14 DAY TRIAL // There’s a funny picture on the Internet that compares the newly announced iPhone 6 and the old Nexus 4, which was released about two years ago.
Tweeted by @Ron Amadeo, it reads “Dear iPhone 6 users: Welcome to 2012!” and it does seem to be just another jab at Apple’s latest product.
While the specs comparison between the two smartphones is completely correct, it may suggest more than what the person who tweeted the diagram wanted to imply.
Right after the iPhone 6 announcement, I wrote an editorial which pointed out some of the flaws in Apple’s keynote, including the issues with the live streaming and the fact that the smartphone doesn’t really bring anything new in terms of innovation.
This funny comparison is telling exactly the same thing. In fact, it sounds like Apple really copied Google’s Nexus 4 feature by feature, but using its own components made in-house.
Yes, both iPhone 6 and Nexus 4 have 4.7-inch displays, and the latter even has better resolution. They both come with NFC (Near Field Communication) support for payments, widgets, notification actions, typing suggestions, cloud photo backup, and other stuff.
The point is these are new features for iPhone 6 users, so they will certainly want to upgrade if they can handle the fact that their favorite smartphone now has a larger display.
iPhone 6 is better than any other iPhone because it copied Nexus 4
That’s exactly what Apple wants – to make a better iPhone for its fans. This means that next year, the iPhone 7 will probably have QHD display made of sapphire, wireless charging, IR blasters and perhaps a new quad-core processor.
The iPhone 7 won’t even be a surprise for Apple users anymore, unless the company decides to start innovating again. The iPhone 6 is Apple’s attempt to bring its flagship smartphone on par with competition, but even if it manages to do that, it will be hard to maintain it considering that most companies now launch two flagship devices per year.
Nevertheless, the iPhone 6 now has many of the features Android users have been enjoying for a few years now. Nothing wrong with that, unless you start thinking that the iPhone 6 is finally competitive when put against a high-end Android smartphone (any).
Obviously, there will always be a more powerful phone than the iPhone 6, but only those looking for numbers on paper will choose based on this aspect, and there aren’t that many anyway.
The problem for Android is that iPhone 6 is now a viable alternative for customers who want a large display and some of the features that were only available on Google’s mobile platform.
Apple's strategy may pay off in the long term
iPhone 6 may be a newer version of the Nexus 4, but there’s a high chance that most Apple users will upgrade to this model due to the better specs and features. Not only that, but some Android users might also consider switching to iPhone 6 now that the smartphone offers better features.
Obviously, some users will choose operating system over device, and iOS, as a rather closed ecosystem, may be at a loss considering that Android is an open-source platform and offers more freedom.
There’s nothing wrong or funny in comparing the iPhone 6 with the Nexus 4, in fact Android handset makers should start worrying that they might start losing some of their loyal customers to Apple.
Now, if the iPhone 6 were cheaper, like a lot cheaper, that would have been much more interesting. Do you think Apple’s strategy will pay off in the long term or iPhone 6 will be a flop? You can place your bets now.