Snazy

If you had to say one group was more responsible, would you say Apple for making the platform or for the developers of the apps for making the great apps for the users to use?

From what i can tell, the biggest selling point of the iPhone is the range of apps available for them, then some of the hardware and UI as the after thought.

This isn't a dig at apple, at the end of the day the consumers have crowned Apple a long time ago, just wondering what the user opinion is.

Also I have no idea of a lot of the apps are in-house with apple or externals, so ignore me if I'm just being ignorant.

dpb

I thought most people had a nokia

JackClark

It's both, plus one you've missed. The phone itself has pushed all other manufacturers into catch up mode. iOS is made solely for Apple hardware, a clear advantage. The application store with it's simple distribution and payment system has made many a bedroom millionaire and iTunes offers seamless backup and synchronisation with PC's and Macs.

No other phone offers all of these, and until they do no other can compete.

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

Its only the app store which has made the iphone the icon it is as if it didn't have those its not evn a good phone,

Trout

iTrader: (1)

I think your question kind of misses the point.

I am pretty sure that Apple did not sit in a room and think - iPhone - mmmm lovely!

I think they sat in a room and thought - conceptually what would be the best way to create an unenviable user community that came back every day to give us money either directly or indirectly.

And then they created the phone, the UI, the App concept and hey presto loads of money.

With Apple there was no chicken or egg but a chicken:egg concept.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

EVERY F**KING POST TODAY IS A DOUBLE POST. AND APPARENTLY YOU CANNOT REPLICATE THIS PROBLEM! FFS!

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

Funny how when the first iphone was launched it didnt have the app store yet still made waves with its design, its OS and usability.

Since then it has just improved year after year like all good gadgets should.

As for WHO makes it so successful, it has to be a 50/50 split between the developers and Apple's marketing team

Snazy

Swiss, if you had to give 1% more to one of the two sides who would it be. Like trout says I know it's the whole package that makes it what it is today, but which side of the deal was the deal maker.
To me, without the quality of a lot of the apps the iPad would be pretty boring really. Yes it's what apple gave the developers to work with that counts, but the developers came good if you ask me.

There are many categories of iUsers,some are followers, some are tech nerds, then there are people like me who bought the pad mainly to use some of the proven apps available on it, rather than prestige.
There are more types of course, those who demand quality etc.

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

the 1st iphone was a woefull piece of crap for a phone and if they kept that up it would of totally bombed. I remeber buying a 1st gen iphone and it has to be the worst phone ever as its signal quality was on par with the three network

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

At the moment I have an iphone and an android phone and the iphone is miles ahead of the android due to the larger app store but I was a little pissed off when my iphone connected to new version of itunes today as when it was synced I was missing 20 games and not your free or 59p games but most were £2.99 and everytime I tried to sync it would not install them. Now my android phone doesn't need a sync so my games are always there

Snazy

Steve your opening sentence says exactly what I mean, it's miles better because of the apps not so much the phone.
Not taking anything away from anyone here, the iPhone is clearly good at what it does, but so are things like the desire and the galaxy.
However the one thing that always comes up is "apps available" and their respective stores.

Just wanted to know from the actual users what their opinions of what made it for them was.

Stealth

iTrader: (4)

you are missing a group of people........ the Marketing bods, without their pitch and spiel all over the place and managing demo's this would just be one of those phones that comes and goes.

The other thing that makes the iphone so popular is the fact it is an iphone..... It's not a Nokia where they have 6 million phones to choose from, this is the only Apple phone available and if you want an Apple phone this is what you have to buy LOL

Scooby Soon!

I just read an article on smart phones and it states that most people have no interest in apps?

Today qa friend of mine in Indonesia has asked me to bring him an iPhone 4 when I next go there I asked him why he wants one and he said that he doesn't know why , he just wants one! I just had a quick look on the apple store and it's going to cost him £600 yet he has never even held one or tried one!

Android 2.2 is clearly a better operating system than the iPhone if you want to change and customize your phone to how you want it, ios is better if you want things as simple as possible but the simpleton operating system comes at a great cost, I think once you use android then try to change to ios you wil see just how many things are missing.

Scooby Soon!

iPad double post!

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

The apps is all that makes this phone as even its advertising says it "there is an app for that " The apps on android allow for more free range but they are much more oney than on the iphone. How many times have you bought a phone say BB and wished there was games on it as games for BB are totally crap same with nokia etc but on the iphone they match a DS and so do a lot of android games. The game isn't about a good phone its about a good alrouder and t the minute the iphone tops that market. Years ago it was about the smallest phone s all you wanted to do was phone or txt buit now size matters so screen quality, camera and games ar top on most peoples lists and an actual phone is botto on the list until they actually find out thier new 24month contract is a useless phone

Snazy

I purposely missed the marketing people out as while they play a role in the original selection of the phone by the consumer, once bought the only 2 things left are the ozone and the apps lol. (other than blind unfounded commitment to the brand lol)

I get what you mean about the one choice approach too, definatly.


Yup that seems to be a very common reason to want one lol. I bought an iPad after using one for a couple of minutes at the airport. My reasons ( not that it would be the same for an iPhone) were I wanted something to use for the journey home on the plane, for future long flights, and just something to bring home from the USA cheaper than it would have been in the UK, all the wrong reasons really.

Sadly my cupcake running android DEXT is a poor example of what android can do, but turning it on for the first time in ages an hour ago it was nice to use again, using the qwerty of course lol
I make you right about the 2.1-2.2 systems though .

Snazy

Regarding the apps, definatly agree, which was gonna be the next point, it's a vicious circle now.
iPhone is a single form phone, so only one version of an app need be made, vast market, and huge following. Sales assured as long as the app is right. So developers are encouraged to develop for iPhone.
Meanwhile the others are left under developed. I'm glad there are people developing for android properly now, just wish some would do some bits for berry too lol.

Apps sold the iPad to me, not the hardware. So that's my answer to my own question. Apps, and like you say, even the advert focuses on apps.

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

I have a touch screen android tablet and compared to the ipad its useless but then I only paid £90 for it but its excellent at web pages and connects to the web everytime and does 3hrs battery life. I dare say the better priced android tablets would be worth more but in my opinion if you bought an ipad for the apps there IS NO ANDROID tablet that will do

hodgy0_2

remind me -- what do you do for a living?

Snazy

We will find out soon enough lol, I plan on buying a few of the soon to be released tabs, just for the hell of it.
When I say I bought it for the apps, i say that but in reality don't use too many. Most are prob available on android these days.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Just badge engineering like BMW frankly

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

If you buy an android tablet to match the ipad its gonna be near the same price if your after quality as most android tablets with 3g seem to be about £300 and thats with a 7" screen once you get to the ipad size I would not consider the trade off worth it ?

Snazy

Plan currently is a galaxy tab, and see what blackberry come out with for theirs too.
The iPad is a clumsy size for being handheld and portable, but does ok all the same.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I'd say: iPod

Apple had an expanding user base following from the iPod's success; naturally the next big thing would be to make it into a phone. Add some marketing to let the people know and away you go.

What made the iPod sucessful? Hmm, thats tricky. It wasn't the first mp3 player, nor was it the largest capacity or the most flexible (no native .wma playback without conversion etc). But from an asthetic design and marketing point of view it clearly led above the likes of Creative and Archos.

mart360

Still peddling the same blinkered views Jack

Jack's view is partially correct, in terms of the OS & GUI

Whilst on the one hand the OS has introduced some very innovative

features, it still remains hobbled by apples insistence on total control

No flash, no open web downloads, so you only get 80% of the web

experience.

Apps, are subject to apples control, so they dictate what is allowed,

look at the raft of free wifi apps pulled before the launch of the ipad

And they take a cut of the app fee, app milionares do a google search lol

Basic functions still lag behind, bluetooth file transfer? camera only just

getting to 5MP

Oh and antennagate

Dont get me wrong, its a good phone, but could and should be far better.

Mart

JackClark

Flash may well constitute 20% of your web browsing Mart, but I can assure you that it's no where near that on average. And don't forget that iOS has accelerated the adoption of HTML 5 further reducing that percentage, and games are plentiful and excellent in the app store.

If you think Apple are controlling then you've never seen Android after it's been doctored by any of the carriers. Also, Google have a kill switch and have used it... for Malicious software!

You can always say "should be far better", you said it when the 3GS was king of the hill, now with the 4.

ChefDude

as a photographer, i'll gladly pitch my 5mp iphone 4 against another phone - it's very good.

did you all realise the ipad was on the drawing board before iphone? once they realised they could make a smaller form factor, iphone got designed.

i reckon it is definitely the range of apps and more than a little of 'my friends have iphone' that keeps the sales momentum up.

i have to admit that since i had my ipad, my iphone gets a lot less use.

Snazy

Cheers Chef, interesting to say you use your iPhone less since the pad arrived. But logical I guess.

To me, like you, it's most definatly apps that keep me "interested"

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

It did well as it caught the other manufacturers on the hop with its excellent touch screen and ease of use for mortals, a lot of the Nokia stuff had lots of features but was fiddly to use and said features difficult to access, on an Iphone it was implicity itself. Another factor was Apple marketing and fan base, it is as much a lifestyle statement as a phone and for those who place a lot of value on image, it was the only phone to have.

That it was a stupid shape and had quite a few shortcomings didn't matter, people wanted it, badly, a lot of people would buy a plain white box with an Apple logo on it and then ask what it did when they got it home.

It was a game changer, Apple led the way but now the other manufacturers have woken up, I dont think Apple will catch the whole industry napping like that again.

ReallyReallyGoodMeat

It was the revolutionary UI and more importantly, the Apple Marketing machine coupled with the media.

Less than 15% of smartphone owners care about apps. (Can't provide the source I'm afraid)