It's Deja Vu All Over Again--Android is to iPhone as the PC is to the Mac

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SMS - 29 Sep 2008 14:37 GMT

Could it really be possible for Apple to make the same mistake with the
iPhone that they did with the Mac?

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btek - 29 Sep 2008 22:17 GMT

I'd say a more accurate assessment would be: Android is to Windows Mobile
what PC is to Mac

> Could it really be possible for Apple to make the same mistake with the
> iPhone that they did with the Mac?

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Todd Allcock - 30 Sep 2008 01:59 GMT

> I'd say a more accurate assessment would be: Android is to Windows Mobile

what PC is to Mac

How do you figure that? Windows Mobile, as a platform, is completely open
to development. The SDK is free, anyone can distribute apps in any manner
they wish, and there are no restrictions as to what apps are "allowed" to
run- the only thing a developer can't do is modify the OS kernal itself.

Therefore, IMO, Android is to Windows Mobile what Linux is to Windows- the
first is open source and loved/used by techs and geeks, and the latter is
what everyone is forced to use for work because they need to use Office and
Outlook! ;-)

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btek - 30 Sep 2008 05:37 GMT

Nope... people are bored with WM, along comes the G1 and other Androids
while announcements circulate that WM7 has been delayed. No matter how the
manufacturers pretty up the interface, it's still the antiquated WM
underneath. WM7 may be a game changer, but until then, everyone will have
some shiny new toys to play with. Enterprise users have to use whatever
they're given, but the rest of us can have a little fun.

Thanks for your opinion though ;)

>> I'd say a more accurate assessment would be: Android is to Windows Mobile
> what PC is to Mac
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> and
> Outlook! ;-)

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Todd Allcock - 01 Oct 2008 03:36 GMT

> Nope... people are bored with WM,

"People" are hardly aware it exists, at least outside the Enterprise, and
perhaps techogeeks. WinMo hasn't done particularly well in the consumer
space, probably with good reason.

> along comes the G1 and other Androids while announcements
> circulate that WM7 has been delayed. No matter how the
> manufacturers pretty up the interface, it's still the antiquated
> WM underneath.

I happen to be one of few that like the "antiquated WinMo interface." I've
been using WinCE-based PDAs for nearly a decade, and agree with the concept-
it's recognizable and fairly intuitive to anyone who's used a Windows PC.

> WM7 may be a game changer, but until then, everyone will have
> some shiny new toys to play with. Enterprise users have to use
> whatever they're given, but the rest of us can have a little fun.

Agreed. However, I find the availability of 3rd-party apps and lack of OS-
enforced restrictions lets me install all the "fun" I need, without
sacrificing functionality. "Fun" like better media players, games, better
browsers, streaming media etc. all happily coexist alongside "work" li
e Office, Outlook, remote terminal, VoIP, GPS nav, etc.

> Thanks for your opinion though ;)

No problem. WinMo is a harsh mistress, but worth the effort to "tame" it.

I only recommend it to two types of people: my best friends and my worst
enemies! ;-)

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btek - 01 Oct 2008 22:21 GMT

Android based devices are about to gobble up what WM mistakenly threw away

>> Nope... people are bored with WM,
>
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
> I only recommend it to two types of people: my best friends and my worst
> enemies! ;-)

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Todd Allcock - 02 Oct 2008 00:59 GMT

> Android based devices are about to gobble up what WM mistakenly threw

away :)

In the consumer space, quite likely, at least in the short run.

Without Exchange support, or a PIM not reliant on "GMail/Google Calendar"
cloud sync, they're not an Enterprise threat to WinMo or RIM.

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btek - 02 Oct 2008 09:25 GMT

Voicing opinions is fun -- it'll be interesting to see how it all unfolds...

>> Android based devices are about to gobble up what WM mistakenly threw
> away :)
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Without Exchange support, or a PIM not reliant on "GMail/Google Calendar"
> cloud sync, they're not an Enterprise threat to WinMo or RIM.

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Todd Allcock - 30 Sep 2008 03:46 GMT

> Could it really be possible for Apple to make the same mistake with
> the iPhone that they did with the Mac?

What "mistake?" Apple is essentially a combination hardware maker and VAR.
If they opened up OS X to run on any Wintel box, they'd grab OS marketshare,
but lose high-margin hardware sales, their more lucrative business. Their
business plan suits them- Mac OS is a means to an end, not an end in
itself...

Which is why comparing Mac sales to "Windows" sales is as pointless as
comparing Goodyear tire sales to Chevy car sales.

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