Androids can beat Apples?

Androids can beat Apples iphone 4s

The iPhone 4S has copped a lot of flack for being a ‘catchup’ product, but I think that ignores a key Apple advantage.

After the iPhone 4S launch, Gizmodo US’ Mat Honan wrote how he was disappointed with the iPhone 4S. At the time, I was too. The iPhone 4S launch was itself a little flat, and the phone wasn’t quite the hit for six that might have been expected after eighteen months of development time. Slowly, however, my opinion is changing.

As rapidly seems be becoming the norm, I should launch into this with a couple of simple starting caveats and requests. Firstly, if you could kindly keep the troll/fanboi comments to a minimum, I’d appreciate it. In one sense, knock yourself out, but really, hasn’t it all been trolled before? More pertinently, I’m making the below observations with no hands-on time with an iPhone 4S yet. Believe, me, I’m working to rectify that any way I can, but it’s an important caveat for reasons that should shortly become clear.

There’s been a lot of criticism and comparison made between the iPhone 4S and existing Android handsets, given that one of the selling pitches for the iPhone 4S is the use of a dual-core A5 processor, and dual-core on Android is nothing new. Some of that’s fair comparison — we are, after all, talking about smartphones in the smartphone market — but some of it misses what might be a critical point — optimisation.

Androids can beat Apples iphone 4s

If there’s one trait that defines Apple, it’s control. Just as Google’s all about information (its, yours, mine) and Facebook’s all about being social (and privacy be damned), Apple’s a company that works from a central control mantra. Apple knows exactly what’s going into its products at every single level, and it’s a key reason why there aren’t that many Apple product lines at any one time. To draw things back to last week’s launch, one of the most surprising things to emerge was the fact that the iPhone 3GS didn’t become obsolete. It’s pretty clear that this is solely so Apple can have a “$0” phone in the States; I wouldn’t advise anyone to rush out and buy a 3GS today. I figured the one thing you could have put money on last week was that the 3GS was about to be made redundant, because usually, Apple has relatively few product lines so that it can focus its development efforts on that hardware alone.

Androids can beat Apples iphone 4s

There’s a reason why Mac OS works well on Mac hardware; it’s because the hardware is entirely predictable from Apple’s viewpoint, and that means they can write very specific optimisations around that hardware. It’s a benefit that Windows doesn’t entirely have, simply because the variety of hardware on offer means it’s all but impossible to program efficiently for all of it. No, I’m not saying Macs never crash. They do. But the Mac OS experience on an actual Mac versus that on a Hackintosh is quite markedly different.

The same is true in the iOS sphere as well. Only a couple of Pods and Phones to code for with a simple set of code bases? That gives you lots of room to code in ways that only make sense to that hardware, because it’s never going to run on other hardware. That gives Apple a potential edge when it comes to any processor, including dual core ones, and especially when using a processor they’ve used before. They can tweak the operating system to work as seamlessly as possible with the hardware, and it’d be foolish to think that there isn’t code sitting in iOS 5 right now directed right at that purpose.

Androids can beat Apples iphone 4s

That’s why a direct comparison between a dual core Android phone and a dual core Apple one isn’t quite as cut and dried as it might seem. Yes, both platforms have dual core options, but the way that the underlying code approaches them can be radically different; Apple’s control over its hardware platform means that it may be able to eke out more performance on its platform than the specifications suggest. If we were talking an iPhone running Gingerbread, it’d be an entirely different story. But to compare dual core phones for a second, if I was offered a Galaxy S II, HTC Sensation or LG Optimus 2X — all dual-core Android phones — I’d pick the Galaxy S II in a heartbeat, because in my own experience it’s the phone that gets the most out of its dual core processor. Same underlying operating system, but there are differences that change the eventual end user experience.

Optimisation is an argument that naturally enough cuts both ways; Apple’s control is both a blessing and a curse. They may get better performance out of a dual core part because they’re only writing for a limited set of hardware specifications, but at the same time the open nature of the Android platform allows for tweaking under the hood that’s harder to achieve with iOS. The work of teams producing custom ROMs does allow hardware to be tweaked for better performance and that shouldn’t be overlooked either. But to write the iPhone 4S off as simply playing catchup ignores one of Apple’s key market advantages.

iPhone 4S with Steve Jobs

iPhone 4S with Steve Jobs

Two huge things happened in the world of Apple this week – the launch of the iPhone 4S and the passing of Steve Jobs –  so I’m going to choose one question about each of them.

The first question comes from Facebook user XaZavia P – “Why do you think Apple did not introduce an iPhone 5, but a 4S?”

It’s a question on many people’s minds and one that, I admit, is puzzling me as well. If you’ve been watching my videos or reading my articles, you’ll know that I fully expected an iPhone 5. I thought the idea of a 4S was absurd – why would Apple make us wait so long only to release a tweaked iPhone 4? When I tuned in to the October 4th event, I did so with the thought that I would see a device with a teardrop shaped aluminum body with a larger screen and an 8 megapixel camera.

iPhone 4S with Steve Jobs

In retrospect, it’s clear that I was being a bit too optimistic. I, like many of you, got taken in by the massive amount of rumors and failed to look objectively at the situation. Now, though, I can see that an iPhone 4S isn’t such a terrible idea after all (obviously it wasn’t – pre-orders are at a record-breaking high).

If I had to guess at the top reason Apple chose to go with the 4S as opposed to the 5, I’d say that the iPhone 5 just probably isn’t ready yet. There’s no doubt in my mind that an iPhone 5 is in the works. Though, Apple has a history of perfectionism – it’s not going to sacrifice either the aesthetic aspects or the technical specs of the device for anything, and the company is more than willing to delay a gadget’s release date until it’s absolutely perfect.

The 4S was probably much easier to manufacture and design because most of the hard work was already done when the iPhone 4 was first created. The physical design and look of the 4S are identical to the 4, so there was no need to change anything (aside from tweaking the antennae). The A5 chip has been around since the iPad 2, so all Apple had to do was toss it into the 4S. In fact, the only real physical change the company had to worry about was the camera, and it’s had more than enough time to fit it into the iPhone 4 body.

The second question comes from Facebook user Gabriel F. – “What do you think the fate of Apple will be now that Steve Jobs is gone?”

Steve Jobs was a genius and he’s the main reason Apple is what it is today. There’s no getting around that. With that in mind, though, Jobs had not been in the best of health for quite some time, and there’s no way that he did not envision and plan for a time when Apple would have to carry on without him.

Jobs spent his time heading Apple surrounding himself with people who shared his opinions, goals and views for the company’s future. Sure, he was the driving force behind many of our favorite gadgets, but he certainly didn’t do it alone. Many immensely talented people still call Apple their home – people like Jony Ive, Scott Forstall, and Tim Cook – and they’re going to use everything they learned from Steve Jobs to continue Apple down the path that he set it on.

iPhone 4S with Steve Jobs

Obviously Steve’s resignation as CEO a few months ago was a blow to the company, and his death this past week was no less than devastating, but I believe Apple will be alright. The iPhone 4S has shattered all previous pre-order records, with AT&T reportedly processing 200,000 pre-orders in the first 12 hours. This, I think, is only the beginning of what’s to come.

This is a new era for Apple. Granted, it’ll be different without Jobs at the wheel, but I honestly believe it’ll be great magical.

Apple iPhone 4S Preorders a Hit, Pushing Delivery Dates Back

iPhone 4S with Steve Jobs

Apple’s iPhone 4S is such a hit that US retailers are pushing back delivery dates on some models of the new smartphone.

In a statement, AT&T said it received more than 200,000 preorders for the phone in the first 12 hours, making it the most successful iPhone launch the company has ever seen. Indeed -- the demand was so high that both Apple’s and AT&T’s online stores went down for brief periods early Friday, when the phone went on sale for preorder.

So many people have already ordered the new phone that Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and Apple online stores are telling customers they’ll have to wait a little longer. The original delivery date was slated for Oct. 14 when the iPhone 4S was announced on Tuesday, but Apple has now pushed back expected delivery one to two weeks.

On its website, AT&T now says the ship date for preorders of the iPhone 4S could be as much as 21 days out, with even preorders of the older iPhone 4 8GB -- now selling for $99 -- expected to ship in 10 to 14 days.

iPhone 4S with Steve Jobs

Sprint’s website says the 16GB version of the iPhone 4S will be in stores Oct. 14 but is sold out for preorder, although the 32GB and 64GB models are still available for online purchase.

Verizon’s site says the 16GB version is available for delivery Oct. 21, whereas the other models are still available on Oct. 14.

The extraordinary demand is likely due in part to the long wait consumers have had to endure between iPhone iterations. The iPhone 4 launched in June 2010 and in recent months anticipation for the latest version has been almost palpable.

iPhone 4S with Steve Jobs

The iPhone 4S is priced at $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB version, and $399 for the new 64GB version, all with a two-year contract.

An unlocked contract-free version of the device that works only on supported GSM networks will be available beginning in November. The prices for the unlocked iPhone 4S are $649 for the 16GB model, $749 for 32GB, and $849 for 64GB. Apple is selling the unlocked iPhone 4S already in some countries, such as the U.K, Germany, France, and Canada.