US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone • Hacker News Board

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

#681

Post by Tade0 » Sat, Jul 29, 2023, 6:36 AM UTC

massysett wrote: post #485

wilsonnb3 wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think this is a major factor that is driving market share towards iPhone. Few people outside of the tech nerd bubble care about this.

You’re right, few people care about how long the phone will be supported. What they do want is an inexpensive phone that still runs the latest software. Because Apple models are supported so long, people can buy used, old iPhones that still run the latest software. Others trade in their phones often because they always want the new shiny. Because Apple models are supported so long, the used phone they trade in has mo…

> Because Apple models are supported so long, people can buy used, old iPhones that still run the latest software.

You (usually) can run the latest software on an old Android nowadays - the reason is that many of the functions which were previously baked into the system are now part of Google Play Services, which are upgraded like any other software package.

The only app to tell me that it will stop updating on my 5-year-old Android phone was... Slack.

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

#682

Post by mikae1 » Sat, Jul 29, 2023, 6:41 AM UTC

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #598

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #578

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you say "with much worse support"? That's not the case anymore, at least for Pixels.

Because it’s true? The pixel 6a will get 3 years of updates and 5 years of security updates. On a phone that was released 12 months ago. So it hasn’t been tested yet. Plenty of time for google to renege on that. The Pixel 6a is at least a cheaper phone. But the Pixel 7 are flagship prices for the same support. iPhones have been getting this level of updates since almost day one. The last iPhone I ran into the ground…

When I got my last Pixel Google were giving 3 years of security updates. I bought it one year after release. For an average consumer doing the same thing they would have had an unsecure doorstop with very low resale value after two years. Should be criminal.

I installed some ROM and kept it alive (not by far as secure as using an iPhone, of course).

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

#683

Post by qlkjwenf » Sat, Jul 29, 2023, 6:47 AM UTC

Apple uses mobbing strategy to force teenagers to use iPhones:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-apples-imessage-is-winning-...

Anyone who don't use iPhone will be bullied (in USA). But yeah, let's pretend that Apple have some moral values when exactly the opposite is true.

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

#684

Post by 5e92cb50239222b » Sat, Jul 29, 2023, 6:56 AM UTC

tmpX7dMeXU wrote: post #544

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…

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 cho…

It's not a meme in poorer countries. At least not in those that I am familiar with. Quite a few iPhone users I know use it as a status symbol, many have bought it in credit and paid out over the next several years with a significant chunk of their modest incomes (because they couldn't have acquired one any other way). Just in time to get the next model. Eh, whatever, at least it's more useful than expensive clothing.

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

#685

Post by jjav » Sat, Jul 29, 2023, 6:58 AM UTC

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #518

jjav wrote: post #481

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Yes, I don't care about getting updates. If they're important to you, that's fair. Hardware devices with embedded software couldn't get updates (or was a difficult job so didn't happen) until somewhat recently. It is unfortunate that the ability to do updates is used as a crutch to ship faulty software that then needs updates. A phone shouldn't ever need an update in its lifetime if it was properly built in the fir…

Well, yeah, and I'd like a pony. The main issue is security updates. I'm guessing you weren't accessing things like a banking app with highly sensitive financial data on your 2005 Motorola.

> I'm guessing you weren't accessing things like a banking app with highly sensitive financial data

For anyone who has done any serious threat modeling exercises would never ever do that from a 2023 phone (I'm fully aware many people do it regardless).w

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

#686

Post by jjav » Sat, Jul 29, 2023, 7:01 AM UTC

bee_rider wrote: post #594

jjav wrote: post #490

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> base model iPhone is only in the $600 range Only? That's an inordinate amount of money for what's just a phone.

For a person who isn’t technical (able to compile programs), an iPhone has a superset of a laptop’s functionality. Except, much more user-friendly, because all your programs come from the App Store. A $600 laptop is not a prestige device.

> For a person who isn’t technical (able to compile programs), an iPhone has a superset of a laptop’s functionality.

That doesn't even begin to make any sense. Can you run CAD software or serious photo processing on a phone (like DxO)? Nothing I run on a mac can run on a phone.

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

#687

Post by tjoff » Sat, Jul 29, 2023, 7:12 AM UTC

Xeamek wrote: post #489

tjoff wrote: post #454

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>So, exactly as with google trying to sign into google's account? Massive difference though. Samsung tries to trick people to use it by not being up front with what account it is and what it is for. Now, don't get me wrong. Google would probably do the same, but in this case they don't have to - because it is their OS. It is trivial to skip the google account if you want but it actually has its place in android. A sa…

>Google would probably do the same, but in this case they don't have to - because it is their OS. It is trivial to skip the google account if you want but it actually has its place in android. No, it's not. AOSP is free and open source OS that is completely functional without google's account or services. >Samsung tricks you into depending on them for the same stuff as google. Well yes, but either we give a pass to b…

> No, it's not. AOSP is free and open source OS that is completely functional without google's account or services.

That's just what I said. But most tie the android experience to the app ecosystem, which (not necessarily, but in practice (for most people)) is tied to the play store. Which requires a google account.

> Well yes, but either we give a pass to both of them or none.

WHY?! Google is honest about it. Why are they honest about it? Because they happen to be in a position where they can be honest about it. Samsung choose not to, because they rather trick people.

Google is required for the typical android experience. Samsung is only required if you like to be abused. They are not the same.

> But at the same time, this aproach is anti-competative. You will always buy into the biggest vendor, because it gives you the most features.

No, you buy into the vendor that is required. Not the one that tries to bully you and sneak under the radar.

> Just as google's software isn't AOSP, it's google android.

Google makes both. Google is much close to AOSP. Doesn't matter at all huh?

Google follows the typical android UX (close than anyone else at least), samsung tries to be different just for the sake of being different.

The competition to android is not samsung, it is non-android OSes

This is like defending tracking popups. They are abusive, illegal, user hostile and doesn't offer anything. But somehow avoiding sites that has them is anti-competitive?

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

#688

Post by sundvor » Sat, Jul 29, 2023, 7:23 AM UTC

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #598

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #578

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you say "with much worse support"? That's not the case anymore, at least for Pixels.

Because it’s true? The pixel 6a will get 3 years of updates and 5 years of security updates. On a phone that was released 12 months ago. So it hasn’t been tested yet. Plenty of time for google to renege on that. The Pixel 6a is at least a cheaper phone. But the Pixel 7 are flagship prices for the same support. iPhones have been getting this level of updates since almost day one. The last iPhone I ran into the ground…

My son's now 4 year old Samsung S10-5G (my old phone) is still getting updated. It is a flagship phone, the first with 5G - will be interesting to see how long they do it.

Google and Samsung appear to be on the same page; I think the front runners in the Android world are a lot better than some would like to give them credit for.

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

#689

Post by rvdginste » Sat, Jul 29, 2023, 8:10 AM UTC

zh3 wrote: post #316

lolinder wrote: post #278

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…

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 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.

[1]: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212788

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

#690

Post by kcartlidge » Sat, Jul 29, 2023, 8:38 AM UTC

acchow wrote: post #470

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 is not the status. Americans love to consume. They think their consumption brings them happiness . One of their most delightful purchases is a new phone.

> Americans love to consume. They think their consumption brings them happiness. One of their most delightful purchases is a new phone.

If you replaced "Americans" with "Most people in capitalist countries who are subject to constant advertising" I'd probably agree.