Ask Paul: August 14 (Premium)

Happy Friday, and thanks to everyone for another great set of reader questions to kick off another weekend in this endless summer.

Recommended smartphones

cornholio asks:

Any update on your Oneplus 8/8Pro review(s)? Also, coming from an iPhone, do you have a short list of Android phones that you currently recommend? Woot was recently running a daily deal for a Oneplus 7 Pro 256gb – unlocked, $450. Little nervous with the purchase.

I’m at a big disadvantage compared to some when it comes to device reviews—especially but not exclusively smartphones—because I don’t have relationships with too many hardware makers and thus would have to buy the phones out of pocket to review them. Every year, I spend my own money on the new iPhones and Pixels, and sometimes on other phones (like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra I purchased earlier this year). So I don’t really have a current database of phones I recommend per se, and I can’t really review every single phone that comes down the pike.

Aside from that, smartphones are complicated decisions: Everyone has their own set of needs and wants, and certain features that are dealmakers or breakers. My own matrix of needs/wants, as I think of it, has changed a bit over the past year as I walked away from the Google Fi wireless carrier, but job one for me is camera quality. Beyond that, I prefer Android to iOS, but I’d go with an iPhone if it provided the best camera experience.

For several years, that meant I would get the newest/best Google handset, from the Nexus 6P in 2015 to the Pixel 4 XL last year. But with Samsung and Apple really upping their camera game and with Huawei surpassing Google last year to offer the best experience overall, I’ve moved in that direction. (That Huawei can no longer use Google apps/services or easily sell their handsets in the U.S. right now complicates things moving forward, of course.)

OnePlus is my favorite phone maker overall and they make the best handsets overall, from both hardware and software perspectives, except for the camera. They’re good to very good depending on the model, but they’re not in the top tier. If that’s not a dealbreaker for you, you’ll be very happy with a OnePlus, I think. I wish they’d figure this out, because I’d be a loyal OnePlus user myself if the camera was superior.

If you’re looking for something similar to the Apple ecosystem, it’s worth looking at Samsung, but of course they make about 1100 different handset models and it’s not always obvious which way to go. But I really like their launcher/UX and the hardware quality is excellent.

I don’t know if this helps at all, sorry. Smartphones are tough.

Living with …

OldITPro2000 asks:

I know you are doing a Living With series on laptops. Have you considered doing one on using Web-based office applications (Office 365 Apps, GSuite, or both) full-time for a week or so?

Yes, actually. I have a few potential “Living with…” series I’m considering: Linux, Mac, PC Gaming, and Web Apps. I suspect I will get to the web apps one for sure.

Surface Uno

OldITPro2000 also asks:

Do you think there’s a chance Microsoft release a single screen Surface Duo (Uno? sorry…)? Assuming the Duo bombs it could be a way for them to recoup some of the Duo development costs. Assuming the Duo succeeds it would be a way to expand their “not a phone” mobile device line to more traditional form factors.

I do feel that the Surface Duo won’t be a one-off and that Microsoft will release more Surface-branded Android devices. I’ve noted before that a Surface Pro version makes sense. But I could also see Surface Neo turning into an Android device (Surface Duo XL?). The problem with a single-screen version of Surface Duo is that it’s just a phone, and Microsoft clearly wants its own form factors. But … they did it with Surface Laptop, so never say never.

World v. Apple (and Google)

OldITPro2000 also asks:

What do you believe will ultimately come of the Epic Games vs Apple (and now also vs Google) lawsuits?

Between these lawsuits and the antitrust investigations that are happening here and in the EU, Apple (and Google) will need to compromise. That could/should take the form of proactively changing its policies, settling the Epic court case, and/or settling some future antitrust defeat.

I think I’ve laid this out before, but any Apple/Google compromise would need to include:

• Lower fees. Apple’s 30 percent vig is way too high, and this needs to be brought down to a more acceptable level. Epic charges 12 percent in its own game store. Maybe that’s the right level, but I think Apple can go lower because of the efficiency and scope of its operations. Single-digit would be best.
• No more fees on subscriptions. Taking a cut of in-app purchases is OK under two conditions—it’s only one-time purchases and Apple offers a way for app makers to use other payment systems—but charging fees on subscriptions (Microsoft 365, Spotify, etc.) is not OK. Those fees need to disappear. Apple shouldn’t get $30 every year when I re-up on Microsoft 365 Family; that’s ridiculous.
• Apple needs to let app developers communicate with their own customers. This would include directing those customers to a website where they can pay for something and not incur Apple’s fees.
• Apple needs to let app developers use their own or other third-party payment systems.

I don’t feel that Apple should be forced to let users side-load apps (as is possible with Android). Nor do I feel that Apple should be forced to allow third-party app stores on its devices.

Surface Duo on sale

will asks:

Predictions we will see a $300-400 price drop/sale on the Surface Duo around the holidays of this year?

I don’t see that happening so quickly. But given how often Surface PCs are on sale, lower prices are inevitable, and I’m sure Microsoft already has ideas about that schedule. And I agree with the many people who have noted that a $1000 price tag would be a lot more palatable. It’s inevitable that the conversation/debate about Surface Duo is tainted by its high price.

Surface Duo v. Galaxy Fold

eeisner asks:

Ignoring price points, specs, manufactures, etc., if you had to put all of your money into the Duo form factor (2 screens attached at a 360 hinge) or the Galaxy Fold form factor (1 large folding glass screen with single external screen), which would you go? I’m increasingly being sold that two screens, while less futuristic looking as folding glass, is a much more practical and forward thinking solution.

I would choose Surface Duo. There’s just too much that can and will go wrong with a folding display, especially at this early stage. Dual screens are less technically sophisticated, easier to fix, and more likely to be reliable.

The end of Xbox consoles

sabertooth920 asks:

Do you think this could be the last or next to last Xbox console that Microsoft produces? Over the next few years, as Xcloud matures and becomes the de facto console, there seems to be little reason to produce these loss leaders.

That will depend on how well xCloud/Xbox Game Pass Ultimate do in the market. But given the relatively small size of the Xbox market—what are we talking about really, 50 million people at most?—you may be onto something with regards to the schedule. If Microsoft can get its entire Xbox Live Gold and/or console user base on a subscription service, Xbox should become a profitable business and Microsoft could ignore hardware for good. I’m sure this is the plan, I’m just not sure about the timing.

Reducing the impact of Google

elhieger asks:

I’m trying to distance myself from Google and reduce the data I give up to them, by no longer using Google apps and services. However, through an app called Exodus, I’m seeing that even Microsoft apps on android have trackers such as Google AdMob, Google Analytics, and so on. This was a surprise to see. Outlook alone has 14 trackers, including from Facebook. Is this even worth trying, or am I just spinning my wheels while Google is getting my data anyway? Would switching to iOS even make an appreciable difference, given Google’s trackers on nearly every app and website?

It’s worth trying. But not on Android. About a year and a half ago, I looked into minimizing Google tracking on Android but discovered that it was impossible. (You can find the articles here and here.)

But if you’re serious about this, yes, switching to an iPhone would make a difference: Apple’s privacy push on iOS isn’t just marketing, and in the upcoming iOS 14 release, Apple is letting users reject tracking on an app-by-app basis as it happens. This is infuriating certain app makers, including Google, so you know they’re on to something. You can read about this functionality on the Apple Developer website.

Windows + Android

BigM72 asks:

I was just watching Panos’ Surface Duo press briefing and several times he said “if you squint, you can see Windows in there”. Do you think this is a hint of things to come (e.g. Neo having similar UI?) or just a throwaway line?

Yeah. It could apply to two things, perhaps: The notion that Windows 10X will also target dual-display devices and that the experiences will be similar, or that Microsoft is working to make its Microsoft 365 apps as similar as possible across the two platforms so they’ll be more consistent. But an Android launcher screen full of Microsoft app icons is, by nature, kind of Microsoft-like.

Uno

bschnatt asks:

I’ve started looking at various *truly* cross-platform development suites (Uno, Flutter, etc). Uno really has my attention because it uses C# and XAML and produces native apps and/or Web Assembly builds for the web. Have you spent any appreciable time playing with these? Have a favorite?

Great timing! I was literally just watching the UnoConf 2020 virtual conference and discussing this with Rafael. And while I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, I like what I see.

I’ve felt for a while that cross-platform is the only thing that makes sense, and given that, that the future of client app development is either web (React/React Native, PWA) or a cross-platform framework like Flutter. I love Flutter, but it’s so different from the .NET/C#/XAML stuff, and there’s a big learning curve. Uno could solve this problem. I’ll be writing more on this topic soon and will be spending some of the weekend investigating Uno further.

Why?

darkgrayknight asks:

The Panos Surface Duo press briefing does seem to answer the why of the device. The capabilities of two screens is actually highly productive for nearly everyone.

It’s not that simple. The assertion here is that it’s better to have two displays because you can have two apps (or one app in a split view) side-by-side and that moving data between them (copy and paste, drag and drop, etc.) is thus easier. And sure, that’s absolutely true. But … What is the subset of productivity tasks that you’d do on a display that small with no hardware keyboard and mouse that would also benefit from having two apps (or app views) open? This is all very unproven. In other words, yes, if I had Edge and OneNote open side-by-side, I could conceivably drag text, a picture, or whatever from Edge to a notebook. But is the device I’d want to use? And it’s not happening in isolation; do I do this enough to justify using this thing as my phone? It’s all very uncertain.

Sadly the price isn’t quite there. I think this could take off with good marketing (Not usually Microsoft’s strong point) and maybe some better pricing (though this has also been an interesting issue for most phones).

I do agree that a lower price would help tremendously. At $1400-$1500, this is just a non-starter for most. But there’s more to it than price, too. It doesn’t do things that many phones do well, like take great photos (the number one decision point for most phone purchases now based on hardware maker marketing), use NFC, wirelessly charge, be waterproof, and so on. So it would have to be a lot less expensive to outweigh those negatives too.

Do you see any possibility of it taking off? Looking back at other successes (iPhone, Surface Pro 3+, etc.) what made them a success, are there any echos of those successes in the Surface Duo?

Not that I can see, no. But I as noted in Even Microsoft is Still Trying to Figure Out Surface Duo, this could be a case like HoloLens or Surface Pro where future iterations of the product start to make more sense. The question isn’t whether Surface Duo v1 does well in the market—it almost can’t—but whether Microsoft can evolve it enough to make the product line viable. There’s absolutely a chance that can happen.

Best Xbox Series X launch game

Maciek asks:

Which game are you going to play second (not kidding myself, of course Call of Duty will be the first one) on your new, shiny Xbox Series X? Halo Infinite is out. My pick would be The Ascent, but obviously I have a different taste in gaming. Which one is yours? 🙂

Halo Infinite would have been that game, yes.

But based on the recent Xbox Games Showcase, there were a couple of shooter and horror games that looked interesting, like Crossfire, STALKER 2, and The Medium. I am getting kind of desperate to move past COD and try different games and types of games, for sure. And Tell Me Why is actually debuting later this month; I’ll be checking that out when it does.