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Comment by swombat | Hacker News Reader

I hate to be the one to point that out, but... does anyone really care what exactly the Galaxy Nexus looks like? It's just a phone that will sell, maybe, a few million units, which is nice, but not particularly significant in comparison to the 120million+ predicted for "that other phone"...

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It's a phone designed by Google, maker of Android, and it has the newest major Android version, so of course it's an interesting device.

And since when do sales reflect how good a device really is? Remember Android devices have to compete among themselves, too. If iPhone 4S had to compete with 20 other "iPhones" in a year, it wouldn't get 120 million units sold either.

Are you suggesting that the iPhone doesn't compete with those 21 Android devices?

Not really directly in my view. People usually first decide if they want an iPhone/Blackberry/Android/WinP7 device then they pick the model. So no I agree with the poster above. I don't think it's a really direct competition on the same level as android vs android phone.

The Galaxy S2 has sold over 20 million so it's very possible that this will do likewise. It's not iPhone territory but it's a very very big selling device.

I do, because I'm interested in buying it. No phone has interesting design in my opinion. I want the one with the best software and hardware.

Design is much more than aesthetics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Rams#Rams.27_ten_princip...

That's exactly what I mean. Design, all aspects. Software and UX is one thing. Hardware has followed a boring linear progression with no real innovation other than bigger screens and faster cpus, more ram, video acceleration... if it weren't for the miniaturization aspect no one would care.

My 3DS is more impressive.

I disagree, but it's subjective. I loved going from iPod + phone down to just an iPhone. When my 4S arrives I'm going to love getting rid of my point'n'shoot, and not feel like I have to have my DSLR to get decent photos. I have no video camera but am excited to have a decent one in my pocket.

I'm excited about the hardware and software improvements that make the 4S a good camera. Good enough for a point'n'shoot.

It's the first phone with a major new release of the best-selling mobile operating system.

While the phone itself won't sell as many copies as the 4S, Ice Cream Sandwich will have a larger install base than iOS5. There's a lot of people interested in what's in it.

Ice Cream Sandwich will have a larger install base than iOS5

Maybe but when? Honeycomb only has about 2% of the total Android market share 85% are still on Froyo or Gingerbread. What makes you think Ice Cream Sandwich is going to get better penetration?

Ice Cream Sandwich isn't going to have a larger install base then iOS5 anytime soon.

HC's low adoption means nothing in this context as it's only targeted at tablets. However, it's important to point out that 45% of the market is still on Froyo. Google's taking a more heavy-handed stance on updates for new devices, so things should not be as dire on ICS as they have been with past releases. If I had to guess, I'd say 90% of current Honeycomb tablets (thanks to Google's iron-fist control of the source) and maybe 75% of current Gingerbread devices will get the bump to ICS within 6 months.

Honeycomb is a tablet-only OS, so that market share isn't really relevant when talking about Ice Cream Sandwich. The Gingerbread market share would be a better indicator.

And iOS 4 was certainly bigger then gingerbread.

iOS as a whole is also still a tad bigger then Android although that shouldn't last long.

That said I have no problem with the assertion that ICS may eventually outinstall iOS 5.

I wish they would stop with the not so cutsy dessert names. It really makes it confusing to keep track of what's what.

Android version numbers are not search-engine friendly because minor releases are pretty major, and searching for "Android 4" will actually yield results for "Android 2.3.4".

I like full code names for releases as it eliminates confusion.

Google's SERP for Android 4 returns hits about Ice Cream Sandwich as expected... Also, it just launched today, a general lack of cotent may be what you're running up against.

Sounds like a search engine problem, not an operator error.

They're all in alphabetical order. Donut, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich. I assume there were internal releases named Apple and Brownie or something similar.

... Donut, ???, Froyo...

Was there an Eclair or something in there someplace?

Apple Pie

Bubblegum

Cupcake (1.5)

Donut

Eclair

Froyo (Frozen Yogurt)

Gingerbread (2.3)

Honeycomb

Ice Cream Sandwich

Jelly Bean (rumored)

> Apple Pie > Bubblegum

Why haven't these codenames been revealed earlier? I have searched high and low for Android's A and B codenames, but never found a reliable source. Thanks for solving the mystery! :)

Is a random HN comment a reliable source?

They also use numbers. Android 4.0 .

Maybe they should use big cat names?

The next one is Jelly Bean

You are probably correct - the Galaxy Nexus itself will not see anywhere near the sales that the iPhone 4S has. The real significance of this event is that it's the first Android 4.0 phone. And this release is mostly about trying to catch up with Apple on usability and glitz. They won't achieve the simple and clean experience that is the hallmark of iOS devices (especially as the phone vendors screw it up with their crapware), but hopefully this will make the Android experience a little less "clunky".

This is a Google phone. The Google software images have traditionally been pleasingly free of crapware. Though on the whole, you're absolutely correct that Android OEMs and carriers have a nasty habit of Dell-ifying their devices.

> I hate to be the one to point that out, but... does anyone really care what exactly the Galaxy Nexus looks like?

As someone who likes their Android phone, and has been waiting for an upgrade, yes, I do care what it looks like.

I don't think anyone is going to doubt that Apple makes great products, but the smartphone market is large enough for more than one player.

>does anyone really care what exactly the Galaxy Nexus looks like

Not sure if this a troll, but haven't you been keeping up with the numbers?

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2106625/android-mar...

A TON of people seem to be caring about Android phones.

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