Sprint's Intinct phone...stupid or just stupid?

[Sheep]

Back when I was a kid, those who wore knockoff Nikes and other imitation products often got ridiculed by their peers, as cruel and unjustified as that may be in the case of fashion.

Now we have the Sprint/Samsung Instinct, a blatant knockoff of the iPhone. The Instinct is backed by a huge marketing campaign, so if it doesn't work, Sprint wasted a ton of money backing a poor knockoff. Apparently the decision-makers at Sprint learned nothing from being a kid, and played "follow the leader" with this iPhone ripoff.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/11/samsung-instinct-to-run-199-99-on-contract/

Even if it does some things better than the iPhone (which it reportedly does), people are going to see this as little more than an iPhone ripoff that costs exactly the same and lags behind the both the original AND the 3G iPhone in many key areas (the touchscreen is far more basic, for example). People who are really enamored with the iPhone are going to go for the real thing.

A little originality in design or function instead of a complete knockoff would've worked wonders for Sprint here.

 

[backstept]

I wouldn't use a phone on Sprint's network no matter how cool it was, ripoff or not.

 

[Sheep]

I'm a Sprint customer and have never had a major problem with their network except in my (apparently) lead-lined office where I get absolutely zero signal. Considering it's my personal phone and I don't use it for work, not a huge deal.

I haven't really had any reason to switch aside from Sprint's horrid phone selection which is years behind every other U.S. carrier (who in turn are years behind the rest of the world). They have a ton of Palm phones, but I'd rather use nothing at all before that ridiculously outdated OS. I'm anxiously awaiting the day when my contract ends and bolting.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Good for Sprint. They're simply incorporating some of the more popular features introduced by iPhone, as will every manufacturer and carrier. Who knows, at some point someone may back it up with some innovative technology that would make it worth owning for some reason other than attention-whoring.

Of course, at 200 bucks it also makes the folks who paid too much to own an iPhone look pretty foolish.

 

[TremblingBluStar]

Nearly every cellphone is a ripoff of an earlier design. There is absolutely no reason why competitors cannot try to compete with iPhone or release a similar product at a cheaper price.

 

[Sheep]

Nearly every cellphone is a ripoff of an earlier design. There is absolutely no reason why competitors cannot try to compete with iPhone or release a similar product at a cheaper price.

Price: Not cheaper.
Product: Inferior technology and not significantly better.

 

[Trekker4747]

Sprint's network is so full of holes it should be called the "Swiss Cheese Network."

In a previous home, on a previous (Sprint) phone I'd have 5 bars in my living room and no bars in my kitchen. 10 feet apart.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Product: Inferior technology...

Inferior to iPhone? That is sad.

 

[loldrey]

Product: Inferior technology...

Inferior to iPhone? That is sad.

There can be technology inferior to Apple?

 

[Sheep]

Product: Inferior technology...

Inferior to iPhone? That is sad.

There can be technology inferior to Apple?

Look at the touchscreen on the Instinct compared to the iPhone's.

I should give Sprint credit for pricing the thing at $70 less than the cheapest iPhone, but I still maintain it's going to flop because anyone who wants the iPhone as a status symbol isn't going to flock to a knockoff.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I should give Sprint credit for pricing the thing at $70 less than the cheapest iPhone

Yes.

...I still maintain it's going to flop because anyone who wants the iPhone as a status symbol isn't going to flock to a knockoff.

You may be surprised to learn that most people buy telephones in order to use them. Buying a cellphone of any kind as a status symbol is so ten years ago - unless one is very young or easily led by marketers. No doubt that a lot of folks do fall into both categories, or Apple itself would be a more marginal company than it is (and the iPhone less of a fifteen-minute sensation) - but that's never made it difficult for other companies to outcompete Apple for market share in a variety of areas.

 

[Sheep]

You may be surprised to learn that most people buy telephones in order to use them. Buying a cellphone of any kind as a status symbol is so ten years ago - unless one is very young or easily led by marketers.

You are obviously in a different demographic than I am, as I have 30-something year old friends who routinely ditch their perfectly working cell phones for the "next big thing". The number of people in my circle who actually get a new phone because the old one was completely worn out is much smaller than those who upgrade for the sake of upgrading. You'd be surprised by the power of the marketers.

 

[ancient]

The world is full of suckers. Most of which are teenagers.

 

[loldrey]

The world is full of suckers. Most of which are teenagers.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

You may be surprised to learn that most people buy telephones in order to use them. Buying a cellphone of any kind as a status symbol is so ten years ago - unless one is very young or easily led by marketers.

You are obviously in a different demographic than I am, as I have 30-something year old friends who routinely ditch their perfectly working cell phones for the "next big thing".

"Most people."

 

[Sheep]

You may be surprised to learn that most people buy telephones in order to use them. Buying a cellphone of any kind as a status symbol is so ten years ago - unless one is very young or easily led by marketers.

You are obviously in a different demographic than I am, as I have 30-something year old friends who routinely ditch their perfectly working cell phones for the "next big thing".

"Most people."

And what makes you think "most people" don't do the exact things I described above?

 

[I Grok Spock]

The world is full of suckers. Most of which are 18 to 34 year-olds.

Fixed.

 

[splodenode]

i wont be getting one

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

Does that touchscreen have multi-touch and gesture support? Because if not, who cares? Along with the UI, those are the things that make iPhone's touchscreen fun to use.

 

[ancient]

The world is full of suckers. Most of which are 18 to 34 year-olds.

Fixed.

Well, those are the suckers with money.