When your the best at what you do, it's easy to get complacent. Look at PALM and BlackBerry. Palm had the best scheduling SmartPhone on the Market and Blackberry had their legendary QWERTY Keypad. For those who are not familiar with what a QWERTY keypad is, look down at your computer keyboard and read the first line of letters. Yup, Qwerty basically means it's the same as a regular computer keyboard. Both of these companies are out of the SmartPhone manufacturing business. Not because of being overly proprietary or deceptive like Apple, but for thinking that they were the industry standard. I'm getting that "Deja Vu" feel like I have been here before sensation and I hope Apple doesn't think they are too big to suffer the same fate. After all, unlike their chief device competitors, Apple does not even make their own key device components. Amazingly, they buy their Super AMOLED iPhone X screens from Samsung, their biggest competitor. They are locked in a major lawsuit with Qualcomm, their primary processor manufacturer forcing them to also utilize Intel processors. I've always loved the stability and security of Apple's iOS. I never liked the fact that it seemed like I was two years behind the Google Android camp in respect to device technology though. Apple just admitted something that I would have never believed. They have been intentionally slowing down the processor speeds and performance of their iPhone 6s, SE and 7 series. Earlier this year, Apple had previously disclosed the fact that their latest iOS 11 would not support iPhone 5 and older models. There are hundreds of thousands of iPhone 3s, 4, 4s, 5, 5c and 5s models out there that, with a fresh battery would be as good as new. According to Apple, the reason that they slow down these models is the concern that the batteries wear out quicker and cause performance problems and/or shutdowns. Wouldn't it have been better to disclose this, or even better yet, make replacement batteries available for less than $80? After all, it's mostly the cameras and the processors that Apple keeps convincing us we need to "upgrade" to. Well, my 6s+ was plenty fast enough, until my last Apple iOS upgrade. The camera took fantastic pictures (like the one below) rivaling my Nikon Professional DSLR. I would still be using my 6s+ if it wasn't for the boneheads at Apple. What I find truly despicable is the fact that the iPhone 6s, 7 and SE series are not old or obsolete. They are being offered brand new today on Apple's website, as well as all of the wireless carriers. Despite this, Apple has been secretly baking in special software to slow down the processors on these devices. I suspect Apple's legal department is not going to have a very restful holiday this year. I wouldn't be surprised if all 50 states filed class action law suits. There has already been two suits I'm aware of filed in my home state of California. One in Los Angeles and the other in San Francisco. I'm glad I held on to my iPhone 6 phone for as long as I did. I'm not happy that I bought a new battery and found it still slower than when new but now I now why. All my fellow analysts feel that the iPhone 8 was obsolete before it even was released and doomed to fail for two reasons. While the entire Samsung Galaxy line did away with the obsolete bezels and LED screens in favor of full sized Super Amoled screens years ago on all models, the iPhone 8 still had the same lame screen and bezel that were on the iPhone 7, the iPhone 6s, and even the iPhone 6. To make matters even worse, Apple announced the the iPhone X, would arrive only a month after the iPhone 8 was released. Duh! I suspect that the carriers are now loaded to the gills with iPhone 8 models they cannot give away, but they are trying. Why else would they all be running BOGO deals. The good news... Samsung's S8+ is a pretty amazing model that actually out specks the iPhone X in many areas. Their SmartSwitch application made it super easy for me to move everything from my iPhone to Android including most Applications. It's not as easy to set up and optimize out of the box as an iPhone but once you do, you'll never look back. I hated the Samsung Keyboard but found the GBOARD (google's free keyboard) to blow the doors of even my iPhone's keypad. SIRI, ...sorry honey but I don't miss you one bit. I now have a whole team of virtual assistants. Alexa, Bixby, Cortana and Google' assistant. All out perform you and usually get it right on my first request. Yes, there is life after Apple and it's quite good.
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These days, it's easy to hate Apple. They did away with the standard 3.5mm industry headset jack. They stayed with their old huge bezel design too long. Their iPhone 8 was not much different from their iPhone 7 which was not that different from their iPhone 6s series, sans the 3.5mm headphone jack.
If the current processor and Camera in my 6s+ was more than adequate, why would I want to upgrade? Well, I guess I'm not the only one with this mindset. Earlier this week, Apple admitted they were intentionally using software upgrades to slow down the processing speeds on these models. I had always suspected this but never figured they would actually do this. I actually did replace the battery on my device and found my device was still sluggish and not able to get me through and entire day without charging it. Well Apple, you stupid son of a bitches blew it with me and hopefully many others. I switched devices and platforms before Apple confirmed what they have been doing. I recall Apple justifying their taking away the 3.5mm jack because they couldn't waterproof the device. Well, Samsung was able to do this. My new screen is 6'2" compared to the 5.5" on my iPhone 6S and the battery lasts all day and evening. If Apple made their batteries more affordable, they would not be in this mess. Incredibly, Apple says they are slowing down these devices to "smooth out peak power demands and preserve the life of the battery. Poppycock! My guess is they are stuck with warehouses full of iPhone 8 models that nobody wants. This was very stupid because now people are going to think twice when Apple sends software upgrades. What's truly mind boggling about this is these models they are now slowing down are not old models but current models all sold by the carriers. I accept the fact that all models before the iPhone 5s will not be supported by Apple's new iOS11. I reject the way Apple secretly slowed down the 6s, SE and 7 series and am glad that I am now using a Samsung S8+ and no longer getting extorted by Apple. I'm guessing the main reason that the iPhone X is so pricey is because Apple has to buy their Super Amoled screens from guess who... Samsung! Their processors come from Qualcomm who they are currently getting sued by and Intel. Many of the features found on the iPhone X have been available on the S7 and S8 for years. Facial recognition? Yes, but I far prefer the IRIS recognition, also available on my S8+. Of course, I have the choice of facial recognition, Iris unlocking, biometrics or entering the unlock code old school style. Samsung has made it stupid simple to move to Android OS from Apple with their SmartSwitch feature. I found moving from my iPhone 6s+ to the Samsung S8+ similar to moving from one iPhone to another. My screen savers, lock screen image and most of the APs moved over automatically. If people knew how easy this was and that they pay about half the cost for the same features, Apple would be in big trouble. Palm and BlackBerry were on top of the world last decade, hopefully Apple will not follow in their footsteps. For years, I have warned my clients from doing software upgrades just because the device manufacturer says you should. The primary reason is that although they usually have good intentions, that is not always the case. Software upgrades are always "beta tested", before release. The problem is they cannot possibly test the new software with over a million 3rd party applications. There are often glitches and problems after the release that result in a newer software "patch" being pushed out. That's why I always google search software problems before updating iPhones or any other Apple product. Unless you are having a specific problem or have a glaring security vulnerability that a particular update addresses, don't do it! Many times the new update will cause instability. In some rare cases, they can actually take away features with new software updates. I recall an older T-Mobile application that I previously used that allowed me to call Mexico for FREE. About ten years ago, TM pushed me a software upgrade for this AP that I did out of habit. As soon as I tried to call Mexico again, I found it was no longer possible for FREE. After consulting Google on the matter, it was clear that everyone who did this software upgrade immediately lost their ability to call Mexico for FREE. Those who ignored the upgrade could still take advantage of this feature. This is a rare case but an example of how doing an upgrade can also be a liability, not a benefit. Just when I thought I had seen it all though, Apple's recent admission yesterday that they have intentionally been slowing down older iPhone models (iPhone 6, 6s and 7 series) is despicable and possibly even criminal. Their excuse that they do this to help the battery life is preposterous. Here's what I personally believe - Apple and all the carriers are currently stuck with the iPhone 8 because nobody wants it. They are being forced to give it away. Each carrier has a BOGO (Buy One, Get One FREE) offer for the iPhone 8 and remaining iPhone 7 models. Not surprisingly, nobody has any BOGO deals on the iPhone X. I hope there is a class action lawsuit because this is unethical at best.
Ironically, one of the reasons I moved from my iPhone 6s+ to a Samsung Galaxy S8+ was the fact that my iPhone 6s was slowing down and the battery no longer took me through a day. I did not want to sacrifice my 3.5mm headset jack and did not see any upside to upgrading to an iPhone 7 or an iPhone 8 over my trusty 6s+. The X model cost double what the comparable S8+ did so this was a no-brainer for me. Most of the updates I used to get were to address features like Apple Pay that I didn't even use. One of the problems with software upgrades is that Apple can be very cryptic when explaining what invulnerabilities were addressed. That's why my philosophy is, If it ain't broken, don't fix it! Start the new year off right with a two iPhones for the price of one on T-Mobile's Unlimited ONE plan. If that wasn't a good enough argument, how about getting a plan that does not charge any fees, or tax for service at the end of the month.
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No holiday parking/shopping headaches , Simply order from Dr Wireless Only Dr Wireless offers Amazon-like buying convenience, coupled with professional support. Simply contact Dr Wireless and we can process everything by phones and have "Santa" (or a Federal employee) deliver your new iPhones and take everything from A-Z. Dr Wireless can seamlessly move your content from old device to new too. Don't hesitate as these devices will be going very fast with the holiday in full swing. I'm starting to think the average intelligence of American citizens must be pretty damn low. After all, why would we vote for politicians that are clearly doing what is best for corporate America at the expense of middle America. President Trump seems to get a hard on each time he repeals a democratic regulation. I've always been a believer in less government but to a certain point. Based on the previous behavior of many, it's clear the cable TV companies, content providers, and wireless carriers need to be policed, to protect the public. All of the great regulations that Thomas Wheeler, former President Obama's FCC DIrector, installed just got thrown out the window. For those who don't understand "Net Neutrality" and how it protected you, here's a crash course...
Net Neutrality was a controversial utility-like oversight of internet providers. It was put into place by democrats in 2015 by then FCC Director Thomas Wheeler to insure the uninhibited flow of data on the internet. Ajit Pai's lame argument is that these regulations stifled investment in Broadband networks. Poppycock! T-Mobile alone invested $435 million in 700mHZ bandwidth in 2016 and made another $8 Billion investment in 600mHZ bandwidth in 2017. Sorry but I have to call bull shit on this. Let's compare internet traffic to Southern California's Freeway traffic. What the FCC is doing is building "TOLL Freeways" that will deliver faster internet traffic to those willing to pay a premium. Those not willing will be stuck in the slow lane at best, or not even allowed on the freeway (internet) at worst. Democrats believed that tougher oversight is needed because the internet has become increasingly vital in business as well as daily life. It has also become extremely vulnerable to exploitation by the large Telecom companies. If you were wondering why I have been campaigning against this nonsense, here's how we all just got screwed... 1) Broadband providers now have the power to block websites. They also are now allowed to throttle (slow down) speeds and the power to censor content completely. This was not possible with the previous regulations 2) Broadband providers can now make pay-to-play sweetheart deals. For those who don't want to pay, their streaming quality will likely be slow and low resolution. If your Broadband provider has a deal with Hulu but not with Netflix, they are now allowed to slow Netflix streaming down to a crawl. 3) Start-ups and small businesses that enjoyed a level playing field will be negatively affected. Consumers will be negatively affected as well. At the end of the day, additional costs always trickle down to the end user. 4) You can expect cost increases from your current broadband providers. I feel sorry for the rural markets with only one provider to choose from. No competition and no FCC oversight is not going to be pretty. When it's time to vote again, I'm certainly going to make sure not to support the three douche-weazels on the FCC board that voted in favor of this ridiculous legislation. If you need to buy a car or new SmartPhone, the last couple weeks of the year are the best time, period! Everyone wants to finish 2017 strong and the best deals emerge around then. T-Mobile announced that there BOGO will be ending very soon. Verizon's will run through Christmas. Here's the dope... Customers who purchase a new Apple iPhone 8/8+ or Samsung GS8/GS8+/Note8 and activate it for a new line on an Unlimited Plan (Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited, or Business Unlimited) can get a discount on a second device from the same manufacturer of equal or lesser value. • Both devices must be the same manufacturer (OEM) • One line must be activated on a new line of service • Unlimited plan is required for DPP and 2-year purchases
Dr Wireless can make arrangement for either Verizon or T-Mobile to hand deliver these devices to your home or office. Not visits to stores required! Aside from a couple years on Sprint's WiMAX network with an HTC EVO and later, an Samsung S3, I've always been an iPhone iOS kind of guy. After all, I have two iMac computers in my house and a MacBook Pro portable. I've never liked the fact that Apple seemed to be well behind the Google Android manufacturers as far as new innovations. I also did not like the fact that Apple seems to enjoy ignoring industry standard connections in favor of creating their own proprietary technology. Eliminating the 3.5mm headset jack and replacing it with a lightning jack makes it not possible to charge your iPhone while listening to your headphones. Duh! I also liked the biometric fingerprint unlocking and the Home button. I had been sitting on my iPhone 6S+ because, aside from the lame bezel and mediocre battery, it was a pretty good phone. There were more downsides than upsides for me to even consider moving to an iPhone 7 or 8 series. That meant going large and getting the iPhone X. My main concern about the iPhone X was cost. Apple raved about the strength of the new glass casing during their launch. Initial reports showed that this was nowhere near as durable as Apple claimed. To make matters worse, Apple jacked the repair costs as well as the cost for Apple Care Plus to $199.99. Getting one of these devices without the added protection of Apple care Plus and a good case was not an option. Assuming that I got the "cheap" model with 64GB, my cost was looking to be $1230 plus tax. That's a lot of money for an iPhone, especially one that doesn't have my 3.5mm jack, biometrics, or T-Mobile's newest 600mHZ support.
After comparing features with the iPhone X, I realized that the S8+ would give me the same iPhone X experience for a fraction of the price. Apple had claimed that it was not possible to Waterproof their device without doing away with the industry standard 3.5mm headset plug. Wrong! Samsung Waterproofed their S8+ and it still has the jack. It also still has the biometric fingerprint unlock feature. It has facial recognition like the iPhone X but I doubt it works as well. I far prefer the IRIS recognition feature exclusively offered on this device. I asked my SmartPhone repair technician whether he had any Android or iPhone demos that might interest me. He had just taken back a Samsung S8+ from someone who didn't like the keyboard and large size. I wanted as large a screen as I could fit in my pocket. I knew from past experiences that Samsung's keyboard was pretty heinous. I also knew that it's easy to make Google's amazing "G-Board" my new default keyboard which I did. This thing even blows the doors off Apple's for ease of use. Do I miss SIRI? Hell no! I gave up SIRI but gained Google Assistant, Bixby, Cortana and Alexa. I have a "whole team" of virtual assistants. If one doesn't get it right the first time, I use another. What all of this means is this... If you want a great experience right out of the box, the iPhone is the best choice. If you are willing to spend the extra time needed to optimize a deluxe android model like my S8+, it's well worth it. It seems like you can do a lot more by voice with these options than SIRI. Now the best news... Most carriers are running BOGO deals on the Samsung 8 series. T-Mobile's ends pretty soon. Anyone who buys and activates a new unlimited line of service can get a second device for FREE. For Business users, T-Mobile is also offering a $100 per line port-in credit on top of their BOGO deal. Ask me for details. Remember landlines? In the 20th century, everyone had either a "Home" or a "Business" Landline. A funny thing happened though in the 1990's called Cellular Phones. Who could have ever imagined that the phone companies "Bell Monopoly" would be broken and replaced by a wireless technology that would become globally adopted. Meanwhile, Large businesses would buy their own on premise Private Branch Exchange (PBX) Servers which required IT experts and an expensive monthly service contract. Shortly afterwards, the Cable operators came into the picture offering "digital" voice services bundled in to their internet/TV packages for $20-$30 per line. Next to landlines and cellular lines, cable phone service was actually an improvement. The biggest problem with cable phone service is most people have analog phones and utilize an analog-to-digital converter. They get some basic cloud features but nowhere near the quality of service or amazing functionality found on today's UCAAS (Unified Communications As A Service) Cloud voIP solutions. History has a cruel way of repeating itself. What happened to all the Landline carriers is exactly what later happened to the on premise Business phone Companies. Most of the incumbents like Avaya, Cisco, Toshiba and many others have filed Bankruptcy or re-invented themselves by moving from on premise solutions to Hybrid and Cloud solutions. If you can't beat them, join them. In Cisco's case and many other incumbents, buy them or partner with them. Cisco just bought Broadsoft, a major cloud player. Mitel just bought ShoreTel, another cloud powerhouse we also represent. What this all means is you no longer need to buy any home of office phone equipment. With the cloud, it is possible to either forward and/or have a special softphone application on your SmartPhone, iPad or computer that operates exactly like your SmartPhone telephone. You can dial with the keypad, from recent, or from contacts. Obviously, some people prefer the office desktop voIP phones and these are relatively inexpensive. They can be leased or purchased as well. Best of all, with a cloud phone system, you can even choose which number you wish to display for your caller ID. Our doctor clients can call patients back from their cellphones and now have them display their office number - not their private cell line. Can your current phone system do all of the above?
If not, why not? Dr Wireless can seamlessly move your business to the cloud for as low as $27.99 per line. Not only is this less than your currently paying, it will also make your business look much larger and more successful. Best of all, Dr Wireless can immediately implement this service and move your current phone numbers seamlessly. Ask us! |
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March 2021
CategoriesAuthorJoel Saltzman has over twenty years of wireless industry experience. He is currently CEO and Chief Wireless Analyst for Dr Wireless. |