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Steve Jobs lays into Android and ‘iPad killers’
Was the Apple CEO upset at disappointing iPad sales?
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has laid into rival technology companies after revealing disappointing sales of his 'game-changing' iPad tablet computer.
In an earnings call yesterday, Jobs announced 4.2 million iPads had been sold in the three months to September – far below the 5 million Wall Street had expected. Despite also announcing a 70 per cent surge in revenue, shares in Apple fell six per cent.
Jobs, who does not normally appear at earnings calls, took the opportunity to treat investors to a few home truths regarding the quality of his rivals' products.
First in line for Jobs's wrath was Android, Google's smartphone operating system, and a serious rival to the iPhone operating system, iOS.
"Google loves to characterise Android as 'open' and iOS and the iPhone as 'closed'," said Jobs, referring to the fact that Google gives free rein to developers who want to create applications for the Android OS whereas Apple insists on approving everything.
Jobs said he finds this characterisation "a bit disingenuous". He explained that although HTC and Motorola phones both use Android, users of the different handsets will have totally different experiences because the devices have separate user interfaces.
"The user's left to figure it all out. Compare this with the iPhone, where every handset works the same," said Jobs.
"We are committed to the integrated approach, no matter how many times Google tries to characterise it as closed. And we are confident we will triumph over Google's fragmented approach."
As for rival tablet PCs launched by Samsung, Dell and RIM that have recently been dubbed 'iPad killers', Jobs sneered at their inadequate proportions, saying: "The seven-inch tablets are tweeners: too big to compete with a smartphone, and too small to compete with an iPad."
The iPad has a 9.7 inch display. Jobs added that smaller devices should come with sandpaper "so that the user can sand down their fingers to around one-quarter their present size". ·
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The reality distortion field is alive and well we see. Do iPads sell because of their functionality, or because of the fact that people just want to tell other people they have one? Interestingly enough though is the voracity that the ipadders will defend their purchase, touting the most miniscule feature as a major technology breakthrough.
What hysterical nonsense from Jobs. The iPhone and iPod touch do 80% of what the iPad does on a 3.5 inch screen. Does he think that iPhone users are a seperate species with fingers that are adapted epecially to that screen size? That the rest of us Neanderthals are manically stabbing blindly with cucmber-proportioned digits at decices with 7-inch screens? I gave up on my iPhone 3g when they crippled it with ios4 (to encourage me to upgrade to a 4?) and am happily using my gorgeous-and cheaper-HTC Desire.
Compare this with the iPhone, where every handset works the same,"
And I can't think of a better reason than that to go down the Android route, unless it's DRM of course, for Steve Jobs read control freak.