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Buying a phone shouldn't be a minefield. People get iPhones because they know that they're solid, simple and stress free (putting aside the signal issue for now

by SandB0x 16y ago

Buying a phone shouldn't be a minefield. People get iPhones because they know that they're solid, simple and stress free (putting aside the signal issue for now). These things are as important as the shininess and cool factor. Google should have enough clout to tell the carriers and manufacturers where to stick their crapware and dodgy interfaces if they want a Google branded phone. I really hope someone's paying attention.

cookiecaper 16y ago
People could know _any_ phone was solid and stress-free, you just have to teach them. Do you think there is something inherent in the iPhone that makes it intuitively obvious that they are "solid and stress-free"? People think that about one model of phone because they were taught to think that. People could be taught to think the same about the Droid or the G1 or whatever else; just tell your friends "Get an EVO" instead of "Get an iPhone", and the problem is solved, right?
- SandB0x 16y ago
  Look, I'm as big an Android fan as anyone, but I've seen several people really regret their decisions. For example, some of my friends have the HTC Hero. It's slow, runs Sense on top of Android 1.5 (still!) and the battery life is awful. I don't really know anyone who's regretted getting an iPhone, even though they know there might be a handful of better Android phones out there. The overall impression is that Android is a mixed bag, and that you have to watch your step. Not everyone wants to spend days reading Engadget reviews and trawling through forums, and the iPhone is rightly seen as the safe choice.
  - cookiecaper 16y ago
    I know people who complain that their iPhone is slow. Some people with old models can't get new versions of iOS. The battery life on my G1 is fine, I think; it lasts just about as long as my old dumb phone, but I don't know about the Hero, though I'd imagine it's similar. I found some people who regret buying an iPhone: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=I+regret+buying+an+iPhone http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&#3... . What do you want? Seriously. People don't go buy "iOS devices" and they wouldn't if there were more in existence than just the iPhone. They buy the iPhone because that's what all the hype/buzz/recommendations they take in says to buy. The exact same mechanisms would work with a great Android phone, but the thing is there just isn't as much hype/buzz/recommendation around a specific Android model, like there is around a specific iOS model. We can argue all day about why the iPhone gets so much special attention, but the point is iPhones are not some magic device that is guaranteed to work well any more than any other high-quality phone, and that's not why they're so ubiquitous. So what's the problem? I don't get it. A recommendation for a solid Android device is just as valid and non-confusing and accessible as a recommendation for a solid iOS device (iPhone). Why are you pretending like there is something special about the iPhone?
- neutronicus 16y ago
  My G1 no longer receives incoming calls. They just go straight to voicemail. And the text message ring tone changed without me doing anything. The maps application opens and dies to the main screen. Something tells me this crap doesn't happen with the iPhone.
  - cookiecaper 16y ago
    Really? You don't think iPhones can do weird things like that too? What happened to your G1 is abnormal behavior and is probably due to defective hardware. Have you never heard of specific iPhone units being defective? This argument is incredibly weak and I'm surprised it's gotten so many upvotes. Your G1 is an anomaly; normal G1s do not just crap out like that regularly. Your anecdote is unfortunate, but not representative. If you stick with the standard G1 install, everything should run along just honky-dory the whole time, and that's happened for the majority of G1 users, just as it has happened for the majority of iPhone users. Here is one instance of an iPhone not receiving calls: http://forums.wireless.att.com/t5/Apple/Not-receiving-calls-on-iPhone/td-p/1653094;jsessionid=CFDA81E8442FF9235C2891610D91CD55 http://forums.wireless.att.com/t5/Apple/Not-receiving-calls-.... That was found in about 45 seconds with Google, I'm sure there are others. Every piece of hardware, even the iPhone, has issues and can become defective or dysfunctional.

by SandB0x 16y ago

cookiecaper 16y ago

People could know _any_ phone was solid and stress-free, you just have to teach them. Do you think there is something inherent in the iPhone that makes it intuitively obvious that they are "solid and stress-free"? People think that about one model of phone because they were taught to think that. People could be taught to think the same about the Droid or the G1 or whatever else; just tell your friends "Get an EVO" instead of "Get an iPhone", and the problem is solved, right?

SandB0x 16y ago
Look, I'm as big an Android fan as anyone, but I've seen several people really regret their decisions. For example, some of my friends have the HTC Hero. It's slow, runs Sense on top of Android 1.5 (still!) and the battery life is awful. I don't really know anyone who's regretted getting an iPhone, even though they know there might be a handful of better Android phones out there. The overall impression is that Android is a mixed bag, and that you have to watch your step. Not everyone wants to spend days reading Engadget reviews and trawling through forums, and the iPhone is rightly seen as the safe choice.
- cookiecaper 16y ago
  I know people who complain that their iPhone is slow. Some people with old models can't get new versions of iOS. The battery life on my G1 is fine, I think; it lasts just about as long as my old dumb phone, but I don't know about the Hero, though I'd imagine it's similar. I found some people who regret buying an iPhone: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=I+regret+buying+an+iPhone http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&#3... . What do you want? Seriously. People don't go buy "iOS devices" and they wouldn't if there were more in existence than just the iPhone. They buy the iPhone because that's what all the hype/buzz/recommendations they take in says to buy. The exact same mechanisms would work with a great Android phone, but the thing is there just isn't as much hype/buzz/recommendation around a specific Android model, like there is around a specific iOS model. We can argue all day about why the iPhone gets so much special attention, but the point is iPhones are not some magic device that is guaranteed to work well any more than any other high-quality phone, and that's not why they're so ubiquitous. So what's the problem? I don't get it. A recommendation for a solid Android device is just as valid and non-confusing and accessible as a recommendation for a solid iOS device (iPhone). Why are you pretending like there is something special about the iPhone?
neutronicus 16y ago
My G1 no longer receives incoming calls. They just go straight to voicemail. And the text message ring tone changed without me doing anything. The maps application opens and dies to the main screen. Something tells me this crap doesn't happen with the iPhone.
- cookiecaper 16y ago
  Really? You don't think iPhones can do weird things like that too? What happened to your G1 is abnormal behavior and is probably due to defective hardware. Have you never heard of specific iPhone units being defective? This argument is incredibly weak and I'm surprised it's gotten so many upvotes. Your G1 is an anomaly; normal G1s do not just crap out like that regularly. Your anecdote is unfortunate, but not representative. If you stick with the standard G1 install, everything should run along just honky-dory the whole time, and that's happened for the majority of G1 users, just as it has happened for the majority of iPhone users. Here is one instance of an iPhone not receiving calls: http://forums.wireless.att.com/t5/Apple/Not-receiving-calls-on-iPhone/td-p/1653094;jsessionid=CFDA81E8442FF9235C2891610D91CD55 http://forums.wireless.att.com/t5/Apple/Not-receiving-calls-.... That was found in about 45 seconds with Google, I'm sure there are others. Every piece of hardware, even the iPhone, has issues and can become defective or dysfunctional.