Now that we’ve had some time to digest Apple’s announcements last week, The Macalope wonders who we can, in hindsight, determine to be the real winner.
Writing for the Forbes contributor network and competitive fish slapping circuit, Ewan Spence finds “Three Reasons The Nokia 5.1 Can Beat The New iPhone XR.”
Sorry, the Macalope should have issued a spit take warning for that one. His bad.
Yes, turns out, Nokia still makes smartphones! Or, at least, it slaps its name on them. Who knew? Finland, probably.
So, in addition to hearing that Apple announced the iPhone XR, you might also have heard that Nokia launched a phone, assuming you are a fervent reader of Has-Beens Quarterly.
HMD Global’s Nokia 5.1 handset – a mid-ranged Android smartphone from a beloved brand…
Beloved by octogenarians of all stripes.
…that is looking to capture a new generation of users.
This has been yet another edition of “That’s The Joke!™”
Who are the two handsets fighting over, what do they bring to the table, and why are they a lens that brings into focus the Android/iOS dichotomy?
Ah, yes, the… fight between… the iPhone XR and… uh… um… HMD Global’s Nokia… whatever.
Man, it was hard to write that without laughing. That’s what the ellipses are for. That’s where The Macalope was stifling a massive belly laugh.
Let’s be clear here, for the slice of consumers who are already locked in to the Apple ecosystem, through the cloud based services, investment in apps, and personal circles that may require specific software commitments, the only real replacement for an iPhone is… another iPhone.
News flash for Spence: some iPhone owners—you might want to sit down—actually just prefer them.
There really does seem to be a slice of punditry that believes the only reason people stick with Apple devices is because they’re locked in by services or peer pressure.
“I’d really love to switch to Android but… I’m a 35-year-old man and… I don’t need to get snicker-snagged on. Not again.”
Inside the Android ecosystem it’s a bit more fluid. Changing between Android manufacturers is a much easier proposition…
Even Spence realizes the only people who are going to consider this device already own an Android smartphone. And, yet, that’s not the thrust of the article. Instead it’s this fictitious face-off between the iPhone XR and a Nokia-branded OEM device no one has heard of.
In terms of raw specifications the Nokia 5,1 is clearly a lower specced handset than the new iPhone machines.
But it’s cheaper. So, in other words, these are not really comparable devices at all and don’t really compete against each other in any way.
…that’s when the challenge of the Nokia 5.1 to the new iPhones is clear.
Well, at least Apple had a good run.