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US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

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Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#52

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 wha…

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.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#53

Honestly I don't know how iPhone users live without the back button (or more accurately now, the back gesture). I used an iPhone for a year (work phone) and just could not get over how much harder it was to work a large iphone. I felt like I had to reach every corner of the screen much more often than on Android.

... there is a back swipe gesture. And it works much more consistently than Android's "Where the heck is this gonna take me" back button. Every app you can swipe back, and it's a much nicer animation than Android. The back button is a cudgel: a sign of a poorly designed UX. Apps aren't websites, the concept of "back" is not universal, so a universal button doesn't make sense. It only exists on Android because it star…

It works better because iOS had this for many years and apps implement it natively. Android's implementation is basically a workaround. The back gesture is recognized by the system and forwarded as back button event to the app. On iOS the gesture is handled by the app, which can provide proper animation, giving users the ability to “preview” what’s behind (and pull back to the left to stop going back). Android is trying to copy that right now (as they should because it works really well), but it will take many years for apps to adopt it.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#54
post #7

Years and years of terrible decisions from Google (15 messaging apps, Android SDK glitches that still exist from 2010, copying Apple's features instead of leading) will only continue to let Apple dominate. There's simply no reason to choose Android - iPhone does everything better, for the same price.

I'm sorry, but - "for the same price"? You must live in a very different place than I do.

> I'm sorry, but - "for the same price"? You must live in a very different place than I do.

iPhone 14 Plus MSRP: $899.

Google Pixel 7 Pro MSRP: $899.

Guess which one will last longer and have higher resale?

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What did you settle on? I’m starting to fantasize this reality too. I have an iPhone now.

That's just an exercise though really. You NEED a smartphone nowadays for everyday life: banking, gym access, maps, etc.

Fwiw, I have smartphone (iPhone 12 work mandated / provided, and a samsung note for myself), but I don't use it for banking, gym, shopping, payments, etc. Guess I'm old school but Financial stuff I like to do on computer, for access I like physical tokens. Yes I print my air tickets! :-) I like to reduce my failure modes and I view my phone as disposable, even though tech companies want to equate it with my life / identity.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#56
post #16

Apple messaging lockin is having the desired impact. Combine that with Google's mess of a strategy and it is easy to see why this is happening. It is why it is so critical to hire the right people in leadership to avoid squandering key, already successful, strategic positions.

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.

Are you in the US? Every time that comes up that tends to be a huge divide. US uses iMessage, other countries don’t.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#57
post #16

Apple messaging lockin is having the desired impact. Combine that with Google's mess of a strategy and it is easy to see why this is happening. It is why it is so critical to hire the right people in leadership to avoid squandering key, already successful, strategic positions.

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.

Where do to live? Zero people in the USA i know use them that dont talk to out of country family

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#58
post #51

Getting Slack messages on my Apple Watch is nice when I am away from my phone but still in BT (wifi?) range. I know this not specific to iPhone, but the integration is nice.

Getting Duo pushes to my watch makes the whole MFA experience at work much less of a hassle.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#59

I am planning to make the switch this year. As a long time Pixel user, Google's support of its own hardware has been subpar. My phone was only officially supported for 3 years. They will increase support for new phones, probably because Apple does the same. It is too little, too late for me.

Long time Android user here (since 1.5 on G1), had all the Nexuses and Pixels as well. Give the OnePlus phones a try. My family's switched to using them and I've been impressed with the battery life and hardware. The software is closer in spirit to the Nexus line.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#60

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 wha…

Samsung's hardware is great and their One UI is a most impressive skin. Saying this as an iPhone user.
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