Seriously, why do you assume that every single open-source fan likes free software on ideological instead of pragmatical grounds? Has it dawned on you that a development philosophy that works for the server room may not be the best approach for developing mainstream consumer devices.
Seriously; as soon as someone makes a phone better than the iPhone, I'll buy it. I've used Android phones and I feel they have a lot of potential, but the lack the polish, the fit-and-finish that the iPhone has. Frankly; I don't enjoy using them because they always seem laggy or the UIs between apps are wildly inconsistent.
These are fixable issues, but I haven't seen anything yet.
The main reason I'm completely happy with my iPhone, even with all its closed-ness, is because for me, it's just a phone. All I want out of my device is basic phone functionalities, a simple camera, access to the Internet, and the ability to play some games.
Until there are several features I truly feel like I'm missing out on because I'm stuck in Closed iPhone Land, or until there's a distinctly better device out there, I'm going to stick with it.
Well I don't have either, but if I were buying, my thoughts would go like this:
"If I get an iPhone, I know which one to buy (iPhone 4), and I know it will all work out of the box".
"If I buy an Android phone, I have to compare between about a bazillion models, and I don't know whether each has a separate app store, and if I get the 'wrong' Android phone I'll regret it".
Basically, there's /too much/ choice in the Android market.
Are there actually any Android phones with a separate app store?
It sounds like your thinking has been seeded with plenty of Android FUD. The differences between models are not as substantial as that.
(If you're talking about fragmentation from the developer's point of view, don't forget that the iOS ecosystem is not immune to it either. Some iOS devices have an advanced GPU with shader support, others don't. Some devices have a camera and microphone, others don't. Many iPod touches have not been upgraded beyond the original OS release that they shipped with, because the newer version costs $20. And so on...)
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Seriously, why do you assume that every single open-source fan likes free software on ideological instead of pragmatical grounds? Has it dawned on you that a development philosophy that works for the server room may not be the best approach for developing mainstream consumer devices.
I agree. Its pretty impossible to argue that Apple's strategy isn't working for them. They make marvelous products.
Seriously; as soon as someone makes a phone better than the iPhone, I'll buy it. I've used Android phones and I feel they have a lot of potential, but the lack the polish, the fit-and-finish that the iPhone has. Frankly; I don't enjoy using them because they always seem laggy or the UIs between apps are wildly inconsistent.
These are fixable issues, but I haven't seen anything yet.
The main reason I'm completely happy with my iPhone, even with all its closed-ness, is because for me, it's just a phone. All I want out of my device is basic phone functionalities, a simple camera, access to the Internet, and the ability to play some games.
Until there are several features I truly feel like I'm missing out on because I'm stuck in Closed iPhone Land, or until there's a distinctly better device out there, I'm going to stick with it.
Well I don't have either, but if I were buying, my thoughts would go like this:
"If I get an iPhone, I know which one to buy (iPhone 4), and I know it will all work out of the box".
"If I buy an Android phone, I have to compare between about a bazillion models, and I don't know whether each has a separate app store, and if I get the 'wrong' Android phone I'll regret it".
Basically, there's /too much/ choice in the Android market.
Are there actually any Android phones with a separate app store?
It sounds like your thinking has been seeded with plenty of Android FUD. The differences between models are not as substantial as that.
(If you're talking about fragmentation from the developer's point of view, don't forget that the iOS ecosystem is not immune to it either. Some iOS devices have an advanced GPU with shader support, others don't. Some devices have a camera and microphone, others don't. Many iPod touches have not been upgraded beyond the original OS release that they shipped with, because the newer version costs $20. And so on...)
So an echo of the old "but I don't want to have to pick a window manager" line?