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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

#391

Post by lynndotpy »

sb057 wrote: post #223

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 m…

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.

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

#392

Post by wilsonnb3 »

fgeahfeaha wrote: post #116
thedriver wrote: post #41

iPhones end up being cheaper in the long run. They get software updates much longer than almost any Android phone, and at least here even small cities have local shops that repair them. It's also just a superior user experience. I wish they kept on making the mini models though. I'm using a 13 mini, which has been really nice. Most modern smartphones are uncomfortable to carry in the front pocket of slim pants.

Yup, you just can't beat standardization The support is way better because there isn't a million different models

I think it has more to do with vertical integration of the hardware and software than the number of models.

Supporting Android phones requires collaboration between the chip vendors, hardware manufacturers, and Google, which is difficult.

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

#393

Post by amanaplanacanal »

JohnFen wrote: post #294
GeekyBear wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 think this is a major factor that is driving market share towards iPhone. I personally couldn't care less about this. I just want a phone that works well for me.

Maybe I’m just old, but the idea of have a device on the internet that no longer gets security updates just seems wrong. Learned too many lessons back in the 90s and the oughts.

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

#394

Post by bee_rider »

jnwatson wrote: post #347
zh3 wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 t…

It isn’t any different than buying Nike, Gucci, or Michael Kors. Many folks are extremely brand and status conscious. Appearing high status is more important than many other expenses.

My phone is in my pocket 99% of the time, why would I care what people think about it? Anyway, a base model iPhone is only in the $600 range, that is like a week of minimum wage work in my state. Where’s the status?

No, it is just a basic functional smartphone for people who don’t like to configure these things (I’ll happily tinker all day with my Linux laptop, but smartphones are just like the worst form-factor, I want it to just work and then go away).

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

#395

Post by kube-system »

kernal wrote: post #382
nordsieck wrote: post #361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 everyon…

>I seriously doubt that there are any Androids out there that could get even close to that. It's probably because you didn't really do any research into it. A $100 or less Pixel 4a released in 2020 will easily last 5+ years if you take care of it.

Depends on how someone values their time, I suppose.

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

#396

Post by s3p »

avgDev wrote: post #274
ceejayoz wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You have a single back up option which is the iCloud. That's false. You can backup to a computer, including to Windows. https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/iphone/iph3ecf67d29/io...

Using Itunes........with android you can literally select another CLOUD provider.

Yes because with iOS you can also RESTORE your entire operating system from that same backup. And if you really want to, you can change the file location so that iTunes backup file sits in a cloud folder.

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

#397

Post by wilsonnb3 »

collinc777 wrote: post #94

In the US, having an Android is one of the biggest social status negative signals I can think of. I used to have an android and when I'd meet people the primary thing they'd remember about me was that I had an android. Their blinders were up after they had that information. I think phones like the Galaxy line might be better than iPhones, but the experience of owning an iPhone far exceeds owning a Galaxy.

A +1 to Android for helping us filter out all the wankers we don't want to hang out with.

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

#398

Post by kube-system »

bee_rider wrote: post #394
jnwatson wrote: post #347

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It isn’t any different than buying Nike, Gucci, or Michael Kors. Many folks are extremely brand and status conscious. Appearing high status is more important than many other expenses.

My phone is in my pocket 99% of the time, why would I care what people think about it? Anyway, a base model iPhone is only in the $600 range, that is like a week of minimum wage work in my state. Where’s the status? No, it is just a basic functional smartphone for people who don’t like to configure these things (I’ll happily tinker all day with my Linux laptop, but smartphones are just like the worst form-factor, I w…

> a base model iPhone is only in the $600 range

$429, actually.

> https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-se

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

#399

Post by jwells89 »

Xeamek wrote: post #380
jwells89 wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't want the OS to have any material differences at all between devices. Android should be like Windows, which is the same no matter where it's running. Even the "good" changes that manufacturers make are unwelcome, because they dull much of the appeal of an OS like Android where hardware vendors are interchangeable and can be switched on a whim without software downsides. I don't want to become dependent on some…

That "OS should be coherent" argument would work if android itself was providing all those options. But it's not. Go to AOSP source and the "phone app" you'll find there is deprecated, ugly crap that no one ever uses. The 'nice' one is just a google app that's not only closed source, but equally bloated as the samsung's one. People give google's apps this weird pass, as it's not the same kind of bloat as the manufact…

This is increasingly true as Google is moving further and further away from AOSP, and I think it's eroding the appeal of Android as a whole.

That said, at least Google apps talk to just Google. Samsung apps for example have been shown to connect to numerous different analytics services and ad networks even if you spring for the most expensive devices they sell which isn't great.

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

#400

Post by Xeamek »

tjoff wrote: post #133
FirmwareBurner wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which bloatware and what problems does it make you? For me, I don't really consider Microsoft Office as bloatware as I can use it, plus, what's bloatware for you might be useful apps for others, and I found it stays out of my way once I push it to the side if I don't need it, so it's existence is a non-issue for usability. Samsung bloatware used to be bad in the past but now it's decent IMHO, and I think people are b…

ALL OF THEM. It is utterly insane how much crap they have in baked in. Everything tries to connect to you ludicrous samsung account and the best selling point their apps have is that they try to masquerade them as standard android apps and not a cheap samsung knockoff. I have to support friends with samsung a bit and I get a headache even touching them. Great cameras, wouldn't touch one even if I was paid to actually…

>Everything tries to connect to you ludicrous samsung account

So, exactly as with google trying to sign into google's account?

>the best selling point their apps have is that they try to masquerade them as standard android apps and not a cheap samsung knockoff.

Again, same for google's apps which people think "come as a part of android", but in reallity they arent?

>The telemetry and the dark patterns they utilize gets me in the stomach.

As if google doesn't use telemetry?

Not to mention, there are things in which the samsung apps are OBJECTIVELLY better:

OneUI's customization is far beyond what stock android offers. Samsung Files has more features then google files, ie. mounting network drives.

Sure, those are small differences, but people just default to "samsung bad" without actually giving the altenatives a fair shot

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