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I don't see Apple being fearful to be honest. They are still growing like crazy and they are serving a somewhat different market than Android is. You simply don

I don't see Apple being fearful to be honest. They are still growing like crazy and they are serving a somewhat different market than Android is. You simply don't buy an iPhone because you want 'some phone'. This is not to say that an iPhone is better than some Android phone, but this is certainly perceived to be something different than 'the rest' by most of my friends and colleagues.

tomjen3 15y ago
Maybe your friends and colleagues but that isn't universal -- indeed I much prefer my HTC.
- arethuza 15y ago
  The best Android devices may be as good or even better than the best iPhones but the worst Android devices are much worse than any Apple device has ever been. I say this as the not-very-proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy Europa in addition to my iPhone and iPad.
  - tallanvor 15y ago
    Really? The Newton was pretty darn bad!
    - arethuza 15y ago
      Good point. I meant recent Apple devices :-)
  - hypotguy 15y ago
    The Samsung Galaxy Europa is cheapest entry level Android phone I've seen - where I'm from the i5500 can be picked up for about €70-100. I have one and it cost 1/5 that of an iPhone and is a pretty competent Android phone. For the price it's great value in my opinion and as far as I'm aware Apple makes nothing in that price range so I can't see how you can make any sort of comparison.
    - arethuza 15y ago
      YMMV Note that I am not comparing it directly to my iPhone but to the previous Samsung non-smart phone I had which I lost, which was just a basic phone. I'd honestly rather have a basic non-Android phone than the Galaxy Europa.
trezor 15y ago
I work in software development. Almost everyone in my department has Android-phones bar a few self-confessed iAddicts (and one daring Windows phone 7 beta-tester). Despite its huge commercial success, the iPhone is among my peers considered a rather lulzy thing and a the undisputed weakest and least sophisticated of all the mobile platforms when measured on its own merits. Not saying this is absolute truth either, but it certainly shows that your comment about what "most" people might think certainly doesn't ring true universally.
- MrScruff 15y ago
  I also work in software development. Among my colleagues there are a mix of iPhone & Android users, but the divide seems primarily related to cost with the juniors much more likely to own Android. I've played with a few Android devices and they're ok but to be honest, the whole thing seems to be playing out just like 90s Mac vs Windows, with Android users insisting iOS is a toy and iOS users berating Androids unpolished interface. For me it always boils down to the same thing, if you're willing to accept the constraints imposed by the products designer, Apple stuff is the best out there. > the undisputed weakest and least sophisticated of all the mobile platforms when measured on its own merits This is fairly obviously not true. The iOS SDK is still widely considered the benchmark for people that work cross platform. It doesn't really matter that your developer friends think on the relatively technical merits if they're no more informed than the average Android user.
  - trezor 15y ago
    Just replying to say how you are confirming my point either you intend to or not: What people think about different things differ, and there is no "universal" consensus about most things. Like there is no universal consensus on the iPhone being "better" than its Android rivals. I guess we somehow agree even though we seemingly don't.
- white_devil 15y ago
  the undisputed weakest and least sophisticated of all the mobile platforms when measured on its own merits. Oh my fucking God, please. I wasn't sure before, but you just outed yourself as a huge Google -fanboy. Yeah what's Apple's platform got going for it? -It just changed the whole industry and showed How It's Done. It's also regarded as technically very solid, and pleasant to develop for.
jokermatt999 15y ago
They are serving a different market, and I've seen less demand since Android came out. I know at least a dozen people who have Android phones (that are quite happy with them) off the top of my head, and I can only think of two who own an iPhone. The Android people don't want iPhones, but the iPhone people look jealously at Androids. This isn't a "techy" group either, it's mostly regular 20-somethings.

tomjen3 15y ago

Maybe your friends and colleagues but that isn't universal -- indeed I much prefer my HTC.

arethuza 15y ago
The best Android devices may be as good or even better than the best iPhones but the worst Android devices are much worse than any Apple device has ever been. I say this as the not-very-proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy Europa in addition to my iPhone and iPad.
- tallanvor 15y ago
  Really? The Newton was pretty darn bad!
  - arethuza 15y ago
    Good point. I meant recent Apple devices :-)
- hypotguy 15y ago
  The Samsung Galaxy Europa is cheapest entry level Android phone I've seen - where I'm from the i5500 can be picked up for about €70-100. I have one and it cost 1/5 that of an iPhone and is a pretty competent Android phone. For the price it's great value in my opinion and as far as I'm aware Apple makes nothing in that price range so I can't see how you can make any sort of comparison.
  - arethuza 15y ago
    YMMV Note that I am not comparing it directly to my iPhone but to the previous Samsung non-smart phone I had which I lost, which was just a basic phone. I'd honestly rather have a basic non-Android phone than the Galaxy Europa.

trezor 15y ago

I work in software development. Almost everyone in my department has Android-phones bar a few self-confessed iAddicts (and one daring Windows phone 7 beta-tester). Despite its huge commercial success, the iPhone is among my peers considered a rather lulzy thing and a the undisputed weakest and least sophisticated of all the mobile platforms when measured on its own merits. Not saying this is absolute truth either, but it certainly shows that your comment about what "most" people might think certainly doesn't ring true universally.

MrScruff 15y ago
I also work in software development. Among my colleagues there are a mix of iPhone & Android users, but the divide seems primarily related to cost with the juniors much more likely to own Android. I've played with a few Android devices and they're ok but to be honest, the whole thing seems to be playing out just like 90s Mac vs Windows, with Android users insisting iOS is a toy and iOS users berating Androids unpolished interface. For me it always boils down to the same thing, if you're willing to accept the constraints imposed by the products designer, Apple stuff is the best out there. > the undisputed weakest and least sophisticated of all the mobile platforms when measured on its own merits This is fairly obviously not true. The iOS SDK is still widely considered the benchmark for people that work cross platform. It doesn't really matter that your developer friends think on the relatively technical merits if they're no more informed than the average Android user.
- trezor 15y ago
  Just replying to say how you are confirming my point either you intend to or not: What people think about different things differ, and there is no "universal" consensus about most things. Like there is no universal consensus on the iPhone being "better" than its Android rivals. I guess we somehow agree even though we seemingly don't.
white_devil 15y ago
the undisputed weakest and least sophisticated of all the mobile platforms when measured on its own merits. Oh my fucking God, please. I wasn't sure before, but you just outed yourself as a huge Google -fanboy. Yeah what's Apple's platform got going for it? -It just changed the whole industry and showed How It's Done. It's also regarded as technically very solid, and pleasant to develop for.

jokermatt999 15y ago

They are serving a different market, and I've seen less demand since Android came out. I know at least a dozen people who have Android phones (that are quite happy with them) off the top of my head, and I can only think of two who own an iPhone. The Android people don't want iPhones, but the iPhone people look jealously at Androids. This isn't a "techy" group either, it's mostly regular 20-somethings.