The link should really be to the original report [0].
This 55% is iPhone's share of phone shipments in Q2, not the number of users of the respective phones at any given time. In other words, fewer people are buying smartphones than were before, but Apple saw less of a hit to their numbers than everyone else did.
Contrary to existing comments here, this stat doesn't appear to indicate that people are switching from Android to iPhone. It looks like Android users are more likely to avoid upgrading their phone in an uncertain economy, while Apple users are more likely to upgrade regardless.
The Android market is way way harder to pin down than the iPhone market. Manufacturers have been walking out software support horizons in the Android world, which should have an impact. To the extent that Android users have shifted toward Samsung and Pixels, that would also tend to walk out the software support window of the Android cohort. And finally, last year there were crazy sales that I don't think have been as good this year, from what I've seen. I upgraded from S21 to S22 ultra last year for $18, no contract term.
OTOH, Qualcomm seems to have closed the gap in SOC performance and efficiency with 8gen2.
>That's generally what a "market share" number measures: the share of sales during a period of times.
We don't measure Browser Market Share as number of downloads during a period of times. Nor do we measure OS market share as number of license sold during a quarter.
The reason why Market Share, or share of sales during a period of times were used for commodity, repeatable sales. Because knowing you have 50% of Ketchup sales meaning you own 50% of the Ketchup market.
And when you talk to average people, no one would think Market Share of Browser, OS, Photoshop, as Sales over period of time. The same goes with Apple and Android, when you talk about market share, people will think usage. Not shipment.
Unfortunately even on HN the two is 99% mixed up. As a matter of fact this is the first time someone mention this difference that even gets enough attentions to be the top voted comment.
I'm constantly amazed by how people spend so much of their income on Apple products; it's almost like their lives are ruled by the status they feel an iPhone brings (and the consequential sacrificial purchasing).
It likely varies by area and average income, here it's almost an inverse correlation - the less-well off kids at school tend to have parents on iPhones and the comfortable parents are on whatever works for them.
I’m astounded by the pervasiveness of this meme, given its origins are really from a Mac vs PC internet flame war era that I would like to think we’ve moved past.
I’m astounded by the fact that one can imply with a straight face no less that over half the market are status-driven dorks that have no legitimate reason to use an iPhone over an Android phone, the obviously superior for all people in all circumstances choice used by the enlightened few that aren’t concerned with such banal things as social status.
Occam’s razor would imply that this view is perhaps wrong and that you’re just missing something.
I use an iPhone for a lot of reasons. One of these is that I’m legally blind. For my purposes, accessibility features on iOS easily run rings around those on Android. Full stop. Arguing against that is ridiculous. Sectioning me out and saying “I wasn’t talking about you@ because disability is a sacred cow is ridiculous.
Just please don’t make these conversations so charged with this tired old rhetoric that simultaneously chastises such a wide group for imagined status-seeking in a way that simultaneously ties your own (non-iPhone) choice in to an imagined desirable personality trait.
> I'm constantly amazed by how people spend so much of their income on Apple products
I don't know about other people, but I went iPhone specifically for the value/$. Got a used iPhone SE 2020 for $150 in late 2021, and expect to use it for 5+ years. I seriously doubt that there are any Androids out there that could get even close to that.
It really helps that Apple's CPU/SoC is substantially superior to what everyone else uses, so older iPhones tend to feel snappier. Between that and Apple's clearly superior OS support, I don't know why value shoppers who don't want to install their own firmware would go with Android.
No mate, people value themselves and get the best thing they can have. Smartphones are so essential now and used 24/7, don't cheap out on it. You don't cheap out on food either. Nothing to do with status. Not all about Apple either, there are nice premium Android phones as well. What are you doing, saving for a golden tombstone?
You make a big assumption that it is all about status or that status is a simple equation.
From what I have seen, Android phones appeal to people who want or must spend as little as possible on their phones. It also appeals to people who want to tweak and customize their phones. There is a brand appeal among some of those people to be the anti-Apple.
Apple does appeal to some for brand identity. It also seems to appeal to people who are buying a phone that they can just take out of the box and use without spending much time in setup and configuration.
I bought an iPhone because Android vendors kept leaving me high and dry after a few years. I'm now on year 6 with the iPhone and it's still working great. As I understand it, I have another year or two before Apple stops supporting it with updates.
That makes the iPhone far cheaper than any comparable Android phone I could have bought back then.
Maybe today Android vendors are offering longer support horizons but I've been burned multiple times and won't trust that ecosystem again.
To me this feels more like the situation where someone with money in the bank can buy $200 shoes which will last 10 years, while someone living paycheck to paycheck has to keep buying $40 shoes that fall apart after a year.
> and the comfortable parents are on whatever works for them
So, not necessarily Androids, but whatever they happen to choose? I'm not sure what we're observing, that people just use whatever phone they prefer? Honestly, iPhones aren't a heck of a lot more expensive than a flagship Pixel phone, especially not for a multi-year tech investment. The "iPhones are expensive" propaganda is underinformed. Apple computers on the other hand are way more expensive than the equivalent hardware in the PC ecosystem, however they also hold their value quite well for resale whereas I've found it quite difficult to offload old gaming PCs in the past. Usually people just want the CPU and GPU, if they're not older than about 4 years. The rest of the carcass just gets piled into an ever-growing closet stash of old PC components. If you have a Macbook on the other hand, you'll have a dozen people asking if it's still available every day until you sell it. Even if it's a relic, just with a working battery and hard drive.
My bias in this conversation is that I've owned an iPhone 12 since late 2020 with no signs of needing an upgrade anytime soon. I don't know anybody living in poverty but shoveling all of their money into Apple tech.
I'm amazed at the emotionality of people who dislike Apple. I guess it's a classic projection thing where those with strong emotions opposed assume that those who disagree must do so out of the polar opposite emotion.
Apple products are less expensive the more money you make. Not just as a relative income statement, but because of resale value. You can buy a new $1000 phone every single year and end up spending $300/year net of taxes and depreciation. You just have to have the capital that you can tie up.
I'm on an iPhone 7 Plus since a year. It's an old model that I bought secondhand. It was partly experiment. I was using an Android phone: Motorola G5 (also old). I love that G5, but I have the variant with only 16GB internal memory, which is simply not enough nowadays. For me the G5 is still fast enough, but every time there are app updates, I need to free space so the update can install.
My wife was already using a second hand iPhone and convinced me to try it too. I got that iPhone 7 Plus for cheap, it is in really good condition and it has 256GB internal memory. I was aware it would be stuck on iOS 15, but to my surprise, Apple still sends out security updates for iOS 15. I just checked: my phone is on 15.7.7 and I noticed 15.7.8 came out just a couple of days ago. See [1].
I know that Apple is a closed eco-system and all, but for my phone I don't care that much. My phone just has to work. I still use Google products (maps, mail, calendar, keep, chat), but those run just fine on iOS. The other apps I use, are also working just fine (no performance issues).
To me, it's amazing that a phone from 2016 is still receiving security updates. That is simply non-existent in Android world. As someone who does not have the urge to always have the latest and hottest, that is very nice to see.
I watched a dating show episode, Updating, on YouTube. At one point the fact that the guy was using an Android and not an iPhone was a major "ick" (point of revulsion) to the audience and the (otherwise stunning) female contestant.
Wtaf? Just had to shake my head. Ironically, my S21 Ultra with 16GB of memory/512 of storage was way ahead of anything Apple had made at time of release, probably cost the same as their top model at the time, and is still punching hard with no need whatsoever for me to .. update.
I am baffled why people keep making this asinine remark.
Stock iPhone is not status. Vertu is status (and is an Android platform), moreso the Vertu Signature line. Aftermarket modded iPhones that are encrusted with gold and diamonds are status. The former is the Jane Birkin bag of the smartphones, the latter is pure bling. Both send the same message: I have done financially exceptionally well (or my daddy has paid for it).
iPhone is equally unobtanium to anyone pre-launch nor does Apple make bespoke or customised editions for anyone, both of which also obliterate its purported status symbol. Ironically, it actually makes iPhone more equal and less status compared the status smartphones.
iPhone might be a status symbol in low income countries, and so are Samsung Galaxy's, the top of the range Huawei's, Xiaomi's and whatever else expensive there is out there.
Probably because when they buy something they want it to work.
I was a die hard android fan boy. Owned nearly all android flagships.
I first was driven away from the Google branded phones because it was clear their priorities where something other than providing me the best hardware and software experience.
Then I was driven away from Samsung because too much bloat and advertisements within the core OS.
None is the home integration worked right. Too fractured and error prone.
I got tied of seeing people use their iPhones to get shit done and not needing to tinker heir damn phone all the time.
The iPhone is a tool. A well thought out tool that gets the fuxk out of my way so I can do the things I want. Android. IRS a toy. It’s an advertisement delivery vehicle. On Android you are the customer not the user.
I’ve switched back and forth. Just had worse experience overall on android. Maybe I’ll try them in another few years. For a low budget I went through 3 androids and settled on a used iPhone which was waaay more stable.
It may just be that people who have lower income, and are guided by "status" may make worser choices or are can't/don't understand financial implications or maybe they are just doing their best to "peacock" and fit in with what they think is the right tool to achieve their goals?
It's nothing new, you could've said the same thing in the 90's about Sega, Nintendo and Playstation and with Shoes, Clothes, anything -
You’re right. I spent an extra $14 on an iPhone 12 vs the Samsung. Now I have a blue bubble, and people treat me like I’m smart and better looking. Combined with drinking the beer I learned about on the Super Bowl ads, women think I’m cool too.
I use iPhones because I can get 5-7 years of use out of each one. Can you recommend an Android phone that has the same level of software support? Preferably something that also works properly with my MacBook, because that is what I use for work.
I have a ton of Apple products and I could not care less about the status they confer. They just genuinely have a better end to end user experience most of the time. They do, for the most part, live up to the “just works” mantra.
Are you really constantly amazed? iPhone user here. I don’t see my phone as a status symbol. I just like it much better. If you like Android better, that’s cool too.
Time is valuable, and the ecosystem of Android phones is filled with time-wasting BS: bloatware, OEM specific UIs, varying device quality, lack of OEM support, confusing accessory compatibility, a marketplace full of malware, etc.
For the type of people here that like to tinker with tech this might be a non-issue, but some other people just want to use the device to accomplish tasks with as little friction as possible.
i worked a little in this space in the past. what we learned was that most people don't switch, but if they do, it's overwhelmingly in the android->ios direction and not the other way around (this is in the US). you may see some anecdotal evidence otherwise but on aggregate that was true
I know a couple of people who did that, but they switched from a $200 android to a ~$1000 iphone, and were amused at how much better it is. Users who had flaghship androids rarely switched, because their phones were good too.
Yes, I've seen something similar, it's easy to switch from Android and get into Apple's ecosystem, but once in it's difficult to get out.
My brother-in-law would love to switch out, but he feels stuck in Apple's ecosystem because switching now would mean either causing a lot of friction for his family or he'd have to change many devices at once.
Anecdotally, some part of it is also the hype which makes people who use a mediocre Android switch to the iPhone. Once in the ecosystem its significantly harder to switch back. All of my friends who use a high-end Android haven't switched and don't want to.
Also kids favor Ios, they like messenger and they play games with each other when they are in the same room, I'm just paraphrasing my 14 year old. So maybe it just reflects more new entrants? As in kids getting their first phone, whereas the older cohort might be more evenly distributed.
I'm part of this statistic. I've been an Android user my entire adult life, but it really has been a constant downward spiral over these past several years. My previous three phones from LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi all had major software bugs that were never fixed, the biggest being just incredibly poor network connectivity (across multiple carriers, mind you) resulting in at least several calls just not connecting to me. I switched to an iPhone SE several months ago and have had zero issues whatsoever. I resent that my money went to a company like Apple, but there really is no alternative if you want a decent cell phone in 2023.
I kind of went the other way, I have had androids since 2010ish, then tried an iphone at the beginning of corona since my old sony phone couldn't run teams properly. Had it for 2 years and hated it so much I went back to android.
I couldn't even install a separate browser like firefox that was not just a skin and the ad-block on safari drove me crazy. It only prevented items from being displayed but not the network requests etc.
Also, it was nagging me a lot, constantly asking for me to sign up to icloud and other things.
Back on a pixel phone now and couldn't be more happy really.
Having switched from Android to iPhone recently, it’s not even the quality of the phone. It’s the insane fragmentation, incomplete features, and random breaking features.
I finally gave up when a pair of Bluetooth headphones couldn’t pair with my phone. I realized that there are simply too many variations of Android for device manufacturers to test. With an iPhone, you know that most accessories are going to be tested against your specific model.
Now that I’m on an iPhone, the integration between various device is insane. Answer a call in your watch, transfer it to your phone, then move it to your laptop. Seamlessly, cast music to speakers/tv/bluetooth and it just works, every single time.
My limited experience using friends' and family's Samsung phones is that they are the worst out of all of them. Absolutely nothing but bloated, buggy software that you can't disable.
Samsung is disappointing than Xiomi. My Mi phone lasted 4 years and after switching to samsung, it didn't even last more than 2 years. After the battery died, samsung became useless.
I'm part of this statistic too, in a different way. Android worked perfectly for me, but the OS was increasingly dumbed down and Androids consistently threw out features I loved. (Headphone jack, expandable storage, full rectangular screens).
Androids threw away their market differentiation just to become bad iPhone clones. When I found myself needing a new phone, I had little reason not to consider an iPhone.
I bought an SE, then bought a Pixel 4a because of iOS issues, but I am here again considering an iPhone as my 4a nears EOL. I share your resentment of giving money to Apple.
I am also part of this statistic. I feel like android dumbed down the google assistant. Sometimes I am no longer sure what app is called on hey google. In comparison to Bixby, the tech became worse.
I would have switched to SE if my wife did not get me a pro for my birthday (to communicate in iMessage). And now I am on this boring phone no longer passionate about phones anymore.
Yup, for something so critical in my life, I just want the damn thing to work. While I would love to tinker with an Android, I just don't have the energy for that (I did a decade ago) nor the time to troubleshoot problems that come up.
Same. I had to make around 300 phone calls for a recent health ordeal by my rough estimates^. I went through 3 androids and settled on used iPhone after learning my lesson. I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to drop calls/not be heard/screen freeze/no ring. A cheap 3 year old iPhone worked so, so much better.
^if you’re on “Obamacare”, which is a godsend, finding a specialist on your own equates to being given an excel sheet with extremely uncurated or simply incorrect listings. Then finding a specialized occupational therapist after surgery, etc, etc.
Funny, my last android was samsung which I had many of the issues you describe above, and in particular it felt very bloated.
I've been getting older generation Pixel S and they are very good for the price. usually 1/4 the price of a comparable flagship iOS and I never have any issues.
Why do you resent that your money went to a company who put a good device in your hand? I'd resent giving money to a company who can't be bothered to make a device that makes me happy.
I'm pretty sure you could fill a library with how much this topic has been discussed over the years, but iOS doesn't make everyone happy. It's entirely possible to enjoy the stability while also being frustrated by Apple's software design choices.
Interesting you didn't name the two brands that are true, non-Chinese flagship Android: Pixel and Samsung.
If you want true software freedom on a phone, there is GrapheneOS on Pixel. I think Samsung is the better UI of the two, but if my Samsung breaks I think I'll go pixel and go graphene.
I've been using Google Fi as a wireless provider for years and have been using their phones as a result. I've only once ever had an issue with one of the phones from a software standpoint and it took me a while to figure out how to port over my contacts (I had to export them to an Apple format and then import them). I've stayed away from Apple products because (1) the Google products don't have a ton of corporate fluff like Samsung products, (2) Apple phones tend to do "magic" things that just annoy the hell out of me, and (3) Android Auto just works.
I've been thinking about switching to an iPhone because I'm tired of never upgrading my phone to avoid it breaking, but the fact that I can't install ReVanced or an adblocker stops me. I don't know if I'll ever change my mind on this, lack of good ad blocking really is a dealbreaker for me.
For me it's things like iCloud Photos having no API to access them and no reasonable way to pull them out or back them up. So very much a trap. Among other things.
Yep I get way better service on iPhones. Even with wifi calling. I get 0-2 bars where I live. With my iPhone I don’t even have a tenth of the same reception problems.
> My previous three phones from LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi all had major software bugs
I see this pattern with a lot of IPhone users. They tried the cheapest worst quality android phones and came away with a bad taste in the mouth. So iPhone is the only "decent cellphone in 2023". My dude you never tried the good android phones. Get a Samsung galaxy flagship. These are at par, if not better than the similarly priced iPhone model in all respects.
Me too. Love android UI more actually, the screens more, and the fast charging more, but a few things such as the photos/videos are what drew me to finally get a 13 pro max. I still use android on a wifi only phone and tablet and enjoy it but iphone is nice for daily driver and because the photos i can take and battery life post charge when full seems to be longer.
I've had both Pixels and iPhones (work phone). They're mostly the same to me, except that iphones are much more expensive for no good reason (besides branding). I like that they still make small phones though. Was super happy with my pixel 4a, but they don't make such small phones anymore unfortunately.
KISS launcher is one of the main reasons I gave my iPhone XS to my dad. On iOS I'm not even allowed to place app icons where I want to. The freedom to install any app I want is another main advantage.
Most people just want their defaults to be good enough but there's no reason to limit those that want something that works better for them.
Obviously iOS does some things incredibly well. E.g. gesture navigation on Android is objectively worse than on iOS.
How are we still, 15 years later, stuck in the feigned incredulity stage of android vs ios?
"I don't see how anyone still buys an ____. How can you not see the overwhelming evidence that ____ is unequivocally the better phone?"
If either device can fit in either blank, as it has all over this thread, perhaps that's because there hasn't been any undeniably impactful feature improvements on either platform in the last decade.
Tribalism. Just like politics and brand preferences in other economic sectors (cars, computers, and so on).
I for one think both Android and iOS are pretty awful operating systems. I still look forward to a viable third option, and would especially enjoy a phone that functions more like an accessory or terminal to my computer, rather than a first-class computer in its own right.
> Despite inflation numbers falling through the quarter and ongoing strength in the job market, consumers hesitated to upgrade their devices amid market uncertainty.”
> Apple’s resilience was driven by strong promotions across postpaid and prepaid. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile continued to offer $800+ promo credits for the iPhone 14 while old-generation iPhones were also steeply discounted across prepaid. We are seeing no weakness in the overall promotional activity.
Perfect storm, especially for a broke-ass like me. When it stops being about features and starts being about "cheap"...
Then again, I'm going dumb phone next month, which is _even cheaper_. Take that, smartphone market!
I have a love/hate relationship with Verizon. Okay, more often hate/hate, but still. They have the best network in this area when we're out in the sticks. But their pricing is pretty high. They'll offer $800 on a new iPhone, and then the credit comes one month at a time over 36 months. Meanwhile, you're paying $70-80 per phone. You might as well take the upgrade when available, if you're going to stick with them, because otherwise you're just paying for other people's upgrades.
I'd switch to Visible (the Verizon prepaid) and pay half the price, except they don't yet support standalone Apple watches. So we continue to pay almost $200/mo for a family of four (with only two real smartphones), because of those watches. Some day the kids will be old enough that my wife will let them have smartphones, and we'll switch to some plan that costs half as much.
Who else has cheap data sims? Is this still a killer feature of GoogleFi alone (one time $5 fee for a data sim)?
I really wish companies would be happy to sell data. Making a bunch of addon charges to get me to he point where I can consume data is such a defiance of what these companies best utility should be: carrying data.
The one other thing that almost wholly shapes who I'd go with for an MVNO is what speed I get after soft cap. Everyone has unlimited & everyone will eventually slow you down to much slower speeds: what life is like after that threshold is why I cling to my absurdly expensive very grandfathered Verizon Unlimited, which they won't even let me bump my SMS allowance on.
I use visible. It has been trash basically everywhere I go. I live in austin and it's almost completely useless there. I haven't traveled to a single area yet where I've been happy with the service.
What a wreck. Then, I'm never surprised. It's always been a rip-off built on having the "next best thing" at all times. Well, a price is paid for that, as you demonstrate. Blech!
I also don't want to spend a lot of money on phones and when my last android phone broke (dropped it one too many times and the glass shattered) I got an iPhone SE. But I kind of hate it. When the better goes (which will only be a few years, I'm amazed at how poor the capacity is, you really don't get a lot of value with low end apple phones) I'm going to switch back to cheap android with a big battery. I'm a low-usage phone user so android was fine for me.
For me the sweet spot is an SE with a battery case. A ‘full size’ phone still wouldn’t cut it with my usage, so this way it’s heavy, but still fairly compact and gets the job done.
Ha, what a world! I've known that Apple's actually been fairly competitive from a cost benefit analysis wise for a long time at the hardware level but it's very funny to see a comment associating Apple with being the cheaper option.
Edit: I see you answered below ;-)
Which dumbphone are you getting? (Nokia) That's awesome. I've been doing a PHONEVORCE lately... it's been several years in the making as I've shed all social media, and deleted and blocked nearly everything that I can waste time on with my phone.
Now my phone use is for looking at maps, checking which aircraft are nearby, email, and direct messaging.
It's pretty calm! I'm reading more, mental health seems very good, I learn neighborhoods really well cause I don't use GPS.
It's really nice not staring at that fucking box all the time.
I'm going to be getting a Nokia 6300 4G. Smart enough to have google maps, dumb enough to stay out of my head.
I've been recommended to "just get a GPS" -- they're like $300, and I'm cheap :) so my dumpy little phone will have to do the job. That's like, the #1 thing I _really need_ out of a phone; the rest is distracting trash.
The best part is that you can pay _ridiculously low_ prices month to month through various carriers. Like $15 / month in the US, on top of the phone being $70. Good stuff in my opinion. I thought I was getting off good with ~$45 a month for Google Fi.
> going dumb phone next month, which is _even cheaper_
You sure it's cheaper? I've been unable to find a dump phone for a good price - a used smartphone on eBay is far far cheaper. Also a Chinese android phone, and just don't use the "smart" parts.
That’s just such a US. American problem that it is honestly, kind of funny in a dumb way from any other part of the world. Like SMS itself is a legacy, insecure tech, it really should not be used at all anymore, unless you really only know their phone number. Knowing that you are not sending SMS when you see a blue bubble, but apple just conveniently put their internet-based message system into the same app is not a hard concept. Similarly, you can install Telegram, Whatsapp, Messenger, Signal, Element X (which I all have installed besides Whatsapp) and communicate with people available through those application at the utterly tiny inconvenience of having to open that app first.
You can’t send images/videos through a Short Messaging Service, period. That’s not apple being anticompetitive, this is literally the technology’s limitation. It is also terrible from an encoding point of view, and probably why the rest of the world had no problem ditching it for most things, as sending an Unicode message takes up plenty characters, making you have to send 2 messages even with moderately long text. (I remember removing ‘ö’s and spaces when I was a child and had stricter limits on the number of SMSs in my plan.
People are just eating what Google says raw. Apple will just need to implement RCS and everything will be better.
Don't worry that the only universally available RCS relay is operated by Google and encryption is a part of a non-standard Google extension. So Google wants Apple to hand all messages over to Google.
For fun, Apple should propose to implement RCS but only if Google agrees to use the Apple relay. No chance it would ever be accepted.
> Similarly, you can install Telegram, Whatsapp, Messenger, Signal, Element X (which I all have installed besides Whatsapp) and communicate with people available through those application at the utterly tiny inconvenience of having to open that app first.
...and the not insignificant inconvenience of knowing which of these apps each of your contacts uses or prefers. There really is a network effect of most people in a particular circle just using one thing. For US iPhone users at least, that thing is iMessage.
Yes, it is a US centric view, but it also explains why iOS market share is nearly unstoppable in the US. It will likely tilt much farther in that direction if there aren't fundamental changes in how people use messaging.
> Like SMS itself is a legacy, insecure tech, it really should not be used at all anymore, unless you really only know their phone number.
I use SMS mostly because the only people I know who don't are using Facebook stuff and I'm not going to do that. But I am nervous about the say when people stop using SMS so much because I don't look forward to having to have multiple messaging apps and trying to remember who is using what.
> You can’t send images/videos through a Short Messaging Service, period.
90% of people I message with use WhatsApp or Signal (and most of them use iPhones). I keep hearing about iOS messaging lock in, but I've never experienced it.
Those plain SMS threads are green instead of blue. That lets iPhone owners judge Android owners from afar. /s
Only half kidding. The real issue is just SMS vs data. And a little bit of feature parity - it's changed a few times, but until recently, if I "liked" a message in an SMS thread, we'd all see something like "Alistair like 'something said by somebody'" instead of just applying the thumb-up icon. This only gets worse for media sharing, link shares/snapshots, etc.
A simple example is the media sharing quality is horrendous when you transcend the iPhone/Android boundary. Can you communicate, yes. Is it as good as an all iMessage interaction, no.
SMS can only handle a certain number of phone numbers. If a non-iPhone user receives a group message where their number is past the limit, they cannot reply. It has happened with my mother a number of times.
Android users that interact with iphone users via the default messaging apps end up going over SMS. This has a lot of annoying limitations (can't modify groups, for example).
iOS users will tell you how terrible that is and effectively put pressure on people to switch to iOS "like everyone else".
Its annoying as hell, because iMessage isn't really useful when most of the people I write to don't have an iPhone.
100% I blame Google though, they need to get their ass together and make their own. It needs to work with everbody who already have a google account and they need to commit to it for 10 year minimum.
Then it is reasonable for Apple to create a system so they can talk together.
> It needs to work with everbody who already have a google account and they need to commit to it for 10 year minimum
This already exists. 10 years ago, Google Hangouts was separated from Google+. It is currently accessible through the Gmail web interface, Gmail app, and "Chat" app.
The original linked report is far less biased [1]. It seems the only reason there is demand for iphones right now is the heavy subsidies offered by carriers. I think few people are paying retail for those phones.
I'm thinking of making the switch to iPhone this year once the USB-C model comes out
Whether I regret it, not sure, I mean Android isn't _that_ bad really and the Samsung phones are good, but I think Apple have nailed the ecosystem thing a lot better than what google have.
From a support after the sale perspective? Yes it is.
The $399 2016 iPhone SE is still getting security updates today.
The original Google Pixel is also from 2016 but stopped getting any sort of updates at the end of 2019.
If you want a basic phone that will be supported as long as possible after the sale, the support length per dollar spent proposition of the SE models is pretty unbeatable.
I think this is a major factor that is driving market share towards iPhone.
This is 100% the reason I have an iPhone. I can usually eek out 5 yrs on an iphone before it’s taken one too many falls. Which has also been why any iPhone of mine has died, no other reason than I fumbled it around with no case on it…. Also much to my pleasure, the 13 mini was still available for my most recent upgrade, so now I don’t have a gigantic phone anymore either.
I have looked to get out of apples grasp, but nothing else comes close in terms of long term support, which is absolutely necessary for a device that touches all of my digital life.
I had an iPhone SE 2016 model for about 5 years, really the only thing that caused me to get rid of it was apps no longer supporting the screen size. I wasn't able to use my banking app properly because things would be cut off, amongst various other apps.
I have an iPhone SE. It might still be getting security updates but the actual user experience is quite bad now; new features and apps are just not designed for it. Meanwhile the original Google Pixel doesn't have the newest security updates but Play store apps and features still work properly on it.
If you read the OP linked report, contrary to the popular sentiment here and on Apple sites, that more people hold on to their Android phones longer than iPhones despite the lack of security updates
I am still using an iPad Air 2 from 2014. In that same time span, I've had at least 4 different Android phones.
I'm considering an iPhone for my next phone, although I'm a Google Voice user which makes me a little nervous about that prospect, plus I've been less than impressed with Safari's extension ecosystem.
I made the switch at the end of 2021 after only having an android phone since the very first one. I wouldn't say I regret the change but I would say I'm not impressed. The way so many of my friends mocked me for having an android phone and talked up their iphones made me think I _must_ be missing something. Alas, I don't feel that I was. Every once in a while I boot up my old android phone (oneplus 6) and use it and it's snappier than I remember and feels way better in my hand than my iphone does.
This was clear as day over 10 years ago, and is just as clear today.
Back in the early days of iPhone vs Android, there was a huge meme of iPhone users praising Apple for "inventing" features that Android had years ago [0]. I remember (but can't find right now) a screenshot of a conversation of an iPhone user all happy about iPhone getting SwiftKey and then saying "When is Android getting this? XD" and the other person responding with "About 4 years ago".
While the meme of "iPhone is better than Android because iPhone can do X" while Android has been able to do X for over 2 years no longer applies, there's still the meme that iPhone is somehow still a superior device. Apple has somehow convinced people that the iPhone is a luxury device, and there are some iPhone users that look down on Android users and think that Android is for people that can't afford iPhone, even though flagship Androids cost just as much.
It's just personal preference these days. I can't stand Apple's walled garden approach, but people that have multiple devices (laptop, tablet, phone, watch, etc) love it since it guarantees compatibility and functionality.
FWIW When I switched from Android->iPhone, I didn't think much of it. Some stuff was better, some stuff was worse. I didn't 'feel' that much better.
Then when I switched back from iPhone->Android (Pixel 4) the change was a lot more jarring. I noticed a lot of polish and batteries issues and I missed my iPhone until I finally switched back.
My theory is it's similar to lifestyle creep. You wont appreciate improvements as much as you'll notice regressions.
> Every once in a while I boot up my old android phone (oneplus 6) and use it and it's snappier than I remember and feels way better in my hand than my iphone does.
I wonder if you'd use it as a daily driver for a longer time if you'd have the same experience as me.
I made the switch to iphone as well in 2021 after androids for 10 years and I echo this sentiment. It's not transformational, it's more or less the same, especially compared to a pixel flagship phone.
I still use google photos because I find it better and it works fine. My next phone will be a pixel again though.
iPhone is not what it is cracked up to be. A lot of lock in. Some things are absolutely annoying. When I went to Poland, I had to change my region to download apps from appstore, it messed up all my purchase history and subscriptions.
One thing I like is that I have an iPhone 12 and have no need to upgrade, the phones have a much longer life imo.
The statement "apple stuff is just so easy and it works" is EXTREMELY misleading. When it works it works but when it doesn't you generally won't find much good advice.
> The statement "apple stuff is just so easy and it works" is EXTREMELY misleading. When it works it works but when it doesn't you generally won't find much good advice.
I've been a Mac fan since OS X came out in 2000/2001, and had iPhones and android phones for years. Just a general "I like all the OSes... and I hate all the OSes" kinda person....
The worst thing about being caught in a situation where something doesn't work right, or is just outright broken? If you go to an iphone/mac themed discussion place to discuss it, you'll probably just get called an idiot and insulted. A lot.
I also hate how iOS kinda has dark patterns to keep you locked into Apple's iCloud services. Lately, MacOS has been getting worse about that too. I think the only Apple service I can log into without causing an Apple device to freak out and have iCloud take everything over is Apple Music.
My biggest beefs are trying to export a tens-of-thousands picture library out of icloud - there's no good reliable way to do it except to tell the Photos app on a Mac to download everything locally and then wait an eternity (like literally weeks) to do so. Then you can use a python script to read the sqlite db and dump everything with correct EXIF data... (if you don't, it's a complicated mess)
My favorite is how bad the ECG app on the Apple Watch is. Especially if your older parent who has the watch on the largest text size uses it. Basically, it becomes almost impossible to dismiss the legal warning screen that pops up if you touch the grey "sine wave, 65bpm" summary thing. If you do, you have to hit a teeny tiny target at the top left of the screen to go back to that summary screen, scroll down without touching the grey box, and then hit 'done' at the bottom.
THEN you reach for your iphone and open the health app you had open before. But it doesn't show the ECG you just recorded - unless you tap the notification from the home screen. When you do, it'll exit the health app and reopen it, so that the latest ECG loads.
It is the most hilarious and fucked interaction I've seen. Like, the Apple Health App is LITERALLY BROKEN and their workaround is to make the notification force-restart the app.
If you live in urban areas such as NYC, upgrades are important because of signal interference from skyscrapers, subways, below-ground parking garages, basements,and tower congestion etc. The improvement in modems (eg, now X65 going to X70 Qualcomm) and transceiver electronics are improved as well as battery life.
I yearly upgrade primarily but not only for that reason. The newer modems are particularly good at weak signals, eg, < 120 dBm.
I use Verizon and use iPad Pro and Apple Watch also on cellular. Works really well together.
Really depends on your use case if you are constantly piping various files from one app into another - android still has that down fairly well. Browser > NewPipe > VLC for instance.
If you are more focused on the curated ecosystem Apple does it much better.
I mostly use Android because of my work flow but I do not think many people in the grand scheme work like this.
Give iOS a try you could be plesantly surprised with it.
Every couple of years, I'd pick up an Android to see what I might be missing. My history includes the HTC1, Samsung 7, and Pixel 3.
But last time, I realized that while both types of phones were fine, the ecosystem between Apple and Android was like night and day. Even if the iPhone was a way worse phone, there'd be so much in the Apple ecosystem I'd also have to ditch. That's just a no-go.
Here's what I found from my last Android adventure:
1. The iPhone gets the basics right. It might not have the flashy AI stuff of Pixels or the folding thing from Samsungs, but it doesn't drop the ball on the basics like some others I mentioned.
2. Apple usually doesn't rush out half-done features to get people talking. New stuff is generally thought out and polished.
Adding a bit more to this, here are some things about iPhones not talked about much:
3. Attention to detail. There are loads of tiny things that on their own don't seem like a big deal, but when you put them together they make a huge difference in the experience. A lot of other phone makers overlook this in their race to jam more features in.
4. Consistency across phone generations. You usually don't see features on iPhones popping up one year only to vanish the next. Even 3D Touch hung around for 3-4 years.
5. Easy data migration between generations. I've got texts going back to 2012 when I first got an iPhone. That might not matter to some, but I don't want to lose my stuff just because I swapped phones. This is becoming more common on Android, but it's not consistent across all phone makers - unless you plug in a wire to transfer your data when you upgrade. Really, needing a wire in 2021? It's nice to have the option, but it shouldn't be the only way.
6. Generally better quality apps. There are a few Android apps that are better than their iOS counterparts, but in my experience, the scales are usually tipped in iOS's favor.
7. Apps that are only on iOS or get there first. Lots of high-quality (Apollo RIP) are still only on iOS and the developers don't seem to be in any rush to move them to other platforms. Can't say the same for many top Android apps. Also, lots of apps launch first on iOS, while the Android version drags its feet for months.
8. The iOS API. It's not perfect - it has its problems, but compared to the hot mess that the Android API can be, it's not half bad. How does this impact me as a user? Well, good APIs mean more developers can make better apps.
9. The camera. No, not the camera hardware or the fancy photography stuff. I mean how the camera works with the rest of the system and the camera APIs. Did you know that a lot of Android apps that use the camera just open it up and take a screenshot?
10. A consistent story. Apple is trying to tell a consistent story, slowly replacing many single-purpose items in your life like your wallet, keys, and ID, and even eventually your passport, with your iPhone. This is done consistently, not just stuffing whatever's new and hot into this year's phones only to toss it next year.
I could keep going, but this post is already pretty long. Maybe I'll add more another time.
There are a few other things people mention, but they aren't unique to Apple, like the hardware mute switch and Apple Pay.
Don't get me wrong - there are things about iPhones that really bug me, but this isn't the post for that. :-)
Pixel 3 was awhile ago. I quite like the hot mess of features that Android used to have. I want to try that new idea even if it doesn't work out. However, I think that's in the past now except for maybe foldable design which I'm not that interested in. It does feel like there's still some cool camera stuff coming from the Android side.
I just upgraded my Android phone, different manufacturer, the migration was done via my Google account I didn't have to plug in a cable.
> Did you know that a lot of Android apps that use the camera just open it up and take a screenshot?
I don't think I've ever seen that. I switched from iOS to Android quite some time back, I found iOS annoying because it felt like apps couldn't easily share with each other and a lot of tasks took too many steps. That was from an iPhone 5 so I imagine it's very different now, but I tried out a 14 and thought it still wasn't for me.
Interesting, this is what I'm considering too after exclusively using Android+Windows since forever. The enshittification of Windows is mainly what has changed my mind - worse privacy, UX, forcing users to use online accounts - but also life seems more simple when you only have Apple to consider instead of whatever shenanigans that Microsoft and Google throws at you. Furthermore, the UX of the Apple eco system seems better than anything I've encountered on Android+Windows.
One thing to note is that Apple also tries very hard to get you to log in to their online services when you use your phone or laptop. They're not as overt as MS about requiring it yet, but I would not be surprised if it was coming.
As for UX, I feel like it's hit and miss for me. With the huge caveat that I haven't used Windows 11, Windows beats MacOS in a lot of areas. For example, I prefer older versions of Windows to MacOS for window management, and Explorer is a lot better than Finder in my opinion. Those are two major pieces of the user experience!
I recently sold a bicycle to a guy, over Craigslist. He sent me the funds with Venmo from his Pixel 7. Not only did it take tens of seconds for Venmo to initially draw itself, after that the platform offered, in a pop-up dialog, to kill the process every few seconds. The entire experience was pure jank. I don't know what that person had done to their phone but it should have been up to Android to have prevented it. That's Google's flagship phone!
Android’s problem is Pixel is the only good one, and it has not been flagship quality since the Pixel 2.
The 3 had odd issues, the 4 had a laughable battery life, and 5-7 are a weird mix of midrange and flagship capability (trending towards flagship, but not in the club yet).
All other Android vendors are on a continuum of crap, between these points:
1. loaded with bloat and customizations that aren’t better than what Google provides, whose main point is to say “but I’m not Google” (Samsung)
2. vanilla-ish Android but missing capabilities that are normal in Pixel
If Google would take Pixel seriously, it would be a credible competitor.
This "Pixel is the only good Android" sentiment is so bizarre to see. Similarly the point about Samsung devices being loaded with bloat and customizations that aren't better.
That second argument was valid like 5 years ago, but definitely not today. Samsung devices do still have a lot of customization, but most of it is actually pretty useful in my experience. Lots of little features that I hadn't realized would be nice to have and similarly to Apple, lots of cross-device integration conveniences, except that unlike Apple, they don't lock you in anywhere near as strongly. The S23U and Tab S8U are amazing devices both in hardware and software.
And then there are other pretty great devices from Sony, Motorola, OnePlus etc.
Indeed, Samsung is still dealing with the bloat reputation from the TouchWiz days, which is a shame because some of their features like multitasking are way better than stock/pixel android.
> That second argument was valid like 5 years ago, but definitely not today.
I disagree. It's still valid.
> Samsung devices do still have a lot of customization, but most of it is actually pretty useful in my experience.
Ahh, that may be why we have different experiences. You consider their stuff to be useful -- which is a totally fair opinion -- but I consider it all to be worthless bloat -- which is another totally fair opinion.
I don't mind that it's there. I do mind that I can't delete it.
Hot take: I find recent Samsung flagships far superior to what Google offers, especially the latest S23: small and speedy with longer SW support than a pixel, better CPU/GPU and better cameras, at a decent price. Bloatware and Android implementation is also not too bad.
Also Samsung DEX can save your bacon in case your laptop dies and you don't have a spare but need a quick desktop experience for some multitasking productivity task thill your laptop is being fixed.
This. Dex is Samsung's killer feature - but noone seems to know about it!? It's especially relevant to developers.
It's now common to see monitors that have an integrated usb hub - so no docking station needed. Just plug your phone in via one cable, it will charge, send video, and use keyboard+mouse.
You can have a 4k60 desktop, and then run termux and almost achieve a desktop-equivalent development environment. Unfortunately the newer android kernels are missing certain linux features so you can't run containers without rooting. If you do want to root then you can definitely have it all! Personally I don't want to spend the time tinkering to hide root from the banking apps.
It also works great for running things like Geforce Now and streaming games in 4k resolution, with a paired bluetooth controller.
To get the higher resolutions you need a newer Samsung flagship, S22/S23. And maybe also need to enable extra stuff via "i love dex" option in multistar.
It's reasonably small for today's bloated standards. Unfortunately it's heavy even if it's not a 200 g monster. The real problem is that it costs 3 times as much as a phone is worth. Not that I couldn't spend those money, but why?
Sony's phones seem best to me. Vanilla android with headphone jacks and microsd slots. They're just expensive. Nobody ever talks about Sony's phones for some reason but I think that's great because I wouldn't want them to get an ego and start ruining a good thing.
Overall though, what's killing Android is Android (through Google)
Every release gets more limited & restrictive, as does the Play store & framework.
If they want to downgrade android to be iOS, while iOS is improving, at some point I might as well just buy iOS.
I think Android reached its peak around 4.4 Kitkat. I'm still sitting on 9 knowing that things get even worse on 10 & 11. Who knows what Android 12 has? Who cares?
Lol ok. I have a pixel 5a and honestly, I regret getting it over a $200 moto g power. Those phones are fantastic and you can slap a third party rom like lineage on there and use it basically forever.
Well the pixel is generally about the newest android that's the flagship software experience, with a decent camera, running on 1-2 year older hardware. But in my experience the lack of crapware and gaming benchmarks means it feels pretty snappy compared to Samsung.
I tried Samsung a few times, even with more ram it was vicious about killing tasks in the background so switching apps always did a splash screen and relaunch. Some apps do that well, others not so much. I tracked it down and apparently that behavior helps it win benchmarks. Even on a generation older hardware the pixel felt much snappier, I could multitask with 3-4 apps going, and the home button was MUCH snappier. I verified it wasn't hardware by installing Cyanogen on the samsung, and suddenly everything felt fast again.
I switched to GrapheneOS, it's only for Pixels. The seem to have moved the needle on making it your phone, not just Google's phone that they let you use. You can remove every app, even the play store. Play has to ask permission to install things.
I think of GrapheneOS as a leaner Pixel that's more secure.
I have an old Samsung flagship with a 120Hz display, snappy and clean UI that never lags. It has survived several drops without a scratch. I was on the edge of moving to Apple but decided back then to give Android one more chance, and it was a good decision. What bothers me is the very mediocre ecosystem that stopped developing some time ago. That’s the place of the actual battle between Apple and Google. Apple moves forward, and Google doesn’t know what to do.
I think Motorola phones are OK. I personally will never buy a Motorola after an early experience with them prior to Google buying and re-rolling them. But my wife used them and liked them and they seem less shitty than they once were.
I've had a series of Nexus and Pixel phones. I had a Pixel 3 for a long long time and really, really loved it. It was such a perfect phone. I'm on Pixel 7 now and it's... alright. Compared to Pixel 3 it's big and heavy and the fingerprint scanner is on Pixel 3 was so much better. Pixel 3 was just about perfect.
I just cannot stand iPhone. Everything about them is so annoying. My kids have them. Apple's parental controls are a complete joke. I just cannot understand why anyone thinks iPhone doesn't suck. The parental controls are constantly breaking whenever one phone upgrades and etc. Screen Time settings are the most infuriating and dumb as hell stupidity ever. On the other side Google's Digital Wellbeing is also useless trash (Seriously... only per-app time limits? Does anyone at all dog food that bullshit?). But on Android you just swap it out for something that doesn't suck.
Just got an S23U 2 weeks ago. Its an impressive device both hardware and software. I was expecting a lot of bloat but looks like only MS Office apps where Non-Samsung apps pre-installed and I was going to install them myself either way.
Meanwhile, Google steps on the rake of not putting enough battery in the phone every single time. I swear I've not seen a single flagship pixel review that hasn't mentioned bad battery. If it's bad out of the box, how bad will it be in 2 years?
My pixel 5 is still going strong and has plenty of battery. I have noticed degradation, but it's still enough to get through a day or more depending on use.
The one thing that eats the battery alive is Instagram, which is great as it gives me one more reason to avoid it.
Readit News
This 55% is iPhone's share of phone shipments in Q2, not the number of users of the respective phones at any given time. In other words, fewer people are buying smartphones than were before, but Apple saw less of a hit to their numbers than everyone else did.
Contrary to existing comments here, this stat doesn't appear to indicate that people are switching from Android to iPhone. It looks like Android users are more likely to avoid upgrading their phone in an uncertain economy, while Apple users are more likely to upgrade regardless.
[0] https://www.counterpointresearch.com/us-smartphone-shipments...
OTOH, Qualcomm seems to have closed the gap in SOC performance and efficiency with 8gen2.
https://www.phonearena.com/news/pixel-7-pro-6a-google-best-s...
Apple is estimated to sell twice that many in a quarter
https://www.statista.com/statistics/299153/apple-smartphone-...
That's generally what a "market share" number measures: the share of sales during a period of times.
The number of users of devices would be the "installed base."
We don't measure Browser Market Share as number of downloads during a period of times. Nor do we measure OS market share as number of license sold during a quarter.
The reason why Market Share, or share of sales during a period of times were used for commodity, repeatable sales. Because knowing you have 50% of Ketchup sales meaning you own 50% of the Ketchup market.
And when you talk to average people, no one would think Market Share of Browser, OS, Photoshop, as Sales over period of time. The same goes with Apple and Android, when you talk about market share, people will think usage. Not shipment.
Unfortunately even on HN the two is 99% mixed up. As a matter of fact this is the first time someone mention this difference that even gets enough attentions to be the top voted comment.
It likely varies by area and average income, here it's almost an inverse correlation - the less-well off kids at school tend to have parents on iPhones and the comfortable parents are on whatever works for them.
I’m astounded by the fact that one can imply with a straight face no less that over half the market are status-driven dorks that have no legitimate reason to use an iPhone over an Android phone, the obviously superior for all people in all circumstances choice used by the enlightened few that aren’t concerned with such banal things as social status.
Occam’s razor would imply that this view is perhaps wrong and that you’re just missing something.
I use an iPhone for a lot of reasons. One of these is that I’m legally blind. For my purposes, accessibility features on iOS easily run rings around those on Android. Full stop. Arguing against that is ridiculous. Sectioning me out and saying “I wasn’t talking about you@ because disability is a sacred cow is ridiculous.
Just please don’t make these conversations so charged with this tired old rhetoric that simultaneously chastises such a wide group for imagined status-seeking in a way that simultaneously ties your own (non-iPhone) choice in to an imagined desirable personality trait.
I don't know about other people, but I went iPhone specifically for the value/$. Got a used iPhone SE 2020 for $150 in late 2021, and expect to use it for 5+ years. I seriously doubt that there are any Androids out there that could get even close to that.
It really helps that Apple's CPU/SoC is substantially superior to what everyone else uses, so older iPhones tend to feel snappier. Between that and Apple's clearly superior OS support, I don't know why value shoppers who don't want to install their own firmware would go with Android.
From what I have seen, Android phones appeal to people who want or must spend as little as possible on their phones. It also appeals to people who want to tweak and customize their phones. There is a brand appeal among some of those people to be the anti-Apple.
Apple does appeal to some for brand identity. It also seems to appeal to people who are buying a phone that they can just take out of the box and use without spending much time in setup and configuration.
That makes the iPhone far cheaper than any comparable Android phone I could have bought back then.
Maybe today Android vendors are offering longer support horizons but I've been burned multiple times and won't trust that ecosystem again.
To me this feels more like the situation where someone with money in the bank can buy $200 shoes which will last 10 years, while someone living paycheck to paycheck has to keep buying $40 shoes that fall apart after a year.
So, not necessarily Androids, but whatever they happen to choose? I'm not sure what we're observing, that people just use whatever phone they prefer? Honestly, iPhones aren't a heck of a lot more expensive than a flagship Pixel phone, especially not for a multi-year tech investment. The "iPhones are expensive" propaganda is underinformed. Apple computers on the other hand are way more expensive than the equivalent hardware in the PC ecosystem, however they also hold their value quite well for resale whereas I've found it quite difficult to offload old gaming PCs in the past. Usually people just want the CPU and GPU, if they're not older than about 4 years. The rest of the carcass just gets piled into an ever-growing closet stash of old PC components. If you have a Macbook on the other hand, you'll have a dozen people asking if it's still available every day until you sell it. Even if it's a relic, just with a working battery and hard drive.
My bias in this conversation is that I've owned an iPhone 12 since late 2020 with no signs of needing an upgrade anytime soon. I don't know anybody living in poverty but shoveling all of their money into Apple tech.
Do you also question why people buy quality shoes or mattresses?
Americans love to consume. They think their consumption brings them happiness. One of their most delightful purchases is a new phone.
Both iOS and Android stopped innovating like 5 years ago, but at least the Apple ecosystem doesn’t feel dead like Android.
Apple products are less expensive the more money you make. Not just as a relative income statement, but because of resale value. You can buy a new $1000 phone every single year and end up spending $300/year net of taxes and depreciation. You just have to have the capital that you can tie up.
My wife was already using a second hand iPhone and convinced me to try it too. I got that iPhone 7 Plus for cheap, it is in really good condition and it has 256GB internal memory. I was aware it would be stuck on iOS 15, but to my surprise, Apple still sends out security updates for iOS 15. I just checked: my phone is on 15.7.7 and I noticed 15.7.8 came out just a couple of days ago. See [1].
I know that Apple is a closed eco-system and all, but for my phone I don't care that much. My phone just has to work. I still use Google products (maps, mail, calendar, keep, chat), but those run just fine on iOS. The other apps I use, are also working just fine (no performance issues).
To me, it's amazing that a phone from 2016 is still receiving security updates. That is simply non-existent in Android world. As someone who does not have the urge to always have the latest and hottest, that is very nice to see.
[1]: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212788
Wtaf? Just had to shake my head. Ironically, my S21 Ultra with 16GB of memory/512 of storage was way ahead of anything Apple had made at time of release, probably cost the same as their top model at the time, and is still punching hard with no need whatsoever for me to .. update.
I am baffled why people keep making this asinine remark.
Stock iPhone is not status. Vertu is status (and is an Android platform), moreso the Vertu Signature line. Aftermarket modded iPhones that are encrusted with gold and diamonds are status. The former is the Jane Birkin bag of the smartphones, the latter is pure bling. Both send the same message: I have done financially exceptionally well (or my daddy has paid for it).
iPhone is equally unobtanium to anyone pre-launch nor does Apple make bespoke or customised editions for anyone, both of which also obliterate its purported status symbol. Ironically, it actually makes iPhone more equal and less status compared the status smartphones.
iPhone might be a status symbol in low income countries, and so are Samsung Galaxy's, the top of the range Huawei's, Xiaomi's and whatever else expensive there is out there.
I was a die hard android fan boy. Owned nearly all android flagships.
I first was driven away from the Google branded phones because it was clear their priorities where something other than providing me the best hardware and software experience.
Then I was driven away from Samsung because too much bloat and advertisements within the core OS.
None is the home integration worked right. Too fractured and error prone.
I got tied of seeing people use their iPhones to get shit done and not needing to tinker heir damn phone all the time.
The iPhone is a tool. A well thought out tool that gets the fuxk out of my way so I can do the things I want. Android. IRS a toy. It’s an advertisement delivery vehicle. On Android you are the customer not the user.
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It's nothing new, you could've said the same thing in the 90's about Sega, Nintendo and Playstation and with Shoes, Clothes, anything -
"People don't need high-end phones" perhaps, but somehow I don't see people making this comment about Samsung phones.
iphone 14 is only $800! Meanwhile loads of high-end Android phones are at $1000+. The meme is dead
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Probably spend more on coffees or alcohol.
Appearing high status is more important than many other expenses.
For the type of people here that like to tinker with tech this might be a non-issue, but some other people just want to use the device to accomplish tasks with as little friction as possible.
I would probably be typing this on a recent Pixel if it had a damn headphone jack.
(Or even an external ~magsafe-for-headphone.)
Instead I'm still wringing value out of a 3a.
He told me he assumed the fawning over iPhones was "hype", now says he believes it is not.
My brother-in-law would love to switch out, but he feels stuck in Apple's ecosystem because switching now would mean either causing a lot of friction for his family or he'd have to change many devices at once.
I've also attempted to make the title less misleading.
I couldn't even install a separate browser like firefox that was not just a skin and the ad-block on safari drove me crazy. It only prevented items from being displayed but not the network requests etc.
Also, it was nagging me a lot, constantly asking for me to sign up to icloud and other things.
Back on a pixel phone now and couldn't be more happy really.
I try to avoid lumping all of the android manufacturers together and treat them individually when comparing them to apple.
LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi are not as good as apple but Samsung is. Decent argument to be made for OnePlus, Google, and Asus matching apple as well.
I finally gave up when a pair of Bluetooth headphones couldn’t pair with my phone. I realized that there are simply too many variations of Android for device manufacturers to test. With an iPhone, you know that most accessories are going to be tested against your specific model.
Now that I’m on an iPhone, the integration between various device is insane. Answer a call in your watch, transfer it to your phone, then move it to your laptop. Seamlessly, cast music to speakers/tv/bluetooth and it just works, every single time.
My current phone is a Samsung and I find it disappointing. Perhaps their good ones are limited to specific models?
Androids threw away their market differentiation just to become bad iPhone clones. When I found myself needing a new phone, I had little reason not to consider an iPhone.
I bought an SE, then bought a Pixel 4a because of iOS issues, but I am here again considering an iPhone as my 4a nears EOL. I share your resentment of giving money to Apple.
I would have switched to SE if my wife did not get me a pro for my birthday (to communicate in iMessage). And now I am on this boring phone no longer passionate about phones anymore.
"I already deal with problems at work, I don't want to deal with problems with my phone"
Truer words never said, I also had several androids over the years which went crazy after some time, switched to iPhone, never an issue again.
I guess now I'm an Apple person, but I didn't choose Apple per se... I just needed a phone that actually worked.
And switching platforms is so painful, I'm not going to switch back unless Apple shits the bed as badly as Android did.
^if you’re on “Obamacare”, which is a godsend, finding a specialist on your own equates to being given an excel sheet with extremely uncurated or simply incorrect listings. Then finding a specialized occupational therapist after surgery, etc, etc.
Big marketing budget, mid performance at best.
When comparing Apple to a companies like LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi, what do you find to be worse about Apple? Genuine question.
False, Pixel phone. Same deal as the manufacturer of the OS is making the hardware so you get tighter integration
If you want true software freedom on a phone, there is GrapheneOS on Pixel. I think Samsung is the better UI of the two, but if my Samsung breaks I think I'll go pixel and go graphene.
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I see this pattern with a lot of IPhone users. They tried the cheapest worst quality android phones and came away with a bad taste in the mouth. So iPhone is the only "decent cellphone in 2023". My dude you never tried the good android phones. Get a Samsung galaxy flagship. These are at par, if not better than the similarly priced iPhone model in all respects.
Most people just want their defaults to be good enough but there's no reason to limit those that want something that works better for them.
Obviously iOS does some things incredibly well. E.g. gesture navigation on Android is objectively worse than on iOS.
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"I don't see how anyone still buys an ____. How can you not see the overwhelming evidence that ____ is unequivocally the better phone?"
If either device can fit in either blank, as it has all over this thread, perhaps that's because there hasn't been any undeniably impactful feature improvements on either platform in the last decade.
I for one think both Android and iOS are pretty awful operating systems. I still look forward to a viable third option, and would especially enjoy a phone that functions more like an accessory or terminal to my computer, rather than a first-class computer in its own right.
I tend to purchase hardware based on the availability (or likely availability) of 3rd party ROM support.
We aren't. Sent from my Librem 5.
> Apple’s resilience was driven by strong promotions across postpaid and prepaid. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile continued to offer $800+ promo credits for the iPhone 14 while old-generation iPhones were also steeply discounted across prepaid. We are seeing no weakness in the overall promotional activity.
Perfect storm, especially for a broke-ass like me. When it stops being about features and starts being about "cheap"...
Then again, I'm going dumb phone next month, which is _even cheaper_. Take that, smartphone market!
I'd switch to Visible (the Verizon prepaid) and pay half the price, except they don't yet support standalone Apple watches. So we continue to pay almost $200/mo for a family of four (with only two real smartphones), because of those watches. Some day the kids will be old enough that my wife will let them have smartphones, and we'll switch to some plan that costs half as much.
I really wish companies would be happy to sell data. Making a bunch of addon charges to get me to he point where I can consume data is such a defiance of what these companies best utility should be: carrying data.
The one other thing that almost wholly shapes who I'd go with for an MVNO is what speed I get after soft cap. Everyone has unlimited & everyone will eventually slow you down to much slower speeds: what life is like after that threshold is why I cling to my absurdly expensive very grandfathered Verizon Unlimited, which they won't even let me bump my SMS allowance on.
If there is, you can probably find success with T-Mobile or their MVNOs
Example: https://www.cellmapper.net/map?MCC=310&MNC=260&type=LTE&lati...
Give me a monthly price. Give me a monthly data number. Then stop talking.
any reason why the watches have to be completely standalone? does the family setup not work for having multiple watches managed by one phone?
Edit: I see you answered below ;-)
Which dumbphone are you getting? (Nokia) That's awesome. I've been doing a PHONEVORCE lately... it's been several years in the making as I've shed all social media, and deleted and blocked nearly everything that I can waste time on with my phone.
Now my phone use is for looking at maps, checking which aircraft are nearby, email, and direct messaging.
It's pretty calm! I'm reading more, mental health seems very good, I learn neighborhoods really well cause I don't use GPS.
It's really nice not staring at that fucking box all the time.
For all the same reasons.
With all of the same external requirements like maps.
...
Are you me?
I've been recommended to "just get a GPS" -- they're like $300, and I'm cheap :) so my dumpy little phone will have to do the job. That's like, the #1 thing I _really need_ out of a phone; the rest is distracting trash.
The best part is that you can pay _ridiculously low_ prices month to month through various carriers. Like $15 / month in the US, on top of the phone being $70. Good stuff in my opinion. I thought I was getting off good with ~$45 a month for Google Fi.
You sure it's cheaper? I've been unable to find a dump phone for a good price - a used smartphone on eBay is far far cheaper. Also a Chinese android phone, and just don't use the "smart" parts.
It is why it is so critical to hire the right people in leadership to avoid squandering key, already successful, strategic positions.
You can’t send images/videos through a Short Messaging Service, period. That’s not apple being anticompetitive, this is literally the technology’s limitation. It is also terrible from an encoding point of view, and probably why the rest of the world had no problem ditching it for most things, as sending an Unicode message takes up plenty characters, making you have to send 2 messages even with moderately long text. (I remember removing ‘ö’s and spaces when I was a child and had stricter limits on the number of SMSs in my plan.
Don't worry that the only universally available RCS relay is operated by Google and encryption is a part of a non-standard Google extension. So Google wants Apple to hand all messages over to Google.
For fun, Apple should propose to implement RCS but only if Google agrees to use the Apple relay. No chance it would ever be accepted.
...and the not insignificant inconvenience of knowing which of these apps each of your contacts uses or prefers. There really is a network effect of most people in a particular circle just using one thing. For US iPhone users at least, that thing is iMessage.
I use SMS mostly because the only people I know who don't are using Facebook stuff and I'm not going to do that. But I am nervous about the say when people stop using SMS so much because I don't look forward to having to have multiple messaging apps and trying to remember who is using what.
> You can’t send images/videos through a Short Messaging Service, period.
I do that all the time.
I moved out of the US and most of my US friends I still have to use iMessage to talk to. Only a few are active on WhatsApp.
Only half kidding. The real issue is just SMS vs data. And a little bit of feature parity - it's changed a few times, but until recently, if I "liked" a message in an SMS thread, we'd all see something like "Alistair like 'something said by somebody'" instead of just applying the thumb-up icon. This only gets worse for media sharing, link shares/snapshots, etc.
https://www.android.com/get-the-message/
iOS users will tell you how terrible that is and effectively put pressure on people to switch to iOS "like everyone else".
Everyone uses Discord or Facebook Messenger. Or Slack for coworkers.
100% I blame Google though, they need to get their ass together and make their own. It needs to work with everbody who already have a google account and they need to commit to it for 10 year minimum.
Then it is reasonable for Apple to create a system so they can talk together.
This already exists. 10 years ago, Google Hangouts was separated from Google+. It is currently accessible through the Gmail web interface, Gmail app, and "Chat" app.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.and...
Even if they would, what's the incentive for Apple to become interoperable? They want a moat and people that buy what they sell inside the moat.
But support for it is tepid - even Google Voice doesn't support it.
1: https://www.counterpointresearch.com/us-smartphone-shipments...
Whether I regret it, not sure, I mean Android isn't _that_ bad really and the Samsung phones are good, but I think Apple have nailed the ecosystem thing a lot better than what google have.
From a support after the sale perspective? Yes it is.
The $399 2016 iPhone SE is still getting security updates today.
The original Google Pixel is also from 2016 but stopped getting any sort of updates at the end of 2019.
If you want a basic phone that will be supported as long as possible after the sale, the support length per dollar spent proposition of the SE models is pretty unbeatable.
I think this is a major factor that is driving market share towards iPhone.
I have looked to get out of apples grasp, but nothing else comes close in terms of long term support, which is absolutely necessary for a device that touches all of my digital life.
Few people outside of the tech nerd bubble care about this.
If you read the OP linked report, contrary to the popular sentiment here and on Apple sites, that more people hold on to their Android phones longer than iPhones despite the lack of security updates
I personally couldn't care less about this. I just want a phone that works well for me.
I'm considering an iPhone for my next phone, although I'm a Google Voice user which makes me a little nervous about that prospect, plus I've been less than impressed with Safari's extension ecosystem.
What is the point in "security updates" for a CPU that can't be made secure?
I kinda want to go back but we'll see.
This was clear as day over 10 years ago, and is just as clear today.
Back in the early days of iPhone vs Android, there was a huge meme of iPhone users praising Apple for "inventing" features that Android had years ago [0]. I remember (but can't find right now) a screenshot of a conversation of an iPhone user all happy about iPhone getting SwiftKey and then saying "When is Android getting this? XD" and the other person responding with "About 4 years ago".
While the meme of "iPhone is better than Android because iPhone can do X" while Android has been able to do X for over 2 years no longer applies, there's still the meme that iPhone is somehow still a superior device. Apple has somehow convinced people that the iPhone is a luxury device, and there are some iPhone users that look down on Android users and think that Android is for people that can't afford iPhone, even though flagship Androids cost just as much.
It's just personal preference these days. I can't stand Apple's walled garden approach, but people that have multiple devices (laptop, tablet, phone, watch, etc) love it since it guarantees compatibility and functionality.
[0] https://imgur.com/gallery/9V2Vr
Then when I switched back from iPhone->Android (Pixel 4) the change was a lot more jarring. I noticed a lot of polish and batteries issues and I missed my iPhone until I finally switched back.
My theory is it's similar to lifestyle creep. You wont appreciate improvements as much as you'll notice regressions.
> Every once in a while I boot up my old android phone (oneplus 6) and use it and it's snappier than I remember and feels way better in my hand than my iphone does.
I wonder if you'd use it as a daily driver for a longer time if you'd have the same experience as me.
I still use google photos because I find it better and it works fine. My next phone will be a pixel again though.
One thing I like is that I have an iPhone 12 and have no need to upgrade, the phones have a much longer life imo.
The statement "apple stuff is just so easy and it works" is EXTREMELY misleading. When it works it works but when it doesn't you generally won't find much good advice.
I've been a Mac fan since OS X came out in 2000/2001, and had iPhones and android phones for years. Just a general "I like all the OSes... and I hate all the OSes" kinda person....
The worst thing about being caught in a situation where something doesn't work right, or is just outright broken? If you go to an iphone/mac themed discussion place to discuss it, you'll probably just get called an idiot and insulted. A lot.
I also hate how iOS kinda has dark patterns to keep you locked into Apple's iCloud services. Lately, MacOS has been getting worse about that too. I think the only Apple service I can log into without causing an Apple device to freak out and have iCloud take everything over is Apple Music.
My biggest beefs are trying to export a tens-of-thousands picture library out of icloud - there's no good reliable way to do it except to tell the Photos app on a Mac to download everything locally and then wait an eternity (like literally weeks) to do so. Then you can use a python script to read the sqlite db and dump everything with correct EXIF data... (if you don't, it's a complicated mess)
My favorite is how bad the ECG app on the Apple Watch is. Especially if your older parent who has the watch on the largest text size uses it. Basically, it becomes almost impossible to dismiss the legal warning screen that pops up if you touch the grey "sine wave, 65bpm" summary thing. If you do, you have to hit a teeny tiny target at the top left of the screen to go back to that summary screen, scroll down without touching the grey box, and then hit 'done' at the bottom.
THEN you reach for your iphone and open the health app you had open before. But it doesn't show the ECG you just recorded - unless you tap the notification from the home screen. When you do, it'll exit the health app and reopen it, so that the latest ECG loads.
It is the most hilarious and fucked interaction I've seen. Like, the Apple Health App is LITERALLY BROKEN and their workaround is to make the notification force-restart the app.
I use Verizon and use iPad Pro and Apple Watch also on cellular. Works really well together.
If you are more focused on the curated ecosystem Apple does it much better.
I mostly use Android because of my work flow but I do not think many people in the grand scheme work like this.
Give iOS a try you could be plesantly surprised with it.
But last time, I realized that while both types of phones were fine, the ecosystem between Apple and Android was like night and day. Even if the iPhone was a way worse phone, there'd be so much in the Apple ecosystem I'd also have to ditch. That's just a no-go.
Here's what I found from my last Android adventure:
1. The iPhone gets the basics right. It might not have the flashy AI stuff of Pixels or the folding thing from Samsungs, but it doesn't drop the ball on the basics like some others I mentioned.
2. Apple usually doesn't rush out half-done features to get people talking. New stuff is generally thought out and polished.
Adding a bit more to this, here are some things about iPhones not talked about much:
3. Attention to detail. There are loads of tiny things that on their own don't seem like a big deal, but when you put them together they make a huge difference in the experience. A lot of other phone makers overlook this in their race to jam more features in.
4. Consistency across phone generations. You usually don't see features on iPhones popping up one year only to vanish the next. Even 3D Touch hung around for 3-4 years.
5. Easy data migration between generations. I've got texts going back to 2012 when I first got an iPhone. That might not matter to some, but I don't want to lose my stuff just because I swapped phones. This is becoming more common on Android, but it's not consistent across all phone makers - unless you plug in a wire to transfer your data when you upgrade. Really, needing a wire in 2021? It's nice to have the option, but it shouldn't be the only way.
6. Generally better quality apps. There are a few Android apps that are better than their iOS counterparts, but in my experience, the scales are usually tipped in iOS's favor.
7. Apps that are only on iOS or get there first. Lots of high-quality (Apollo RIP) are still only on iOS and the developers don't seem to be in any rush to move them to other platforms. Can't say the same for many top Android apps. Also, lots of apps launch first on iOS, while the Android version drags its feet for months.
8. The iOS API. It's not perfect - it has its problems, but compared to the hot mess that the Android API can be, it's not half bad. How does this impact me as a user? Well, good APIs mean more developers can make better apps.
9. The camera. No, not the camera hardware or the fancy photography stuff. I mean how the camera works with the rest of the system and the camera APIs. Did you know that a lot of Android apps that use the camera just open it up and take a screenshot?
10. A consistent story. Apple is trying to tell a consistent story, slowly replacing many single-purpose items in your life like your wallet, keys, and ID, and even eventually your passport, with your iPhone. This is done consistently, not just stuffing whatever's new and hot into this year's phones only to toss it next year.
I could keep going, but this post is already pretty long. Maybe I'll add more another time.
There are a few other things people mention, but they aren't unique to Apple, like the hardware mute switch and Apple Pay.
Don't get me wrong - there are things about iPhones that really bug me, but this isn't the post for that. :-)
I just upgraded my Android phone, different manufacturer, the migration was done via my Google account I didn't have to plug in a cable.
> Did you know that a lot of Android apps that use the camera just open it up and take a screenshot?
I don't think I've ever seen that. I switched from iOS to Android quite some time back, I found iOS annoying because it felt like apps couldn't easily share with each other and a lot of tasks took too many steps. That was from an iPhone 5 so I imagine it's very different now, but I tried out a 14 and thought it still wasn't for me.
Nice copypasta. Edit it better next time?
As for UX, I feel like it's hit and miss for me. With the huge caveat that I haven't used Windows 11, Windows beats MacOS in a lot of areas. For example, I prefer older versions of Windows to MacOS for window management, and Explorer is a lot better than Finder in my opinion. Those are two major pieces of the user experience!
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I recently sold a bicycle to a guy, over Craigslist. He sent me the funds with Venmo from his Pixel 7. Not only did it take tens of seconds for Venmo to initially draw itself, after that the platform offered, in a pop-up dialog, to kill the process every few seconds. The entire experience was pure jank. I don't know what that person had done to their phone but it should have been up to Android to have prevented it. That's Google's flagship phone!
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The 3 had odd issues, the 4 had a laughable battery life, and 5-7 are a weird mix of midrange and flagship capability (trending towards flagship, but not in the club yet).
All other Android vendors are on a continuum of crap, between these points:
1. loaded with bloat and customizations that aren’t better than what Google provides, whose main point is to say “but I’m not Google” (Samsung)
2. vanilla-ish Android but missing capabilities that are normal in Pixel
If Google would take Pixel seriously, it would be a credible competitor.
That second argument was valid like 5 years ago, but definitely not today. Samsung devices do still have a lot of customization, but most of it is actually pretty useful in my experience. Lots of little features that I hadn't realized would be nice to have and similarly to Apple, lots of cross-device integration conveniences, except that unlike Apple, they don't lock you in anywhere near as strongly. The S23U and Tab S8U are amazing devices both in hardware and software.
And then there are other pretty great devices from Sony, Motorola, OnePlus etc.
I disagree. It's still valid.
> Samsung devices do still have a lot of customization, but most of it is actually pretty useful in my experience.
Ahh, that may be why we have different experiences. You consider their stuff to be useful -- which is a totally fair opinion -- but I consider it all to be worthless bloat -- which is another totally fair opinion.
I don't mind that it's there. I do mind that I can't delete it.
Also Samsung DEX can save your bacon in case your laptop dies and you don't have a spare but need a quick desktop experience for some multitasking productivity task thill your laptop is being fixed.
It's now common to see monitors that have an integrated usb hub - so no docking station needed. Just plug your phone in via one cable, it will charge, send video, and use keyboard+mouse.
You can have a 4k60 desktop, and then run termux and almost achieve a desktop-equivalent development environment. Unfortunately the newer android kernels are missing certain linux features so you can't run containers without rooting. If you do want to root then you can definitely have it all! Personally I don't want to spend the time tinkering to hide root from the banking apps.
It also works great for running things like Geforce Now and streaming games in 4k resolution, with a paired bluetooth controller.
To get the higher resolutions you need a newer Samsung flagship, S22/S23. And maybe also need to enable extra stuff via "i love dex" option in multistar.
Overall though, what's killing Android is Android (through Google) Every release gets more limited & restrictive, as does the Play store & framework. If they want to downgrade android to be iOS, while iOS is improving, at some point I might as well just buy iOS. I think Android reached its peak around 4.4 Kitkat. I'm still sitting on 9 knowing that things get even worse on 10 & 11. Who knows what Android 12 has? Who cares?
Lol ok. I have a pixel 5a and honestly, I regret getting it over a $200 moto g power. Those phones are fantastic and you can slap a third party rom like lineage on there and use it basically forever.
I tried Samsung a few times, even with more ram it was vicious about killing tasks in the background so switching apps always did a splash screen and relaunch. Some apps do that well, others not so much. I tracked it down and apparently that behavior helps it win benchmarks. Even on a generation older hardware the pixel felt much snappier, I could multitask with 3-4 apps going, and the home button was MUCH snappier. I verified it wasn't hardware by installing Cyanogen on the samsung, and suddenly everything felt fast again.
I switched to GrapheneOS, it's only for Pixels. The seem to have moved the needle on making it your phone, not just Google's phone that they let you use. You can remove every app, even the play store. Play has to ask permission to install things.
I think of GrapheneOS as a leaner Pixel that's more secure.
It’s fixing something that’s not broken just to say “not Google”, in the process creating bloat.
I've had a series of Nexus and Pixel phones. I had a Pixel 3 for a long long time and really, really loved it. It was such a perfect phone. I'm on Pixel 7 now and it's... alright. Compared to Pixel 3 it's big and heavy and the fingerprint scanner is on Pixel 3 was so much better. Pixel 3 was just about perfect.
I just cannot stand iPhone. Everything about them is so annoying. My kids have them. Apple's parental controls are a complete joke. I just cannot understand why anyone thinks iPhone doesn't suck. The parental controls are constantly breaking whenever one phone upgrades and etc. Screen Time settings are the most infuriating and dumb as hell stupidity ever. On the other side Google's Digital Wellbeing is also useless trash (Seriously... only per-app time limits? Does anyone at all dog food that bullshit?). But on Android you just swap it out for something that doesn't suck.
Are you sure you're talking about the right phone? Pixel 4 doesn't have a fingerprint scanner.
-All the pointless OS customizations.
-Samsung-developed apps that do the same thing as extant, better Google apps.
The one thing that eats the battery alive is Instagram, which is great as it gives me one more reason to avoid it.
You should have added that this only applies if you exclued non-US products.