A common argument has always been that the only reason Android is as popular as it is in the US is because people are buying Android solely because they can’t buy an iPhone (i.e., because they don’t want AT&T, or because Verizon is their only carrier, and so on). This line of thinking would imply that now that the Verizon iPhone is here, Android would be in trouble. Well, it turns out that might not be true, exactly. For the first time, more people desire Android for their next smartphone than iOS.
I’m personally not surprised of the main statistic in the article. I am surprised in the later information:
That’s just messed up. I really find it hard to believe that over 50% of Android users “hate Apple”. I’m sure many of them are frustrated with the lock down and itunes only policy,that’s still absurdly high. Although, that’s a completely different survey by a different group of surveyors, its still reminds me to not trust these polls for anything really.
I don’t hate Apple, and I like some products (I’m writing this with an Apple keyboard on a Linux PC). What I hate is about 80% of Apple stuff users, and in general I think 80% of Apple stuff users are hateable to some degree by the general population.
Disclaimer: percentages are completely made up but relatively accurate to my experience.
10% are informed buyers that know exactly what they want and get it.
40% are uninformed buyers that follow fads and end up with iStuff because it’s cool/makes them cool or simply because it’s what they’re told to like in the last Apple keynote.
40% are informed buyers that value non measurable qualities (brand, design…) over measurable ones (specs, construction quality…). I know cases of people working day to day with Windows laptops and taking the Macbook for a ride instead when visiting clients or public places. Makes me rage.
10% are first time users trying to find out what’s the fuss about.
comScore estimates the install base of iOS in the U.S. alone is approximately 37.9 million. That means that you “hate” approximately 30 million people in the U.S. alone. That is nearly 10% of the U.S. population. Additionally, among iPad owners, 72.7% of them own mobile devices from companies other than Apple, including 17.5% Blackberry users and 14.2% Android users. That is a sizable mount of hate for Blackberry and Android user’s as well. Finally, do you honestly believe that 15 million people watch Apple keynotes?
Yeah, I hate a lot of people.
And for the last question, no, you missed the ‘or’ in my original sentence.
I suppose most people are simply sick to death with the overhype of everything Apple the last five years, of the press trying to sell anything and everything carrying a fruit logo as the next big thing (OMG! Apple launched a trackpad for desktop computers!!! Is this the end of the mouse??!!), of every fucking fanboy lying through their teeth about the greatness of the latest gizmo and how its restrictions NO RLY are for your own good, of revolutionary gadgets that let you do less at a slightly lighter weight, etc.
It’s just so much of nothing. Fashion. Advertising. After a while, the last generation’s fad just doesn’t seem so hot anymore.
As my next phone, they must do three things:
1) Add the option to install from untrusted sources (other than their app store.)
2) Make it usable without iTunes.
3) Make it available to any carrier.
Android can be chaos, but I would rather have the danger of freedom than the security of the walled garden.
I watch very little TV – mainly because I can’t stomach the propaganda filled tripe that makes up most of the programming, and if I see another “reality” show!!! Anyway, in what little TV I do watch the number of adverts for Android based phones compared to iPhone would be at the very least 25:1, probably much higher than that in reality.
Then there’s the web – a Google controlled domain with regard to advertising. Wow, I wonder what we’re going to see there…
Then there’s the “ZOMG EVERYONZ GETTING ANDROIDZZZZZZZZZ!!!” factor. My 14 year old daughter came home from school the other day and said “half of my friends are getting Android phones”. When asked why she said “meh, because they can give each other copies of games and stuff that they download”, to which my response was “well that’s fine, just make sure none of them have any of your details anywhere on their phones please.”
It was only a couple of days after that when my wife came home from work shaking her head because the young lady she car pools with got an Android phone citing that “it’s so much better than an iPhone because it’s opensource”, to which my wife, who has also worked with me in this industry for over 10 years and therefore knows what opensource actually means, asked her “so why is it better if it’s opensource” to which her response was “it just is, my brother-in-law who fixes computers told me that there’s lots of stuff I can do with it that I can’t with an iPhone”. My wife simply asked “Like?” To which every suggestion could already be accomplished on an iPhone.
So yes, I agree with the comment that most people buy uninformed. It’s precisely the reason why Android has, and will continue to dominate the market.
Right, because as we all know, everyone who buys iPhone = informed, and everyone who buys Android = uninformed.
Go away, troll.
Comparatively the number of computer being converted to Apple computer on popular television show, and appearing on movies is very high.
Speaking of propaganda filled tripe, your comments (and others from fanboys like yourself) are a prime example. And a reason why Apple will go out of fashion. After a while, your dishonesty will stick to what you’re trying to sell as well.
Damn, that sounds a lot like the “ZOMG EVERYONZ GETTING iPHONEZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!” factor.
Ah, that must have been why the iphone also sold well before, right?
Cheap unlocked Android phones sell for as little as AUD120 in Australia. An unlocked iPhone 4 16GB costs AUD859 (USD920).
They are lower spec’ed, smaller and designed to reduce the price overall. iPhone does not compete on the low end. Same as Macs do not compete on the low end of the PC market.(Yes, Mac’s are now for all intents and purposes PCs)
High end Android phones are still priced comparably to an iPhone4.
Now ask yourself, does anyone care about Mac’s globally, since Mac’s market share is a statistical glitch…
Not really. Like all things Apple they are about twice the cost of similar spec. Android phones when purchased without a contract (outside North America).
An online price check today in Australia for the following unlocked phones:
Sony Xperia X10 – AUD244
HTC Desire Z A7272 – AUD387
LG Optimus GT540s – AUD158
LG P500 Optimus One – AUD289
iPhone 3 – AUD719 (Apple online store)
Apple may soon be back in the same disastrous situation as it was in the mid-90s with a small range of expensive hardware and a less software than the competition.
At least in EU, iPhone4 on a monthly contract is about the same as high end Android phones. Though off contract the price can be higher by 90EUR to 500EUR(Ever seen an iPhone4 16GB cost 1000EUR off contract? I have )
And then, right before new iPhone’s roll out we get 80-freaking-% discounts!