Android, Windows Phone seen benefitting from ‘disappointing' iPhone 4S

We've said it before and we'll say it again: calling the future best-selling smartphone in the world “disappointing” is a bit of a reach. DigiTimes' infamous anonymous industry sources are running with it, however, and they think smartphone vendors that sell Android and Windows Phone-powered handsets will benefit from the opportunity Apple's new iPhone will afford them. “The newly released iPhone 4S lags behind some mainstream smartphones as far as specifications are concerned,” the site's sources said, because we all know how concerned the everyman is with specs. Companies like HTC, Samsung and Nokia, the sources continued, now have a chance to “expand their market shares with innovative models.” Read on for more.

DigiTimes says Apple's new iPhone 4S lacks the larger screen and NFC support found on current and upcoming smartphones from its competitors. The report also points out that companies like HTC and Samsung have already launched devices that support high-speed 4G LTE wireless networks, while Apple's iPhone 4S only supports HSPA 14.4. While 4G devices have indeed been selling well for Android vendors, they haven't managed to make much of a dent in Apple's smartphone sales to date. Apple was the world's No. 1 smartphone vendor in the second quarter with just two handsets on the market, the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4.

The report's sources wrapped things up by claiming that Apple's efforts to attack the low-end market with a free iPhone 3GS and a $99 iPhone 4 will be futile. “Although Apple also launched an entry-level 8GB iPhone 4 and cut the price of its iPhone 3GS, the effectiveness of such tactics will be limited as iPhone fans will still prefer to buy new models and the low-priced iPhones will not be able to compete with Android phones in the entry-level segment,” the sources told DigiTimes.

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