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Many things are clear from your post. First, you have no idea what “Wintel” was. Second, you have no idea what low cost Windows/Intel machines did to the Apple business model. Third, you don’t understand the most rudimentary business concepts and why owning the “system” does matter. It allows you to dictate the rules.

Microsoft didn’t annihilate Apple during the Windows era because they had the best product. Apple was the superior product by almost all accounts. The reason Windows won is because Microsoft allowed hardware makers to build devices with its operating system while meticulously building the very best software services. What transpired was breakneck software and hardware innovation as OEM’s competed with one another. Dell, HP, Compaq and the Japanese firms were not going to stop making computers and they sure as hell were not going to develop their own operating system. By the time they realized the only true way to compete was price, Microsoft had built the dominate suite of productivity services their customers demanded, Office.

As for your analysis of “industry profits”, you’re naive. First, these hardware cycles are notoriously transitional. Think Nokia and Blackberry. Second, you neglect the fact that many of the larger players, Samsung, LG and Sony can lose money almost indefinitely making smart phones as those businesses, if need be, can be subsidized by their many other businesses. But even that is not the point. What silly “industry profit” point talkers miss is the “industry” is comprised not only of profitable firms but also those losing money. Losses shrink the denominator, making profitable firms seem far more important than reality. The fact that Apple is currently the most profitable company in the industry means almost nothing to Samsung, LG and Sony. They are not going to stop making smartphones. They are not even going to dramatically (if at all) shrink their R&D budgets. They don’t care about how much money Apple earns. If you knew anything about business — and it is quite clear you don’t — you would be focused on revenue and earnings growth for the individual industry players. If you focused on these numbers you would understand quite quickly why Apple’s percentage of “industry profits” is growing and the stock share price is falling.

As for Android not contributing to the Google profit story, you once again miss the point. Google is a software services company. Are you not counting the monies earned from those mobile services? Can you not see why owning the system delivering users just might be important in that regard? Are you really that short-sighted? Wait, what am I talking about, of course you are. Google is just starting to monetize their software services. Youtube alone has seen mobile ad revenues rise threefold during the last six month and is projected to be a $20 billion business by 2020. And Youtube is but once piece of the Google services story. There is Search/Now, Maps, Gmail. See, like Microsoft, Google is building its own suite of software services users now demand.

Sorry for the negative tone but I’m not going to be lectured by some one who doesn’t have any clue what they’re talking about.

2 days ago on 'Can't innovate anymore, my ass': Apple's bravado clouds the company's real challenges 1 reply

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Nilay, you got this almost all wrong. The reason Apple’s stock price is sliding has nothing to do with the fact the company is not innovating. Which, by the way, Its not. The stock price is dropping for the same reason it always drops; because its competitors have caught-up and, in a software driven world, terrific hardware no longer demands a premium so Apple is forced to make less expensive, lower margin products to maintain relevance. This is Wintel versus Apple all over again and it will end the same way, with Apple ultimately taking just a sliver of the market because, while its products are beautiful, they are simply too expensive for the mass market.

You are correct in one sense, it is about Google’s superior services… but that is only part of the problem Apple faces. Once Android becomes the “system” Apple must either compete on price or shrink market share as it did during the bad old days of Wintel. Apple, under Cook, is behaving as though it wants to compete on price. The iPad Mini speaks to this as that product effectively lowered the price point (and profit margin) for tablets. Cook has also made noises about a phone that would serve emerging markets. While some cheer, all of these things decrease profit margins. Stock investors understand this. They have seen it all before and THAT is why the stock is dropping.

5 days ago on 'Can't innovate anymore, my ass': Apple's bravado clouds the company's real challenges 1 reply

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I was watching the event live and wondering what others saw I had missed. People were applauding what amounted to a live background and I’m saying to myself “you have to be kidding me”. And the icons? They don’t actually mean anything.

7 days ago on The design of iOS 7: simply confusing 2 replies 2 recommends

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The most amazing thing about how all of the tech blogs spin HTC departures is we are supposed to believe the people leaving are in no way part of the many problems the company now faces. Instead, we are supposed to believe these were doing a great job and those remaining are the problem. To me, that flies in the face of what I know about working in the corporate world. People leave/get fired all of the time and very often THEY were the problem.

13 days ago on HTC says departing executives will be replaced by end of month 2 replies 6 recommends

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For me, the relief has not just been temporary. There was something in the Android 4.2. version that clogged-up the cache. I have had no issues since cleaning the cache.

13 days ago on Asus launches Memo Pad HD7, a Nexus 7 with a rear camera for $129

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At D11 in the questions section, the Motorola chairman explained how the new X phones will work and it was not simply a reconfiguration of Smart Actions. The new phones will use a new set of very low powered sensors.

13 days ago on The Verge Mobile Show 049 - June 4th 2013

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I remember that tweet. That guy should be fired from his new employer, Microsoft for being so unprofessional. If that is the caliber of people they had at HTC it is no wonder they got to this place.

13 days ago on HTC COO becomes the latest high-ranking exec to depart the company

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Its amusing how the tech websites spin executive departures — when the company is perfofming poorly — as negative. I’m glad to see that underperforming executives are being forced out. That’s what should happen. There should be consequences for substandard performance.

14 days ago on HTC COO becomes the latest high-ranking exec to depart the company 1 reply 1 recommend

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Respectfully, I think you’re conflating a number of issues. I think the reason people buy Apple products in general is very much the same reason people eat at McDonalds. That is not a dig. People eat at McDonalds because, for better or worse, they know exactly what they’re going get regardless where they go. People know what they’re getting with Apple. For most, that is a very good experience with terrific build quality, ease of use and a vibrant ecosystem. What they don’t get is a screen conducive to the consumption of media and that is where smartphones shine.

Watching video on an HTC One or SG4 is a far superior experience to the iPhone. Not only are the colors more saturated and richer looking, it just feels better. Now, I’m sure Apple knows this, hence the iPhone 5 but even that did not go far enough.

With respect to battery life, this is something I have never really understood. I have had iPhones and they have always had TERRIBLE battery life. My first Android phone was a GNex and the battery life started off terrible too but there was an update (4.12 maybe) and suddenly the battery life was tremendous. That phone lasted much longer than my wife’s iPhone 4s. There is no comparison. My new phone, the HTC One lasts much longer than the GNex. And I have heard battery life is even better for the SG4 is even better than the HTC One.

All of that said, I think the main reason people have been jumping from iPhone to Android is larger screen size… but I don’t think that will be the driver going forward. First, I expect Apple will have a 4.5 inch device with iPhone 6 but I doubt that is enough. The future is Google Now and I can’t imagine how Apple can either duplicate or make that service a central part of iOS. I think future purchasing decisions will be made based on that feature alone. Your phone will either have it… or it won’t.

I was travelling in Toronto recently. On my home computer I Googled train routes and times. When I arrived in Toronto Google Now told me when the next subway train was arriving, where to board and exit. It did all of this without me asking. At lunch time it told me about nearby Thai restaurants. It did this because it knows I like Thai food based on places I have been. When I got to the restaurant, it told me the specials and posted a list of user reviews of the food. When I left the restaurant it told me about places to take pictures nearby and, of course, local transit. Again, it did all of this without me asking. Google Now is integrated into the core Google experience starting with Jelly Bean. I think that feature is the future driver of mobile phone sales. Just wait until Google starts pitching it.

15 days ago on Size matters: how I went from an iPhone to a really big Android phone

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I had the same problem with my Nexus 7 after 4.2. I almost pitched it and then one day I was reading online the problem might be the cache had become full. I installed an app called 1 Tap Cleaner and BANG, it was back to blazing fast! Before you give up try cleaning up the cache. It worked for me.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.a0soft.gphone.acc.free&hl=en

15 days ago on Asus launches Memo Pad HD7, a Nexus 7 with a rear camera for $129 2 replies

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I had the same problem with my Nexus 7 after 4.2. I almost pitched it and then one day I was reading online the problem might be the cache had become full. I installed an app called 1 Tap Cleaner and BANG, it was back to blazing fast! Before you give up try cleaning up the cache. It worked for me.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.a0soft.gphone.acc.free&hl=en

15 days ago on Asus launches Memo Pad HD7, a Nexus 7 with a rear camera for $129

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Actually, in my opinion, all of the Google services are better than the Microsoft equivalent. In addition, all of these services talk to one another. They are integrated, cohesive. But even that is not the point. It doesn’t matter if I think Google services are better. What matters is the “market” believes these services are better. I know that because they are the most widely used. If your operating system has inferior access to what are perceived to be the best services, you have an inferior platform, period. This is why WP, despite all of Microsoft’s money, is still less than 5% of the total market. It’s not apps, its the idea Google does not want to offer its well regarded services to WP.

Nokia is a big fish in a very small pond. Nokia will not survive because it can’t afford to wait for WP to take-off. Actually, I doubt if WP will ever take-off regardless how good it is. I’m not suggesting that WP is the best product but sometimes the best products don’t win.

18 days ago on Nokia Lumia 928 review

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Actually, what you suggest is incorrect. Smaller form factor Android tablets do outsell iPad Mini… but that is irrelevant. The point is Apple was wrong about there being no demand for tablets smaller than the original iPad. There is demand because the original iPad is both too large and too heavy.

Second, you continue to ignore what is obvious; ALL devices have larger screen sizes than iPhone. That is the common denominator across manufacturer and OS. Do you believe ALL of these consumer electronic manufacturers — with multi-million dollar product research departments — do not know what the consumer wants? ALL of them? Does that make any sense?

Finally, if it is uncertain consumers want larger screen sizes on their mobile phones, why did Apple make the screen larger on its flagship device? I think you’re making this way more complicated than need be. The market spoke, manufacturers listened.

18 days ago on Size matters: how I went from an iPhone to a really big Android phone 1 reply

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Apple has the best ecosystem, well built devices and now, with the arrival of lower-priced iPhone 4 and 4S devices, tiered pricing. Despite this, Apple sells only one of every four mobile devices and that figure is shrinking. Every other device save older Blackberry’s, has a larger screen size. Indeed, even Apple moved to increase the size of its screen with the latest incarnation of iPhone. From all of this, I think most people would draw the conclusion larger screen sizes are desired by most consumers. You see things different.

I respect that you need a smaller device because of the activities you partake. That is a very legitimate consideration but let me posit something different. The fastest growing segment of smart phone buyers is older. When you become older your eyesight deteriorates. Those bigger screens are welcomed to older eyes.

I started off with many early iPhones because they were without doubt the best at the time. When I switched to Android I first thought the screen was just a bit too big (my first Android was the GNex). Then it seemed okay. Then I started to wonder why I ever thought it was too big as it felt absolutely perfect in my hand given all of the navigation was on the bottom of the screen. My wife has an iPhone. I play with it from time to time and it literally feels like a toy in my hand. It seems ridiculously small. It feels too small.

I don’t for a moment believe that ALL of the other phone manufacturers have it wrong and Apple has it right in terms of screen size. I think Apple is wrong… just as Apple was wrong about smaller form factors for tablets. Larger screens for phones are better. The market is speaking loud and clear.

19 days ago on Size matters: how I went from an iPhone to a really big Android phone 1 reply

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The biggest problem for any Nokia device is WP. That’s it. That’s the 800 pound gorilla. It doesn’t matter how good the hardware, as long as WP is the OS it will always be a bit player. And the biggest problem with the OS is an inferior experience with Google services. There are maybe 4-5 “killer” apps in mobile and Google happens to own four of them; Maps, Google Search, Gmail and Youtube. The fifth killer app is Facebook. Unless you’re Apple and already have a tremendous ecosystem where developers come first, there is just no way to succeed.

Nokia should have turned their Meego product into a skin and went Android long ago.

19 days ago on Nokia Lumia 928 review 1 reply

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Well, let’s see, Scoble has actually tried the product. Have you? Scoble is an industry insider and should/would know about the pricing of the components inside Google Glass. How about you, what are your credentials? I’m not trying to be a dick but to suggest that Scoble is bias and therefore likely to low ball the price of Glass components is crazy. There is no incentive for him to do so.

20 days ago on Tim Cook teases 'profound' opportunity in wearable tech, says Google Glass won't have mass appeal 1 recommend

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Do you have any idea how many Bluetooth headsets are sold each year? If you knew you would see how silly an argument you are making. Go ahead, look it up.

20 days ago on Tim Cook teases 'profound' opportunity in wearable tech, says Google Glass won't have mass appeal 1 reply 1 recommend

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You shouldn’t assume that everyone has low self-esteem and fear “looking like a weirdo”. That is unwise. You also should not assume that everyone will use Goggle Glass walking down the street. At least for now, you should assume most people will use Glass as a tool, in much the same way they use Bluetooth headsets, a hands free device.

20 days ago on Tim Cook teases 'profound' opportunity in wearable tech, says Google Glass won't have mass appeal 1 recommend

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You’re assuming Glass does nothing useful. That is so short sighted I would think even you would be able to see. I do hope you appreciate the metaphore

20 days ago on Tim Cook teases 'profound' opportunity in wearable tech, says Google Glass won't have mass appeal 1 recommend

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Bluetooth headsets is a 100 million unit market! Google Glass should be so fortunate. The idea that Google Glass will not be successful because it is akin to Bluetooth headsets is silly. Can we just agree that “mass market” is not iPhone-like in terms of sales? Perhaps that would dissuade people from making this crazy “Glass is like Bluetooth headsets therefore it won’t be a mass market product” argument. Bluetooth headsets IS a mass market product, in fact, it is supported by at least four major companies making devices.

20 days ago on Tim Cook teases 'profound' opportunity in wearable tech, says Google Glass won't have mass appeal 3 recommends

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So, you’re not sure tech is going to change much in 12 months and be cheaper? Really, you’re not sure about that? Google doesn’t have to have a quad core processor in Glass. The current/new generation of processors are quad core. Dual core processor prices have fallen off a cliff. They can produce Glass at significantly lower prices than $1500. Robert Scoble says they can get the cost down to $200.

Battery life might be a bigger issue but if Motorola (owned by Google) can fix the problem for mobile phones, I would put money on Google doing the same.

20 days ago on Tim Cook teases 'profound' opportunity in wearable tech, says Google Glass won't have mass appeal 1 reply 1 recommend

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This is always interesting to me because basically what you are suggesting is that the model that ultimately ships to consumers will be the same as the model that shipped to developers. Does that really make any sense to you?

The odds are pretty good that the consumer edition of Google Glass will have actual apps that do the things you suggest (there is already such an app called “Highlight”)… but I doubt even that is the future of Google Glass. My bet is the immediate future of Google Glass is a hands free still and video recorder. For that device, given reasonable pricing, there is mass market appeal.

The folks at Apple are wrong about Glass… just as they were wrong about tablets in smaller form factors, mobile phones in larger form factors, Android, Windows and lots of other things they compete with.

20 days ago on Tim Cook teases 'profound' opportunity in wearable tech, says Google Glass won't have mass appeal 3 recommends

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How does it take a long time to share Youtube videos in iOS? Well, I can share them just fine quite quickly as long as I share them to places Apple wants like Facebook and Twitter. Try sharing it to another app and you will soon see what I mean.

Almost all phones not mobile are still the same size they were thirty years ago. And you know what, as actual phones, those devices work much better because the microphone is much closer to your mouth. That’s why your wife can hear you better when you’re using a land line.

I’m suggesting that screen size is playing a large role because almost every device other than Apple has a larger screen. Companies do market research. They know what customers want and, judging by sales data, they’re choosing phones other than Apple 3-to-1. What do those phones have in common? It isn’t the OS as that number covers WP, Android and the newest Blackberry. It isn’t cost as a very large percentage of iPhones are now the lower cost older generations and the best selling Android phones cost just as much as the flagship iPhone. Its fair to guess — and I admit, that is really all that it is — its the screen size. People want larger screens because its a pain in the ass to be continually pinching and zooming on an iPhone.

Actually, you are wrong about screen size not being a factor even within the ecosystem because nobody makes a phone the same size as the iPhone. They all make bigger phones because, apparently, that is what their customers want.

20 days ago on Size matters: how I went from an iPhone to a really big Android phone 1 reply

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The number Apple used for sales in the first weekend (5 million) is terrific, no doubt about it. But people should not allow themselves to be duped into thinking that Apple reports a different statistic than everyone else. Sold and shipped, for phone makers, is the same thing. Apple sells their phones both direct and to carriers, just like everyone else.

21 days ago on Size matters: how I went from an iPhone to a really big Android phone

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I can’t agree. Analogies are never the best way to get your point across, but they are short. That’s like saying a door knob that’s 12" in diameter is ok, my hands just need to stretch.

A couple of things. First, she never said she was comfortable using an 8" phone. You offered that for her. Second, every phone you have every used is larger than your mobile phone. They are this size for a reason; because that is most comfortable.

There are many reasons Android is eating iOS’s lunch in terms of mobile usage. Cost is one to be sure but screen size has to be a strong consideration. I bought a Galaxy Nexus at launch. It was my first Android phone after many iPhones. Initially the Galaxy Nexus just felt too big, too awkward in my hand. Then, after a week, I got used to it. Then, I feel in love with the thing. No more pinching to zoom. Man, I hated that on iOS. Its funny, my wife still has an iPhone and the screen now seems absolutely ridiculously small. The phone is definitely smoother than my Galaxy Nexus but it literally feels like a toy. Because the OS is so cumbersome, it takes 2-3 times longer to do almost everything from sharing a video from Youtube to making an actual phone call. I use Voice Actions almost exclusively to do things like sending texts or writing email. That is impossible with Siri because it just doesn’t work.

21 days ago on Size matters: how I went from an iPhone to a really big Android phone 1 reply 1 recommend

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I thought the Verge was reporting HTC was in disarray?

25 days ago on 'Around 5 million' HTC One phones sold since launch 1 recommend