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General discussion

If you were Steve Wozniak, would you admit this?

Jan 17, 2012 8:02AM PST

(Read blog here: Woz concedes Android advantages over iPhone)

If you were Wozniak, would you have admitted that Android phones have
advantages over the iPhone?


-- Heck no! (Why not?)
-- I would've done the same. (Why are you so certain?)
-- I don't know. (What's holding you back?)

Discussion is locked

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There was a famous case
Jan 18, 2012 9:11PM PST

here in the UK in the 90's

A respected and successful chain store selling jewellery went bust when the owner of the business said in a news interview that the jewellery he sold was rubbish.

The crash came very quickly after his remarks and all his stores closed down.

Hopefully Wozniak's remarks won't cause the same effect. Happy

Mark

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Woz needs 2 know marketing/hype as much as the Jobs knew it!
Jan 24, 2012 1:56AM PST

I also hope the Woz didn't put his foot in his mouth, too. But, the iphone is so good that I doubt that Woz's comment will be taken seriously, even if true.
But, he should be careful as we do know what has happened to RIM Blackberry when something new comes along, dont we Woz!? .

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re Famous case
Jan 24, 2012 8:22AM PST

Woz did not say his product was junk!! You've got your apples and oranges muddled. No offense.

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May be so
Jan 24, 2012 8:30AM PST

but investors and shareholders are always skitty about off the cuff remarks.

But I think he got away with this one. At least I haven't seen any bad reaction to it in the markets.

Mark

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Remember that Honesty is always the best policy.
Jan 24, 2012 10:54AM PST

What you sow is what you reap. Sow Honesty and get it in return.

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What I thought was interesting.
Jan 19, 2012 4:01AM PST

Was no mention of the "other" phone operating systems.

Windows Phone is now in its "Hail Mary" phase praying for the consumers to show up.
RIM had a few too many network outages and never caught on that folk might have reacted better to "Oops, we're working to fix that." Instead the message was unclear and many users appear to be going elsewhere.

The Android does have some upside but as I look at fielding our first app, I worry about fragmentation effects.
Bob

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Windows Phone and Android
Jan 24, 2012 3:00AM PST

Speaking of which, a friend of mine told me she thought Android was (from) Microsoft. I suppose she can be forgiven, her son-in-law has an iPhone, but it shows what some people "know." Something else to worry about...

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Since there are royalties paid to Microsoft,
Jan 24, 2012 3:11AM PST

There's actually some truth to that.

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Android is flaky
Jan 24, 2012 2:15AM PST

Android is such a flaky piece of junk, I can't believe anybody uses it. When are people going to start talking about Microsoft tablets??? How long are people going to tolerate such garbage?

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I don't know because
Jan 24, 2012 2:49AM PST

I don't own an iPhone, nor an Android phone. That said, I just received (a gift) a Kindle Fire (supposedly based on Android) which seems to be working fine except for not responding at all a lot of times when I tap on it. I'm thinking it has something to do with my fingers being cold, and big, so I've purchased a stylus for it. If I were "the Woz" and I really thought Android had advantages over iOS, of course I would say so. He's got nothing to lose by doing so and it shows him in a good light.

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What advantages??
Jan 24, 2012 2:57AM PST

I have a boostmobile with Android OS on a daily unlimited subscription.. The catch is that I cannot choose which day to use but at least on any five consecutive days at $2 a day. I must make a minimum of $10 boost payments .. If I make a $50 boost payment, I will be stuck with 25 consecutive days whether I need it or not. I tried to persuade Sprint to allow me to choose any day I want to use my boostmobile as long as I make a minimum requirment per quarter which is fine with me.. I am crossing my fingers that the marketing team will consider my proposal and make changes to the terms and conditions under Day Unlimited Plans.. I dont use my boostmobile everyday.. see?

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I hope I would have done the same
Jan 24, 2012 3:25AM PST

Shows a big heart, courage, and the confidence in his own product to allow that he hasn't got it all right and that others can have good ideas too. That paves the way for fruitful competition and benefits for the consumer.

In my working life nothing turned me off more than those blaggers who would never admit the opposition had anything good, or that they (the blaggers) had not made any mistakes or didn't have the best solution. But the sad thing is that more often than not the blaggers got a lot of respect and success even from people who could see through them. Especially, of course, from their colleagues.

I hope I would have the same sterling qualities as Wozniak - but he is exceptional so there'd be no disgrace in not matching him.

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Learning
Jan 24, 2012 4:01AM PST

You learn from your mistakes, not from your successes. Apple can learn from Android and visa versa. So Woz is correctly observing what happened and what needs to happen. Apple did not necessarily make a mistake, but the market changed as well. Now it is time to review your understanding of the market and modify your business plan. We don't use IBM 360 computers any more, nor Apple 2 computers. We learn from what happened and unless everybody is wrong in loving their particular machine, there are things that we all like about Apple and others.

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Woz is Right
Jan 24, 2012 4:08AM PST

As an iPhone and iPad owner, I do admit Wozniak is right. Overall, I am very happy with iOS, but there are things Android phone/tablets can do, that iOS can't - and I mean both hardware and software wise.

Both top mobile Operating Systems need to look out for Windows Phone 7.5; it's not huge now, but it is the OS that's different and has the most potential for growth.

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Honesty
Jan 24, 2012 6:57AM PST

At least he is giving credit where it is due.
Well done Steve.
A rare thing these days

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Truth Better for Marketing than Avoidance
Jan 24, 2012 8:19AM PST

It's much easier to trust someone who speaks the truth as he/she sees it. Your claims of superiority in other areas are much more believable. Pretty good marketing policy.

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Credibility
Jan 24, 2012 11:16AM PST

I said I would have done the same simply due to credibility. No one is perfect and clearly there is a group of people who decided a long time ago that apple products don't suit them as well as android product. I'm one of them. My daughter on the other hand can't live without them. Some of the "advantages" may be irrelevant to some users and therefore Android is not a product for them, on the other hand the reverse is true.

If you go about suggesting your product is the best based on features that don't exist on your platform or bugs that don't exist on your competitors, in a world of social networking, you will inevitably go down in flames. I think Woz understands that well and is willing to say, we see the advantages and we will be working to correct/improve...

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What he didn't say.
Jan 24, 2012 11:17AM PST

Woz may feel confident in making a statement like that because he may have a product up his sleeve to turn the tables.

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Good on you Steve................
Jan 24, 2012 12:10PM PST

Steve is a real man and this is what real men do, say it as you think & feel.....after all this is techno stuff not politics thank God....................... Cool

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Good policy.
Jan 24, 2012 4:41PM PST

Admitting keeps the Apple-worker on their toes.
That way they will keep developing the apple software to top condition.
It's good bussiness tactics and policy to aknowledge the competition to the full.

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Is it a case of misquote
Jan 24, 2012 5:32PM PST

I think that this could be a case of misinterpretation or misquote.
As of now iOS is far superior than Android (I am not a fan boy. I use Galaxy Note running Android Gingerbread).
Probable advantage that Steve Wozniak might wanted to convey is Availablity of Android across various hardware options.

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He's an Engineer not a salesman or marketer
Jan 24, 2012 8:35PM PST

Yes. He's an Engineer not a salesman or marketer. Android came after and so tried to make it easier and better now that a market existed. Engineering tends to be fact based, marketing more about hype.

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Honesty buys a descriminating and discerning public.
Jan 25, 2012 12:59AM PST

Would you rather watch and buy from a "company stooge"? I never would wait in line to buy the next 'hot' thing. Things 'get fixed' and prices get reduced by competition. When a principal official of a company admits a competition advantage, you know the next time he suffers to make his offering better and likely more reliable to the vast majority of buyers.