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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

#401
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…

> 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 might be one of those value shoppers; I usually buy the "Pixel .a" version of the oldest available generation when it's time for replacement (I'm currently on a Pixel 4a). I like it. I used to have an iPhone, but I prefer the "feel" of Andriod-on-Pixel, but I don't know how to describe it. Less heavy-handed maybe? More minimalistic?

I don't need the fastest, most powerful SoC. I don't need the best, super fast display. The battery life on my 4a is enough for my needs. People get way too religious about this.

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

#402
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…

> 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…

> expect to use it for 5+ years. I seriously doubt that there are any Androids out there that could get even close to that.

Every Android phone I've had has lasted that long or longer. If I got less than 5 years out of any smartphone, I'd consider it faulty.

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

#403
post #315
post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curious, why do you "resent" your money going to Apple?

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.

There was a thread on HN in the past few days linking this[0] post about a tool that seems to solve just that problem.

0. https://eclecticlight.co/2023/07/17/how-does-icloud-work-plu...

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

#404
post #79

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…

If the apps are useful to some people but not others, they could just put them on the Play store, but they don't they force everyone to have them.

Just like google does with their apps, right?

Oh wait...

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

#405
post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it will take many years for apps to adopt it This is the flaw with the Apple back gesture, sadly, as although it's generally really easy to support this in native app — essentially it comes for free and you just don't break it — plenty of developers just don't care about invisible quality of life things. The gesture is properly called 'Interactive Pop'.

How is it different to android developers breaking shit? It’s not hard to break the “atomic” back gesture either, hell, websites are getting really good at breaking my back button! Shitty apps/developers are everywhere, we should not limit ourselves over them.

I'm not sure I understand you. If an Android developer breaks the back gesture, surely they also break the back button, so they've completely broken the back function? An iOS app can have fully functional back buttons, but break the back gesture only.

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

#406

Earlier quoted context omitted.

General purpose computing is a concept that computer scientists appreciate. The vast majority of consumers buy products based on their cost/benefit of their features and overall experience, not ideology of their technical construction. You won't see too many people who decide to hand wash their dishes because they can't find a dishwasher with an unlocked bootloader. It either satisfactorily washes the dishes or it do…

General purpose computing was the default from 1990 - 2010. Apple killed it by turning computers into "devices" and "platforms". And now Google is killing the web. Fuck these two companies. They're too big, too unilaterally powerful, and their greed to control knows no bounds.

The disconnect is that you're thinking about computers for their ability to do computing. Most people don't care about whether their computers are good at computing, but are instead trying to accomplish some other task. In fact, the more that the 'computer' disappears, the better in their mind.

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

#407
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 boug…

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.

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

#408
post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I don't see how Apple can claim to prioritize privacy when they won't even allow real ad blocking.

Except they do? You can get a VPN app that blocks network requests, like 1Blocker. Also AFAIK android doesn't support adblockers?

Firefox on Android does allow you to run an adblocker.

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

#409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

General purpose computing is a concept that computer scientists appreciate. The vast majority of consumers buy products based on their cost/benefit of their features and overall experience, not ideology of their technical construction. You won't see too many people who decide to hand wash their dishes because they can't find a dishwasher with an unlocked bootloader. It either satisfactorily washes the dishes or it do…

General purpose computing was the default from 1990 - 2010. Apple killed it by turning computers into "devices" and "platforms". And now Google is killing the web. Fuck these two companies. They're too big, too unilaterally powerful, and their greed to control knows no bounds.

Yeah, it's true, you can't buy a general purpose computing device from Apple anymore. Apart from the Mac.

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

#410
post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I don't see how Apple can claim to prioritize privacy when they won't even allow real ad blocking.

Except they do? You can get a VPN app that blocks network requests, like 1Blocker. Also AFAIK android doesn't support adblockers?

Is that a sincere argument? Guy was talking about and blocking in the browser
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