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Sub $2000 smart phone recommendation

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  1. #41

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    Quote Originally Posted by imparanoic:
    But Apple's forte is simplicity, even my uncle who is 79 can navigate an ipad/iphone
    Yup, yup but its slowly but surely going down to irrelevancy.

    Apple used to be "cool" - it no longer is. Add to that the very high sticker price, I cant see lasting in its current form.
    http://www.businessinsider.com/samsu...ke-ipad-2014-1

  2. #42

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    The pendulum swings back and forth... Apple was said to be moribund a few years back and Microsoft ruled the world. Is MS irrelevant today? Hardly however they are not what they used to be. Apple is still very cool to many people and their App store still has more offerings but Samsung has certainly caught up.

    Just like MS hooked people with the Office Suite making it very difficult for people to switch, Apple has done the same thing with its App store. Once you have the apps, the content and your familiar with the way you interact with the gadgets, it becomes difficult to switch to another and Android is not as easy to use for the mass market. Techno nerds have more fun with it but the majority of people just want simplicity which means that you're as likely to see Apple become irrelevant as to see the US become a bit player in world affairs.


  3. #43

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    Quote Originally Posted by imparanoic:

    But Apple's forte is simplicity, even my uncle who is 79 can navigate an ipad/iphone
    Just as Swannie mentioned above. That is why I wont leave. I like things simple. If I had to change to something other than apple I would go with a windows phone but like I just said, I just bought a new iphone that replaces my old 4s which served me well for 2 years which replaced my iphone 3 which also served me well for a couple of years. Pay twice the price but lasts a lot lot longer.

  4. #44

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    Quote Originally Posted by Trance Omega:
    Just as Swannie mentioned above. That is why I wont leave. I like things simple. If I had to change to something other than apple I would go with a windows phone but like I just said, I just bought a new iphone that replaces my old 4s which served me well for 2 years which replaced my iphone 3 which also served me well for a couple of years. Pay twice the price but lasts a lot lot longer.
    Agreed.

    I skipped generations on my iPhones, 3 then 4 then 5. Waiting for iPhone 6

    Bought a few android phones and hated it. Sold them after a few months.

  5. #45

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    I absolutely detest Apple and can rant on at length why. I think their products are unreliable and they treat their consumers with a startling degree of arrogance. Every time I touch one of their products, aspects of their physical design piss me off (well, except for an iPod shuffle or dial-wheel iPods).

    But even I have to admit that their approach to UI and design is impressive. They make things that are easy to use for an audience that ranges from geek through to technophobe.

    kimwy66 likes this.

  6. #46

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    Quote Originally Posted by HowardCoombs:
    Yup, yup but its slowly but surely going down to irrelevancy.

    Apple used to be "cool" - it no longer is. Add to that the very high sticker price, I cant see lasting in its current form.
    http://www.businessinsider.com/samsu...ke-ipad-2014-1
    well, Samsung may not be as popular if they keep their region locking strategy and ban on third party accessories (similar to apple lightning strategy, with custom authenticating chip for a case and probably their cables) in the future, if they abuse their customers too much, the demand will eventually die out

    http://blog.gsmarena.com/samsung-con...y-accessories/

    all market leaders have premium prices and certain ranges of Samsung products are not exactly competitive either, ie, note 8 vs ipad mini retina vs nexus 7 (2013) or s4 mini vs xperia sp vs nexus 4 etc.

    what ever the outcome, competition always better for consumer, look at the stale intel pc market and monopolistic market position compared to prices

  7. #47

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    Quote Originally Posted by jgl:
    I think their products are unreliable and they treat their consumers with a startling degree of arrogance.
    I have to disagree with that from my own experience (cant comment on others experience) although respect your comment.

    Every product of theirs I have had as worked flawlessly and for a good length of time.
    I just sold my Mac book pro which lasted me 5 years and still got half my money back when I sold it last weekend. My 7 year old iPod classic still works seamlessly, 1st gen iPad lasted me till a few months ago till I dropped it on a concrete floor a day before the air came out. Mentioned before how long the phones lasted. I still had a 1st generation mac mini which worked perfectly till I gave it away to a friends child before I moved here. As for customer service, never had an excuse to complain if its in their UK, US or HK stores and I have never had to take a product back because it had a fault.
    Anyway that is just my experience, I am sure there are broken products out there just like any other company.
    Why do I keep going back? I like things simple and reliable. I know you can do a lot more on google's OS but I just dont have the need for it.

  8. #48

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    I think it's unfair to say that Apple's products are unreliable however they've marketed themselves as a high end premium brand and I don't believe that their hardware is any better or more reliable than the average. I've had some of their stuff that lasted long and others that crapped out quickly. There was a whole generation of iMac screen that had a problem and the cost of fixing it was highway robbery as is often the case with Apple product.

    I don't really understand this love/hate approach about gadgets or companies... Sell me something cheap that works well and I'll buy it. I couldn't care less who makes it.


  9. #49

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    Quote Originally Posted by Swannie:
    Sell me something cheap that works well and I'll buy it. I couldn't care less who makes it.
    Was doing this for years but ended up replacing products in less than a year. Ends up being more expensive IMHO.

  10. #50

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    Electronic gadgets are throwaways anyway and Apple products even more so when you look at how they make it difficult and expensive to replace batteries. How many people would still use their original iPhone? You can buy 5 Hongmi Xiaomi for the price of one iPhone and in a couple of years, they'll have phones with better specs at even cheaper prices. You can buy cheap batteries and cheap memory which makes it easier to manage content without being subjected to more highway robbery by Apple for an extra 8G. There is absolutely no way that it makes sense financially to buy these high end phones. You can argue simplicity, ease of use, availability of apps but certainly not money.

    Of course if you buy cheap, poorly made and unreliable products, that is the case but the onus is on the buyer to research and buy cheap, reliable and well made. The same way, you'd have to put a gun to my head to waste money on a Rolex, a Mercedes or an LV accessory when you can buy something just as usable and reliable without a stupid price tag


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