Wasn't this exact point the case with PC/Mac? People bought IBM, Compaq, Dell, Gateway because of the manufacturer (...back when the manufacturer mattered), so

Wasn't this exact point the case with PC/Mac? People bought IBM, Compaq, Dell, Gateway because of the manufacturer (...back when the manufacturer mattered), so purchasing was tightly coupled to manufacturer adoption. So could we intelligently say that someone buying the Compaq Whatever was choosing Windows 3.1? And what would it have mattered or would that have been a tricky part of understanding adoption? No: network effects had taken hold and one operating system was going to win without regard to manufacturer adoption. I guess you're trying to point out that there aren't two separate markets in the Android space(ie. Android vs iOS and Apple vs Motorola) and instead there is just one market (ie. Motorola-Android vs HTC-Android vs Apple-iOS). I just don't see that to be the case. The market seems pretty fragmented and rich. Everyone I know who's bought an Android phone has either shopped amongst the brands or has gotten an Android because "they heard the iPhone sucked". I haven't heard of any brand loyalty.