Will Apple ever be mainstream in India??

[t3chg33k]

You know, Apple's privacy policy with truecaller isn't unique to iPhones. It can perfectly be applied to Android too. You DON'T have to give it all of the permissions on android. And it'll work just like how it works on iPhone. You can also do manual search on android's truecaller. STOP saying it's android's fault that it let's users do more with their phones. You can perfectly choose not to do more and it'll behave just like how it does on iPhones.

STOP saying truecaller snoops on users' data. We willingly gave it the freakin access in the first place. THAT's how it's supposed to work. The spam filters and other data aren't created auto-magically by angels who fly down from the heaven. It is created by us, fed by us, managed by us, the android users. It's a community effort. So next time, when you are freeloading on the data created by Android users, try to be a bit more gracious towards them.

Manually checking spam maybe works great for you. I really wished it was that simple for me too. But stop stereotyping, not everyone has your life. For some of us, if we don't auto block spam we won't be able to work or sleep. We, unfortunately, don't live in idealistic society where everyone receives spam call only once in a week. I'm paying for TC in its second year, now with a family plan. And I don't regret it.


It's a clickbait news written by a tech illiterate to fill her monthly quota. She didn't know that Xiaomi limits its net profit margins to 5% as a company policy. It's a common knowledge. We don't need to know 50 different reasons why Xiaomi has less profit margin than Apple.

No, Android is much more lax on data access. I have 2 other Android devices in addition to my iPhone. By default, Android allows an app to access far too much of the system data. Most recently, for example, I found that the ICICI app refuses to work with Developer Options enabled. Same goes for a bunch of apps that want access to call logs or location before allowing you to use them. It is ridiculous that apps can choose when to not allow you to use them. On iOS, I have all permissions disabled for most of the apps and they are supposed to still work, with manual inputs. You cannot guardrail apps to the same extent on Android.

Anyway, I started the TC Premium trial on iOS and am glad that it is possible to automate the search now by using the Double Tap on back gesture and get the live caller ID.

How to enable Live Caller ID on iPhone?

Live Caller ID is a Premium functionality that allows you to identify any incoming call with all relevant information just by saying ‘Hey Siri, Search Truecaller’, Back-tapping twice or three times on the back of the iPhone, or by simply using th...

support.truecaller.com

The 5% profit margin declaration from Xiaomi has no other source apart from the CEO. There was never any explanation as to how this money comes back to users. Honesty and transparency would be the last thing to expect from a Chinese company closely aligned to the communist party. The 13 Pro at 80k is definitely being sold at 5% margin, so much so that they will reduce the price by 20k in a quarter.

And Yes, malware is just far too prevalent on Android, even on the Play Store.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...rates-60-google-play-apps-with-100m-installs/

Android app from China executed 0-day exploit on millions of devices | Hacker News

news.ycombinator.com

 

[ibose]

Let's not do a Android vs Apple again for the 100th time.. both have their own issues and supporters ..
If you want to bash one or the other then there are dedicated bashing threads; please feel free to restart any of those while I grab the popcorn.

 

[lockhrt999]

No, Android is much more lax on data access. I have 2 other Android devices in addition to my iPhone. By default, Android allows an app to access far too much of the system data. Most recently, for example, I found that the ICICI app refuses to work with Developer Options enabled. Same goes for a bunch of apps that want access to call logs or location before allowing you to use them. It is ridiculous that apps can choose when to not allow you to use them. On iOS, I have all permissions disabled for most of the apps and they are supposed to still work, with manual inputs. You cannot guardrail apps to the same extent on Android.

My entire point was related to TrueCaller and nothing further. I'm not here to defend Android or iPhones. That's a childish debate. Like it says, I'm not a fan. I can squeeze a lemon on both of them equally.

 

[t3chg33k]

My entire point was related to TrueCaller and nothing further. I'm not here to defend Android or iPhones. That's a childish debate. Like it says, I'm not a fan. I can squeeze a lemon on both of them equally.

This thread went rather off-topic with the TrueCaller discussion.

However, I made my point earlier. Apple will become mainstream as the mainstream market becomes moves up the segment. This happened in China where Apple garnered the maximum market share, despite its pricing. The other manufacturers have been pushing up their prices quite illogically in search of profit margins while using Apple as a basis to justify high prices, and unfortunately it is backfiring on them.

It will take a lot more time in India than China, but Apple will become mainstream eventually as the upfront cost keeps rising up and people become more inclined to keep their phones for longer. One most remember the iPhone built its reputation by being an early mover in the smartphone segment and unlike macOS, it is able to cater to all segments and compatibility/gaming is not an issue; only the price is.

 

[blr_p]

However, I made my point earlier. Apple will become mainstream as the mainstream market becomes moves up the segment. This happened in China where Apple garnered the maximum market share, despite its pricing.

Hmm, I can see it but the question is how did they double their share in the space of one year? The reason that people want iPhone 14 answers that question for you? not for me

There was a time when iPhones allowed anonymous messaging if you were within a certain distance. Comes in really handy at opposition meets. But I think the CCP closed that hole unless Apple found a way to defeat it. So yeah freedom phone has its USP

China Smartphone Market Share: Quarterly - Counterpoint

China’s smartphone shipments rose 1% YoY in Q4 2023, marking the first quarterly increase in more than two years.

www.counterpointresearch.com

^The share fluctuates a lot as you can see. For instance why the decrease from 22% in Q4 2021 to 13% in Q2 2022 and then it goes up again ?? What's going on there

Q3 to Q4 people buy the latest model. Already by Q1 if not earlier to Q2 they want to recover their money and wait for the next. This resulted in Apple's share literally halving and then doubling.

Second hand market builds inertia. Why do you need the latest when you can get the last one second hand ?

So Apple's share is volatile. Not yet the market leader.

It will take a lot more time in India than China, but Apple will become mainstream eventually as the upfront cost keeps rising up and people become more inclined to keep their phones for longer.

My LG V20 will be six years this Oct. On its third battery. I expect five years out of a flagship

One most remember the iPhone built its reputation by being an early mover in the smartphone segment and unlike macOS, it is able to cater to all segments and compatibility/gaming is not an issue; only the price is.

An early mover in the sense of being first at the touchscreen game. But that was a long time ago.

I don't see iPhones as being the best or first at anything. But they do most things well which is not the same thing.

They are an easy choice. This year's or last year's model. Instead of having to go through another five other competitors.

 

[superczar]

My LG V20 will be six years this Oct. On its third battery. I expect five years out of a flagship

FWIW, My ip 11 PM (hand-me-down from wife) will be completing 4 years in september - On its original battery .
In many ways, it still feels zippier than a lot of 2022 flagships

 

[blr_p]

FWIW, My ip 11 PM (hand-me-down from wife) will be completing 4 years in september - On its original battery .
In many ways, it still feels zippier than a lot of 2022 flagships

The second battery, official from the service centre bloated up in a year and a half. No idea why it only lasted half as long as the original.

I won't say it's snappy, I put some software on it that makes it sleep better so waking it up generally means a few seconds for it to wake up but it gets good standby this way. It's still running on Android 7 so later versions like the one on the S20FE are much better.

Remember Android does not slow things down so usually by the third year, the phone dies below 30%. This is with QC3. There might be some truth to slow charging and consequent lower temperatures and longevity. I've restricted the S20FE to 9W from 15W to see how long the battery will last on the new phone.

The new phone has become my media player and the old one remains the daily. Because of WhatsApp once you move sims then it's final because WhatsApp will go out of sync otherwise.

 

[superczar]

The second battery, official from the service centre bloated up in a year and a half. No idea why it only lasted half as long as the original.

I won't say it's snappy, I put some software on it that makes it sleep better so waking it up generally means a few seconds for it to wake up but it gets good standby this way. It's still running on Android 7 so later versions like the one on the S20FE are much better.

Remember Android does not slow things down so usually by the third year, the phone dies below 30%. This is with QC3. There might be some truth to slow charging and consequent lower temperatures and longevity. I've restricted the S20FE to 9W from 15W to see how long the battery will last on the new phone.

The new phone has become my media player and the old one remains the daily. Because of WhatsApp once you move sims then it's final because WhatsApp will go out of sync otherwise.

I know OS choices can be very personal - but you really oughta try using iPhones or aarguably even Macs at least one time.
Both OSes have many flaws (which is not unlike any other) but one big advantage they do offer is a long and hassle free usable lifespan for those of us who are not serial upgraders

 

[blr_p]

I know OS choices can be very personal - but you really oughta try using iPhones or aarguably even Macs at least one time.

Before the iPod was a thing I did a stint developing software on MacOS. The IDE was called Code Warrior. I drew the line with getting more familiar with Mac's internal apis though. The partisanship with this lot was breathtaking. In those days Apple was on thin ice and you had to pretend to be a true believer. The one saving grace I had was I liked wearing turtle neck tops. It would be several months later when I understood why people took a liking to me.

Felt like being in some damn cult after a bit. Always been that way. There were things you just couldn't say and I'm more of an infidel than a conformist.

This is the culture Jobs instilled and people just had this mad belief to be the best. Whatever a competitor did Apple had to do better and of course, whatever Apple did was the best. Funny how even the customers parrot this line. Nothing wrong with that but there was this dictatorial liberal streak these guys had that rubbed me the wrong way after a point. I used to always tell them one day I'd be the guy swinging that sledgehammer at the screen when their exalted leader was speaking because that's what they'd become. The irony !!!

You see this in the non-standard way they do things. They are like the CCP. We make the damn standards. not anyone else. Screw the rules. In the PC world, this meant a lot of very nice software. I read his biography in French in the early 90s. A friend lent me his 'bible'.

I remember getting similar abuse from some guy at Sun when I popped open my Thinkpad. Told him, if Sun made similar gear he should feel free to send me one. I'd always rag them back in some way though

I saw none of this with other platforms I worked on.

 

[superczar]

Before the iPod was a thing I did a stint developing software on MacOS. The IDE was called Code Warrior. I drew the line with getting more familiar with Mac's internal apis though. The partisanship with this lot was breathtaking. In those days Apple was on thin ice and you had to pretend to be a true believer. The one saving grace I had was I liked wearing turtle neck tops. It would be several months later when I understood why people took a liking to me.

Felt like being in some damn cult after a bit. Always been that way. There were things you just couldn't say and I'm more of an infidel than a conformist.

This is the culture Jobs instilled and people just had this mad belief to be the best. Whatever a competitor did Apple had to do better and of course, whatever Apple did was the best. Funny how even the customers parrot this line. Nothing wrong with that but there was this dictatorial liberal streak these guys had that rubbed me the wrong way after a point. I used to always tell them one day I'd be the guy swinging that sledgehammer at the screen when their exalted leader was speaking because that's what they'd become. The irony !!!

You see this in the non-standard way they do things. They are like the CCP. We make the damn standards. not anyone else. Screw the rules. In the PC world, this meant a lot of very nice software. I read his biography in French in the early 90s. A friend lent me his 'bible'.

I remember getting similar abuse from some guy at Sun when I popped open my Thinkpad. Told him, if Sun made similar gear he should feel free to send me one. I'd always rag them back in some way though

I saw none of this with other platforms I worked on.

I cannot comment as an insider - and its quite possible that it would be a very annoying/ difficult place to work at.

I am speaking purely as an end user who cares for the longevity of an expensive device - while retaining no loss of functionality / usability as against day 1.
And yet to see a phone that comes close (and can say the same for tablets and current laptops)

 

[desiibond]

I cannot comment as an insider - and its quite possible that it would be a very annoying/ difficult place to work at.

I am speaking purely as an end user who cares for the longevity of an expensive device - while retaining no loss of functionality / usability as against day 1.
And yet to see a phone that comes close (and can say the same for tablets and current laptops)

You cannot have a device that will work the same way forever. App developers add new features and layers that consume more resources. One cannot always code app to only use x MB of memory. Each OS version is tuned as per memory available for that generation hardware.

Look at gaming world as well. Cards with 8GB VRAM are getting obsolete now as game devs targeted 12GB vram cards for new and upcoming games.

 

[superczar]

You cannot have a device that will work the same way forever. App developers add new features and layers that consume more resources. One cannot always code app to only use x MB of memory. Each OS version is tuned as per memory available for that generation hardware.

Look at gaming world as well. Cards with 8GB VRAM are getting obsolete now as game devs targeted 12GB vram cards for new and upcoming games.

Indeed - the catch is that by whatever combination of overspecced processors and software optimization, the usable lifespan (i.e. without compromises on usability/slowdown) of their devices is significantly longer than other flagships.
I say this because I am a concurrent user of 2X phones, tabs and laptops (I love all OSs .. know I have a problem.. so please don't ask why )

I won't go into past examples so let me keep it current for relatibility

- My current phones are a iPhone 11 pro max and a Z Fold 4. I will probably change the former later this year or next - but at each new launch, I consider an upgrade but decide against it as there is nothing new I will gain. In the same intervening period , I am currently on my 3rd android

- My wife's current tab is a iPad pro 11 (1st gen) from 2018. It was actually mine but I got tempted to get a 12.9 couple of years ago. It still runs everything the way it used to on day 1 with no slowdowns - and was noticeably faster than my s7+ .. and I'd say on par with the tab s8+ i have now.
I won't even comment on my 2 year old 12.9 M1 which will probably last me 3 or 4 upgrade cycles over my galaxy tabs

- My current laptop is a m1 MBA from 2019. I got it around the same time as a 10th gen LG Gram. The former still runs as good as new even when driving an external 4k screen and loaded with productivity software. It's probably going to be good for another 3 years unless i break it or really get tempted to upgrade.
During the same period I had to sell the LG gram because it really struggled with the same workload. I considered getting a Samsung Galaxy book pro2 (12th gen) but apparently that too has the same problem so windows laptop purchase is currently deferred as it seems there is nothing in 2023 that would come close to the experience from a 2020 MBA.
(and yes, I know there are beastly configurations available in windows laptops - but I would rather use my desktop than getting one of those heavy and hot battery suckers)

Do note that none of the above will appeal to those who must always have the latest & greatest. But for many of us, long usable life is an important consideration as long as it does not entail making sacrifices or tweaks to keep the device running.
On the last part (computers), windows desktops are also very very good so that is one exception to the norm

 

[powervgx]

I know OS choices can be very personal - but you really oughta try using iPhones or aarguably even Macs at least one time.
Both OSes have many flaws (which is not unlike any other) but one big advantage they do offer is a long and hassle free usable lifespan for those of us who are not serial upgraders

Before M1, the macs were running on same intel chips and had worse performance, worse everything at the price point. People compare a MAC which is 20-50k more expensive with a mid range windows laptop and then claim that a MAC has a longer life. M1 changed that and now base M1 MACS are actually better than Windows counterpart. Regarding phones, all phones last very long these days. Even Mid range androids are very good so after spending 20-50k extra on a iPhone, a bit longer life is the least Apple can do otherwise what is the point of it?

Look at gaming world as well. Cards with 8GB VRAM are getting obsolete now as game devs targeted 12GB vram cards for new and upcoming games.

12 GB is the limit of VRAM available on 99% of Nvidia cards. 90% of all cards both Nvidia and AMD are still on 8 GB VRAM or less. How can devs target 12 GB unless they want 90% users not to buy their games? Moreover 8 GB cards are used mostly at 1080p and 1440p. They will be fine for many years to come. That VRAM target of 12 GB is for 4k Ultra. How many cards can do that even after having enough VRAM ?

 

[superczar]

Before M1, the macs were running on same intel chips and had worse performance, worse everything at the price point. People compare a MAC which is 20-50k more expensive with a mid range windows laptop and then claim that a MAC has a longer life. M1 changed that and now base M1 MACS are actually better than Windows counterpart. Regarding phones, all phones last very long these days. Even Mid range androids are very good so after spending 20-50k extra on a iPhone, a bit longer life is the least Apple can do otherwise what is the point of it?


12 GB is the limit of VRAM available on 99% of Nvidia cards. 90% of all cards both Nvidia and AMD are still on 8 GB VRAM or less. How can devs target 12 GB unless they want 90% users not to buy their games? Moreover 8 GB cards are used mostly at 1080p and 1440p. They will be fine for many years to come. That VRAM target of 12 GB is for 4k Ultra. How many cards can do that even after having enough VRAM ?

Not worse everything - I specifically did not go into past examples but my last set of laptops before the Gram were a MBP and a Surface Pro. While the performance difference (unlike now) was not that starkly different, the build quality difference was big. The surface Pro in fact was one of my worst tech purchases ever bit thats a story for another day while the last MBP again lasted 5 years - and could have run even longer but the 2020 MBA got too tempting to resist.

Anyway the point I am trying to make is that OS preferences can vary and is highly subjective.
However device usable lifespan, at least for non compulsive upgraders is usually a lot (and I mean quite a lot) higher for Apple than others.
Its arguably one of the key reasons why its so successful in the US in particular (which is a highly value conscious market ) for both phones and tabs

 

[desiibond]

Before M1, the macs were running on same intel chips and had worse performance, worse everything at the price point. People compare a MAC which is 20-50k more expensive with a mid range windows laptop and then claim that a MAC has a longer life. M1 changed that and now base M1 MACS are actually better than Windows counterpart. Regarding phones, all phones last very long these days. Even Mid range androids are very good so after spending 20-50k extra on a iPhone, a bit longer life is the least Apple can do otherwise what is the point of it?


12 GB is the limit of VRAM available on 99% of Nvidia cards. 90% of all cards both Nvidia and AMD are still on 8 GB VRAM or less. How can devs target 12 GB unless they want 90% users not to buy their games? Moreover 8 GB cards are used mostly at 1080p and 1440p. They will be fine for many years to come. That VRAM target of 12 GB is for 4k Ultra. How many cards can do that even after having enough VRAM ?

Its not like that. Games development is a long drawn process, right? Developers plan early on how much VRAM to use based on where the hardware is leading. If you see all new games and ports, they all are VRAM hungry. This, I believe, is because the devs were expecting 12GB to become mainstream in mid range gaming in 2023. They did not expect Nvidia to skimp on VRAM and they did not expect the prices to go up like this. Ray Tracing was a game changer and game developers are trying to bring the best looking environments, using RT. This is a memory guzzler for sure. Game developers may have started developing 2023 release games back in 2020 or so. Take Unreal Engine 5 for example. Epic games says that minimum is 10-12GB of RAM (recommended). This was the target when they started development, not the target when they decided to do public launch. All games coming this year (with heavy shaders) will see the similar pattern of needing minimum of 12GB of VRAM. 8GB VRAM cards will be limited to 1080p ultra or 1440p medium settings.

 

[blr_p]

PSA

Simple settings to set so you don't lose your Apple ID and everything else that goes with it

 

[vaibhav_1979]

I dont think so , spending 1 lach> on a mobile is still a luxury.....you can get it on EMI but still not a viable options, unless iphones started selling between 20~30K Range not gonna happen

 

[t3chg33k]

I dont think so , spending 1 lach> on a mobile is still a luxury.....you can get it on EMI but still not a viable options, unless iphones started selling between 20~30K Range not gonna happen

The Pro series of anything are not volume movers. But when every Android manufacturer is releasing their mid-range devices in the 30-40k segment now, Apple doesn't need to do much apart from pushing their year-old devices towards the 45k mark.

I think they were okay with India being a small market but now that global sales are falling, they will target the mid-range market in India more aggressively. Tim Cook even had to mention India in the earnings call.

Net income from sales in Q2 was $24.16 billion versus $25.01 billion last year. Sales fell in most global regions, though they grew in "Asia Pacific" to $8.11 billion. India, Cook told CNBC, looks "very good" for capturing first-time iPhone buyers and those switching from Android.