Why IPhone will survive the S4, N4, Z10 and others to come

With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, LG Nexus 4 and Blackberry Z10 a war against Apple's IPhone 5 seems to be declared. But is it really? On the surface it might seem this way, but the real motivation could be seen in a different light. That is what I am going to discuss today.

A review of recently released smartphones showed that the Samsung Galaxy S4 indeed seems to fullfil its promise followed by HTC One. 
The Blackberry Z10 has a relatively low score, but is basically on par with IPhone 5. 
Interestingly enough the Galaxy S3 marginally outperforms the IPhone 5 and the Z10. 




Does the IPhone have a future?
The IPhone 5 is far from dead. The results published in the review by Primatelabs need to be looked at with a bit of nuance. The IPhone 5 has been on the market since 6 going 7 months, therefore the comparison with the Galaxy S4, HTC One and LG Nexus 4 are not reflecting its actual capabilities.  The S4, One and Nexus 4 all operate on 4 core hardware whilste the 5 is operating on 2 cores (with an operating 2,5 times faster than the IPhone 4S). If you take the release date of the IPhone 5 and benchmark it with phones released in a simular period it suddenly jumps  in ranking to #2 behind the Samsung Galaxy S3. 

What has the Galaxy S4 to offer that the IPhone 5 has not?

1. Bigger Screen (+ 1 inch) and sharper screen (HD Super AMOled)
2. Removable Battery 
3. Expendable memory slots
4. Camera: 13 Megapixel (!!!) including software (share with friends, blur etc)
5. Quad Processor (twice as fast as IPhone 5 and Galaxy S3)
6. Google Now instead of Siri. (Updated Andriod Jelly Bean)
7. Overall speed of the Galaxy S4 (2GB RAM vs 1GB RAM on IPhone5)

Can the HTC One live up to expectations?

With the release of its flagship phone the HTC One, HTC's goal is to reclaim marketshare it lost last year with the release of the X-One to Samsung. The reviews for the HTC One are glowing. Its phone lives up to the technical expectations in speeds, usability, software and hardware. The biggest challenge it will face is how to reclaim marketshare from the all-dominating Samsung in the Android operated phones. The HTC One has a lot going for itself. Question is will consumers accept it as the phone to have? 



Will  LG and Google make the Nexus 4 a serious player? 

My personal favorite of expectation is the LG produced and Google supported Nexus 4. Given the fact that Google is focussing on Android and Chrome (as in my last blog) this will be an interesting device to own. The reviews have been good, but its network technology has been reviewed as one generation behind the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy. Having said so it is by far the best Android phone out there with superiour software and capability. Biggest showstopper will most likely be the Network Technology (in the US) and the fact that Samsung is the dominant force in Android and Apple IPhone is an extremely strong brand. 

Is the Blackberry Z10 the lifesafer it is supposed to be?

When Blackberry CEO Thorsten Heins called the IPhone "Outdated" and Android an "Unsafe" Platform, claiming the Z10 would be superiour. Talk about confidence in your product! 
The reviews are positive especially about the BB10 operating system that is proving a robust platform; the hardware architecture and design are solid, what you expect from BB. It does all the things a smartphone should do! That is exactly the issue: Why should anybody want to buy a phone that is good, but nothing special in a market flooded with devices that a really and I mean really good!

Personally I see Blackberry as the manufacturors of these annoying devices that make you work 24/7 and when on travel present you with extortionist phone bills. 
Blackberry went all-in on the Z10 to get the company back on track again, doubt if it will happen.



My Verdict:

 Apple's flagship both in MAC and IPhone has always been the superiour intergation of hardware and software, allowing it to outperform its competitors. That has not and will not change in the future. 

What will happening is not a battle between Apple and other device producers, but a battle over control of the Android market currently dominated by Samsung where Google has set its sights on. Google's first step has been taken: intergrate both the Android and Chrome development divisions. Once Google has positioned itself strategically the battle will not be about devices anymore but a native liberaries where Google can start offering intergrated solutions on every Android driven device and by doing so it will dominate Android operated devices. 
Apple on the other hand has build a loyal customer base over the years with a very high level of customer and user satisfaction.