!
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=poncey
"The actions of a pompous tosser who thinks their value is higher than it is actually worth. The actions of one who thinks they are either overly stylish, cool or smart etc,... "
... think of Skype.
On half of all Android phones it just won't work. It won't work on mine. After a software update the mic stopped working on Sony Experia phones.
The problem is fragmentation. The iPhone eco system doesn't have that problem to the same extent that Android does.
How many people mod their TV? iPhones and iPads are for consuming stuff and they meet that need. Us Geeks have Android and we root and install etc. When the walled gardens are erected us Geeks will still know how to tunnel and subvert.
Each to their own I say.
I echo your each to their own sentiment on an intellectual level.
On on emotional level though, given Apple's bad behaviour the last couple years (suing people for using the term 'pod', dumping apps out of the app store for no apparent reason, being a general dick of a company) I would desperately love to see them crash and burn. I suspect a lot of people share my feelings on that. As to the rest....
"How many people mod their TV?"
Um...actually....Let's just say that the big projector at the back of the room was a TV in a previous life. Maybe that's has something to do with why I prefer Android.
Not really.
You can't compare a single manufacturer's product (the specs of which differ only with regard to memory size) with a lots of manufacturer's products.
Find a droid phone that works and stick with it. I suggest not going with a manfacturer known for doing proprietary gunk like sony, when picking an (more) open platform - the cultures don't sit well together.
And skype on a phone? Again, perhaps google's offerings might be a better bet. I can't seek skype lasting too long on android anyway, given the MS acquisition.
Fascinating list, but surely anyone who already has an iPhone and is very happy with it, is unlikely to be bothered by any of the items on it, and therefore will continue to purchase an iPhone at their earliest convenience?
What you're essentially saying is that anyone who hates Apple, and would much prefer an Android, WinPho or Nokia smartphone, should listen to your advice not to buy an iPhone if they know what's good for them? And it took two pages to say it?
is that anyone who is interested in value for money, usability and not conforming to one company's idea of how they should use their phone would, if making a rational decision, avoid the iPhone.
People prefer Pepsi to Coke when they can't see the packaging and Coke to Pepsi when they can see the packaging. For similar reasons, this 'debate' is going nowhere!
Actually, it is not generally true that people preferred Pepsi to Coke.
Based on a blind test which was very poorly managed, on average people chose Pepsi - which is not the same thing and is indicative of the question we were posed, not our preference.
I "took the challenge" and chose Coke. Pepsi tastes like soap - amazingly so did "New Coke" which was a fabulous market success - not?
I can think of 10 rational reasons to buy the iPhone.
Apple haters demonstrate what they are so often that it is boring to come to these forums. The fact of the matter is that you haters all hate success and want your shitty copy of iPhones to be better and keep finding useless reasons to demonstrate it.
It's a phone FFS, and 90% of phone users don't give a toss about the OS and think that an Android is that green guy in Star Trek
Dweeb
I would add 3 and 8 to your list, although I'm sure that the iPhone 5 has a better antenna than the iPhone 4 did when it came out, so maybe just 3. That walled garden model is bad for everyone except Apple. It's bad for developers, it's really bad for consumers, and Apple happily rakes in the tons of cash from it.
If I tried to count the number of times I've run out of iPhone battery on my fingers, well, I'd fail to do so, as the current count is zero. It's never happened. I put it on to charge every night, and it runs perfectly well all day.
If I anticipate needing longer than a day's worth of battery, I bring an external charger pack and plug it in at the opportune moment. This is far more convenient than trying to faff about swapping a battery.
Also, it's a bit rich to critique battery life, it being an area that Android devices suffer greatly in, so I've been told.
There is nothing inconvenient about swapping a battery. Hold on a sec.
1
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DONE
Carrying a large external charger about with you however is extremely inconvenient when compared with carrying an additional streamlined battery.
I just came back from hiking 92 miles, I brought along an additional PHAT battery which weighed a few ounces. Far preferable to carrying a large heavy external charger.
I'll stick with my Nexus One purely for those reasons ta :-)
""...when you got home you had... oh that's right, two batteries to charge sequentially"
You seem to have missed the "went out hiking 92 miles" part. I think there's no way he was going to be able to charge his phone at all, given the lack of power outlets during said 92-mile hike.
I remember having two batteries for my Fujitsu Lifebook 280Dx; thanks to this, I was able to cope with a long flight running on both batteries. :)