Опора: Блог русскоязычных соотечественников в Америке - Сообщения с тегом "apple"

OK. I am convinced. It’s now the time to switch from a BlackBerry® to an iPhone®. Android and Apple devices dominate in smartphones, with 85 percent of the worldwide market combined. I got it. Research in Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry smartphones are no longer that popular. At least with individual consumers.


Still concerned about dropped (or unintended) calls? I should not be. After all, such calls probably occur because of a mobile carrier’s network, not because of some faulty product design. Since introducing an iPhone in 2007, Apple has surely fixed all the bugs and glitches in its popular device.

I have been using my BlackBerry Torch™ since December 2009 and am now eligible for a device upgrade. Apple released iPhone 5 last week. It’s now the time to make the switch. After all, Apple has proven to be a reliable technology company. There is virtually no risk to make the switch. iPhone 5 looks like a natural evolutionary (not revolutionary) product. So, I expect its core functions such as phone calls, email, calendar, contacts, browsing, etc. will work just fine.

The absence of a physical keyboard should no longer be a reason (or excuse?) to delay the switch. I have pre-ordered iPhone 5. This is exciting.



Sorry, RIM. It’s not that I do not like you anymore or am worried about the value of your shares dropping. If it is any conciliation, I am switching to an iPhone for personal use only. And I am not going to create and use an insulting automatic signature that some iPhone users use: “This message was sent via iPhone. I ate BlackBerry for breakfast.”

I am still using your BlackBerry Bold™ for work. I still like the design of a BlackBerry Bold device and the feel of it in my hand. I can continue to type quick emails to clients and colleagues using the real QWERTY keyboard and not worry about the auto-fill or auto-guess feature (which often comes up with funny words in my iPad).

But there are good reasons to make the switch, Mr. RIM. I am switching, so I can have “Face Time” (video conference between iPhone users) with my wife and Skype™ with my folks overseas. I also would like to use basic Apps such as GoodReader, QuickOffice, Safari internet browsing, Google search and Maps (which I have grown to love since I started using an iPad®) wherever I go. I do not want to carry my iPad all the time.

Some of you might wonder: he is switching to an iPhone just now?! What can one say? Lawyers, by their nature, are traditionalists. We do not easily give up on things that work well. As the old saying goes: “Don’t Fix, if It Ain’t Broken.” Besides, you know what to expect with a BlackBerry when you travel to Europe or Russia. TMobile’s and AT&T’s International data plans are more predictable for BlackBerries, and often less expensive than those for iPhones. I would feel a little uneasy about my iPhone bills when I travel overseas, if I did not know that finding a free Wi-Fi spot in Moscow or elsewhere would be no problem.

Why not an Android or Windows device? Well, I considered Android devices. They work nicely and look just as cool as Apple devices. Everyone respects Google and all its innovation. As far as Windows devices, no doubt a new Windows-based Nokia’s Lumia smartphone would be just fine…

But it’s Apple’s eco-system that is largely the main reason for me to choose an iPhone over anything else. While Windows eco-system almost certainly is going to stay in the mainstream business and legal world for the foreseeable future, Apple’s iOS eco-system now rules the mobile devices world. (At least this is the case in North America.)

I have used an iPad since it came out on the market in April-May 2010. I am loving it. (Sorry, McDonalds, need to use your trademarked tagline to describe my experience with an iPad.).

Another reason why Android devices and everything else is a tough sell for me personally is that I am hoping to have a short learning curve, if any, with an iPhone.

Not insignificantly, I am a little worried about Apple v. Samsung legal battles and the fate of Samsung’s flagship devices such as Galaxy. For those who do not follow, on August 24, 2012, Apple obtained a crucial verdict in the landmark Apple v. Samsung case — the jury found that many of Samsung’s phones and tablets copied Apple’s iPhone and iPad, and recommended that Samsung pay Apple over $1 billion in damages.

Last week, Apple also won against Samsung at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). See Bloomberg News about this case:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-14/apple-wins-ruling-in-case-brought-by-samsung-at-trade-agency.html

In that case, Samsung went on the offensive and tried to block the importation of iPhones and iPads into the United States alleging that those devices violate Samsung’s patented technology. (Yeah, good luck, Samsung, you would have said.) After all, Korea-based technology giant has been in the mobile-phone market since 1980s and has obtained a few patents since then and surely knows much about the technology.

Apple didn’t violate Samsung’s patent rights, ITC Judge James Gildea said in a notice (click through to see the notice) posted on September 14 on the ITC’s website. The judge’s findings are subject to review by the full commission, which has the power to block imports of products that infringe U.S. patents. If you wish to hear more about Apple/Samsung legal battles, please drop us a line or comment on this posting…

The war may not be over, but could that be a turning point? I don’t know but I am not taking my chances… I am still trying to get to the bottom of the Apple/Samsung disputes (or some of them), but Apple’s legal victories seem so strangely lopsided….

I am sure Samsung’s devices will not be driven away from the U.S. market, and the U.S. legal system ultimately will find a right balance between protecting IP rights (namely, those of Apple) to encourage innovation and protecting competition in the smartphone market.

Anyway, getting back to the original topic, what is your personal experience with smartphones? Please share it.

Text Copyright © 2012 Maxim A. Voltchenko

* This is a personal blog, which is not intended to be a technology review or legal review. The blog does not represent the views of the author’s employing law firm or his fellow Sputnik Blog writers.