A good one, right up until the last panel, which loses something due to it being incorrect. Apple currently sells 3 models, and has been selling at least 2 for a couple years now. At present, there's the 4S, the latest model, the 4, last year's new model, and the 3GS, the current budget model that was the latest model 2 years ago.
Well, they actually are currently making and selling 3—the 3GS, 4, and 4S. (four, if you count the GSM and the CDMA versions of the iPhone 4 separately).
Ooohhh... this'll cause you some flame wars :) You mentioned Apple and Andriod in the same strip... and didn't come down on either side (welllll.... maybe subtly in the Android court, but the Apple users won't notice).
Selling two obsolete models and the new one doesn't count as having multiple options. That's just "Do you want the cheaper one that's outdated, or the one that's new and also already outdated?" Neener.
They might technically still be building two obsolete models, but there is only one current iPhone and quite deliberately no real choice at all. Buying an Android is like having a wide selection of colors, makes, and models. Buying an iPhone is like the option of buying a '97 Ford Taurus, a '98 Ford Taurus, or a '99 Ford Taurus. They all have the same trim package and the only color is beige.
But at least your town is full of shops that specialize in aftermarket accessories for the Ford Taurus, so there's that.
I have an iPhone and I think the last panel is perfect, hilarious, and basically true. I love my iPhone and I'm glad that it stays basically the same, because I am too lazy to learn new things. I wouldn't be caught dead with any other apple products though...
Do you think he should buy the expensive one, the very expensive one, or the outlandishly expensive one? Also which network? The sucky network everyone hates, or the slightly less sucky network that has a few technical compromises? And which data plan--the one where you pay too much for data and then get slapped with insane fees for overages, or the one where you pay too much for data and then get slapped with insane fees for overages?
Or you can be like me and be a technology hobo with a dumbphone. I'm too cheap to pay extra for a data-plan (plus it's Verizon, so I can't get unlimited anyway). Works out fine, because iPhone users love to show off how cool their iPhone is to we Luddites, so if you, say, need directions, just ask random 20-something looking people on the street until you find someone who wants to demonstrate their hipness. Cheap and lazy - that's the American way! ;)
Most of the Android phones on the market are 'obsolete models' by that definition. At least all iPhones for sale run the latest version of the OS.
Actually untrue! Funny with all the talk about Android fragmentation, people ignore the fact that the different iOS versions are often not compatible with older phones (or at the very least are crippled in random ways).
(I own an iPhone... and will never make that mistake again).
Is not the very nature of being pedantic the focus, discussion, and detailing of relatively unimportant minutiae to the exclusion of more important and relevant matters?
Apple supports their iPhones with the current OS longer than Android makers do. If I were interested in paying for a data plan every month then that would be the most important criterion.
If by "support", you mean make you pay money to call them, or drive to a major city to use the Apple store 'genius', oh yeah, they support them longer.
Lummox really got me to thinking about follow-ups. What about Apple's design patent on rounded corners? Does this mean that those that buy non-infringing Android devices (in a universe where the patent is deemed valid) with sharp corners might risk putting an eye out? And what about the newly-minted ban on IToy sales in Europe? Could Rick make a trip to Europe just to buy an iPhone so that he could say his was contraband?
Dude, really, when you add up all the android phones made by Motorola, Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony, Casio, HP, and so on, the number of iPhones rounds down to "one."
(I've got a Droid _and_ an iPad, and I like 'em both.)
Do you think he should buy the expensive one, the very expensive one, or the outlandishly expensive one? Also which network? The sucky network everyone hates, or the slightly less sucky network that has a few technical compromises? And which data plan--the one where you pay too much for data and then get slapped with insane fees for overages, or the one where you pay too much for data and then get slapped with insane fees for overages?
You forgot the network that has mediocre coverage but unlimited data.
All I know is I bought an HTC Desire HD almost entirely because of a Youtube video where some guy demo'd it right next to an iPhone 4, and it was better than the iPhone 4 in every single way. Plus, Android is an open system, so the possibilities are way more endless than those of a company with a proprietary product whose creative genius just died.
One of the few topics where a flamewar is inevitable.
People literally cannot help themselves. They might even start reading this comic convinced they will not get all pissy and post something pointless. then there they are hitting Create Post. "It was just a little clarification" they rationalize.
I'll preface this by noting there are iPhones, Androids and Blackberries in my family. There is a lot of fun to be had hitting them their weak spots but we need to be clear on what those spots are.
Bobman: You are wrong. Your ability to update an Android phone to the latest OS versions has to filter from Google through the manufacturers and finally the carrier. The result is that the odds the phone you're holding is running the latest version of Android is quite small. Many phones that ship with latest major version are out of date in weeks or months. Some ship one and even two major versions behind.
Love 'em or hate Apple has this one nailed. iPhones have tended to support the latest major version of the OS for up to three years and that version is available to all supported phones the instant it ships.
I love watching the Apple fanboys charging forth like a pack of rabid monkeys and flinging poo at everyone who doesn't have a shrine to Steve Jobs in their closet.
For those of us protoLuddites who haven't bothered to buy ANY of these, it's hilarious watching these two anthills battling over each other's dead caterpillars.
@Patrick: Poo flinging, huh? The only Apple "fanboys" that I see in this discussion are stating something called "facts". Paul Turnbull gave a fine link. Have a peek. The strip itself allows for the possibility of iPhone ownership--imagine that--and does it with humor. Then the anti-Apple "fanboy" crowd chimes in with the ad hominem attacks. Hmm...
Perface: I also stick with a dumbphone. I find it odd how some people think that the posts in this thread count as "Apple fanboys charging forth like a pack of rabid monkeys and flinging poo at everyone who doesn't have a shrine to Steve Jobs in their closet." What posts, precisely, count as poo-flinging? Claiming that Android OS is not as well supported as Apple OS? Claiming that there is more than one model of iPhone? Is that really enough to make one a "rabid monkey" of an "Apple acolyte?"
It seems very clear to me that the most irrational and highly strung posts in the thread are the ones criticizing the supposedly rabid Apple fans. Possibly followed by the one attacking the people who criticize the Apple fans.
I see several comments about "Apple fanboys" and their zealous protection of their phones, but I don't actually see any fanboys being stupid. I DO see people who hate Apple trying to bait the "other side" so they can then poke fun at them for taking the (petty) bait. Scott is correct; there is only, at any given time, one current model of the iPhone. And there are a wider variety of choices of Android phones, not to mention more options for apps and how the phone is set up and so on. But Apple also has more strict quality control and better support for their equipment, by and large. So...there, can we be done now? As someone who has never owned a smartphone himself, it's really boring seeing the same argument all over the net.
December 11, 2011
Reader Comments (55)
A good one, right up until the last panel, which loses something due to it being incorrect. Apple currently sells 3 models, and has been selling at least 2 for a couple years now. At present, there's the 4S, the latest model, the 4, last year's new model, and the 3GS, the current budget model that was the latest model 2 years ago.
Macintosh company policy itself is the punchline. I love it!
False. There have been 5 iPhones.
And then you should de-friend that person in real life. iPad, bah!
Well, they actually are currently making and selling 3—the 3GS, 4, and 4S. (four, if you count the GSM and the CDMA versions of the iPhone 4 separately).
Ooohhh... this'll cause you some flame wars :) You mentioned Apple and Andriod in the same strip... and didn't come down on either side (welllll.... maybe subtly in the Android court, but the Apple users won't notice).
Now /everyone/ will hate you :)
Selling two obsolete models and the new one doesn't count as having multiple options. That's just "Do you want the cheaper one that's outdated, or the one that's new and also already outdated?" Neener.
Most of the Android phones on the market are 'obsolete models' by that definition. At least all iPhones for sale run the latest version of the OS.
Brace Yourselves
The Apple Fanboys are Coming
They might technically still be building two obsolete models, but there is only one current iPhone and quite deliberately no real choice at all. Buying an Android is like having a wide selection of colors, makes, and models. Buying an iPhone is like the option of buying a '97 Ford Taurus, a '98 Ford Taurus, or a '99 Ford Taurus. They all have the same trim package and the only color is beige.
But at least your town is full of shops that specialize in aftermarket accessories for the Ford Taurus, so there's that.
Fun Fact: directly to the right of the comic, the ad for me was "Overstock Clearance: 32GB iPad 94% off, 32GB iPod Touch 91% off, 16GB iPhone 93% off"
I have an iPhone and I think the last panel is perfect, hilarious, and basically true.
I love my iPhone and I'm glad that it stays basically the same, because I am too lazy to learn new things.
I wouldn't be caught dead with any other apple products though...
Do you think he should buy the expensive one, the very expensive one, or the outlandishly expensive one? Also which network? The sucky network everyone hates, or the slightly less sucky network that has a few technical compromises? And which data plan--the one where you pay too much for data and then get slapped with insane fees for overages, or the one where you pay too much for data and then get slapped with insane fees for overages?
yup. selling obsolete models isn't the same as providing different options.
'no single phone is perfect for everybody...they only make one.'
much more subtle than usual but great.
The iPhone: the smartphone for dumb people.
Or you can be like me and be a technology hobo with a dumbphone. I'm too cheap to pay extra for a data-plan (plus it's Verizon, so I can't get unlimited anyway). Works out fine, because iPhone users love to show off how cool their iPhone is to we Luddites, so if you, say, need directions, just ask random 20-something looking people on the street until you find someone who wants to demonstrate their hipness. Cheap and lazy - that's the American way! ;)
JCRogers - "Do you want the cheaper one that's outdated, or the one that's new and also already outdated?"
That is a BI panel 4 punchline in itself! LOL.
There's only one iPhone, in different versions. You can get it with different amounts of disk space too, I guess. Nothing worth getting pedantic over.
Hmmmm, I might need popcorn for this thread.
Most of the Android phones on the market are 'obsolete models' by that definition. At least all iPhones for sale run the latest version of the OS.
Actually untrue! Funny with all the talk about Android fragmentation, people ignore the fact that the different iOS versions are often not compatible with older phones (or at the very least are crippled in random ways).
(I own an iPhone... and will never make that mistake again).
Tim,
Is not the very nature of being pedantic the focus, discussion, and detailing of relatively unimportant minutiae to the exclusion of more important and relevant matters?
See what I did there?
Oh, WOW! Lummox JR is right! This strip paves the way for endless follow-ups. Great strip!
Apple supports their iPhones with the current OS longer than Android makers do. If I were interested in paying for a data plan every month then that would be the most important criterion.
They only make one--and they support it longer.
If by "support", you mean make you pay money to call them, or drive to a major city to use the Apple store 'genius', oh yeah, they support them longer.
Lummox really got me to thinking about follow-ups. What about Apple's design patent on rounded corners? Does this mean that those that buy non-infringing Android devices (in a universe where the patent is deemed valid) with sharp corners might risk putting an eye out? And what about the newly-minted ban on IToy sales in Europe? Could Rick make a trip to Europe just to buy an iPhone so that he could say his was contraband?
Dude, really, when you add up all the android phones made by Motorola, Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony, Casio, HP, and so on, the number of iPhones rounds down to "one."
(I've got a Droid _and_ an iPad, and I like 'em both.)
AND I laughedt out loud at today's strip.
Do you think he should buy the expensive one, the very expensive one, or the outlandishly expensive one? Also which network? The sucky network everyone hates, or the slightly less sucky network that has a few technical compromises? And which data plan--the one where you pay too much for data and then get slapped with insane fees for overages, or the one where you pay too much for data and then get slapped with insane fees for overages?
You forgot the network that has mediocre coverage but unlimited data.
All I know is I bought an HTC Desire HD almost entirely because of a Youtube video where some guy demo'd it right next to an iPhone 4, and it was better than the iPhone 4 in every single way. Plus, Android is an open system, so the possibilities are way more endless than those of a company with a proprietary product whose creative genius just died.
One of the few topics where a flamewar is inevitable.
People literally cannot help themselves. They might even start reading this comic convinced they will not get all pissy and post something pointless. then there they are hitting Create Post. "It was just a little clarification" they rationalize.
Looks like the Apple acolytes wasted no time in defending their master. It's a comic strip. Relax and enjoy, you silly nannies.
Steve, I love the phrase "a technology hobo with a dumbphone." I'm tempted to include it in my Facebook "about me."
I'll preface this by noting there are iPhones, Androids and Blackberries in my family. There is a lot of fun to be had hitting them their weak spots but we need to be clear on what those spots are.
Bobman: You are wrong. Your ability to update an Android phone to the latest OS versions has to filter from Google through the manufacturers and finally the carrier. The result is that the odds the phone you're holding is running the latest version of Android is quite small. Many phones that ship with latest major version are out of date in weeks or months. Some ship one and even two major versions behind.
Love 'em or hate Apple has this one nailed. iPhones have tended to support the latest major version of the OS for up to three years and that version is available to all supported phones the instant it ships.
Here's a good breakdown:
Android Orphans: Visualizing a Sad History of Support
I love watching the Apple fanboys charging forth like a pack of rabid monkeys and flinging poo at everyone who doesn't have a shrine to Steve Jobs in their closet.
All of which are the same phone, taellosse.
For those of us protoLuddites who haven't bothered to buy ANY of these, it's hilarious watching these two anthills battling over each other's dead caterpillars.
@Anna: Actually, I was quite clear in saying that Apple "supports their iPhones with the current OS longer than Android makers do". Fear no fact.
@Patrick: Poo flinging, huh? The only Apple "fanboys" that I see in this discussion are stating something called "facts". Paul Turnbull gave a fine link. Have a peek. The strip itself allows for the possibility of iPhone ownership--imagine that--and does it with humor. Then the anti-Apple "fanboy" crowd chimes in with the ad hominem attacks. Hmm...
Perface: I also stick with a dumbphone.
I find it odd how some people think that the posts in this thread count as "Apple fanboys charging forth like a pack of rabid monkeys and flinging poo at everyone who doesn't have a shrine to Steve Jobs in their closet." What posts, precisely, count as poo-flinging? Claiming that Android OS is not as well supported as Apple OS? Claiming that there is more than one model of iPhone? Is that really enough to make one a "rabid monkey" of an "Apple acolyte?"
It seems very clear to me that the most irrational and highly strung posts in the thread are the ones criticizing the supposedly rabid Apple fans. Possibly followed by the one attacking the people who criticize the Apple fans.
I see several comments about "Apple fanboys" and their zealous protection of their phones, but I don't actually see any fanboys being stupid. I DO see people who hate Apple trying to bait the "other side" so they can then poke fun at them for taking the (petty) bait. Scott is correct; there is only, at any given time, one current model of the iPhone. And there are a wider variety of choices of Android phones, not to mention more options for apps and how the phone is set up and so on. But Apple also has more strict quality control and better support for their equipment, by and large. So...there, can we be done now? As someone who has never owned a smartphone himself, it's really boring seeing the same argument all over the net.
Does your dumb phone care if you call it retarded?
I am going to wonder about that every time this little fellow out of my pocket.