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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

#321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What lock-in do iPhones have that isn't a thing on Android? Honestly curious.

WebKit - major PITA, highlighting text and googling in chrome opens safari ? Appstore - can't install Gameboy emulator for games I've paid 20+ years ago because daddy Apple said so...

[deleted]

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

#322

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.

> Android isn't _that_ bad

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!

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

#323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Apple's real genius is in their marketing. 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 A…

> 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

It applied as recently as 2020 with iOS 14 releasing picture in picture video, which Android has had since 8 in 2017.

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

#324

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.

> Android isn't _that_ bad 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 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.

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

#325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The bloat is mainly in two forms: -All the pointless OS customizations. -Samsung-developed apps that do the same thing as extant, better Google apps.

I like their OS customizations, particularly for the Fold their taskbar and window split is great.

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

#326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What lock-in do iPhones have that isn't a thing on Android? Honestly curious.

WebKit - major PITA, highlighting text and googling in chrome opens safari ? Appstore - can't install Gameboy emulator for games I've paid 20+ years ago because daddy Apple said so...

> can't install Gameboy emulator

That sounds like more of an example of lock-out, than lock-in.

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

#327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the messaging lock-in? I have lots of text threads with mixed Android+iPhone users, and never have any problem.

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. https://www.android.com/get-the-message/

In my view, that's a feature, not a bug. Group messages are a plague.

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

#328

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 An…

Ok, we've switched to that URL from https://9to5mac.com/2023/07/28/us-iphone-market-share-2/. Thanks!

I've also attempted to make the title less misleading.

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

#329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand -- are Android users not able to receive your iPhone text messages? I've never had that problem.

SMS vs data. iPhone to iPhone uses a data connection with richer media sharing features. Plus SMS is in a different color, so you can easily/remotely judge your peer for using Android.

> ... judge your peer for not using iPhone.

Ftfy. It's not just iOS and Android out there.

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

#330

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.

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. :-)

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