[gill_bates]

> Andriod will be the cheaper but less polished product sold to the masses, while the iPhone will be a more upscale, more expensive product for the people with discriminating taste

Okay a lot of people have given you a pass for this (as Hacker's News, almost entirely as a reflection PG's spoken beliefs, is very Apple-fawning), but this is silly. You aren't special for buying a Mac, nor are your tastes better.

Everyone's anecdotes are different, but personally I equate owning an Apple PC with being very susceptible to marketing. The iPhone was a clear winner until maybe 6 months ago, however since then anyone choosing an iphone again is mostly a "Consumer" and not a discerning purchaser.

[IgorPartola]

My point is that that's the higher ground that Apple will be forced to take. Good design is not something you achieve and then have in your back pocket, so the fact that Andriod UI is "getting there" doesn't mean much in terms of comparisons of future products. OTOH, Apple has historically been very good at creating UI/UX that is a head above the rest. They have also been very successful at selling their products for a price points way above what is absolutely minimally profitable. I think Andriod will force them right to this basic model when it comes to smartphones.