iPhone or Droid Incredible? In other words, is AT&T really so bad? (1 Viewer)

[Sam Posten]

Yes, 6 years to go.
This year 4g launches

Next year 4G goes hardcore for the geeks

2-3 years 4g goes mainstream

4-6 years out everyone has 4g and moderate, inexpensive data plans with only the hardcore getting anywhere near unlimited (this is still the market Apple pursues with their latest iPhones)


I've made dumber predictions, this seems pretty likely to me tho.

 

[DaveF]

And according to IDC, we're all using Windows Phone 7

 

[DaveF]

http://web.me.com/hdediu/Smartphonecountdown/Welcome.html


Horace Dedieu of Asymco calculates we're just over a year away from half the US owning a smartphone.

 

[Ted Todorov]

Originally Posted by DaveF

Even then, it makes for a 20 year transition, as the move to smartphones started in 2002 with the Treo and Blackberry.

Keep in mind that my 10 years are not US centric -- it will happen a lot sooner here. I have place like India & sub-Saharan Africa in mind. It is just a question of smartphone on a single chip coming down to well under $50 wholesale.

 

[DaveF]

Huh? There's someplace but the US? )

 

[Sam Posten]

Originally Posted by DaveF Horace Dediu

More than one in four phones sold world-wide last quarter were smartphones.

 

[monite]

I was one of the biggest critics of tablet computers ever. I totally agreed with 'what good is this for other than surfing the net from the can?' philosophy.


Well, I can answer that one for you. It's the apps, stupid. Has nothing at all to do with marketing or logo for me.

http://www.batteryvender.com/iphone-4-battery-p-38363.html


98% of my apps came over from the iphone fully intact, many were updated to effectively use the real estate. Biggest holdouts I'm still pissed about: Tweetie and Facebook.

Books. I actually READ again. 50% Kindle and 50% iBooks.

Video. Hoooah is it great on this screen but it would be 100% better with no pixel structure.


ack, lunch over, more later.

 

[monite]

i live in arizona so if it works better in other areas don't mind this comment) ...... fair and understanding with my family, but they are also incredible nice. ..... I'm really torn between iPhone/AT&T or Droid/Verizon. ...... back my words on how bad the quality and reception of calls with AT&T is while http://www.batteryvender.com/iphone-4-battery-p-38363.html

 

[DaveF]

How does one buy an Android phone with any confidence it will get software updates even a year later, much less two? With an iPhone, the pattern has been that a phone will see significant iOS updates for two years after release. It might get some three years later.


But now there's no hope for the HTC Desire. A year old phone -- top of the line when it debuted -- running 2.2, but won't get last Winter's 2.3 update. Maybe this is something I care about but, say, my dad doesn't. He bought his Android phone last year and may have no interest or concern about software / OS updates.


For me: some people complain about restriction of choice in buying Apple. To me, it's a feature, not a bug. Having to survey the tens or hundreds of Android phones, build a historical model for every manufacturer, track all the rumors as to which phone is being released this month, and then try to pick the *one* best, new, future-proof phone ... ugh!


Different strokes and all that...




https://www.facebook.com/notes/htc-uk/desire-and-gingerbread-update/225607660802056




Our engineering teams have been working hard for the past few months to find a way to bring Gingerbread to the HTC Desire without compromising the HTC Sense experience you’ve come to expect from our phones. However, we’re sorry to announce that we’ve been forced to accept there isn’t enough memory to allow us both to bring Gingerbread and keep the HTC Sense experience on the HTC Desire. We’re sincerely sorry for the disappointment that this news may bring to some of you.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

But didn't we already settle on the "fact" that smartphone users generally upgrade every 2 years (or less) anyway? So it's probably not *that* big a deal to most I guess.


And honestly, I don't know that I'd want to do a major version upgrade of iOS for a couple-year-old iPhone anyway as the old hardware may not run the new major version all that well -- plus it may be getting close to the time to consider an expensive battery replacement as well in the case of the iPhone.


Basically, this aspect can work out either way, and you just have to pick your poison me thinks...


_Man_

 

[DaveF]

And it's moot: in a whiplash-inducing moment, HTC has reversed itself. Apparently wishing makes it so: they can get 2.3 on the Desire.

Originally Posted by ManW_TheUncool

But didn't we already settle on the "fact" that smartphone users generally upgrade every 2 years (or less) anyway? So it's probably not *that* big a deal to most I guess.


And honestly, I don't know that I'd want to do a major version upgrade of iOS for a couple-year-old iPhone anyway as the old hardware may not run the new major version all that well -- plus it may be getting close to the time to consider an expensive battery replacement as well in the case of the iPhone.

But might you want a useful software upgrade just six months after purchase? Gingerbread is only 8 months newer than the phone: Desire released Feb 2010, Gingerbread Dec 2010. We're not talking getting Gingerbread on the original Droid.

 

[Sam Posten]

If your heart is set on Droid jump on this ASAP, you will not find a better deal on phones this year: http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=809152&t=3412304