It will be interesting to see of all of the iPhone 5 issues lead to people switching

[1jaxstate1]

I agree, they are popular because of "isheep" and how "safe" they are. Nothing to do with that they make some pretty solid products.

 

[brmiller1976]

Smartphones are like cars. It's very difficult to find one that isn't "solid."

Even the worst cars of today would have been top-of-class and revolutionary just five years earlier. And today, even the worst smartphones are slick, usable, fast, reliable and solid.

The crappiest prepaid Android phones of 2012 would have been 2010's Revolutionary Product of the Year.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

The ultimate key for Windows Phone actually lies with Windows 8. Most iPhone users are not Mac users. If Microsoft can successfully pull off a paradigm shift, moving to Live Tiles from icons and the idea of maximizing space instead of losing so much space between icons then people will look to Windows Phone over the next few years.

A key is the security, which will cause IT departments to love WP8 and we may see extra features available on WP8 devices when it comes to BYD. If you can get more work done away from work on your phone and tab, but only with the MS OS then people will migrate.

When you spend any amount of time in Windows 8, going back to old school icons all the time feels just that, OLD. If Windows 8 sells a couple hundred million copies next year and users take a shining to it, WP8 is the natural next phone for them.

We also should not underestimate the protection that Microsoft can provide to Samsung, HTC, Huawei, Nokia, Sony, LG, and any other phone maker compared to how Google will help them with Android. MS clearly has an idea of how WP8 devices should look with OEMs able to insert some variety. The licensing also may be cheaper than the patent licenses needed from MS and others on Android. If the manufacturers begin to concentrate more on WP8 then Android we will see a migration.

And if we do see that migration, we will see app development start first on WP8. It's link to Windows 8 and RT may help this.

But I don't expect WP8 to jump out in front of Android or iPhone immediately, BUT I think with all the press these new devices are getting and the quality of them coupled with more carrier support, I think we will see a substantial sales increase at launch. A doubling of marketshare is very possible and I expect WP8 to pass Blackberry and Symbian quickly. Then iOS will be the next target.

I think by Christmas next year that Windows Phone will be #2 in sales behind Android. And if Windows 8 and the RT tabs really take, I think nothing is stopping Windows Phone from becoming #1 over the next 2-3 years as contracts run out.

 

[Winterfang]

Apple will fix the problems in weeks and it will all iphones will be updated before October ends.

Their update regimen is unparalleled.

 

[GoodThings2Life]

This particular issue seems pretty big... it will require entire teams of image processing (and potentially new images taken). I don't expect it within a few weeks as you suggest. Not this time anyway.

And scuffgate is just another reason to force people into buying new cases.

 

[smoledman]

Honestly other then the Maps fiasco, what other major issues does the iPhone 5 have? Reviews are pretty much 9/10 across the board on sites like The Verge.

 

[smoledman]

Apple will fix the problems in weeks and it will all iphones will be updated before October ends.

Their update regimen is unparalleled.

Apple will fix their data problem in just a few weeks? Do you realize how long it took Google to amass their mapping data?

 

[GoodThings2Life]

Honestly other then the Maps fiasco, what other major issues does the iPhone 5 have? Reviews are pretty much 9/10 across the board on sites like The Verge.

Scuffgate. Apparently all the new iPhone5's are extremely easy (and in some cases come right out of the box) with scuff marks and scratches. Black seems especially prone to it.

iPhone 5 complaints flood the internet after customers received scratched new smartphones | Mail Online

 

[scottcraft]

Everyone calls them iSheep, but if you have a phone that works well for you and you have purchased a lot of apps for it, why not buy the successor? I think there are better phones out than the iphone, but I don't begrudge anyone for buying one because they are solid products. The burden is on WP to make products that are good and people want. If the phones are truly good and have decent advertising they will sell.

 

[smoledman]

Scuffgate. Apparently all the new iPhone5's are extremely easy (and in some cases come right out of the box) with scuff marks and scratches. Black seems especially prone to it.

iPhone 5 complaints flood the internet after customers received scratched new smartphones | Mail Online

I bet it's just a few malcontents and 99.999999999% of iPhones are scuff-free.

 

[GoodThings2Life]

Not so much... https://twitter.com/#!/search/?q=#scuffgate&src=hash

 

[smoledman]

Not so much... https://twitter.com/#!/search/?q=#scuffgate&src=hash

Remember how long it took Jobs to respond to antenna-gate? I wouldn't be shocked if Apple goes into full RDF-mode this time and doesn't address anything. Just watch the cash pile in!

 

[1jaxstate1]

I think MS will gain marketshare from a few people getting bored with Android and iOS, but their main users will come from new smartphone owners. In the US, there's still like 52% of the population that own feature phones and dumb phones.

 

[crystal_planet]

Apple will fix the problems in weeks and it will all iphones will be updated before October ends.

Their update regimen is unparalleled.

This is true. They are committed to a good user experience.

 

[GoodThings2Life]

I think MS will gain marketshare from a few people getting bored with Android and iOS, but their main users will come from new smartphone owners. In the US, there's still like 52% of the population that own feature phones and dumb phones.

Agreed. Quite frankly, it's probably better to target non-smartphone owners than conversions.

 

[sconrad308]

Apparently there is another problem with some of the iPhone 5's. lol.
Reports of Slow and Inconsistent Wi-Fi Connections on Some iPhone 5 Devices - Mac Rumors

They are at least actively seeking ex-google map employees to fix that disaster.
Apple Actively Recruiting Ex-Google Maps Employees - Mac Rumors

 

[brmiller1976]

I doubt Apple will be fixing scuffgate in weeks.

I had a $3,000 Titanium PowerBook G4. The paint peeled off those puppies within weeks of buying them, and Apple never fixed it or helped people with the issue.

If they wouldn't fix $3K high-margin PCs with these sorts of problems, they probably wouldn't do it for $700 phones.

 

[sconrad308]

Here is a pic of someone's that came bent. He says the box was in great shape, but the phone was bent. The apple store wouldn't return it for him even though it had all the stickers still on it. They accused him of doing it himself. Verizon sent him to the Apple store but they still wouldn't help. So far the Apple phone support hasn't helped him either.

 

[brmiller1976]

Apple seems to be having a bit of a quality meltdown.

This isn't the first one, just the first after they became the big company they are today.

Classic Mac users can tell you all about what a disaster Apple quality was in the late 1990s into the early 2000s (including the first iPods, which died within six months).

iMacs that would blow their power converters inside 24 months.

iBooks with logic boards that fry after 14 months.

PowerBooks with hinges that would crack in half.

Titanium PowerBooks with paint that would bubble and peel off within six weeks of ownership.

Aluminum PowerBooks that would get so hot the cases would warp and you could rock it on your desk with a finger.

PowerMac G4 cubes that would overheat and crack their cases.

Back then, it was a much smaller business and most complaints stayed "inside the family." Many people took big losses to stick with Apple. After my TiBook caught fire (no joke -- the motherboard literally fried itself) and Apple wouldn't fix it, I gave up on Apple for a long time.

I have a Mac now, but mostly run Windows on it except for web browsing.

This iPhone 5 launch sounds like the TiBook paint or distorting aluminum PowerBook fiasco, but on a massive scale. And this time, it's not loyal cultists like I used to be who are willing to "take one for the team." People expect their high-end Apple stuff to work flawlessly, and will hop to something else in a heartbeat if they believe it is better.

They've got a LOT of work to do, ASAP, to hold their position in the market.

 

[jimski]

Everyone calls them iSheep, but if you have a phone that works well for you and you have purchased a lot of apps for it, why not buy the successor? I think there are better phones out than the iphone, but I don't begrudge anyone for buying one because they are solid products. The burden is on WP to make products that are good and people want. If the phones are truly good and have decent advertising they will sell.

Not everyone who owns an iPhone is an iSheep. If you are totally into the Apple ecosystem, with MacBooks, AppleTV, thousands of iTunes downloads, etc., etc., you "should" buy an iPhone. Not doing so would be dumb. One of my best friends is a professional musician ad has Apple products in every room in his house. I never question his choice of devices.

But if you bought an iPhone because your co-worker had one, and downloaded 5 apps, including 3 fart apps, in the past 1-2 years, and its the only piece of the Apple ecosystem you own, and just went out blindly to spend another $199 to replace it, without considering any alternatives, then yes, you are an iSheep. And deserve exactly what you got.

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