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iMessage is a huge lock-in for non-technical users. They are just obsessed with it on iOS. You can find tons of forum posts with people throwing fits that XYZ A

iMessage is a huge lock-in for non-technical users. They are just obsessed with it on iOS. You can find tons of forum posts with people throwing fits that XYZ Android phone doesn't have iMessage.

thedarkproject 9y ago
This might me valid for the US. Anecdotally, where I live (Switzerland/central Europe) almost nobody uses iMessage, and WhatsApp is the big dominator.
- pmontra 9y ago
  I used WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger and Skype on my phone in the past two hours. Obviously no iMessage because I'm on Android. Maybe my friends with an iPhone use only iMessage between them (I doubt it) but the network effect is all for WhatsApp and Messenger where I live (Italy). Probably nobody switches to Apple because of iMessage here, but it could be a lock in if you really use it.
- emptyfile 9y ago
  I honestly don't think most iPhone owners in Europe even understand that iMessage is not SMS.
macandcheese 9y ago
I'm not sure the correlation is technical proficiency by itself, I think it's based upon a critical mass of your social circles using iMessage or not using iMessage. If you choose to, you can probably make a correlation between "technical savviness" and a user's choice between Android and Apple, but I don't think that is a deciding factor in who uses iMessage. The reason people throw fits is because the experience between a group messaging together on iMessage is exceptional - this experience breaks down when even one of your friends in the chat doesn't have an Apple product. They aren't able to send or receive the majority of the "chat add ons" iMessage provides. I'm sure making the bubbles green vs. blue only helps to stoke the "us vs. them" fire. I consider myself to be a reasonably technical user and still prefer to message with iMessage since I know the experience will be the same for everyone I'm chatting with. Yes, we _could_ all start using WhatsApp et al, but if 8/9 of our group message is on iMessage, why would we?

iMessage is a huge lock-in for non-technical users. They are just obsessed with it on iOS. You can find tons of forum posts with people throwing fits that XYZ Android phone doesn't have iMessage.

thedarkproject 9y ago

This might me valid for the US. Anecdotally, where I live (Switzerland/central Europe) almost nobody uses iMessage, and WhatsApp is the big dominator.

pmontra 9y ago
I used WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger and Skype on my phone in the past two hours. Obviously no iMessage because I'm on Android. Maybe my friends with an iPhone use only iMessage between them (I doubt it) but the network effect is all for WhatsApp and Messenger where I live (Italy). Probably nobody switches to Apple because of iMessage here, but it could be a lock in if you really use it.
emptyfile 9y ago
I honestly don't think most iPhone owners in Europe even understand that iMessage is not SMS.

macandcheese 9y ago

I'm not sure the correlation is technical proficiency by itself, I think it's based upon a critical mass of your social circles using iMessage or not using iMessage. If you choose to, you can probably make a correlation between "technical savviness" and a user's choice between Android and Apple, but I don't think that is a deciding factor in who uses iMessage. The reason people throw fits is because the experience between a group messaging together on iMessage is exceptional - this experience breaks down when even one of your friends in the chat doesn't have an Apple product. They aren't able to send or receive the majority of the "chat add ons" iMessage provides. I'm sure making the bubbles green vs. blue only helps to stoke the "us vs. them" fire. I consider myself to be a reasonably technical user and still prefer to message with iMessage since I know the experience will be the same for everyone I'm chatting with. Yes, we _could_ all start using WhatsApp et al, but if 8/9 of our group message is on iMessage, why would we?