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[terrisus]

The only people bitching about the SD card are a very small, but vocal, handful of power users. I would wager that 99% of previous-gen Galaxy owners never knew they could even take the back off their phone, much less why they would bother. And really, what do you use it for? Do you really need 128GB of storage, or is it just to say you have it?

Even the feature removals doesn't matter much since it's standard practice for the other high end phones as well.

picardfacepalm.jpg

Because taking features away from people that existed in previous versions of the phone is a real great way to increase sales...

 

[family_guy]

I think you nailed it. Plus the fact that you have two galaxy 6's. Which one am I supposed to buy?

The one you want? Choice is a good thing.

 

[clav]

You know what people actually don't care about, but the tech website throw a fit about? Plastic. Most casual users buy a case.

I read people commentating how great a phone's build quality is, but who cares when people just cover their smartphones with plastic cases?

What's the point?

No one knows the phone build quality because the user is always feeling plastic.

 

[Ovek]

People stick with iPhones and I don't blame them. Even i'm considering getting a iPhone and I've been a Android user for many years.

 

[Shake Appeal]

I (sadly) worked for Verizon Wireless for 9 months.

Condolences.

I read people commentating how great a phone's build quality is, but who cares when people just cover it up with a plastic case?

What's the point?

No one knows the bottom is glass any more.

I don't keep my HTC One in a case (and it's been dropped once in two years, not by me) and I appreciate how it feels in my hand every time I pick it up.

 

[Jedi2016]

If it were really that much of a gamebreaker, no one would ever buy an iPhone, either. What's their market share again?

 

[Shahadan]

99€ and I'll take one, samsung.

 

[strikeselect]

The iPhone 6 effectively killed the major differentiator that Samsung relied on (screen size). Without that, it seems pretty clear that most customers lean towards Apple in a big way.

 

[Empyrean Heaven]

Touchwiz has got to go. I went to Xperia after my S3 and I love this thing. If Galaxy ran stock google I would have bought an S6.

HTC for me. I got an M8 and have never looked back. Sense is sooo smooth.

 

[EightBitNate]

picardfacepalm.jpg

Because taking features away from people that existed in previous versions of the phone is a real great way to increase sales...

I get what you're saying, but I doubt that most people who buy a Galaxy phone do it for the expandable storage.

 

[clav]

I don't keep my HTC One in a case (and it's been dropped once in two years, not by me) and I appreciate how it feels in my hand every time I pick it up.

Many other users dress their phones in cases as smartphone accessories make up a huge chunk of sales every year.

 

[BobLoblaw]

No microSD or swappable battery + high price = me sticking with my old ass Motorola phone. I was really looking forward to it too.

 

[zedge]

Do you have a citation?

Of course not.

People love to repeat this with NO FACTS to back it up.

Here are some facts:

Samsung was the market leader. They had SD and removable battery.

HTC was "the next big thing". They were on fire. They had SD and removable battery.

Then HTC removed them. Now they're a distant 5th place and youre more likely to see a Windows phone in the wild than an HTC.

Nexus was the "next big thing". Amazing specs. INCREDIBLE price. No SD card and no removable battery? It bombed, hard.

Samsung kept the SD card and removable battery, and their sales wouldnt stop growing.

Then they removed it, and now their new phone is bombing.

But no, nobody cares.

How about some anecdotal information? I (sadly) worked for Verizon Wireless for 9 months. Every day people would ask for phone recommendations. "Whats the difference between x and y? Why should I pay for z?"

99.9% of the time, after explaining what the phones had, they'd go with the one that offered removable battery and SD card.

But please, I am sure you have a citation that "nobody cares" right?

Right?

People HATE being nickel and dimed. When given the choice between paying $100 for an additional 16GB internal, or paying $40 for an additional 32GB via SD card, guess which one people pick?

You know what people actually don't care about, but the tech website throw a fit about? Plastic. Most casual users buy a case.

Just read this thread. Every other post is someone saying theyll pass on the S6 because it has no SD card. Minority of users, amirite?

Meh. A bunch of tech nerds on a gaming forum do not equal the vast majority of consumers. A small vocal minority, nothing more.

 

[terrisus]

If it were really that much of a gamebreaker, no one would ever buy an iPhone, either. What's their market share again?

And now Samsung is removing much of the reason to go with a Galaxy instead of an iPhone.


Previously:
Want a memory card?: Not going with an iPhone.
Want a removable battery?: Not going with an iPhone
Want a waterproof phone?: Not going with an iPhone

While none of those categories guaranteed that the person would go with a Galaxy, it at least completely removed iPhones from the equation.

Now, though... What exactly separates the Galaxy from the iPhone? Running Android as opposed to iOS, and...?

I get what you're saying, but I doubt that most people who buy a Galaxy phone do it for the expandable storage.

But it's removing one of the phone's advantages.
And obviously their sales are very poor.

 

[linsivvi]

The real reason is that people who want a decent Android phone have dozens of much cheaper options.

 

[hohoXD123]

I get what you're saying, but I doubt that most people who buy a Galaxy phone do it for the expandable storage.

What evidence do you have of that? The only thing we know is that Samsung removed a differentiator to the iPhone when they got rid of expandable storage and removable battery, whether that was a significant contributor to the S6 sales bomb or not who knows, but it's a credible enough theory.

And now Samsung is removing much of the reason to go with a Galaxy instead of an iPhone.


Previously:
Want a memory card?: Not going with an iPhone.
Want a removable battery?: Not going with an iPhone
Want a waterproof phone?: Not going with an iPhone

While none of those categories guaranteed that the person would go with a Galaxy, it at least completely removed iPhones from the equation.

Now, though... What exactly separates the Galaxy from the iPhone? Running Android as opposed to iOS, and...?




But it's removing one of the phone's advantages.
And obviously their sales are very poor.

I mean, the OS is a pretty big difference. Agree with the rest of your post regardless.

 

[jamesinclair]

I read people commentating how great a phone's build quality is, but who cares when people just cover their smartphones with a plastic case?

What's the point?

No one knows the phone build quality because the user is always feeling plastic.

The biggest problem with tech websites which review phones is that they never in their lives have had to use the same phone for two years.

The average person buys a case because if they drop their phone, they're fucked to hell and back with either $650 down the drain, $200 deductible via the insurance/scam company, or hoping for the best at a sketch repair shop at a dead mall. They simply can't afford not to have a case.

The reviewer doesnt give a shit because he didnt pay for it, and wont pay for the next one. So he wont use a case and can orgasm over idiotic features like glass on the back. Further, it's not hard to not break a phone in 2 months. 24 months? Thats much harder.

The average person holds onto their phones for 2+ years. That means after 5,000 charges (or whatever it is), their phone starts lasting less and less. That tends to happen around months 14-16. The average person is either fucked with a phone which lasts 8 hours until they can upgrade, OR, they can remove the battery, stick in a brand new fresh one, and get back to 16 hours a day.

The reviewer doesnt give a shit because he's never used the same phone for more than 2 months at a time.

The average person likes to download apps, listen to music, and take lots and lots of pictures. Do this for over a year, and 16GB is simply not enough, even for the casual user. Who wants to juggle photo transfers, app installs, and a limited music library? Some people claim the casual user struggles to install an SD card? Please. Thats the very first thing the sales rep offers to sell you and install for you!

But you know what IS a mystery to the casual user? Transferring photos to the computer. We got that call every fucking day.

The reviewer doesnt give a shit because he's only using it for 2 months before hes off to the next, fresh model. Further, the review model is likely 64GB or 128GB.

Samsung made the mistake of catering to some tech reviewer rather than the people who are actually laying down their own limited cash.

 

[terrisus]

The real reason is that people who want a decent Android phone have dozens of much cheaper options.

They did when the S5 came out as well.
There goes that "real reason."

 

[clav]

The biggest problem with tech websites which review phones is that they never in their lives have had to use the same phone for two years.

The average person buys a case because if they drop their phone, they're fucked to hell and back with either $650 down the drain, $200 deductible via the insurance/scam company, or hoping for the best at a sketch repair shop at a dead mall. They simply can't afford not to have a case.

The reviewer doesnt give a shit because he didnt pay for it, and wont pay for the next one. So he wont use a case and can orgasm over idiotic features like glass on the back. Further, it's not hard to not break a phone in 2 months. 24 months? Thats much harder.

The average person holds onto their phones for 2+ years. That means after 5,000 charges (or whatever it is), their phone starts lasting less and less. That tends to happen around months 14-16. The average person is either fucked with a phone which lasts 8 hours until they can upgrade, OR, they can remove the battery, stick in a brand new fresh one, and get back to 16 hours a day.

The reviewer doesnt give a shit because he's never used the same phone for more than 2 months at a time.

The average person likes to download apps, listen to music, and take lots and lots of pictures. Do this for over a year, and 16GB is simply not enough, even for the casual user. Who wants to juggle photo transfers, app installs, and a limited music library? Some people claim the casual user struggles to install an SD card? Please. Thats the very first thing the sales rep offers to sell you and install for you!

But you know what IS a mystery to the casual user? Transferring photos to the computer. We got that call every fucking day.

The reviewer doesnt give a shit because he's only using it for 2 months before hes off to the next, fresh model. Further, the review model is likely 64GB or 128GB.

Samsung made the mistake of catering to some tech reviewer rather than the people who are actually laying down their own limited cash.

Also reviewers don't give a shit about signal strength and call quality (i.e. microphone, ear piece, speaker).

Somehow phone gets lost in the equation for smartphone review.

Seems the same for computers. No one comments on wifi band performance.

 

[esquire]

That's surprising, among certain crowds it seems like Samsung can do no wrong so I just assumed there were a lot of people buying their phones.

I could be wrong here but it seems like Android phones follow certain trends to drive sales. The first wave was being the alternative to iPhone, then it was bigger phones and insane specs, now it seems to be low prices. Maybe Samsung is just late to catch onto this trend?

 

[mackattk]

Hopefully this means massively discounted S6 devices later on.

I think it has a small part to do with the 6+, but also it seems like more and more people aren't on the 2 year upgrade plan anymore. Prepaid keeps becoming more popular and buying a $600+ device outright isn't too appealing when it isn't subsidized within the monthly cell phone payment. That, plus the advent of cheaper near-flagship specced phones for the prepaid market isn't helping out the S6 sales at all.

Personally I wish there would be a highly specced phone with a ~4.5" screen and a nice hardware keyboard. It will never, ever happen though.

 

[jamesinclair]

Also reviewers don't give a shit about signal strength and call quality (i.e. microphone, ear piece, speaker).

Somehow phone gets lost in the equation.

Seems the same for computers. No one comments on wifi band performance.

But look how quickly I can swipe through the six home-screens!

*swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe*

LOOK ITS LIKE BUTTER!!!

Now watch me swipe through the app list!

*swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe**swipe*

OMG THIS IS A MUST BUY!

 

[terrisus]

That's surprising, among certain crowds it seems like Samsung can do no wrong

esquire
Has waited diligently to think of something to say before making this post


Previous to this they were making good decisions.
With this, they're making bad decisions.

No surprise or conspiracy involved.

 

[x3sphere]

I like my S6 a lot, but price is the issue. The market has changed - many lower end Android phones are quite good and not complete garbage like they were years ago.

Apple can still justify a premium, but I'm not sure that will continue forever. Tech is a race to the bottom, it's just like PCs - any bargain PC is now more than enough for what the average user needs, so they won't spend more.

 

[nhlducks35]

Do you have a citation?

Of course not.

People love to repeat this with NO FACTS to back it up.

Here are some facts:

Samsung was the market leader. They had SD and removable battery.

HTC was "the next big thing". They were on fire. They had SD and removable battery.

Then HTC removed them. Now they're a distant 5th place and youre more likely to see a Windows phone in the wild than an HTC.

Nexus was the "next big thing". Amazing specs. INCREDIBLE price. No SD card and no removable battery? It bombed, hard.

Samsung kept the SD card and removable battery, and their sales wouldnt stop growing.

Then they removed it, and now their new phone is bombing.

But no, nobody cares.

How about some anecdotal information? I (sadly) worked for Verizon Wireless for 9 months. Every day people would ask for phone recommendations. "Whats the difference between x and y? Why should I pay for z?"

99.9% of the time, after explaining what the phones had, they'd go with the one that offered removable battery and SD card.

But please, I am sure you have a citation that "nobody cares" right?

Right?

People HATE being nickel and dimed. When given the choice between paying $100 for an additional 16GB internal, or paying $40 for an additional 32GB via SD card, guess which one people pick?

You know what people actually don't care about, but the tech website throw a fit about? Plastic. Most casual users buy a case.

Just read this thread. Every other post is someone saying theyll pass on the S6 because it has no SD card. Minority of users, amirite?

Correlation does not imply causation

 

[Goldrush]

picardfacepalm.jpg

Because taking features away from people that existed in previous versions of the phone is a real great way to increase sales...

Not saying it was a great idea, but for people buying into the latest and greatest right now, there really is no choice. LG, I believe, is the only "big-brand" offering those features on their high-end in the US. We'll see if LG G4 will sweep up those sales when it is release.

 

[EightBitNate]

What evidence do you have of that? The only thing we know is that Samsung removed a differentiator to the iPhone when they got rid of expandable storage and removable battery, whether that was a significant contributor to the S6 sales bomb or not who knows, but it's a credible enough theory.


I mean, the OS is a pretty big difference. Agree with the rest of your post regardless.

Well of course there's no real data to base it off of, but the 100mil+ people who have Galaxies likely only bought then because of 1. The screen 2. The brand 3. The price.

 

[jamesinclair]

Correlation does not imply causation

Im just waiting on one person to offer any evidence that "people dont care about those features"

Any evidence. I've yet to see any.

Again, I worked for Verizon Wireless. While my experience is 100% anecdotal, it is at least something more than a statement made with zero support.

I see sales bombing every time the feature gets removed, what are you seeing?

 

[BumRush]

They made an iPhone when their previous success was by being the industry's non-iPhone (S5 had the removable battery, larger size, SD card, etc.)

 

[Phat Michael]

I didn't buy an s6 edge cos it was so much pricier than my note 4 and didn't have the expandable storage or massive battery.

To people asking "who needs 128gb on their phone?" that would be me. I have 160gb on my OPPO find 7 full of HD music. I have 160gb on my note 4 with music and videos.

If the s6 edge had the expandable memory and wasn't so overpriced I would have bought it. The note 4 however is just such a Damn good phone.

 

[JaggedSac]

Good, maybe price will plummet and I can get my wife one for cheaper.

 

[Caronte]

But... apparently it's selling almost the same as the S4 and S5, where's the disaster? Other than the S6 Edge cannibalizing sales from the S6 I mean.

 

[TemplaerDude]

Apparently I should have said Micro SD? I dunno, I didn't think I'd have to differentiate between one old, barely used standard and its far more used, tinier iteration. Sorry.

That's what matters to me, though. Everyone so quick to jump down peoples throats with the "DERP DERP UR DUM POWER USER JOE BLOW DUN KNOW WOT THAT IS LOLOL". Okay, fine, I know the standard consumer is a dipshit (though I'm starting to suspect that some of you are seriously under estimating their general intelligence but that's not the point). What matters to me is expandable memory. Put a micro sd slot in your phone. It's 2015. My S4 has it. I'm so sick of "new" phones getting rid of basic features that "older" editions had.

 

[clav]

Good, maybe price will plummet and I can get my wife one for cheaper.

If you're a T-Mobile user, the 64 GB version will be on sale this weekend at the 32 GB price point after discounts.

 

[nhlducks35]

Im just waiting on one person to offer any evidence that "people dont care about those features"

Any evidence. I've yet to see any.

Again, I worked for Verizon Wireless. While my experience is 100% anecdotal, it is at least something more than a statement made with zero support.

I see sales bombing every time the feature gets removed, what are you seeing?

iPhone sales

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

I am personally waiting for the Note 5 Edge.

Also they NEED to nuke touchwiz, the operating system is literally so off-putting most consumers do not want to pick up the phone. The layout is plain ugly.

Isn't Nova Launcher a good replacement for Touchwiz if you don't want to root your phone to remove touchwiz?

 

[Sectorseven]

I don't know why, but it feels like the Samsung phones come out all the time (even if it really is just annually), where as the iphone releases always feel like an event.

 

[terrisus]

Not saying it was a great idea, but for people buying into the latest and greatest right now, there really is no choice.

"No choice" but to remove features?

What?
Why?

 

[zedge]

Not saying it was a great idea, but for people buying into the latest and greatest right now, there really is no choice. LG, I believe, is the only "big-brand" offering those features on their high-end in the US. We'll see if LG G4 will sweep up those sales when it is release.

I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[JaggedSac]

If you're a T-Mobile user, the 64 GB version will be on sale this weekend at the 32 GB price point after discounts.

Thanks, but I'm on ATT.

 

[TedNindo]

I guess it depends on the region then. Because it is wildly popular here.

 

[reKon]

And now Samsung is removing much of the reason to go with a Galaxy instead of an iPhone.


Previously:
Want a memory card?: Not going with an iPhone.
Want a removable battery?: Not going with an iPhone
Want a waterproof phone?: Not going with an iPhone

While none of those categories guaranteed that the person would go with a Galaxy, it at least completely removed iPhones from the equation.

Now, though... What exactly separates the Galaxy from the iPhone? Running Android as opposed to iOS, and...?






But it's removing one of the phone's advantages.
And obviously their sales are very poor.

Poor Sony, lol. Gotta throw that marketing money up like Samsung does

 

[Funky Papa]

But... apparently it's selling almost the same as the S4 and S5, where's the disaster? Other than the S6 Edge cannibalizing sales from the S6 I mean.

The S4 and S5 were considered failures. As a matter of fact, the S5 was more or less conceived as an attempt to fix for the slow sales of the S4, which may have become the tipping point for Samsung's dominance in the high end market.

Furthermore, the Edge version was meant to be a premium product that should complement the basic model, but so far it looks like it's cannibalizing its sales instead of increasing the combined volume. It's not looking good.

 

[bigkrev]

Im just waiting on one person to offer any evidence that "people dont care about those features"

Any evidence. I've yet to see any.

Again, I worked for Verizon Wireless. While my experience is 100% anecdotal, it is at least something more than a statement made with zero support.

I see sales bombing every time the feature gets removed, what are you seeing?

The iPhone is selling like gangbusters

 

[FaintDeftone]

They made an iPhone when their previous success was by being the industry's non-iPhone (S5 had the removable battery, larger size, SD card, etc.)

This.

I have an S5 and I love it for the reasons mentioned above. This is why I jumped to Samsung instead of buying another iPhone (previous phone was a 4S).

My wife has an S6 and she loves it, but the fact that it has no SD card slot, no removable battery and no waterproof features really kills the appeal for me.

If the S7 is like this, I may jump on an Xperia phone or go back to iPhone.

 

[excelsiorlef]

And now Samsung is removing much of the reason to go with a Galaxy instead of an iPhone.


Previously:
Want a memory card?: Not going with an iPhone.
Want a removable battery?: Not going with an iPhone
Want a waterproof phone?: Not going with an iPhone

While none of those categories guaranteed that the person would go with a Galaxy, it at least completely removed iPhones from the equation.

Now, though... What exactly separates the Galaxy from the iPhone? Running Android as opposed to iOS, and...?




But it's removing one of the phone's advantages.
And obviously their sales are very poor.

The only reason now is android has vastly superior video and audio format support. Then again that's android not Samsung.

Legit one of the reasons I hold off on anything apple is their lack of support for among other things fucking mkvs

 

[Kelsdesu]

The problem is choice, or lack thereof. Removing the things that put them above the rest is showing in sales.

 

[Husker86]

And now Samsung is removing much of the reason to go with a Galaxy instead of an iPhone.


Previously:
Want a memory card?: Not going with an iPhone.
Want a removable battery?: Not going with an iPhone
Want a waterproof phone?: Not going with an iPhone

While none of those categories guaranteed that the person would go with a Galaxy, it at least completely removed iPhones from the equation.

Now, though... What exactly separates the Galaxy from the iPhone? Running Android as opposed to iOS, and...?




But it's removing one of the phone's advantages.
And obviously their sales are very poor.

Im just waiting on one person to offer any evidence that "people dont care about those features"

Any evidence. I've yet to see any.

Again, I worked for Verizon Wireless. While my experience is 100% anecdotal, it is at least something more than a statement made with zero support.

I see sales bombing every time the feature gets removed, what are you seeing?

Sales bombing is selling nearly the same that you did the previous year?

You're both really stretching this data.

 

[BobLoblaw]

If you're a T-Mobile user, the 64 GB version will be on sale this weekend at the 32 GB price point after discounts.

Grrr...don't tempt me bro...

 

[massoluk]

The iPhone is selling like gangbusters

I'm not saying Apple is a bad Rupert Murcdoch villain here but I'm trying to find the right metaphor. They are number one by cornering the other market like Fox News cornering conservative market.