Here at Android Headlines, it’s pretty obvious that we’re big on Android and that we know a lot about our green friend but, we’re not just salivating Android fanboys. We’ve got our eye on all tech and while we’d love to write about the latest and greatest when it comes to a lot of tech, we want to be true to our audience.
Every now and then though, something comes along that makes a bit of a splash in the tech Ocean and from here on, we’re going to bring you our take on things. Don’t worry – we’re not turning Engadget on you, or anything – we’re going to throw an Android slant on things and hopefully not put you all to sleep. We’re all tech-lovers here at Android Headlines and we’re willing to bet that a lot of you are out there as well. So, we hope you enjoy the first of our “Tech Talks” and we hope to encourage healthy discussion in the comments!
Recently, a report has come out to suggest that the iPhone is no longer “cool” and that Teens are looking to other providers to get something new and fresh. For me, this is not particularly surprising, I had the iPhone, the 3G and the 3GS but by the time I had the 3GS I was already taking an interest in Android and as a long-time Linux user the idea of being able to do what I want with my smartphone just made sense to me. I swapped to an HTC Desire as soon as I could.
But, Teens are often the testbed for all things “cool” and if they’re no longer in love with the iPhone, then what are they in love with? Well, Forbes seem to suggest that the Galaxy S III and Microsoft’s Windows 8 packing Surface tablet are “in” with the Teens. I’m not so surprised with the Galaxy S III as Samsung have been killing it when it comes to marketing and the iPhone looks like an aging device in the Korean giant’s advertising.
Tina Wells of Buzz Marketing Group has found that teens are now “all about Surface tablets/laptops and Galaxy. Everything moves in cycles and you can’t rest on your past glory. You’ve got to evolve to maintain relevance. Apple just needs to focus on innovation and teens will come back.”
It’s perhaps more true in the technology market than any other, that you cannot rest on your laurels and with iOS, Apple have let a platform stagnant while the rest of the market moves on to greener pastures. There was once a time when Android was deemed an ugly and clunky OS, Google responded and Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean – even Gingerbread before it – are good-looking platforms that are speedy and flexible. Apple, meanwhile, have done little to bring iOS up-to-date, sure, there are more features than ever before but, if you were to hand an iPhone 5 to someone who hasn’t used one since 2007 they’d think it were the same device but taller and thinner.
Microsoft have done their best to bring Windows Mobile and now Windows itself out of a stump when it comes to the mobile side of things and Windows 8 has given birth to the Surface and computers that straddle the tablet/laptop divide. There’s no denying that these things are “cool”, the Lenovo Yoga for instance is a desirable piece of tech if only for “wow” factor along. For the industry moguls, Microsoft still have to prove themselves with Windows 8 and Windows Phone but for teens, it seems that something different and fresh is enough for it to be “in”.
What does it take for technology to stay at the top? Well, if looking to Apple were any indication than good hardware and software would be the way to go. Judging by how little iOS has evolved over the years, it looks like Apple might be going the way of Nokia and become known for great hardware alone. Samsung in particular have discovered that what consumers want is the power to do whatever they wish with their smartphones and good hardware is not enough to compete.
Perhaps now is the time that the iPhone and the iPad begin to dwindle and compete through stature alone, while Samsung, Google, Microsoft et al compete through innovation and fresh ideas.