Apple Losing Touchscreen War 392
An anonymous reader writes "While Apple's iPhone may be the first device most people call to mind when they think of a touch interface mobile, the 3G device is still lagging behind in the touchscreen shifting stakes — it's getting a sound thrashing from Moto and Samsung, who've cornered the Asian market where touchscreens are popular for their ability to let users input Asian languages without all that fiddly Qwerty nonsense."
Apple is a niche player? (Score:5, Insightful)
For some background, I'm in IT and I work almost exclusively on Microsoft products and groan all you want but I'm a fan of theirs. I recently wanted to buy a smart phone. Mostly, something that was good at general web surfing, reading email and more. I saw my friends' iPhones and it was exactly what I was looking for but I have a natural anti-Apple bias so I didn't get one.
Then I started a search for a phone that met the requirements I have that didn't have an Apple on the back of it. Last Friday, I eliminated the final contender (AT&T Tilt) and gave up and bought an iPhone 3G.
It's not perfect, but it is amazingly good. I've yet to see a Windows Mobile device come close to it. The Samsung Omnia and Nokia Tube mentioned in the article don't appear to be available and to be honest, I didn't realize the other Windows Mobile devices sucked until I held them in my hand.
Does anyone know of a Windows Mobile device that matches the iPhone in web surfing? I'd love to hear about it.
Um, doesn't the phone have asian language input ? (Score:3, Insightful)
I was under the impression that it did, and that it even used its predictive-text system with the pictogram-style input ?
Add that to the question: "What the hell has Apple got to "lose" regarding touch-screens anyway?" and it looks to me like someone wanted some hits, and Apple is a good brand-name to use to get them....
Simon the cynic.
In the palm of my hand. (Score:1, Insightful)
"While Apple's iPhone may be the first device most people call to mind when they think of a touch interface mobile, the 3G device is still lagging behind in the touchscreen shifting stakes â" it's getting a sound thrashing from Moto and Samsung, who've cornered the Asian market where touchscreens are popular for their ability to let users input Asian language without all that fiddly Qwerty nonsense."
As opposed to PDAs using a stylus.
If touchscreens are so all-fired popular ... (Score:5, Insightful)
For those of us with fingers larger than pencil points, QWERTY is just a waste of precious real estate.
Re:Apple is a niche player? (Score:5, Insightful)
If web surfing is such a high priority for you, you are not looking for a smart phone, you are looking for an iPhone.
Pick almost any other smart phone feature and put it head-to-head against the iPhone and the iPhone loses.
Re:one day all screens will have touch/stylus inpu (Score:5, Insightful)
Looks like you just answered your own question there...
Re:Um, doesn't the phone have asian language input (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Right Question.... Wrong Answer. (Score:5, Insightful)
Why are 80 percent of touch screen phones marketed in Asia? Why aren't the touch screens being created for the Asian market showing up here?
The american cellular market has the telco as the gatekeeper. Each handset that shows up here has to get past them; and they are only interested in 'showcasing' a limited number of handsets.
Re:one day all screens will have touch/stylus inpu (Score:5, Insightful)
There are "slates", which are only the screen and a stylus, but text input is very annoying. Think of the amount of text you might enter in a single day, or just even in a single slashdot post. Would you rather write it with a stylus or type it?
Re:one day all screens will have touch/stylus inpu (Score:3, Insightful)
I think his question is "Why hasn't it caught on on the manufacturing side to make a tablet that Just Worked(tm)?"
Re:Apple is a niche player? (Score:5, Insightful)
If you don't have proper Internet on your phone by now, I really don't think you have a right to call it a "smart" phone.
The technology is there, the computing horsepower is there, and some phones have had it for a while. There's really no excuse at this point.
If you can't install arbitrary applications on your phone by now, I really don't think you have a right to call it a "smart" phone.
The technology is there, the computing horsepower is there, and some phones have had it for a while. There's really no excuse at this point.
Re:I'm surprised you bought an iPhone based on req (Score:4, Insightful)
I think this post sums up the term "fanboi" nicely.
Re:Apple is a niche player? (Score:5, Insightful)
"Pick almost any other smart phone feature and put it head-to-head against the iPhone and the iPhone loses."
This was a more defensible stance before the app store got under swing....
it seemed ridiculous that my Palm was a better To Do and journaler than my iPhone, but Appigo's Todo and Twitteriffic now make it the best device I've owned.
Probably the keyboard isn't fantastic for stuff that involves a lot of symbols, but in combination w/ its word recognition I can practically touch type.
This device is amazing.
Re:one day all screens will have touch/stylus inpu (Score:5, Insightful)
Which brings up an interesting question. Up until now Western languages have had a huge advantage for computers since keyboards can have one button per letter because of the small alphabet and context-free characters. It is really easy and fast to input characters to form words using dedicated buttons.
Now with accurate, sensitive touch screens, will word-based writing systems like Chinese actually be better suited now for writing?
Re:I'm surprised you bought an iPhone based on req (Score:4, Insightful)
"I think this post sums up the term "fanboi" nicely."
No, it really didn't... I don't know what "specs" we're talking about being missed here, but a good interface is crucial for many people...
like Myron Krueger said: "If people were going to use computers all day, everyday, the design of such machines was not solely a technical problem-- it was also an aesthetic one. A lousy interface would mean a lousy life."
Re:No need for extra bells and whistles (Score:1, Insightful)
Were you also unhappy when they put those new-fangled numbers on telephones instead of having them connect you to an operator?
The reality is, these smart phones function as phones. They are intuitive and easy to operate. They also have maps, gps, calendars, and email, all of which I find incredibly useful. None of these subtract from simple phone functionality.
Your request seems to me to say, can't we just have cars get us from A to B without all of these other devices like radios, glove-compartments, cupholders and heated seats? What do these things subtract?
Re:Unleash the Fanbois! (Score:0, Insightful)
"Once you've tried the multitouch iPhone you'll understand the difference between the JebusPhone and every other device"
Yeah, the differnce is the JebusPhone does less and costs more!
Re:If touchscreens are so all-fired popular ... (Score:4, Insightful)
I still prefer the classic Graffiti on the Palm, but the iPod QWERTY keyboard is acceptable; better than any hardware keyboard I've used on a smartphone.
I can text without looking at my phone because of tactile feedback. I might even be able to do the same with a qwerty smartphone keyboard because I know the layout so well.
The iPhone doesn't provide tactile feedback, so you don't know what key is where. I can't imagine how that is an improvement.
Please consider my claim more seriously (Score:5, Insightful)
Not that I think I'll change anyone's mind but really think about what makes a product, ANY product useful nowadays. Is it the raw specs? Do you buy your car based solely (or even primarily) on how many horsepower it has or its MPG? No, things like comfort and handling and responsiveness matter greatly. Possibly even safety could be considered a part of the "user interface", we could all literally tie ourselves in to the seat using rope but a seat belt is much more convenient (and likely to be used).
This doesn't even go into such things like styling or "image" (which is why you might buy a BMW over say a Chevy) and which, I'll happily admit, is a reason why I like Apple products. (Even services are very dependent on "the user interface" how is Disneyland different from Coney Island? Note: I used to design theme parks). So, if you want the maximum price to performance and are willing to suffer (great?) inconvenience, build your computer from scratch and install your own OS on it. That's what Bill had in mind, he thought we could all be nerds. I value my time more highly so I'll let Apple do the work.
iPhone sans phone (Score:3, Insightful)
Personally I think the iPhone looks very nice in functionality but there is no way in hell I'd "legally" buy one with subscription for the insane prices they are charging. Half a thousand dollars or so sure, but no subscription.
You might want to look into buying an iPod Touch then.
Just spent 2 weeks with Windows Mobile (Score:2, Insightful)
After just using a Windows Mobile phone during a two week international (outside US) trip, I can assure you that the iPhone is far and away the best phone out there. The Windows Mobile phone was simply atrocious. It was worse than having no phone at all. It was a nightmare.
I also note that not all touchscreens are the same. Apple's is simply more sensitive and accurate. Others, like on the Windows Mobile devices, seem to be plastic-y and non-sensitive. Is there a technical difference? Is it simply glass v. plastic? Or is there a difference on how the touch sensitivity works?
Re:Apple is a niche player? (Score:3, Insightful)
If you can't install arbitrary applications on your phone by now, I really don't think you have a right to call it a "smart" phone.
The technology is there, the computing horsepower is there, and some phones have had it for a while. There's really no excuse at this point.
Here, here. The reason iphone and apple in general have not had better market penetration is their exclusionary nature.
Re:If touchscreens are so all-fired popular ... (Score:4, Insightful)
I agree, tactile feedback is a good thing.
I don't think doing many things that require visual attention while texting is so good.
Re:It was HP, not Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
It was HP, not Apple that started the touch screen. So Apple has nothing to lose really. And Moto and Samsung rock! Apple is just hype.
Dude, nobody's claiming Apple invented the touchscreen.
But the article is misleading because once you've used an iPhone, all other touchscreen interfaces seem downright primitive.
Re:Apple is a niche player? (Score:5, Insightful)
If you can't install arbitrary applications on your phone by now, I really don't think you have a right to call it a "smart" phone.
Oh please. All religious dogma aside, the 3000+ apps available through Apple's App Store more than qualify the iPhone as a "smart" phone. Sure, you have to pay $99, and Apple has rejected 3 apps so far so they must be evil, but all in all it's one of the cheapest, easiest-to-approach development systems for any mobile provider. And if you can't find some way to make $99/year on the App Store (or if you really want to keep everything free, open a lemonade stand on your street corner while developing on your laptop) then I don't have a lot of respect for your business acumen.
Re:No need for extra bells and whistles (Score:3, Insightful)
Then don't buy a fucking smart phone, get a normal phone. It ain't rocket science.
Which touchscreen shift? (Score:3, Insightful)
The bigger question is which shift is likely to be more important. Is the big shift going to be to generic touchscreens which are slight modifications of the current mouse programming interface or to multitouch which is an attempt at a basic reorganization of the human computer interface?
In the article they say: "Such devices are popular in the region for their ability to allow users to input Asian language characters with a stylus". A stylus driven touchscreen is inherently NOT multitouch. Multitouch is a niche market compared to touchscreens in general but it is also distinct from it. The article is about Newton era technology which is not the technology which drives the iPhone and iPod touch.
Re:It was HP, not Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
Frankly, who gives a flip which was the first!
What I'm interested in, is which device does it best, and I think it's pretty damn obvious which the winner is.
fragile? (Score:3, Insightful)
Moving parts yes, but fragile? What's fragile is a tablet screen without a flippable laptop keyboard protecting it during transport/storage/etc. Don't think of it as a laptop with a flippable touchscreen; think of it as a tablet PC with a built-in protective cover that doubles as a keyboard.
Re:Apple is a niche player? (Score:3, Insightful)
"Hear, hear." [wikipedia.org]
Re:It was HP, not Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, that's pretty much it.
I thought I would hate the iPhone, I only got one to be able to better support my customers, who were buying them like crazy.
I love it. Of course, I jailbroke it within half an hour of getting it, and it tethers and runs Netatalk - but it really is as good as the hype.
Inaccurate article (Score:1, Insightful)
Whoever wrote this article obviously has not used the iPhone OS 2.0 software. It allows you to input Chinese writing in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese and Hanyu Pinyin (romanized). And the Chinese handwriting recognition system is the best I've used, and is extremely accurate.