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> Lots of iPhones in the US because of high incomes, and high iPhone availability The US is not the only country with a wealthy populace which tends to use mos
by delta_p_delta_x 4y ago
> Lots of iPhones in the US because of high incomes, and high iPhone availability
The US is not the only country with a wealthy populace which tends to use mostly iPhones. The UK, Germany, Switzerland, the Baltics, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan are all roughly equally as wealthy (if not more so) per capita. However, in literally everywhere else but the US, people almost exclusively use third-party apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, etc. iMessage is completely ignored, and the Messages app on iPhones is used solely for SMSes from carriers, 2FA OTPs, and random spam that is ignored.
Furthermore, several flagship Android phones rival iPhones in cost now.
- dixie_land 4y agoOne of reasons WeChat and WhatsApp became popular in low income countries first, was that in those countries SMS were/are charged PER MESSAGE
- mrguyorama 4y agoThis was the case in the US as well until the early 2000s. Texting before then could be as much as a quarter per 160 characters!
- tomatocracy 4y agoInternational SMS charges and ability to send photos without very high MMS charges were also a big driver of WhatsApp uptake - in the UK individual SMS charges had basically gone before WhatsApp came along but those two reasons were why my friendship group moved to it.
- rootusrootus 4y ago> equally as wealthy (if not more so) per capita Are you thinking of GDP, perhaps? I think that household income (and individual) is highest in the US (adjusted for PPP). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposable_household_and_per_capita_income https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposable_household_and_per_c...