I don't mean to be rude, but this analysis seems remarkably ignorant of the Android ecosystem.
Flagship Android handsets have been hovering around the 5-5.5" mark for some time now. 1080p is now old hat, with LG, Samsung, Lenovo and Oppo offering 1440p displays. Gruber's definition of "amazing ... year-over-year improvement" seems to mean "catching up with last year's Android devices".
The iPhone is a great device and set the pace for modern smartphone design, but it seems wildly hyperbolic to applaud Apple for their continued innovation. It seems to me that Apple are now a backmarker, chasing the frenetic pace of the hyper-competitive Android market. iPhones are still very fine devices, but they are no longer a class apart in terms of build quality, industrial design or innovation.
Well, he does mention the larger Android devices in passing. But Gruber writes for Apple fans, who are ignorant of the Android ecosystem. This article is really written just for people who already have iPhones.
Flagship Android handsets have been hovering around the 5-5.5" mark for some time now. 1080p is now old hat, with LG, Samsung, Lenovo and Oppo offering 1440p displays. Gruber's definition of "amazing ... year-over-year improvement" seems to mean "catching up with last year's Android devices".
The iPhone is a great device and set the pace for modern smartphone design, but it seems wildly hyperbolic to applaud Apple for their continued innovation. It seems to me that Apple are now a backmarker, chasing the frenetic pace of the hyper-competitive Android market. iPhones are still very fine devices, but they are no longer a class apart in terms of build quality, industrial design or innovation.