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 Originally Posted by Zyphlin
Right now there is a spec war going on with Android devices. Google decided to go the route PocketPC and later Windows Mobile went, liscencing out their OS to a variety of manufacturers. Much as it played out then, this has led to a spec war between those various providers. The OS offering on all of them, while perhaps mildly tweaked (Stock, Sense, MotoBlur, etc), is exactly the same. The only thing that differentiates, say, a HTC Thunderbolt from a Droid Incredible from a Xperia Arc from a Optimus x2 is the design and the specs.
As such, it doesn't matter how good your camera takes a picture, it matters that mine says 8 like the other android phoens say 8...or bigger. It doesn't matter if the OS isn't optimized for Dual Core or runs extremely smooth at 512 RAM, I need to have what the others have or better because that's the only way I appear different to them.
This creates a spec "arms race" amongst the Android brands as they shove everything into the phones as needed, regardless even if the OS is optimized for it (Look at the way the tacted on dual screen functionality is happening). This drives up the cost to make the phone driving down products and also makes it where they need to come out with a new phone in short intervals at every little spec jump.
Apple, largely, has managed to avoid this spec race. They maintain very good specs, but save for the screen rarely top of the line specs for their units entire life cycle as a flagship. However, the specs they do use are enough to run their phone extremely well. The reason they're able to do this is, in large part, attributed to the fact that while they're competing as a "smartphone" they have a built in significant difference between them an Android...their OS.
This is much like Palm during the early days of PocketPC and Windows Mobile going up against the Palm Pilot and later the Treo's. Palm in general didn't liscense itself (initially) and later did it with very few vendors of any real note. When looking at a pure spec for spec comparison, PocketPC/WinMo routinely trounced them. Faster processor, more RAM, better screens, etc etc. However, Palm's hardware ran their OS well and the OS helped to deferentiate itself from the Microsoft options.
HP is in a similar position as Apple. Their big differentiating factor between themselves and the various google offerings is WebOS. That, in and of itself, provides a substantial difference. While for us tech geeks, the lack of across the board cutting edge hardware is bothersome, I think for the general consumers its going to be less of an issue. And for HP I think its the right way to go for keeping the mobile section of their division profitable (by not entering an arms race) and thus having longevity.
The key, which they have done with the Pre3, is to have "high end" if not "top end" specs with a few big "features" to tout. And, to have specs that will properly and smoothly run their OS (A problem in the Pre minus). For example, while not a dual core it does have a "high end" processor that gives it a "feature" by being able to claim the highest clock speed. While not "top end" RAM, they are on par with other high end phones with 512 and all reports about webOS 2.0 has that running it very smooth. While the original Pre's 5MP camera wasn't "top end" in terms of Mega pixels, it did get relatively good reviews for its ACTUAL quality. With 720 vid capture and a reportedly better camera now, that should be similar. Touchstone and Touch to Share give it some "bonus features" that they can pimp, similar to how others use mini-HDMI and such things.
The Pre3 seems to be a high end, but not top end, phone with hardware that, by all accounts, should run WebOS 2.0 extremely smoothly. While the tech geek in me would absolutely love to have a lot of the high end stats, the realist in me realizes that distancing themselves from the hardware arms race Android has created is probably wise from a business and longevity stand point.
I do want to point out a few things, although your general point I do agree with.
Point number one ... HP should, like Apple, provide specs that work best with WebOS and make it's OS shine. I think they did a great job with their choice of Snapdragon processors, both the duel core and the single core (for most users and really anything you can do, you don't really NEED the dual core -- although that could change at any time with a new application being build for a phone). But as long as WebOS shines and runs smoothly, it should be fine.
Point number two ... The changes in each Android platform actually makes a difference in how the user does things and even likes the phone. Some people who need a good memo pad love the Epic 4G because it has one, whereas the other Android's don't. Some hate Samsung's TouchWiz because it has stock Android apps (for the most part) where HTC Sense complete revamps them and add's functionality to them.
And finally ... the better specs allow for better applications. For instance, having a GPS/compass helps create augmented realty applications. Some people will die without that application (if you believe the few that speak about it here). But that is only one example
But the greatest thing is that HP can choose and create the innovation with it's OS and hardware, whereas Google would have to work with companies or a company to bring that innovation (in hardware) to the marketplace. Which is something HP would not have to do.
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