ZellSF wrote:Kerr Avon wrote:True, but it is a fair indicator. I'm sure most people the world over use phones the same way that my acquaintances do; to send and read texts, to make phone calls (obviously!, to check Facebook and Twitter and other 'social' media, to quickly look up something to settle an argument, to check on prices or availability of items online and in shops, to browse the web when bored, and so on.
None of those benefit especially from a bigger battery, but a lot of social media (including SnapChat, which you excluded) are very picture heavy (pictures you take with the phone camera).
Yes, and none of those sites have a stipulation like "Warning: Photos uploaded to this site must be taken on a camera with a higher quality than the camera you owned six months back". Cameras in phones have been good enough for most people for a long time now, it's battery life that most people seem to complain about. Photos that are taken and intended to be uploaded to the 'net, or to be viewed on the same mobile phone that took the photos, or are uploaded to the 'net and then viewed by other people on their own mobile phones, won't exactly benefit from better cameras on newer phones, the limiting factor is the small size of the mobile phones' screens. I really doubt many people with a modern (or modern-ish) phone take a photo, look at it on their phone, and think "Wow, I wish this photo was in 16K resolution, even though no one would actually see the benefits, not even me. Still, when 4K is in the past, and 16K phones come out, then I'll definitely buy one, and then when I take 16k photos and view then on my 11 x 7 centimetre mobile, the difference will be night and day".
And it takes battery power to take photos. One more reason why longer battery power is desirable, unlike the non-advantage for many people of getting a better quality camera in their phone.
Kerr Avon wrote:I doubt many people use a mobile phone for professional photography, or to do any comprehensive video editing, or to record their singing for commercial use, etc. Most people want a device that's easy to use, reliable, easy to carry, and requires as little work or attention by the user (including having to remember to charge the phone) as possible.
I doubt many people use their phones as soap while showering either, but it like your examples isn't related to the conversation you were replying to.
Of course it's related. My "group of acquaintances" and "the very narrow sample that is this forum", to use your own words, are people who (a) use mobile phones, (b) don't (as far as I can see) use their phones for any complicated functions, and (c) even if they did want to perform the functions I name then would probably use a desktop PC instead for the convenience and power that the PC would offer over a mobile phone.
Except maybe the part of professional photography, but that's not who better cameras in mobile phones are made for; they're made for regular people so they can take pictures without having to be a professional photographer.
But phone cameras nowadays are good enough for most people. You yourself mentioned Snapchat, but can you honestly say you see many people with modern phones taking pictures for Snapchat and then lamenting that they wished the camera's built in phone was better quality.
But you try sitting in the staff canteen, or on a train, or anywhere else where there a crowds of people, and it would be long before, in a group of people chatting, one will stop to check their phone for messages, and mention that the battery is nearly dead. Do you not think that that person would take battery life into account when buying a new phone?
Better battery life benefits everyone, better phone cameras nowadays benefits far fewer people, so more people would be motivated to buy a new phone for it's battery life than for it's better quality photos.
Kerr Avon wrote:That's not exactly 100% reliable either. Companies lie, especially if they have a vested interest in what they say.
Saying that anyone lies without elaborating on their motivation is meaningless.
Business is about making money. Where there is money there is corruption, and often lies and deceit. And if the multi-billionaire phone companies, electrical component manufacturers, the silicon chip manufacturers, etc, want to point the market a certain way, do you honestly believe that they wouldn't 'grease the wheels', so to speak, of some of the people/businesses who control the direction of public spending?
Kerr Avon wrote:That's not exactly 100% reliable either. Companies lie, especially if they have a vested interest in what they say. And I do believe that if you sold two phones, both identical except one had a better camera and twice the storage space, and the other had much better battery life, then most people would choose the latter.
Still a baseless assumption.
It's not baseless at all. I have the opinions of people I have spoken to or overheard, and the opinions and wishes I've read on various forums, plus
the (to me) common sense judgement that most people will choose something that immediately benefits them (such as battery life) over something that offers them little if any tangible benefit (such as a camera that they'll only use to take photos to be viewed mainly on mobile phone screens).
Granted, that all doesn't add up to absolute proof, but it's just my opinion. Maybe I'm wrong, and people who'd value better battery life are in the minority, but it doesn't seem likely to me.
At any rate, I never said battery wasn't important, just that your statement that it was the only thing "most people" found important was (most likely) incorrect.
But that's what my experience suggests. And offhand I can't remember any other function or feature (other than battery life) being regularly wished for. Most people use their phone then put it away. They do the same things on the phone several times a day, then put the phone away and don't think about the phone again until they want to make a text, or answer a call, or check their e-mail, etc. I don't remember ever being out with my mates and us discussing any features we'd like to see on mobile phones.