Re: SpaceX launches cell satellites ¨, impending Bitcoin ETF ¨, LLMs and programming in 2024 ¨­­
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By: TLDR to tldr@synchro.net on Wed Jan 03 2024 11:35 am

Foldables emerged as a differentiator in the premium smartphone
market in 2023. Apple ended the year with a 71% share of the premium smartphone market due to competition from Huawei and Samsung. While
global smartphone sales have been down, the premium segment is set to
grow 6% year-on-year. Consumers are willing to spend more to get a
higher quality device that will last longer and promotions, sales, and financing options make the devices accessible to a larger market.

I've seen a lot of foldables at the T-Mobile store. I've seen very few foldables in person (I fly a lot, so I see a lot of phones, mostly iPhones).

Personally, I don't get it: I don't want a crease in my screen. It's getting harder for me to see/use a phone screen (far-sighted), so the last thing I want is more distortion/glare because the screen folds.

Apple probably has a foldable as an experiment or in the works for production. I think their differentiator is their software, which has always been better (IMHO) than the competition. They tend have have high standards for their hardware too. So at least in my circle, I don't see their mobile dominance going away any time soon.
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digital man (rob)

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Re: SpaceX launches cell satellites ¨, impending Bitcoin ETF ¨, LLMs and
By: Digital Man to TLDR on Wed Jan 03 2024 01:23 pm

Apple probably has a foldable as an experiment or in the works for production. I think their differentiator is their software, which has always been better (IMHO) than the competition. They tend have have high standards for their hardware too. So at least in my circle, I don't see their mobile dominance going away any time soon.

I agree with you. I'm not a fan of Apple's walled garden, but their hardware (and generally software) ecosystem just seems to have better fit and finish and work together better than anything else (IMHO). I've tried to move to Android several times to get more 'freedom' on my phone, but something (usually a family firmly rooted in iOS) always brings me back. I find that at the end of the day, I use my phone for some basics and really iOS just works the best for how I use my device. All the neat stuff (like emulation, etc) I generally wind up doing on a laptop even when it's available on my phone or tablet.

That all said, I've invested fairly heavily in Apple's movie and app ecosystem. I try to keep most movie purchases to "Movies Anywhere" titles, where they're available on all digital storefronts that participate (Google, Microsoft, Vudu included). I made that bet based on what I hope will be Apple's longevity. This is something I think will grow to be more relevant with retailers ceasing their sales of Blu-Ray and DVD, and I hope it kicks off some re-evaluation of what digital ownership really means, and when/how/if those 'purchases' can be taken away from you, can they be passed on at death, etc. The future of digital preservation seems grim right now, but this is probably food for another thread!

Chris
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