iPhone 5 Announcement Views: Apple Fan vs. Android Fan

September 14, 2012

iPhone 5 Announcement Views: Apple Fan vs. Android Fan

Posted by Lisa Keller
Category Digital, Inspiration

Did you tune into Apple’s big announcement Wednesday? If you missed it, they revealed the long-awaited iPhone 5, among other things. Were you impressed with the news? Here at Moose, we have some Apple fans and Android fans that were hotly debating the features as they were released, so of course that’s the perfect reason to share their views via blog post. Check out the pros and cons as told by two web developers on the Moose team below.

Bob Sherron, Pro-Apple:
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the iPhone 5 announcement was the fact that there were very few surprises at all. The rumor sites had it right on the hardware specs: taller display, thinner and lighter metal-backed casing, the Lightning adapter, faster A6 processor, better camera, LTE. Even the many and varied improvements to iOS 6 were previewed at WWDC back in June. This has left some pundits underwhelmed with the announcement, but in my mind, it signals Apple’s willingness to stay the course with their flagship product, fulfilling their vision and further defining the smartphone experience.

It used to be that Apple was the David to any number of Goliaths, but the introduction of the original iPhone turned that equation around. Now, other vendors look to the iPhone for inspiration and use the fact that they crap out multiple phones per year, each with a different version of Android, to try and one-up Apple on features. Apple doesn’t play that game because they are making phones with the customer in mind, not market segments. When one considers that the vast majority of people purchase a smartphone on a two-year contract, it makes sense to roll out one phone a year, each iteration improving upon the last.

The iPhone 5 is the product of years of laser focus and the millions and millions of units sold will validate Apple’s decisions while giving other vendors new “inspiration.” The customers will be delighted and the tech press will continue to write trolling, link-bait headlines. This cycle will repeat itself next September and for many Septembers to come.

Joe Madden, Pro-Android:
With Apple’s latest phone release, there was much fanfare and excitement over what new features their new iPhone will have. Will it be the most powerful phone on the market? Will Siri finally get more features to let us do real tasks? When I look at what Apple announced though, it seems very reactionary to the mobile phone market more than truly innovating and leading the market like it had in previous years.

Apple made the iPhone’s screen bigger in response to users’ requests because everyone is getting used to the new, larger screens used on Android phones. Many users felt that the larger screen gave a better experience.

Apple finally adds several features that have been present in Android for years. iPhones now have LTE, which has been in Android phones for almost a year. Native turn-by-turn navigation is also now available to iPhone 5 users, but Android users have been able to use this feature since Gingerbread (over 2 years ago). The camera features released with iPhone5 have been on Android phones for months.

So, with all the lawsuits Apple has issued against Android manufacturers for copying the iPhone, it really seems that Apple is now the one copying Android to just keep up with the market.

BOOM!

Who won the debate?

Let us know your opinion in the comments!

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Tags: Android, android fan, Apple, Apple announcement, apple fan, iPhone 5 Announcement, web developers

Comments »

8 comments on iPhone 5 Announcement Views: Apple Fan vs. Android Fan

Ken Earley says:

I like my S3, it’s like an iPhone…
With a bigger screen, NFC, and a more functional, albeit less user-friendly, OS.

September 14, 2012 @ 11:28 am

Joe Madden says:

Hi Ken – those are some of the many reasons that I love about by Nexus S 4G. Now while being a developer I feel I am always going to be biased towards Android due to it being ‘open’ but showing the fact that Apple still doesn’t have NFC which I have had for 2 years is pretty alarming.

September 14, 2012 @ 11:34 am

Ken Earley says:

I like my S3, it’s like an iPhone…
With a bigger screen, NFC, and a more functional, albeit less user-friendly, OS.

In the long run, competition spurs on better products for consumers. Apple keeps Samsung, et. al. grounded and the Android guys push Apple to innovate, to make “The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone” (dreadful).

Apple steals the look and feel of Braun, Samsung steals from Apple.

We’re an Android phone, Apple everything else, kind of household.

September 14, 2012 @ 11:35 am

Aaron says:

Slick phone but Iwant an S3

September 14, 2012 @ 11:36 am

Ken Earley says:

Grr… double comments!

And yes, NFC has amazing potential, I’m definitely surprised by Apple’s lack of support. Android FTW…

September 14, 2012 @ 11:38 am

Britton Cunningham says:

Although Samsung was more “innovative” with its new S3, the iPhone will continue to carry the market. With Apple slowly gaining market share in the computer world and dominating the phone and tablet market, people will continue to buy Apple. The phone is a reflection of what you have your computer, cloud, or tablet, and by accessing all of those things, you have a feeling of relief that you still have everything with you all of the time. Samsung will not win this debate until Android collectively gets all of its outlets on the same page. Apple has the benefit of only dealing with Apple and no other company.

September 14, 2012 @ 12:17 pm

Franklin Rivera says:

I liken the IPhone to Starbucks. It’s like a statement, a sense of belonging, an identity. Now I can see some advantages of an Apple computer over a Windows PC. But with the phones, the IPhone does not really offer any advantages overthe Android. Android has lot of free apps and of course all of the things mentioned earlier. Widgets are great to have, which I don’t think the IPhone has, tons of different launchers to suit your needs etc. I just don’t see any advantages to having an IPhone.

September 14, 2012 @ 8:08 pm

Bob Sherron says:

Ken, regarding NFC, I’m definitely disappointed that the iPhone 5 doesn’t have it. Phil Schiller mentioned in an interview with All Things D (1) that they see Passbook as a solution that users will like today. Furthermore, AnandTech’s analysis of the internals required for NFC(2) make it seem like it just wouldn’t fit, physically, inside the phone. NFC might be the future, but I do wish the future was nearer with the iPhone.

Franklin, I think that the smartphone market is saturated to the point now where having an iPhone (or any smartphone) doesn’t make you part of some exclusive club. I mean, now that you can get an iPhone 4 free with contract the only cost barrier is that of the data plan. Regarding apps, the benefit for users is not in the free app arena, but in the paid apps. Until Android users prove that they are willing to pay for apps, the top-line app developers won’t focus on Android — or the apps will be saddled with a second-class, ad-supported revenue model.