At work, I hear many people talking about Apple Pay and how great it is, but I have researched it and don't see what the big deal is. I use a 2013 Nexus 5, so a three year old is quite old in the smartphone world. I may upgrade, but I feel that my current phone is adequate. The phone already has the Commonwealth Bank app, which allows you to use PayPass with your phone. The problem with this is that, in order to use PayPass on your phone, you need to first log into your phone and then enter a PIN in the app. It's far easier to use your credit card. An advantage of using your credit card is that you can hand the card to the person taking your order and have him do all the work of tapping the card and processing the payment. The only thing you need to do is say, "PayPass, please." (I sometimes use PayWave as well since I also have a Visa debit card.) Asking for Apple Pay, and then handing a giant phone to someone, just doesn't seem right. I know that handing over your credit card to someone is not the best in terms of security, but it's fairly easy to monitor how much money is coming out from your account using your phone (the Commonwealth Bank app has a widget that updates how much money is on your account on your home screen), so if you monitor your balance all the time and everything looks regular, there's no reason to not trust them.
I also admit that I have a bias against Apple products, and the people who always tell me to use iPhones and Apple products don't seem to be able to articulate a good reason for it other than blind faith that the product is good because of how great Apple products are.
Showing posts with label iphone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iphone. Show all posts
12 June 2016
02 November 2012
Google Releases the Nexus 4
A few days ago, Google released the Nexus 4 smartphone and the Nexus 10 tablet. These can simply be purchased online via Google (just click on "Play").
The Google Nexus 4 is now made by LG and has a quad-core processor, a 4.7 inch screen, 2 GB of RAM, 2100 mAh of battery capacity, and a 320 ppi screen. If these numbers mean nothing to you, the bottom line is that this phone is brilliant. It is fast, powerful, and the display is excellent. Compared to, say, the Apple iPhone 5 made by Hon Hai Precision Industries, the Nexus 4 is about two times better according to most performance metrics. For example, the iPhone 5 has a dual core-process, only 1 GB of RAM, a 4 inch screen, and 1440 mAh battery capacity. The iPhone 5 still continues to have excellent screen resolution at 326 ppi.
However, Apple's iPhone 5 cost around $800 to buy outright. The Nexus 4 only costs $350.
Why in the world would Apple create a clearly inferior phone and charge high amounts for it?
Apple's business model is completely different to Google's. Google wants as many people using its Android phone operating system as possible so that users will continue to use Google. This allows Google to make money from advertising. Apple's business model, however, is a traditional business model that focuses on keeping costs low by making sure hardware is cheap (hence the weaker hardware) but making sure demand is high through excellent marketing and reliance on brand loyalty.
Apple's brand loyalty is such that it can get away with taking a mediocre product, slapping an aluminium case with a shiny Apple logo on the back, and double the price.
There are only two main problems I can think of with the Nexus 4: the first is the phone only has normal 3G data transfer speed whereas phones like the Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, and iPhone 5 have 4G LTE; and the second problem is that, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, the phone does not an in-built stylus. The number one phone at the moment, therefore, is the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
The Google Nexus 4 is now made by LG and has a quad-core processor, a 4.7 inch screen, 2 GB of RAM, 2100 mAh of battery capacity, and a 320 ppi screen. If these numbers mean nothing to you, the bottom line is that this phone is brilliant. It is fast, powerful, and the display is excellent. Compared to, say, the Apple iPhone 5 made by Hon Hai Precision Industries, the Nexus 4 is about two times better according to most performance metrics. For example, the iPhone 5 has a dual core-process, only 1 GB of RAM, a 4 inch screen, and 1440 mAh battery capacity. The iPhone 5 still continues to have excellent screen resolution at 326 ppi.
However, Apple's iPhone 5 cost around $800 to buy outright. The Nexus 4 only costs $350.
Why in the world would Apple create a clearly inferior phone and charge high amounts for it?
Apple's business model is completely different to Google's. Google wants as many people using its Android phone operating system as possible so that users will continue to use Google. This allows Google to make money from advertising. Apple's business model, however, is a traditional business model that focuses on keeping costs low by making sure hardware is cheap (hence the weaker hardware) but making sure demand is high through excellent marketing and reliance on brand loyalty.
Apple's brand loyalty is such that it can get away with taking a mediocre product, slapping an aluminium case with a shiny Apple logo on the back, and double the price.
There are only two main problems I can think of with the Nexus 4: the first is the phone only has normal 3G data transfer speed whereas phones like the Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, and iPhone 5 have 4G LTE; and the second problem is that, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, the phone does not an in-built stylus. The number one phone at the moment, therefore, is the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
13 September 2012
iPhone 5 Specs Not Released Yet
The iPhone 5 has been announced. It will have a 4 inch display and be lighter. Although Apple claims it has a A6 chip, there has been no announcement about the specs, such as how many CPU cores the phone will have. We therefore cannot speculate on how the phone compares to other phones, mainly high-end Android phones, the number one phone for now clearly being the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which has a quad-core CPU with an incredible 2GB of RAM and over 3000mAh battery capacity. It also comes with an in-built stylus and a screen size greater than 5 inches. We will need to see the iPhones specs (including the price) and compare it.
The old iPhone 4S is a big disappointment. Long before the iPhone 5 came out, it sold for about $700 outright, which is about the price of high-end Android phones, yet the iPhone 4S only had a dual-core 1Ghz CPU with a mere 0.5GB RAM. The screen size on a 4S is only 3.5 inches. Screen size is very subjective, but in my opinion the main reason for getting a smartphone is to get internet access and, mainly, to read (and watch videos) online. You just cannot do that on a small screen without squinting hard and potentially destroying your eyes. If you just use for phone for making phone calls and texting, it's okay to have a small screen, but if you only make calls and text, why not spend $50 on a small dumbphone instead of spending $700 on a smartphone? It just doesn't make sense.
The weakness and cheapness of the iPhone 4S's hardware clearly explains why Apple makes massive 73 per cent gross margins on each iPhone it sells and why, even though Samsung is the number one phone company is terms of sales, Apple is the number one phone company in terms of profits. Apple is able to price their phones at the same price as high-end Android phones, yet their phones are weaker and cheaper to produce. Apple today is the world's biggest public company. Customers get less for what they pay.
Hopefully the iPhone 5 is better value for money.
The old iPhone 4S is a big disappointment. Long before the iPhone 5 came out, it sold for about $700 outright, which is about the price of high-end Android phones, yet the iPhone 4S only had a dual-core 1Ghz CPU with a mere 0.5GB RAM. The screen size on a 4S is only 3.5 inches. Screen size is very subjective, but in my opinion the main reason for getting a smartphone is to get internet access and, mainly, to read (and watch videos) online. You just cannot do that on a small screen without squinting hard and potentially destroying your eyes. If you just use for phone for making phone calls and texting, it's okay to have a small screen, but if you only make calls and text, why not spend $50 on a small dumbphone instead of spending $700 on a smartphone? It just doesn't make sense.
The weakness and cheapness of the iPhone 4S's hardware clearly explains why Apple makes massive 73 per cent gross margins on each iPhone it sells and why, even though Samsung is the number one phone company is terms of sales, Apple is the number one phone company in terms of profits. Apple is able to price their phones at the same price as high-end Android phones, yet their phones are weaker and cheaper to produce. Apple today is the world's biggest public company. Customers get less for what they pay.
Hopefully the iPhone 5 is better value for money.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)