10 ms·
Survey: 83% of US teens have an iPhone, Android 9%
- matchbok 8y agoSort of makes sense. Android is generally a mess and hasn't really added much of value over the last 4 years. Whereas iOS has had huge yearly updates with actual features. Plus, iMessage is a huge draw. Android has what, 5 messaging apps?
- beefsack 8y agoYou're making a huge assumption that the young mainstream picked iOS over Android was because of function over form. You can't discount that their products are very fashionable (Apple markets well, they look great, everyone else has one).
- threeseed 8y ago1) Discount someone from making an opinion based on an assumption. 2) Then in the next sentence. Make an opinion based on an assumption.
- Infinitesimus 8y agoIt's not just an assumption that Apple has a strong fashion /brand appeal ...
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- Dylan16807 8y agoNote how sentence 2 does not claim it to be the reason, but offers it as a potential reason.
- btian 8y agoThen why is iOS not generally successful outside US?
- Nextgrid 8y agoI am not sure why you don’t consider it successful. Here in London iOS is the default. Android-wise I only see two categories of users: power-users that chose Android for functional or ideological reasons, and budget-constrained users that cant afford or don’t see the value in an iOS device. Both those groups seem to be the minority, just looking around for people on their phones in public places yields a majority of iPhones.
- koyote 8y agoPretty much all of continental Europe (including wealthy countries such as Germany) have iPhone market share at less than 20%; the UK is the outlier there.
- Nextgrid 8y agoFrance is also an exception then from what I remember pre-2015 (unless things changed dramatically since then).
- kyriakos 8y agoAndroid is pretty huge in Europe. London could be an exception. Surprising even Chinese brands became popular lately with own physical stores in Western European capitals.
- scotty79 8y agoI think there is a patriotism component in iPhone US prevalence.
- ufo 8y agoAt least here in Brazil it comes down to cost. Iphones are extremely expensive, and restricted to the luxufy segment.
- roenxi 8y agoConversely, it can't be discounted that the fashion might follow functionality. Apples has a lot more experience than Google at creating comprehensively great user experiences. Google's signature successes, Search and Mail, have wildly different success criteria for user satisfaction than an operating system. Apple's signature successes all have operating systems and then there is the iPod which is a bit different. The iPhone is differentiated by much more than Apple's marketing. Everybody markets their product.
- brazzledazzle 8y agoKids can also be extremely mean and some will jump all over “green text” kids. Apple certainly doesn’t help by closing their API. Not that they should have to open it but it’s not like they have a really affordable option anymore so the pressure on low income kids and subsequently their parents is pretty strong.
- anoncake 8y agoIf keeping the API closed causes bullying, then yes, Apple absolutely should have to open it.
- stevenjohns 8y agoI honestly can't understand why Google hasn't been able to replicate the success of iMessage. It can't be /that/ hard to figure out if the person on the other side is using an Android with a compatible Messaging app version and then switch over to an internet-handled chat.
- inamberclad 8y agoSignal does it just fine - I can only assume that Google is distracted or just doesn't care.
- hackits 8y agoProbably that they consider it wouldn't generate revenue.
- Phlarp 8y agoGoogle talk/hangouts chat still works and does this. Although you are also correct in that case as Google is distracted and doesn't care about Google talk. And of course fragmentation-- Even if Talk, Signal, Whatsapp and Telegram all support discovery and upgrade, the network effects (or lack of them) kills it in practice.
- Alex3917 8y ago> I honestly can't understand why Google hasn't been able to replicate the success of iMessage. I mean a better question at this point is perhaps why Apple engineering hasn't been able to implement RCS.
- btian 8y agoWhy should Apple implement RCS? All the backend is controlled by Google. All the risks, none of the gains.
- delfinom 8y agoNo it isn't. RCS its a open cellular standard thats being deployed worldwide. Google does offer a backend for carriers to use (when you want to push your cloud offerings and have tons of engineers with nothing else to do just like AWS) but it's not required and carriers are rolling their own. The protocol itself is meant for inter-carrier communication and phones.
- Sharlin 8y agoNote that outside the US the numbers are very different, if not for other reason than most people not being able to afford or willing to pay the iPhone premium.
- bad_good_guy 8y agoHave you ever actually used a stock Android device? The experience is much much cleaner than iOS. I use an Android phone and an iPad Pro every day, and I am honestly put off browsing the web in the iPad because the experience is just feels 'off'. Disclaimer is that I live in Europe and nobody here uses iMessage. Its mostly FB Messenger or WhatsApp.
- saagarjha 8y ago> The experience is much much cleaner than iOS. In what way?
- otachack 8y agoHere are a few IMO: - Less or no unremovable apps introduced by carrier/phone manufacturer - UI parallel to current Android stock trend rather than manufacturer's vision - Updates easier to attain since the manufacturer hurdle is less or non-existent
- saagarjha 8y agoAll of these are true for iOS and have been since its inception.
- whalesalad 8y agoblue bubbles vs green bubbles is a real thing
- mr_cyborg 8y agoI tried out Windows Phone for two weeks a few years back and my significant other was upset that I went green.
- Kaveren 8y agoI do wonder what the impact of this is. I can't think of any good way you could study it other than surveying people. Does this have a discernible market effect under demographic most vulnerable to social pressure?
- threeseed 8y agoPeople just like to make it sound like it's a really big deal amongst young people. When in fact it's probably just one of dozens of reasons for which they phone they choose. Treating young people like they are less savvy or reasoned about the decisions is always a mistake. Likewise you can't just treat hundreds of millions of people as thought they are one homogenous hivemind.
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 8y ago>Treating young people like they are less savvy or reasoned about the decisions is always a mistake. I am not sure it is always a mistake. People have made billions of dollars by doing. Look at how sneakers are advertised and sold. On a more sinister note, take a look at the whole Joe Camel cigarette advertising campaign.
- threeseed 8y agoMost people who are buying expensive sneakers are not young. And it's nothing to do with advertising and everything to do with fashion, hobby, exclusivity etc. Likewise bringing up cigarette is ridiculous since it ignores the fact that they are highly addictive.
- npunt 8y agoThese types of surveys are at best directionally accurate, as I doubt their 8000 teens are a representative sample. Are we to believe that 20% of teens own an Apple Watch, as this survey suggests?
- pxeboot 8y agoThey admit to focusing on middle class to high income households, so they might not be far off in those groups. Definitely not representative of the whole country though.
- npunt 8y agoMaybe it's a regional thing, as the South was oddly oversampled at 45% of the 8000. I don't hang around teens but do make a point of looking at what tech they're using when I see them, and I've never seen one wearing a smartwatch of any kind. Apple Watch is just getting to the hand-me-down stage so maybe that's it. I totally buy that Apple has a very strong brand with teens, I just don't see smartwatches as being must-haves for teens. I'd guess more teens would want to put the extra $$ into a newer smartphone (faster & with a better camera) instead of a secondary device.
- xbmcuser 8y agoApple has sort of a lock in for teens in the US because of its imessages app from what I understand. This is something unique in North America as rest of the counties use messaging apps like whatsapp
- npunt 8y agoFor sure iMessage is huge in the US, and teens are at a time in their lives when social inclusion is pretty much #1 on the list of priorities. I buy that argument. It's that Apple Watch is likely only third on the list of purchases after iOS device + wireless headphones, and has much less social inclusion value, and at that point you've spent many teenagers budgets.
- 8y ago
- rb808 8y agoInteresting to know if they were new or hand me downs. I'm a grown up with a job and I don't want to pay double for an iPhone.
- Animats 8y agoWow.
- 8bitsrule 8y agoInteresting. How were geographically and socio-economically diverse were these surveys? Were they verified? It's hard to assess these results without knowing: 1. how many of those teens had any choice; 2. how many teens had an informed choice; 3. how many teens reported having no phone.
- khaki54 8y agoI swear my stepdaughter hates me because I gave her my old Nexus 6P. It's a sweet phone, I don't understand the issue. I don't want to give in and buy her an iPhone, but she had tears in her eyes when I told her $800 wasn't the greatest use of funds.
- mandelbrotwurst 8y agoBlue chat bubbles > green ones seems to be a big piece of it. You're not wrong.
- paulcole 8y agoHe’s not wrong but the niece isn’t wrong either. Style and being cool matter more to some people than others.
- lawnchair_larry 8y agoDoes anyone consider the possibility that she prefers the overall iphone experience, and is not choosing it to be cool? Or are you all Android owners who don’t realize that people who prefer Apple products tend to actually like them?
- hn_throwaway_99 8y agoPreferring an iPhone is one thing, but the "tears in your eyes" comment from OP makes me think this is 100% a status thing. Also that I remember what is was like being a teenager in the US.
- bredren 8y agoSome of it is status, but I think what would trigger an emotional swell like that is the potential of being embarrassed by having a knock-off communication device--and I think Androids are viewed this way by many teenagers. And you're exposed the moment you reply to a text. There's a great example of what its like to wear the wrong thing in Atlanta Season 2 episode 10, which centers around a Fubu t-shirt.
- coolreader18 8y agoAs a student at a middle to upper class high school, I can say that it's definitely not about the actual features of iOS vs Android -- it's just a status symbol. People with iPhones are considered slightly "cooler", or at the very least it's more hip to have an iPhone than an Android. Apple's walled garden contributes to its dominance as well, if all your friends are using FaceTime and iMessage, there's not much that might influence someone to pick an Android phone than economic reasons. Speaking of which, the iPhone vs Android debate among teens really boils down to a thinly veiled version of classism (in my opinion). I heard a classmate respond to a question of what kind of phone she had with, "an iPhone, but it's a 6, so it's pretty much a Droid." (I'm not sure where the 2008 terminology came from, but still.)
- DonHopkins 8y ago1977 called. They said these aren't the droids you're looking for. ;)
- chrisseaton 8y agoMaybe these people just like iPhones and it's not some big cynical setup?
- coolreader18 8y agoPerhaps, but somebody in one of my classes had jailbroken his iPhone and was showing off his fancy home screen, which would have been pretty par for the course for a custom Android home screen, and everybody was oohing and ahhing at how cool it was. Really just anecdotal, but I don't think iPhones are more popular purely because they've considered both options and chosen the one they liked more.
- saagarjha 8y agoBut the jailbroken phone comes with iOS and the custom Android home screen doesn't. I'm not seeing your argument here, unless it's "stock iOS isn't flashy" or "jailbreaking is cool".
- Proven 8y agoiPhone: overall better quality, better security, better privacy for the regular user who does not want to waste time on getting their phone to work properly on Day 1. I’ve owned Android, Windows and iOS phones. I have several friends and relatives who claim their Android phone is better value for money but I notice they spend their time dealing with various issues (hangs, bugs, updates, rooting, etc) which they think costs them nothing. Okay...
- ajayyy 8y agoDefinitely not true here in Canada (Ontario). I'd say it's a around 50/50, maybe majority Android.
- mymythisisthis 8y agoI wonder if it is because of the phone plans that we have?
- earenndil 8y agoIn vancouver, iphones are an overwhelming majority. I think I read somewhere that nationwide it's around 60-40 ios-android?
- grwthckrmstr 8y agoFascinating and if you think about it, it's hardly a surprise. Kids want to be cool in front of their peer groups (I think all of you have experienced that period in your lives, don't bring up yourself as an exception, it's not contributing to the discussion). Kids want to be part of social clans and groups. It's hard to dispute the above 2 statements, so the conclusion that iPhones are the preferred choice due to a. Coolness factor b. Everyone else is using it / walled garden / iMessage is hardly a surprise. I would love to see the discussion project onwards to the future -- what implications does this have for when these 13 somethings become 23 somethings with a job and have to buy a phone. Are they going to switch to Android at some point? Does majority of the growing population get used to iPhone at an early age, which means we will see an uptick in iPhone adoption in the coming decade? I find these questions far more fascinating.
- ancientworldnow 8y agoI'm curious how much is the longer product lifespan of iPhones resulting in parents passing their children hand me down iPhones when they upgrade. Androids don't seem to age as well (as an android user) so they're harder to convince a teen to accept one instead of purchasing something entirely new. Unfortunately the poll data here is very scant.
- dano 8y agoWhile on vacation with my extended family I found myself somewhat socially excluded from everyone else as they could share photos via airdrop. I provided the group a shared Google Photos album and a few pictures were uploaded, but not as many as they shared directly. I also have trouble receiving SMS messages with Vcard attachments from iPhone users. One other point, I ran a major outdoor event this weekend and rented iPads for square transactions. There was no question in my mind that we would rent iPads instead of Android tablets. Why? Because all of our ticketing people we're already familiar with the platform. Android and iOS platforms are not yet interchangeable from a user experience perspective, and I think that's what drives the kids to the iPhone. It's what everyone else has and if I have one, I'm fully interoperable.
- timbit42 8y ago> It's what everyone else has Only in the US.
- mshaler 8y agoAs a parent, I bought my son an iPhone because of privacy/malware concerns (perceived or otherwise) in the Android world--but we're already an all-Apple household. I wonder if it's Apple's privacy _marketing_ that won the day here? (Green bubbles notwithstanding.)
- BrandoElFollito 8y agoAs a parent of two teenagers in a relatively affluent part of France I can assure you they have zero interest whether this is Apple or Android. The thing with the bubbles color does not even register. I would say that the importance of the model is much higher in poorer areas (I know very well a few parents from "the suburbs" (les banlieues), which in France mean unpriviledged zones). The children of parents who are very well off would have an older phone, sometimes with a broken screen.