71 ms·

US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

224 points by retskrad 3y ago

mydriasis 3y ago
> Despite inflation numbers falling through the quarter and ongoing strength in the job market, consumers hesitated to upgrade their devices amid market uncertainty.” > Apple’s resilience was driven by strong promotions across postpaid and prepaid. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile continued to offer $800+ promo credits for the iPhone 14 while old-generation iPhones were also steeply discounted across prepaid. We are seeing no weakness in the overall promotional activity. Perfect storm, especially for a broke-ass like me. When it stops being about features and starts being about "cheap"... Then again, I'm going dumb phone next month, which is _even cheaper_. Take that, smartphone market!
- salad-tycoon 3y ago
  What did you settle on? I’m starting to fantasize this reality too. I have an iPhone now.
  - mydriasis 3y ago
    I'm going to be getting a Nokia 6300 4G. Smart enough to have google maps, dumb enough to stay out of my head. I've been recommended to "just get a GPS" -- they're like $300, and I'm cheap :) so my dumpy little phone will have to do the job. That's like, the #1 thing I _really need_ out of a phone; the rest is distracting trash. The best part is that you can pay _ridiculously low_ prices month to month through various carriers. Like $15 / month in the US, on top of the phone being $70. Good stuff in my opinion. I thought I was getting off good with ~$45 a month for Google Fi.
    - the_third_wave 3y ago
      > I've been recommended to "just get a GPS" -- they're like $300, and I'm cheap :) Get a second-hand Android device for those tasks, install LineageOS and F-Droid/Aurora Droid, don't put in a SIM card and you're set for much less than $300. You'll be running free software - e.g. OsmAnd for mapping using off-line maps, no connectivity necessary - and you won't be feeding Google (et al) your data as you will using that Nokia. The battery will last a long time with connectivity disabled as well, longer than that on those $300 GPS receivers.
      - mydriasis 3y ago
        ... This is a _fascinating_ idea. I have a Pixel 4a right now, can I install this stuff on there and just switch to a dumb phone entirely for... phone purposes? It looks [0] like this shouldn't be too tough... [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgNWaORMM9I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgNWaORMM9I
        6581 3y ago
        >I have a Pixel 4a right now, can I install this stuff on there GrapheneOS is available for the 4a.
        saltcured 3y ago
        To be clear, there is no need to replace the stock firmware unless you are taking a hard ideological stance. You can install F-Droid on most any Android phone, then install OSMAnd+ from F-Droid over WiFi, download some maps, and then turn off the networks to use it offline as a GPS-only device. Replacing the firmware with something de-googled would make it more certain that don't login with a Google account during initial phone setup nor send any telemetry during that period before you go offline, or if you go back online eventually for map updates etc. Also, if you're going to use it offline as just a "GPS tool", you might not care about other issues like getting firmware updates. It won't be subject to attack if you're offline and not browsing the internet...
        mydriasis 3y ago
        Gotcha -- okay! I'll check out F-Droid first. Thanks!!
  - sourcecodeplz 3y ago
    That's just an exercise though really. You NEED a smartphone nowadays for everyday life: banking, gym access, maps, etc.
    - mydriasis 3y ago
      I really don't. I exercise at home. I can just go to the bank, or if I have a balance inquiry, call them. They also have a desktop web application that I can use. The only one I really need on that list is maps, which my dumpy trash-heap will have.
    - FourHand451 3y ago
      Perhaps I'm out of the loop, but why do you need a smartphone for gym access?
    - lrvick 3y ago
      Not had a smartphone or even a cell phone plan in years. I live in silicon valley and run a b2b company. I manage bank accounts, travel a lot, keep up with friends, clients, and peers, etc etc, and get by fine with looking up directions before I leave with a paper map as a backup. Turns out you actually do not NEED a phone. I have a very digitally connected lifestyle which makes it that much more important I be -disconnected- whenever a workstation screen is not in front of me so I can be -present- in whatever I am doing or with whomever I am doing it with.
      - davidf18 3y ago
        [dead]
    - eimrine 3y ago
      You can have a non-ios non-android device for maps, visit a non-requiring a smartphone gym, use a plastic card instead of NFC and a website instead of bank app. Also use phone/email for voice/text conversations instead of 14 apps every one of which are full of ads.
      - 3y ago
- rootusrootus 3y ago
  I have a love/hate relationship with Verizon. Okay, more often hate/hate, but still. They have the best network in this area when we're out in the sticks. But their pricing is pretty high. They'll offer $800 on a new iPhone, and then the credit comes one month at a time over 36 months. Meanwhile, you're paying $70-80 per phone. You might as well take the upgrade when available, if you're going to stick with them, because otherwise you're just paying for other people's upgrades. I'd switch to Visible (the Verizon prepaid) and pay half the price, except they don't yet support standalone Apple watches. So we continue to pay almost $200/mo for a family of four (with only two real smartphones), because of those watches. Some day the kids will be old enough that my wife will let them have smartphones, and we'll switch to some plan that costs half as much.
  - ethbr0 3y ago
    I switched to prepaid MVNO because I didn't want to do research everytime I made a billing decision with Verizon / ATT. Give me a monthly price. Give me a monthly data number. Then stop talking.
    - mydriasis 3y ago
      This is exactly the route I plan to take :)
    - selykg 3y ago
      Yup, there are plenty of MVNOs out there that operate on your choice of network. I use US Mobile, which I'm generally happy with. I haven't even had to think about it really for the past 2 years. Better yet, there was a recent price reduction, instead of a price increase as I was almost always dealing with on Verizon or AT&T. I think I went from $25/mo to $21/mo.
    - throw9away6 3y ago
      Att prepaid 16gigs at 300 a year is a deal.
  - mydriasis 3y ago
    What a wreck. Then, I'm never surprised. It's always been a rip-off built on having the "next best thing" at all times. Well, a price is paid for that, as you demonstrate. Blech!
- codyb 3y ago
  Ha, what a world! I've known that Apple's actually been fairly competitive from a cost benefit analysis wise for a long time at the hardware level but it's very funny to see a comment associating Apple with being the cheaper option. Edit: I see you answered below ;-) Which dumbphone are you getting? (Nokia) That's awesome. I've been doing a PHONEVORCE lately... it's been several years in the making as I've shed all social media, and deleted and blocked nearly everything that I can waste time on with my phone. Now my phone use is for looking at maps, checking which aircraft are nearby, email, and direct messaging. It's pretty calm! I'm reading more, mental health seems very good, I learn neighborhoods really well cause I don't use GPS. It's really nice not staring at that fucking box all the time.
  - mydriasis 3y ago
    Omg I've been describing it as a phone divorce as well. For all the same reasons. With all of the same external requirements like maps. ... Are you me?
    - codyb 3y ago
      haha! Oddly enough... my middle name is Sam no less!
- ars 3y ago
  > going dumb phone next month, which is _even cheaper_ You sure it's cheaper? I've been unable to find a dump phone for a good price - a used smartphone on eBay is far far cheaper. Also a Chinese android phone, and just don't use the "smart" parts.
  - mydriasis 3y ago
    Yeah, $70 for a new Nokia! Not bad if you ask me.
- trashface 3y ago
  I also don't want to spend a lot of money on phones and when my last android phone broke (dropped it one too many times and the glass shattered) I got an iPhone SE. But I kind of hate it. When the better goes (which will only be a few years, I'm amazed at how poor the capacity is, you really don't get a lot of value with low end apple phones) I'm going to switch back to cheap android with a big battery. I'm a low-usage phone user so android was fine for me.
  - simonh 3y ago
    For me the sweet spot is an SE with a battery case. A ‘full size’ phone still wouldn’t cut it with my usage, so this way it’s heavy, but still fairly compact and gets the job done.
glitchc 3y ago
I was due for an upgrade and switched to Android this cycle. Acquired a unlocked Pixel 7 that was on sale in June and immediately reflashed it with GrapheneOS. Ultimately a very smooth experience. The difference in tracking is very evident as is the amount of data streaming out of the phone.
- sliken 3y ago
  I have an unlocked 6, wife got the upgrade this cycle. Nice phone, but much nicer with GrapheneOS. Definitely feels like my phone, instead of the default Pixel which is more of a Google owned phone that they let you use.
- kaba0 3y ago
  But Google is again deliberately stupid with them, like, just goddamn.. sell it.. in Europe. I honestly can’t even understand that there are like 3 Eu countries I could buy it, if I wanted to..
  - boulos 3y ago
    The majority of the EU population can buy it directly... https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-7-availability-countries-3217018/ https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-7-availability... says: > The full list of countries includes the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, and India. I get that plenty of countries don't have official Google Store support, but it's a bit like saying there isn't a Samsung store? I assume you're free to buy the phone elsewhere in the EU, or even in countries that aren't directly supported by Google, and activate with your own carrier.
    - kaba0 3y ago
      Free to do so? Yes. Is it a giant pain in the ass? Also yes. Especially with regards to warranty. it’s funny that cheap noname Chinese phones have no problems with selling it directly in every EU country.
prox 3y ago
iPhone has always been a superior experience to me. While it may not have that tinkering ability like an Android, on the whole Apps are much higher quality, more paying customers as a dev, lots of things that just work between devices. I think it’s deserved in that sense.
- diffeomorphism 3y ago
  > lots of things that just work between devices Only if those are apple devices. Between an idevice and a windows or linux laptop the "just works" factor has been quite unimpressive.
- sho_hn 3y ago
  I have both types of phones, an Android one privately and an iPhone for work, and in direct comparison I honestly prefer the Android user experience. It's not that I love Android, but the iPhone feels so often clunky to me. - There's a greater reliance on gesture-based tricks, which I find unintuitive and undiscoverable - I often feel stressed when using the iPhone because I can't figure out how to do basic things while under time duress. This is as simple as hanging up on a call I had on speaker and left to navigate to other apps: There's the green bar at the top indicating I'm still in the call, but I cannot figure out how to get back to it. If I swiped it out it's gone from the multi-tasking overview (without ending it), and unlike in Android you can't drag down the notification tray and access the call via a notification bubble - There's reproducable little bugs that annoy me. For example when I initially boot up the phone, I can't tap the password field to open the on-screen keyboard. It doesn't work. I have to turn the screen off and turn it back on, and then I can open the keyboard - There's flows that admittedly are used rarely but that are enormously clunky. If you open a certificate file to import, you get a frigging dialog box telling you to manually go to the Settings app and approve it in some well hidden sub-section. Why doesn't the dialog offer you a jump straight into there? These kinds of flows of composing screen pages from different apps into sequences is something Android does extremely well with the Activities concept - The Share flows feel underdeveloped vs. Android etc.
  - flutas 3y ago
salad-tycoon 3y ago
I finally convinced some in-laws to get an se2 after telling them it wasn’t really cheaper to keep buying terrible no name Samsung phones every other year. They have also both become photographers now and can FaceTime easily to see grandkids. So mark me down for contributing 2. Your welcome Apple.
- sho_hn 3y ago
  Samsung also makes quite a few phones with decent cameras. Are you saying the SE2 specifically fills a hole in their line-up?
  - vanilla_nut 3y ago
    Long support (5+ years), physical first-party stores for support every 100ish miles in the USA, compatibility with Apple's proprietary iMessage and FaceTime protocols. An OS that's generally considered easier to use, with more walls in place to protect users from malware. A simple $400ish price point. Not a huge difference from Samsung's cheaper offerings on paper, but a lot of little things that add up to a better experience for many older users.
    - throw9away6 3y ago
      Low end iPhones are in the 100-300 range for 11s and 12s and generally work well for non tech users.
    - CWuestefeld 3y ago
      My limited experience with the Apple store seem a reason to stay AWAY from Apple. They wouldn't look at the phone. They made me stand in line to make an appointment to come back, all the while their team of "experts" stood around chatting. It came across to me as horribly elitist, and one of the worst retail experiences I can recall.
      - Klonoar 3y ago
        To you, that’s elitist. To the average person, that’s just… how things work.
matchbok 3y ago
Years and years of terrible decisions from Google (15 messaging apps, Android SDK glitches that still exist from 2010, copying Apple's features instead of leading) will only continue to let Apple dominate. There's simply no reason to choose Android - iPhone does everything better, for the same price.
- throw9away6 3y ago
  Yeah pixel line phones are the only decent android devices but they aren’t as good as iPhones and they cost the same. 6 or so years ago they were competing at the 400-500$ range and were actually a good trade off
- PhilipRoman 3y ago
  I'm sorry, but - "for the same price"? You must live in a very different place than I do.
  - ramesh31 3y ago
    > I'm sorry, but - "for the same price"? You must live in a very different place than I do. iPhone 14 Plus MSRP: $899. Google Pixel 7 Pro MSRP: $899. Guess which one will last longer and have higher resale?
    - flutas 3y ago
      Why compare the lower end iPhone to the higher end Android? iPhone 14 Pro: $999 Pixel 7 Pro: $899 iPhone 14: $799 Pixel 7: $599 Pixel 7a: $499
      - drcongo 3y ago
        The lower end iPhone still outperforms the higher end Android.
        flutas 3y ago
        Except they aren't comparing straight price. Here's the quote again. > There's simply no reason to choose Android - iPhone does everything better, for the same price. The person you replied to, then replied > I'm sorry, but - "for the same price"? You must live in a very different place than I do. They are saying that android phones don't have to cost the same as iPhones for the same functionality. A point you made for them by having to compare a pro of one to a bigger screen normal version to get the same price.
throw9away6 3y ago
I’m locked into the blue bubble… also hate Google with a passion for being so damn evil
ApolloFortyNine 3y ago
Honestly I don't know how iPhone users live without the back button (or more accurately now, the back gesture). I used an iPhone for a year (work phone) and just could not get over how much harder it was to work a large iphone. I felt like I had to reach every corner of the screen much more often than on Android.
- matchbok 3y ago
  ... there is a back swipe gesture. And it works much more consistently than Android's "Where the heck is this gonna take me" back button. Every app you can swipe back, and it's a much nicer animation than Android. The back button is a cudgel: a sign of a poorly designed UX. Apps aren't websites, the concept of "back" is not universal, so a universal button doesn't make sense. It only exists on Android because it started off as a non-touch OS.
  - pretext-1 3y ago
    It works better because iOS had this for many years and apps implement it natively. Android's implementation is basically a workaround. The back gesture is recognized by the system and forwarded as back button event to the app. On iOS the gesture is handled by the app, which can provide proper animation, giving users the ability to “preview” what’s behind (and pull back to the left to stop going back). Android is trying to copy that right now (as they should because it works really well), but it will take many years for apps to adopt it.
    - alexdbird 3y ago
      > it will take many years for apps to adopt it This is the flaw with the Apple back gesture, sadly, as although it's generally really easy to support this in native app — essentially it comes for free and you just don't break it — plenty of developers just don't care about invisible quality of life things. The gesture is properly called 'Interactive Pop'.
      - macintosh-hd 3y ago
_ea1k 3y ago
Apple messaging lockin is having the desired impact. Combine that with Google's mess of a strategy and it is easy to see why this is happening. It is why it is so critical to hire the right people in leadership to avoid squandering key, already successful, strategic positions.
- AlexandrB 3y ago
  90% of people I message with use WhatsApp or Signal (and most of them use iPhones). I keep hearing about iOS messaging lock in, but I've never experienced it.
  - MBCook 3y ago
    Are you in the US? Every time that comes up that tends to be a huge divide. US uses iMessage, other countries don’t.
  - throw9away6 3y ago
    Where do to live? Zero people in the USA i know use them that dont talk to out of country family
  - dimmke 3y ago
    It’s a US only thing. And only for people in the US who don’t regularly communicate with people outside the US. I moved out of the US and most of my US friends I still have to use iMessage to talk to. Only a few are active on WhatsApp.
  - _ea1k 3y ago
    This article was about US market share.
- tomjen3 3y ago
  Its annoying as hell, because iMessage isn't really useful when most of the people I write to don't have an iPhone. 100% I blame Google though, they need to get their ass together and make their own. It needs to work with everbody who already have a google account and they need to commit to it for 10 year minimum. Then it is reasonable for Apple to create a system so they can talk together.
aluminussoma 3y ago
I am planning to make the switch this year. As a long time Pixel user, Google's support of its own hardware has been subpar. My phone was only officially supported for 3 years. They will increase support for new phones, probably because Apple does the same. It is too little, too late for me.
- optymizer 3y ago
  Long time Android user here (since 1.5 on G1), had all the Nexuses and Pixels as well. Give the OnePlus phones a try. My family's switched to using them and I've been impressed with the battery life and hardware. The software is closer in spirit to the Nexus line.
  - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
    >Give the OnePlus phones a try. Don't. Older OnePlus devices (1-3) were great, but the newer ones are pure trash, basically e-waste phones due to how poor the SW support is: good up to date HW, but buggy SW and poor SW update cycles with late updates which often add more bugs and remove features and don't address older bugs leading to never ending frustrations (just read their forums). They even did bait-and-switch where they promised X update was coming in the future for your phone, and later axing that update completely while quietly removing all mentions of their promile from their webpage and forums. Stay away from them, there are more pleasurable ways to burn your money away.
  - aluminussoma 3y ago
    My mother asked me for a phone recommendation and I told her to try OnePlus. It is a beautiful phone (for an Android) but very buggy. It often fails, at random, at it most basic job of making phone calls without needing a restart. I regret making that recommendation.
- sliken 3y ago
  I've had every htc g1/nexus/pixel. 3 years hasn't been too big a deal, we have 3 phones in the household and the phones trickle down based on preferences for camera, phone size, and us. Did run up against the 3 year limit a few times. Fortunately the pixel 6 and 7 switched to 5 years of support. I was considering switching to iPhone, but then I tried GrapheneOS. It's only for pixels, is easy to install, and focuses on privacy and security. Suddenly it feels like it's my phone. Zero crapware, something pixels have been pretty good at. I can remove any app I want, even the play store. It ships with a de-googled chrome. I'm impressed.
tiahura 3y ago
I wonder if the 15 and USB-C might be a surprisingly big upgrade driver?
- meepmorp 3y ago
  IMO, outside of the tech world, nobody really cares about USB-C - or at least - not enough to drive upgrades. It's just what one end of the power cord looks like.
  - MBCook 3y ago
    Much like when lightning launched, mostly I think we’ll get whiny think pieces. “Why do I have to buy new cables? What about the stuff that uses the old cable still? I need two now?” I agree it’s the other new feature, whatever they are, that would be primary drivers for most people.
  - drcongo 3y ago
    I'd agree, but also reckon there's likely to be quite a lot of people holding out for the 15. I am.
  - joelfried 3y ago
    For people who already have USB-C phones and are considering switching it means "All of the cords you have right now will still be useful", which is a definite improvement over "All of the cords you have right now are junk you will throw away and have to replace with new cords". I'm not trying to say that will drive massive upgrades in and of itself, but I can definitely see it being a nice-to-have at the margins and help a nontrivial set of people pull the trigger.
    - veave 3y ago
      I'm pretty pissed because I have had apple stuff for years and now I suppose I can throw the lightning cables in the trash. Thanks EU!
      - 3y ago
rootusrootus 3y ago
Even the cheap folks in my extended family are starting to switch to iPhones. The TCO is better, as is longevity and use experience. The only way to be cheaper is to stick with awful budget android phones and then you give up on the experience and extended software support. Get burned a couple times by that, and pretty soon a basic iPhone SE starts to look really appealing. Especially for people who don't want to upgrade every couple years.
linuxftw 3y ago
The original linked report is far less biased [1]. It seems the only reason there is demand for iphones right now is the heavy subsidies offered by carriers. I think few people are paying retail for those phones. 1: https://www.counterpointresearch.com/us-smartphone-shipments-q2-2023/ https://www.counterpointresearch.com/us-smartphone-shipments...
droopyEyelids 3y ago
I wonder if Apple will use their increasing profit in subscriptions to keep dropping the price of the iPhone
- throw9away6 3y ago
  The prices of the phone keep going up as they lock in more users
thedriver 3y ago
iPhones end up being cheaper in the long run. They get software updates much longer than almost any Android phone, and at least here even small cities have local shops that repair them. It's also just a superior user experience. I wish they kept on making the mini models though. I'm using a 13 mini, which has been really nice. Most modern smartphones are uncomfortable to carry in the front pocket of slim pants.
- throw9away6 3y ago
  A lot of mobile sites break on the mini phones it’s a huge hassle. Would not recommend. I have one and that’s my biggest gripe with it. There are restaurants I can’t checkout at for example because the button is stuck just below the fold and I can’t scroll to click it due to shitty ui
  - rifty 3y ago
    I've found just setting the browser to always load sites at 75% zoom solves a lot of these issues. There is also the option 'Hide Toolbar' behind the 'aA' button on Safari which also helps as well
- fgeahfeaha 3y ago
  Yup, you just can't beat standardization The support is way better because there isn't a million different models
  - wilsonnb3 3y ago
    I think it has more to do with vertical integration of the hardware and software than the number of models. Supporting Android phones requires collaboration between the chip vendors, hardware manufacturers, and Google, which is difficult.
    - fgeahfeaha 3y ago
      true
TheCaptain4815 3y ago
I always found it interesting how the dynamic for 'nerds' shifted from Android to iOS because of data security reasons. I was one of those who originally got an Android because of "tinkering" (and honestly still miss that), but with the data privacy realization of iOS vs Android, I could NEVER go back.
- throw9away6 3y ago
  The turning point for was when Apple allowed users to set app permissions and Google didn’t
AuthorizedCust 3y ago
Android’s problem is Pixel is the only good one, and it has not been flagship quality since the Pixel 2. The 3 had odd issues, the 4 had a laughable battery life, and 5-7 are a weird mix of midrange and flagship capability (trending towards flagship, but not in the club yet). All other Android vendors are on a continuum of crap, between these points: 1. loaded with bloat and customizations that aren’t better than what Google provides, whose main point is to say “but I’m not Google” (Samsung) 2. vanilla-ish Android but missing capabilities that are normal in Pixel If Google would take Pixel seriously, it would be a credible competitor.
- FirmwareBurner 3y ago
  Hot take: I find recent Samsung flagships far superior to what Google offers, especially the latest S23: small and speedy with longer SW support than a pixel, better CPU/GPU and better cameras, at a decent price. Bloatware and Android implementation is also not too bad. Also Samsung DEX can save your bacon in case your laptop dies and you don't have a spare but need a quick desktop experience for some multitasking productivity task thill your laptop is being fixed.
  - throw9away6 3y ago
    Samsung blowtware is a problem though
    - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
      Which bloatware and what problems does it make you? For me, I don't really consider Microsoft Office as bloatware as I can use it, plus, what's bloatware for you might be useful apps for others, and I found it stays out of my way once I push it to the side if I don't need it, so it's existence is a non-issue for usability. Samsung bloatware used to be bad in the past but now it's decent IMHO, and I think people are being overly pedantic and mostly overblow the problem of some bloatware just to win some religious argument of "my choice of phone is better than yours" while ignoring the other useful reasons people buy it. If you wanna see real bloatware, check out Chinese phones.
jftuga 3y ago
Getting Slack messages on my Apple Watch is nice when I am away from my phone but still in BT (wifi?) range. I know this not specific to iPhone, but the integration is nice.
- meepmorp 3y ago
  Getting Duo pushes to my watch makes the whole MFA experience at work much less of a hassle.
- MBCook 3y ago
  BT if in range, WiFi if not but on a known network. Done that way for power savings. I love my iPhone, but the ecosystem integration is also a huge point for me. The little ways different Apple products work together adds so much niceness and extra value above the utility of the individual products.
the_third_wave 3y ago
In other words, Android devices last longer than iDevices which causes the latter to be replaced more often. As to why Android devices last longer can be disputed, this can range anywhere from they are used for a longer period of time because the user does not want to spend more money on mobile gadgets to they last longer because they can be kept up to date using AOSP-derived distributions which enables 10+ year old devices to run current Android and anything in between. Add to that the fact that iDevices are much more recognisable due to there being only a handful of current versions compared to the thousands of current Android devices and as such more easily recognised as 'out of date' or 'old' and their - often brand- and status-conscious - users have an extra incentive to buy a new device even though the old one still worked fine just so they are not perceived to be 'poor'.
glimshe 3y ago
I'm a long time Android user but boy, Google is trying hard to make me switch. Android Auto is a mess, not a lot of good phone options with compact footprint, poor update policies and basically the feeling of always being 2-3 years behind Apple.
- bitsandboots 3y ago
  I don't get "Android Auto" and "Android Automotive" They aren't open source, and when they don't work, your car is left with a weird system that can't be substituted. They make it less likely that I'll want to buy a car with them. What's so good about it versus just using bluetooth and a phone mount? Could be crazy, but figure buggy software should be something I can swap out, not integrated into a car many times more expensive than it.
  - glimshe 3y ago
    Android Auto is able to show your current route/map to the car's screen. Android can do that reasonably successfully, so it's worth the price of admission for this reason alone. This said, there are a few usability annoyances and other failures elsewhere in the overall experience. But this particular feature works pretty well.
    - 2OEH8eoCRo0 3y ago
      I liked using Android Auto on the phone w/ a Bluetooth connection to my car until they killed it. It was perfect and I was furious when they removed that feature.
    - bitsandboots 3y ago
      I don't understand the value of this. Is it just "big screen=better"? Because, my phone's screen is already bigger than the standalone GPSs of the past, and has voice, so I've never thought that I needed a bigger screen for navigation. In fact I want less: A few new cars have very slick HUDs on the windshield which are very elegant in their simplicity. A recent BMW rental had this, all without any smartphone integration, and I thought that was really cool! Now, though, that feature has probably been replaced with an android equivalent - A lot of companies are going "Android Automotive", and it sounds like a downgrade.
collinc777 3y ago
In the US, having an Android is one of the biggest social status negative signals I can think of. I used to have an android and when I'd meet people the primary thing they'd remember about me was that I had an android. Their blinders were up after they had that information. I think phones like the Galaxy line might be better than iPhones, but the experience of owning an iPhone far exceeds owning a Galaxy.
- mike00632 3y ago
  I think this varies by groups of people and is very similar to everyone in the group having Nike shoes. It's a marketing ploy from Apple.
- silisili 3y ago
  So wait, we're basing purchases now on what others think of them and not our own metrics? I'm not saying you're wrong, but this is absolutely wild to me. We must live in very different places with a very different group of cohorts.
- wilsonnb3 3y ago
  A +1 to Android for helping us filter out all the wankers we don't want to hang out with.
- pyrophane 3y ago
  Apple really contributed to this with the non-iMessage "green bubble."
- meroes 3y ago
  My own extended family is literally a cult about this. But, I’m back to iPhone because I actually need my phone portion to work. Went through 3 androids with constant call issues. Who cares if there’s a cult. The products are objectively worse if you need to make important phone calls. Couldn’t care about anything else even a tenth as much.
- aio2 3y ago
  From experience, the type of people who judge you on that aren't the ones worth dealing with.
mensetmanusman 3y ago
Apple is going to have so much power to push whatever agenda they desire.
- leotravis10 3y ago
  Yep. We really need to get the antitrust talk going inevitably. They're going to reach at least 65-70% in the US very soon.
partiallypro 3y ago
Does this mean the US government can finally start treating Apple the way it treats Microsoft, etc when it does clearly anti-competitive things? They get away with murder sometimes and no one bats an eye. Even here on HN, it's full of people that turn a blind eye because they have a love for Apple. Everything as spun as "looking out for the user" as if not using USB-C, locking out RCS, the "Apple Tax" etc are anything but anti-competitive behavior or straight gouging. Apple to this day is treated like it's late 90s 5% market share self. This isn't the 90s anymore. Edit: Instantly being downvoted is ironic.
- diebeforei485 3y ago
  I don't think not using USB-C qualifies as an antitrust issue. It is appropriate to focus on the App Store commission, absolutely.
  - partiallypro 3y ago
    The "lightning port" is to block vendors from making universal products for its competitors while it lets Apple collect a licensing fee to use it, and it creates tons of needless e-Waste. No one cares though, at least not in the US.
    - martin8412 3y ago
      Lightning is because it predates the USB-C connector.
- Jtsummers 3y ago
  Market share alone is not why MS was sued for anti-trust violations. It was how they got into that position, what they did to maintain that position, and what they did with that position.
  - partiallypro 3y ago
    This isn't in contradiction of what I just said. If anything, it supports it, because 55% isn't a "monopoly" but their behavior is anti-competitive, and they have been propelled into this position in part because of that behavior.
djhworld 3y ago
I'm thinking of making the switch to iPhone this year once the USB-C model comes out Whether I regret it, not sure, I mean Android isn't _that_ bad really and the Samsung phones are good, but I think Apple have nailed the ecosystem thing a lot better than what google have.
- dopamean 3y ago
  I made the switch at the end of 2021 after only having an android phone since the very first one. I wouldn't say I regret the change but I would say I'm not impressed. The way so many of my friends mocked me for having an android phone and talked up their iphones made me think I _must_ be missing something. Alas, I don't feel that I was. Every once in a while I boot up my old android phone (oneplus 6) and use it and it's snappier than I remember and feels way better in my hand than my iphone does. I kinda want to go back but we'll see.
  - bgirard 3y ago
    FWIW When I switched from Android->iPhone, I didn't think much of it. Some stuff was better, some stuff was worse. I didn't 'feel' that much better. Then when I switched back from iPhone->Android (Pixel 4) the change was a lot more jarring. I noticed a lot of polish and batteries issues and I missed my iPhone until I finally switched back. My theory is it's similar to lifestyle creep. You wont appreciate improvements as much as you'll notice regressions. > Every once in a while I boot up my old android phone (oneplus 6) and use it and it's snappier than I remember and feels way better in my hand than my iphone does. I wonder if you'd use it as a daily driver for a longer time if you'd have the same experience as me.
  - matthewaveryusa 3y ago
    I made the switch to iphone as well in 2021 after androids for 10 years and I echo this sentiment. It's not transformational, it's more or less the same, especially compared to a pixel flagship phone. I still use google photos because I find it better and it works fine. My next phone will be a pixel again though.
joshstrange 3y ago
Personally I don't understand the friends I have that use Android. They wear it as a badge of pride that they didn't give Apple money [0], ok... cool? None of them use a third-party app store, none of them use a custom rom, none of them really customize the phone at all past stock. I understand if you want to go the Android route to root/customise it but if you aren't going to do that then I really don't get the point. Google and Apple are, at worst, equal in how "evil" they are and in my opinion Apple comes out on top for more things that I care about. I also never say shit about their phone/computer choices but for some reason some of them find reasons to bring up my use of Apple products regularly. Makes me think of the scene in Mad Men "I don't think about you at all" [1]. [0] https://youtu.be/z6fX6-aCZ9Y?t=52 https://youtu.be/z6fX6-aCZ9Y?t=52 [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlOSdRMSG_k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlOSdRMSG_k
- jansan 3y ago
  Maybe they just want a descent browser on their phone. Another reason could be theat they don't have an abundance of financial resources and are fine with a $200 phone.
  - joshstrange 3y ago
    > Maybe they just want a descent browser on their phone. Safari is just fine on mobile. > Another reason could be theat they don't have an abundance of financial resources and are fine with a $200 phone. They are buying flagship Samsung or Pixel phones, finances isn't a factor here
- mike00632 3y ago
  What if we just want to customize our home screen? I use a custom launcher which doesn't require root or a custom rom.
  - joshstrange 3y ago
    I totally understand that, that's why I said "I understand if you want to go the Android route to root/customise it" but none of my friends are doing that, that's what puzzles me.
tails4e 3y ago
Was just on to apple support for an issue with my daughters phone, and I have to say it was a really nice experience. Good online chat first (may be a bot, but if so was a good one), and immediate call from a senior advisor when it needs to be escalated. Issue solved in 10 mins flat. Not sure how well it goes with others, but customer service counts for a lot and glad apple appreciate that.
- lockhouse 3y ago
  Support is also great at an Apple Store. I walked in with a broken Apple Watch. A couple minutes later my Apple Care claim was taken care of, and 2 days later I had a replacement arrive on my doorstep.
sb057 3y ago
I'm part of this statistic. I've been an Android user my entire adult life, but it really has been a constant downward spiral over these past several years. My previous three phones from LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi all had major software bugs that were never fixed, the biggest being just incredibly poor network connectivity (across multiple carriers, mind you) resulting in at least several calls just not connecting to me. I switched to an iPhone SE several months ago and have had zero issues whatsoever. I resent that my money went to a company like Apple, but there really is no alternative if you want a decent cell phone in 2023.
- mgh2 3y ago
  Curious, why do you "resent" your money going to Apple?
  - ok123456 3y ago
    Because they're hostile to general purpose computing.
    - Angostura 3y ago
      Well, they certainly view phones as appliances, rather than general purpose computers. Personally, I’m fine with that
      - MildRant 3y ago
        They absolutely view phones as general purpose computers. It's why iOS is slowly turning into OS X.
        abenga 3y ago
        Isn't it going the other way?
        Tagbert 3y ago
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nightshadetrie 3y ago
The difference is that the iPhone is the bread and butter to Apple, where as Google's Android is treated as secondary.
- ke88y 3y ago
  Which seems like a massive liability for the company. Search engines seem like a much lower moat than mobile platforms these days.
  - 79a6ed87 3y ago
    They seem to be paying more attention to YouTube rather than the search engine. What's more, Google is better at developing Android than it is as a search engine, that's why I started to pay for Kagi.
hospitalJail 3y ago
To be fair, iPhones almost have caught up with Android features. Still the lack of control is poor. Maybe in 10 years they will give users control. However, the security is a dealbreaker. I have something quite important on my phone, I can't trust Apple's lack of security.
nologic01 3y ago
Article says iPhone market share was 57% in Q2 2022, so basically people get excited and spend quality time analyzing noise fluctuations
JohnFen 3y ago
Android phones stopped being attractive to me a few years back. They've become overpriced and it's much harder to make them work acceptably well. iPhones don't appeal to me at all, though. The decline of Android phones is one of the reasons that I've decided go without a smartphone entirely when my current one dies.
- silon42 3y ago
  yeah... IMO Android 5 I think was more or less the optimum (Nexus 5)
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
lolinder 3y ago
The link should really be to the original report [0]. This 55% is iPhone's share of phone shipments in Q2, not the number of users of the respective phones at any given time. In other words, fewer people are buying smartphones than were before, but Apple saw less of a hit to their numbers than everyone else did. Contrary to existing comments here, this stat doesn't appear to indicate that people are switching from Android to iPhone. It looks like Android users are more likely to avoid upgrading their phone in an uncertain economy, while Apple users are more likely to upgrade regardless. [0] https://www.counterpointresearch.com/us-smartphone-shipments-q2-2023/ https://www.counterpointresearch.com/us-smartphone-shipments...
- zh3 3y ago
  I'm constantly amazed by how people spend so much of their income on Apple products; it's almost like their lives are ruled by the status they feel an iPhone brings (and the consequential sacrificial purchasing). It likely varies by area and average income, here it's almost an inverse correlation - the less-well off kids at school tend to have parents on iPhones and the comfortable parents are on whatever works for them.
  - jnwatson 3y ago
    It isn’t any different than buying Nike, Gucci, or Michael Kors. Many folks are extremely brand and status conscious. Appearing high status is more important than many other expenses.
    - barbecue_sauce 3y ago
      Nike is high status?
      - chasd00 3y ago
        Nike can be extremely high status to some groups. Certain Air Jordans go for 10s of thousands of dollars.
      - 3y ago
ChocolateGod 3y ago
I swapped from Android after a decade to iOS at the end of last year, and don't regret it one single bit. Android you just get plagued with software bugs (random battery drain, UI freezes, weird crashes etc) constantly, additionally I wasn't a fan of how system apps because they come from Google auto-update, going in and having an app completely change at random when I'm not expecting it, is not a nice experience when you need the app in a hurry (looking at you Google Maps). Ironically for a phone, phone calls were the buggiest thing on nearly all Android phones I had over a decade (OnePlus, Samsung, Pixel etc). iOS, as much as I disagree with Apple's closed ecosystem and propriety behaviour, is just a far better software quality than Android. Google is obviously not a software company.
- moffkalast 3y ago
  Well it's far easier to have better overall software quality when you have a closed ecosystem with even the hardware and drivers designed by yourself. You need to implement and support only your own use cases with all loose ends cut. For me the choice is simple. Android allows piracy out of the box and lets you do some pretty advanced power user stuff (e.g. system-wide VPN ad blocking) without rooting, iOS requires a jailbreak to do literally anything. Android will run any browser, iOS is Safari only. Android is open source, iOS is a closed proprietary black box. iOS also does other absolutely ludicrous things, like ATS blocking fetch and xhr requests over HTTP with no way to disable it. It's like it comes with always-on parental controls out of the factory. I'm the admin of my device, not fucking Tim Apple. Android may be a buggy duct taped amalgamation of random hardware and software, but that's a direct result of it being open and no worse than the average linux machine.
bhewes 3y ago
So the real take away is Google is up 48% and everyone else is down with Apple down 5%. Sales have been flat in the USA since 2018 https://www.statista.com/statistics/191985/sales-of-smartphones-in-the-us-since-2005/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/191985/sales-of-smartpho...
- matthewfcarlson 3y ago
  It doesn't exactly seem fair to say Google is up 48% when they went from 2% to 3% of the market. It seems to me that their growth is almost entirely coming from Samsung. The numbers are jumpy enough that I also wonder how much when different phone makers announce their new wares affects the numbers.
  - bagacrap 3y ago
    I think he means Google phones, ie Pixel. I am not surprised because they've been advertising pixel really hard, and they are good phones. Still, it seems a lot more likely to eat into Samsung than Apple market share.
    - bhewes 3y ago
      I agree Google is more likely to eat Samsung shares till they offer an equivalent high end as Apple, but that may take a decade or more with phone life at Google and Samsung support moving closer to Apple's model of six years or more. And yeah it is way easier to grab marketshare at the 2% range then to take Apple head on with say 40% market share in USA.
MildRant 3y ago
My Pixel is rapidly coming out on it's drop dead date for security updates and I'm considering just switching to an iPhone SE. I want a small phone that will be supported for a long enough time that I don't have to constantly remind myself when the EOL date is.
- bornfreddy 3y ago
  I think LineageOS should be well supported on Pixels, if this suits you.
Lorin 3y ago
In Canada perhaps It's due to zero choices from service providers? Samsung and Google Pixel are the only Android options in the high-end (TCL/Motorola/ZTE low end). I would consider a Asus Zenfone or Sony Xperia if they were widely available here.
FredPret 3y ago
Phones are so good now that even a 2-3 year old iPhone can do pretty much anything you want. Battery life degrades and it slows down a tad, but there isn't the same pressing need to upgrade of yore.
flyingcircus3 3y ago
How are we still, 15 years later, stuck in the feigned incredulity stage of android vs ios? "I don't see how anyone still buys an ____. How can you not see the overwhelming evidence that ____ is unequivocally the better phone?" If either device can fit in either blank, as it has all over this thread, perhaps that's because there hasn't been any undeniably impactful feature improvements on either platform in the last decade.
- bhauer 3y ago
  Tribalism. Just like politics and brand preferences in other economic sectors (cars, computers, and so on). I for one think both Android and iOS are pretty awful operating systems. I still look forward to a viable third option, and would especially enjoy a phone that functions more like an accessory or terminal to my computer, rather than a first-class computer in its own right.
  - BLKNSLVR 3y ago
    I quite like Android in it's more libre form, disconnected from artificial manufacturer-imposed restrictions, ie. LineageOS. I tend to purchase hardware based on the availability (or likely availability) of 3rd party ROM support.
- fsflover 3y ago
  > How are we still, 15 years later, stuck in the feigned incredulity stage of android vs ios? We aren't. Sent from my Librem 5.
- brobinson 3y ago
  It's a useful signal: these people aren't worth engaging with.
sourcecodeplz 3y ago
Apple is the only manufacturer that still sells a phone today with an actual physical button. It is hard for me to give that up. Also it is very small and slim. Barely feel it in my pocket, not to mention the nice feeling aluminium on the back.
JamesAdir 3y ago
And still no mini Android phone from the one of big manufacturers.
2OEH8eoCRo0 3y ago
So iPhone users typically have more money?
Kon-Peki 3y ago
Remember back in the old days when people got their phones and phone plans together as part of a 2 or 3 year contract? Back then, people lived with cracked screens and other damage as much as possible because of being locked into those contracts. And then that sort of went away when the market decoupled and you got your phone and service separately. Well, lately I've been noticing more and more people carrying around phones with cracked screens, and apparently just dealing with it. This is totally anecdotal and unscientific, but it feels like there is a shift in mindset going on. For one reason or another, people are keeping those "broken" phones in service rather than replacing them.
hyperthesis 3y ago
Mature market (phones have been "kgood enough" for a while) plus down economy. 38% vs 6% Android/Apple is a big difference.
ineedasername 3y ago
>foldable shipments could reach their highest level ever in the US in Q3 2023. Yes, people with a bit more disposable income &/or early adopters (there's some overlap there) are going to be less price sensitive and therefore less put off by rising costs elsewhere in their lives. Of course it helps that there are increasingly more foldable options, and more mature designs in them, as time goes by.
tommek4077 3y ago
Android phones have become good enough to keep. - Written on a 4 year old phone.
mikewarot 3y ago
Now that the 2G network shutdowns are done, there's no driving force to get a new phone, especially in this economy. The phones have gotten far more durable in the last decade as well, so breakage isn't as big of a driving factor either.
qlkjwenf 3y ago
Apple uses mobbing strategy to force teenagers to use iPhones: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-apples-imessage-is-winning-teens-dread-the-green-text-bubble-11641618009 https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-apples-imessage-is-winning-... Anyone who don't use iPhone will be bullied (in USA). But yeah, let's pretend that Apple have some moral values when exactly the opposite is true.
seydor 3y ago
Manufacturers deserve this because they became greedy bastards. My anecdote, i loved my samsung S10 which i had to replace. Their new flagship is heavier, has no headphone jack, no FM radio, no SpO2 meter, and doesnt feel considerably faster. It also seems to heat up a bit more. What the hell is going on. I feel cheated Apple's phone seem to make slight improvements, but really it's hard to tell anymore. I think the sector is beyond its peak and about to see a huge slump
egberts1 3y ago
I want my phone to stay small and simple with clickable tactile keyboard. Why have phone manufacturers forsaken the likes of us?

224 points by retskrad 3y ago

> Despite inflation numbers falling through the quarter and ongoing strength in the job market, consumers hesitated to upgrade their devices amid market uncertainty.” > Apple’s resilience was driven by strong promotions across postpaid and prepaid. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile continued to offer $800+ promo credits for the iPhone 14 while old-generation iPhones were also steeply discounted across prepaid. We are seeing no weakness in the overall promotional activity. Perfect storm, especially for a broke-ass like me. When it stops being about features and starts being about "cheap"... Then again, I'm going dumb phone next month, which is _even cheaper_. Take that, smartphone market!

salad-tycoon 3y ago
What did you settle on? I’m starting to fantasize this reality too. I have an iPhone now.
- mydriasis 3y ago
  I'm going to be getting a Nokia 6300 4G. Smart enough to have google maps, dumb enough to stay out of my head. I've been recommended to "just get a GPS" -- they're like $300, and I'm cheap :) so my dumpy little phone will have to do the job. That's like, the #1 thing I _really need_ out of a phone; the rest is distracting trash. The best part is that you can pay _ridiculously low_ prices month to month through various carriers. Like $15 / month in the US, on top of the phone being $70. Good stuff in my opinion. I thought I was getting off good with ~$45 a month for Google Fi.
  - the_third_wave 3y ago
    > I've been recommended to "just get a GPS" -- they're like $300, and I'm cheap :) Get a second-hand Android device for those tasks, install LineageOS and F-Droid/Aurora Droid, don't put in a SIM card and you're set for much less than $300. You'll be running free software - e.g. OsmAnd for mapping using off-line maps, no connectivity necessary - and you won't be feeding Google (et al) your data as you will using that Nokia. The battery will last a long time with connectivity disabled as well, longer than that on those $300 GPS receivers.
    - mydriasis 3y ago
      ... This is a _fascinating_ idea. I have a Pixel 4a right now, can I install this stuff on there and just switch to a dumb phone entirely for... phone purposes? It looks [0] like this shouldn't be too tough... [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgNWaORMM9I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgNWaORMM9I
      - 6581 3y ago
        >I have a Pixel 4a right now, can I install this stuff on there GrapheneOS is available for the 4a.
        saltcured 3y ago
        To be clear, there is no need to replace the stock firmware unless you are taking a hard ideological stance. You can install F-Droid on most any Android phone, then install OSMAnd+ from F-Droid over WiFi, download some maps, and then turn off the networks to use it offline as a GPS-only device. Replacing the firmware with something de-googled would make it more certain that don't login with a Google account during initial phone setup nor send any telemetry during that period before you go offline, or if you go back online eventually for map updates etc. Also, if you're going to use it offline as just a "GPS tool", you might not care about other issues like getting firmware updates. It won't be subject to attack if you're offline and not browsing the internet...
        mydriasis 3y ago
        Gotcha -- okay! I'll check out F-Droid first. Thanks!!
- sourcecodeplz 3y ago
  That's just an exercise though really. You NEED a smartphone nowadays for everyday life: banking, gym access, maps, etc.
  - mydriasis 3y ago
    I really don't. I exercise at home. I can just go to the bank, or if I have a balance inquiry, call them. They also have a desktop web application that I can use. The only one I really need on that list is maps, which my dumpy trash-heap will have.
  - FourHand451 3y ago
    Perhaps I'm out of the loop, but why do you need a smartphone for gym access?
  - lrvick 3y ago
    Not had a smartphone or even a cell phone plan in years. I live in silicon valley and run a b2b company. I manage bank accounts, travel a lot, keep up with friends, clients, and peers, etc etc, and get by fine with looking up directions before I leave with a paper map as a backup. Turns out you actually do not NEED a phone. I have a very digitally connected lifestyle which makes it that much more important I be -disconnected- whenever a workstation screen is not in front of me so I can be -present- in whatever I am doing or with whomever I am doing it with.
    - davidf18 3y ago
      [dead]
  - eimrine 3y ago
    You can have a non-ios non-android device for maps, visit a non-requiring a smartphone gym, use a plastic card instead of NFC and a website instead of bank app. Also use phone/email for voice/text conversations instead of 14 apps every one of which are full of ads.
    - 3y ago
rootusrootus 3y ago
I have a love/hate relationship with Verizon. Okay, more often hate/hate, but still. They have the best network in this area when we're out in the sticks. But their pricing is pretty high. They'll offer $800 on a new iPhone, and then the credit comes one month at a time over 36 months. Meanwhile, you're paying $70-80 per phone. You might as well take the upgrade when available, if you're going to stick with them, because otherwise you're just paying for other people's upgrades. I'd switch to Visible (the Verizon prepaid) and pay half the price, except they don't yet support standalone Apple watches. So we continue to pay almost $200/mo for a family of four (with only two real smartphones), because of those watches. Some day the kids will be old enough that my wife will let them have smartphones, and we'll switch to some plan that costs half as much.
- ethbr0 3y ago
  I switched to prepaid MVNO because I didn't want to do research everytime I made a billing decision with Verizon / ATT. Give me a monthly price. Give me a monthly data number. Then stop talking.
  - mydriasis 3y ago
    This is exactly the route I plan to take :)
  - selykg 3y ago
    Yup, there are plenty of MVNOs out there that operate on your choice of network. I use US Mobile, which I'm generally happy with. I haven't even had to think about it really for the past 2 years. Better yet, there was a recent price reduction, instead of a price increase as I was almost always dealing with on Verizon or AT&T. I think I went from $25/mo to $21/mo.
  - throw9away6 3y ago
    Att prepaid 16gigs at 300 a year is a deal.
- mydriasis 3y ago
  What a wreck. Then, I'm never surprised. It's always been a rip-off built on having the "next best thing" at all times. Well, a price is paid for that, as you demonstrate. Blech!
codyb 3y ago
Ha, what a world! I've known that Apple's actually been fairly competitive from a cost benefit analysis wise for a long time at the hardware level but it's very funny to see a comment associating Apple with being the cheaper option. Edit: I see you answered below ;-) Which dumbphone are you getting? (Nokia) That's awesome. I've been doing a PHONEVORCE lately... it's been several years in the making as I've shed all social media, and deleted and blocked nearly everything that I can waste time on with my phone. Now my phone use is for looking at maps, checking which aircraft are nearby, email, and direct messaging. It's pretty calm! I'm reading more, mental health seems very good, I learn neighborhoods really well cause I don't use GPS. It's really nice not staring at that fucking box all the time.
- mydriasis 3y ago
  Omg I've been describing it as a phone divorce as well. For all the same reasons. With all of the same external requirements like maps. ... Are you me?
  - codyb 3y ago
    haha! Oddly enough... my middle name is Sam no less!
ars 3y ago
> going dumb phone next month, which is _even cheaper_ You sure it's cheaper? I've been unable to find a dump phone for a good price - a used smartphone on eBay is far far cheaper. Also a Chinese android phone, and just don't use the "smart" parts.
- mydriasis 3y ago
  Yeah, $70 for a new Nokia! Not bad if you ask me.
trashface 3y ago
I also don't want to spend a lot of money on phones and when my last android phone broke (dropped it one too many times and the glass shattered) I got an iPhone SE. But I kind of hate it. When the better goes (which will only be a few years, I'm amazed at how poor the capacity is, you really don't get a lot of value with low end apple phones) I'm going to switch back to cheap android with a big battery. I'm a low-usage phone user so android was fine for me.
- simonh 3y ago
  For me the sweet spot is an SE with a battery case. A ‘full size’ phone still wouldn’t cut it with my usage, so this way it’s heavy, but still fairly compact and gets the job done.

glitchc 3y ago

I was due for an upgrade and switched to Android this cycle. Acquired a unlocked Pixel 7 that was on sale in June and immediately reflashed it with GrapheneOS. Ultimately a very smooth experience. The difference in tracking is very evident as is the amount of data streaming out of the phone.

sliken 3y ago
I have an unlocked 6, wife got the upgrade this cycle. Nice phone, but much nicer with GrapheneOS. Definitely feels like my phone, instead of the default Pixel which is more of a Google owned phone that they let you use.
kaba0 3y ago
But Google is again deliberately stupid with them, like, just goddamn.. sell it.. in Europe. I honestly can’t even understand that there are like 3 Eu countries I could buy it, if I wanted to..
- boulos 3y ago
  The majority of the EU population can buy it directly... https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-7-availability-countries-3217018/ https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-7-availability... says: > The full list of countries includes the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, and India. I get that plenty of countries don't have official Google Store support, but it's a bit like saying there isn't a Samsung store? I assume you're free to buy the phone elsewhere in the EU, or even in countries that aren't directly supported by Google, and activate with your own carrier.
  - kaba0 3y ago
    Free to do so? Yes. Is it a giant pain in the ass? Also yes. Especially with regards to warranty. it’s funny that cheap noname Chinese phones have no problems with selling it directly in every EU country.

prox 3y ago

iPhone has always been a superior experience to me. While it may not have that tinkering ability like an Android, on the whole Apps are much higher quality, more paying customers as a dev, lots of things that just work between devices. I think it’s deserved in that sense.

diffeomorphism 3y ago
> lots of things that just work between devices Only if those are apple devices. Between an idevice and a windows or linux laptop the "just works" factor has been quite unimpressive.
sho_hn 3y ago
I have both types of phones, an Android one privately and an iPhone for work, and in direct comparison I honestly prefer the Android user experience. It's not that I love Android, but the iPhone feels so often clunky to me. - There's a greater reliance on gesture-based tricks, which I find unintuitive and undiscoverable - I often feel stressed when using the iPhone because I can't figure out how to do basic things while under time duress. This is as simple as hanging up on a call I had on speaker and left to navigate to other apps: There's the green bar at the top indicating I'm still in the call, but I cannot figure out how to get back to it. If I swiped it out it's gone from the multi-tasking overview (without ending it), and unlike in Android you can't drag down the notification tray and access the call via a notification bubble - There's reproducable little bugs that annoy me. For example when I initially boot up the phone, I can't tap the password field to open the on-screen keyboard. It doesn't work. I have to turn the screen off and turn it back on, and then I can open the keyboard - There's flows that admittedly are used rarely but that are enormously clunky. If you open a certificate file to import, you get a frigging dialog box telling you to manually go to the Settings app and approve it in some well hidden sub-section. Why doesn't the dialog offer you a jump straight into there? These kinds of flows of composing screen pages from different apps into sequences is something Android does extremely well with the Activities concept - The Share flows feel underdeveloped vs. Android etc.
- flutas 3y ago

salad-tycoon 3y ago

I finally convinced some in-laws to get an se2 after telling them it wasn’t really cheaper to keep buying terrible no name Samsung phones every other year. They have also both become photographers now and can FaceTime easily to see grandkids. So mark me down for contributing 2. Your welcome Apple.

sho_hn 3y ago
Samsung also makes quite a few phones with decent cameras. Are you saying the SE2 specifically fills a hole in their line-up?
- vanilla_nut 3y ago
  Long support (5+ years), physical first-party stores for support every 100ish miles in the USA, compatibility with Apple's proprietary iMessage and FaceTime protocols. An OS that's generally considered easier to use, with more walls in place to protect users from malware. A simple $400ish price point. Not a huge difference from Samsung's cheaper offerings on paper, but a lot of little things that add up to a better experience for many older users.
  - throw9away6 3y ago
    Low end iPhones are in the 100-300 range for 11s and 12s and generally work well for non tech users.
  - CWuestefeld 3y ago
    My limited experience with the Apple store seem a reason to stay AWAY from Apple. They wouldn't look at the phone. They made me stand in line to make an appointment to come back, all the while their team of "experts" stood around chatting. It came across to me as horribly elitist, and one of the worst retail experiences I can recall.
    - Klonoar 3y ago
      To you, that’s elitist. To the average person, that’s just… how things work.

matchbok 3y ago

Years and years of terrible decisions from Google (15 messaging apps, Android SDK glitches that still exist from 2010, copying Apple's features instead of leading) will only continue to let Apple dominate. There's simply no reason to choose Android - iPhone does everything better, for the same price.

throw9away6 3y ago
Yeah pixel line phones are the only decent android devices but they aren’t as good as iPhones and they cost the same. 6 or so years ago they were competing at the 400-500$ range and were actually a good trade off
PhilipRoman 3y ago
I'm sorry, but - "for the same price"? You must live in a very different place than I do.
- ramesh31 3y ago
  > I'm sorry, but - "for the same price"? You must live in a very different place than I do. iPhone 14 Plus MSRP: $899. Google Pixel 7 Pro MSRP: $899. Guess which one will last longer and have higher resale?
  - flutas 3y ago
    Why compare the lower end iPhone to the higher end Android? iPhone 14 Pro: $999 Pixel 7 Pro: $899 iPhone 14: $799 Pixel 7: $599 Pixel 7a: $499
    - drcongo 3y ago
      The lower end iPhone still outperforms the higher end Android.
      - flutas 3y ago
        Except they aren't comparing straight price. Here's the quote again. > There's simply no reason to choose Android - iPhone does everything better, for the same price. The person you replied to, then replied > I'm sorry, but - "for the same price"? You must live in a very different place than I do. They are saying that android phones don't have to cost the same as iPhones for the same functionality. A point you made for them by having to compare a pro of one to a bigger screen normal version to get the same price.

throw9away6 3y ago

I’m locked into the blue bubble… also hate Google with a passion for being so damn evil

ApolloFortyNine 3y ago

Honestly I don't know how iPhone users live without the back button (or more accurately now, the back gesture). I used an iPhone for a year (work phone) and just could not get over how much harder it was to work a large iphone. I felt like I had to reach every corner of the screen much more often than on Android.

matchbok 3y ago
... there is a back swipe gesture. And it works much more consistently than Android's "Where the heck is this gonna take me" back button. Every app you can swipe back, and it's a much nicer animation than Android. The back button is a cudgel: a sign of a poorly designed UX. Apps aren't websites, the concept of "back" is not universal, so a universal button doesn't make sense. It only exists on Android because it started off as a non-touch OS.
- pretext-1 3y ago
  It works better because iOS had this for many years and apps implement it natively. Android's implementation is basically a workaround. The back gesture is recognized by the system and forwarded as back button event to the app. On iOS the gesture is handled by the app, which can provide proper animation, giving users the ability to “preview” what’s behind (and pull back to the left to stop going back). Android is trying to copy that right now (as they should because it works really well), but it will take many years for apps to adopt it.
  - alexdbird 3y ago
    > it will take many years for apps to adopt it This is the flaw with the Apple back gesture, sadly, as although it's generally really easy to support this in native app — essentially it comes for free and you just don't break it — plenty of developers just don't care about invisible quality of life things. The gesture is properly called 'Interactive Pop'.
    - macintosh-hd 3y ago

_ea1k 3y ago

Apple messaging lockin is having the desired impact. Combine that with Google's mess of a strategy and it is easy to see why this is happening. It is why it is so critical to hire the right people in leadership to avoid squandering key, already successful, strategic positions.

AlexandrB 3y ago
90% of people I message with use WhatsApp or Signal (and most of them use iPhones). I keep hearing about iOS messaging lock in, but I've never experienced it.
- MBCook 3y ago
  Are you in the US? Every time that comes up that tends to be a huge divide. US uses iMessage, other countries don’t.
- throw9away6 3y ago
  Where do to live? Zero people in the USA i know use them that dont talk to out of country family
- dimmke 3y ago
  It’s a US only thing. And only for people in the US who don’t regularly communicate with people outside the US. I moved out of the US and most of my US friends I still have to use iMessage to talk to. Only a few are active on WhatsApp.
- _ea1k 3y ago
  This article was about US market share.
tomjen3 3y ago
Its annoying as hell, because iMessage isn't really useful when most of the people I write to don't have an iPhone. 100% I blame Google though, they need to get their ass together and make their own. It needs to work with everbody who already have a google account and they need to commit to it for 10 year minimum. Then it is reasonable for Apple to create a system so they can talk together.

aluminussoma 3y ago

I am planning to make the switch this year. As a long time Pixel user, Google's support of its own hardware has been subpar. My phone was only officially supported for 3 years. They will increase support for new phones, probably because Apple does the same. It is too little, too late for me.

optymizer 3y ago
Long time Android user here (since 1.5 on G1), had all the Nexuses and Pixels as well. Give the OnePlus phones a try. My family's switched to using them and I've been impressed with the battery life and hardware. The software is closer in spirit to the Nexus line.
- FirmwareBurner 3y ago
  >Give the OnePlus phones a try. Don't. Older OnePlus devices (1-3) were great, but the newer ones are pure trash, basically e-waste phones due to how poor the SW support is: good up to date HW, but buggy SW and poor SW update cycles with late updates which often add more bugs and remove features and don't address older bugs leading to never ending frustrations (just read their forums). They even did bait-and-switch where they promised X update was coming in the future for your phone, and later axing that update completely while quietly removing all mentions of their promile from their webpage and forums. Stay away from them, there are more pleasurable ways to burn your money away.
- aluminussoma 3y ago
  My mother asked me for a phone recommendation and I told her to try OnePlus. It is a beautiful phone (for an Android) but very buggy. It often fails, at random, at it most basic job of making phone calls without needing a restart. I regret making that recommendation.
sliken 3y ago
I've had every htc g1/nexus/pixel. 3 years hasn't been too big a deal, we have 3 phones in the household and the phones trickle down based on preferences for camera, phone size, and us. Did run up against the 3 year limit a few times. Fortunately the pixel 6 and 7 switched to 5 years of support. I was considering switching to iPhone, but then I tried GrapheneOS. It's only for pixels, is easy to install, and focuses on privacy and security. Suddenly it feels like it's my phone. Zero crapware, something pixels have been pretty good at. I can remove any app I want, even the play store. It ships with a de-googled chrome. I'm impressed.

tiahura 3y ago

I wonder if the 15 and USB-C might be a surprisingly big upgrade driver?

meepmorp 3y ago
IMO, outside of the tech world, nobody really cares about USB-C - or at least - not enough to drive upgrades. It's just what one end of the power cord looks like.
- MBCook 3y ago
  Much like when lightning launched, mostly I think we’ll get whiny think pieces. “Why do I have to buy new cables? What about the stuff that uses the old cable still? I need two now?” I agree it’s the other new feature, whatever they are, that would be primary drivers for most people.
- drcongo 3y ago
  I'd agree, but also reckon there's likely to be quite a lot of people holding out for the 15. I am.
- joelfried 3y ago
  For people who already have USB-C phones and are considering switching it means "All of the cords you have right now will still be useful", which is a definite improvement over "All of the cords you have right now are junk you will throw away and have to replace with new cords". I'm not trying to say that will drive massive upgrades in and of itself, but I can definitely see it being a nice-to-have at the margins and help a nontrivial set of people pull the trigger.
  - veave 3y ago
    I'm pretty pissed because I have had apple stuff for years and now I suppose I can throw the lightning cables in the trash. Thanks EU!
    - 3y ago

rootusrootus 3y ago

Even the cheap folks in my extended family are starting to switch to iPhones. The TCO is better, as is longevity and use experience. The only way to be cheaper is to stick with awful budget android phones and then you give up on the experience and extended software support. Get burned a couple times by that, and pretty soon a basic iPhone SE starts to look really appealing. Especially for people who don't want to upgrade every couple years.

linuxftw 3y ago

The original linked report is far less biased [1]. It seems the only reason there is demand for iphones right now is the heavy subsidies offered by carriers. I think few people are paying retail for those phones. 1: https://www.counterpointresearch.com/us-smartphone-shipments-q2-2023/ https://www.counterpointresearch.com/us-smartphone-shipments...

droopyEyelids 3y ago

I wonder if Apple will use their increasing profit in subscriptions to keep dropping the price of the iPhone

throw9away6 3y ago
The prices of the phone keep going up as they lock in more users

thedriver 3y ago

iPhones end up being cheaper in the long run. They get software updates much longer than almost any Android phone, and at least here even small cities have local shops that repair them. It's also just a superior user experience. I wish they kept on making the mini models though. I'm using a 13 mini, which has been really nice. Most modern smartphones are uncomfortable to carry in the front pocket of slim pants.

throw9away6 3y ago
A lot of mobile sites break on the mini phones it’s a huge hassle. Would not recommend. I have one and that’s my biggest gripe with it. There are restaurants I can’t checkout at for example because the button is stuck just below the fold and I can’t scroll to click it due to shitty ui
- rifty 3y ago
  I've found just setting the browser to always load sites at 75% zoom solves a lot of these issues. There is also the option 'Hide Toolbar' behind the 'aA' button on Safari which also helps as well
fgeahfeaha 3y ago
Yup, you just can't beat standardization The support is way better because there isn't a million different models
- wilsonnb3 3y ago
  I think it has more to do with vertical integration of the hardware and software than the number of models. Supporting Android phones requires collaboration between the chip vendors, hardware manufacturers, and Google, which is difficult.
  - fgeahfeaha 3y ago
    true

TheCaptain4815 3y ago

I always found it interesting how the dynamic for 'nerds' shifted from Android to iOS because of data security reasons. I was one of those who originally got an Android because of "tinkering" (and honestly still miss that), but with the data privacy realization of iOS vs Android, I could NEVER go back.

throw9away6 3y ago
The turning point for was when Apple allowed users to set app permissions and Google didn’t

AuthorizedCust 3y ago

Android’s problem is Pixel is the only good one, and it has not been flagship quality since the Pixel 2. The 3 had odd issues, the 4 had a laughable battery life, and 5-7 are a weird mix of midrange and flagship capability (trending towards flagship, but not in the club yet). All other Android vendors are on a continuum of crap, between these points: 1. loaded with bloat and customizations that aren’t better than what Google provides, whose main point is to say “but I’m not Google” (Samsung) 2. vanilla-ish Android but missing capabilities that are normal in Pixel If Google would take Pixel seriously, it would be a credible competitor.

FirmwareBurner 3y ago
Hot take: I find recent Samsung flagships far superior to what Google offers, especially the latest S23: small and speedy with longer SW support than a pixel, better CPU/GPU and better cameras, at a decent price. Bloatware and Android implementation is also not too bad. Also Samsung DEX can save your bacon in case your laptop dies and you don't have a spare but need a quick desktop experience for some multitasking productivity task thill your laptop is being fixed.
- throw9away6 3y ago
  Samsung blowtware is a problem though
  - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
    Which bloatware and what problems does it make you? For me, I don't really consider Microsoft Office as bloatware as I can use it, plus, what's bloatware for you might be useful apps for others, and I found it stays out of my way once I push it to the side if I don't need it, so it's existence is a non-issue for usability. Samsung bloatware used to be bad in the past but now it's decent IMHO, and I think people are being overly pedantic and mostly overblow the problem of some bloatware just to win some religious argument of "my choice of phone is better than yours" while ignoring the other useful reasons people buy it. If you wanna see real bloatware, check out Chinese phones.

jftuga 3y ago

Getting Slack messages on my Apple Watch is nice when I am away from my phone but still in BT (wifi?) range. I know this not specific to iPhone, but the integration is nice.

meepmorp 3y ago
Getting Duo pushes to my watch makes the whole MFA experience at work much less of a hassle.
MBCook 3y ago
BT if in range, WiFi if not but on a known network. Done that way for power savings. I love my iPhone, but the ecosystem integration is also a huge point for me. The little ways different Apple products work together adds so much niceness and extra value above the utility of the individual products.

the_third_wave 3y ago

In other words, Android devices last longer than iDevices which causes the latter to be replaced more often. As to why Android devices last longer can be disputed, this can range anywhere from they are used for a longer period of time because the user does not want to spend more money on mobile gadgets to they last longer because they can be kept up to date using AOSP-derived distributions which enables 10+ year old devices to run current Android and anything in between. Add to that the fact that iDevices are much more recognisable due to there being only a handful of current versions compared to the thousands of current Android devices and as such more easily recognised as 'out of date' or 'old' and their - often brand- and status-conscious - users have an extra incentive to buy a new device even though the old one still worked fine just so they are not perceived to be 'poor'.

glimshe 3y ago

I'm a long time Android user but boy, Google is trying hard to make me switch. Android Auto is a mess, not a lot of good phone options with compact footprint, poor update policies and basically the feeling of always being 2-3 years behind Apple.

bitsandboots 3y ago
I don't get "Android Auto" and "Android Automotive" They aren't open source, and when they don't work, your car is left with a weird system that can't be substituted. They make it less likely that I'll want to buy a car with them. What's so good about it versus just using bluetooth and a phone mount? Could be crazy, but figure buggy software should be something I can swap out, not integrated into a car many times more expensive than it.
- glimshe 3y ago
  Android Auto is able to show your current route/map to the car's screen. Android can do that reasonably successfully, so it's worth the price of admission for this reason alone. This said, there are a few usability annoyances and other failures elsewhere in the overall experience. But this particular feature works pretty well.
  - 2OEH8eoCRo0 3y ago
    I liked using Android Auto on the phone w/ a Bluetooth connection to my car until they killed it. It was perfect and I was furious when they removed that feature.
  - bitsandboots 3y ago
    I don't understand the value of this. Is it just "big screen=better"? Because, my phone's screen is already bigger than the standalone GPSs of the past, and has voice, so I've never thought that I needed a bigger screen for navigation. In fact I want less: A few new cars have very slick HUDs on the windshield which are very elegant in their simplicity. A recent BMW rental had this, all without any smartphone integration, and I thought that was really cool! Now, though, that feature has probably been replaced with an android equivalent - A lot of companies are going "Android Automotive", and it sounds like a downgrade.

collinc777 3y ago

In the US, having an Android is one of the biggest social status negative signals I can think of. I used to have an android and when I'd meet people the primary thing they'd remember about me was that I had an android. Their blinders were up after they had that information. I think phones like the Galaxy line might be better than iPhones, but the experience of owning an iPhone far exceeds owning a Galaxy.

mike00632 3y ago
I think this varies by groups of people and is very similar to everyone in the group having Nike shoes. It's a marketing ploy from Apple.
silisili 3y ago
So wait, we're basing purchases now on what others think of them and not our own metrics? I'm not saying you're wrong, but this is absolutely wild to me. We must live in very different places with a very different group of cohorts.
wilsonnb3 3y ago
A +1 to Android for helping us filter out all the wankers we don't want to hang out with.
pyrophane 3y ago
Apple really contributed to this with the non-iMessage "green bubble."
meroes 3y ago
My own extended family is literally a cult about this. But, I’m back to iPhone because I actually need my phone portion to work. Went through 3 androids with constant call issues. Who cares if there’s a cult. The products are objectively worse if you need to make important phone calls. Couldn’t care about anything else even a tenth as much.
aio2 3y ago
From experience, the type of people who judge you on that aren't the ones worth dealing with.

mensetmanusman 3y ago

Apple is going to have so much power to push whatever agenda they desire.

leotravis10 3y ago
Yep. We really need to get the antitrust talk going inevitably. They're going to reach at least 65-70% in the US very soon.

partiallypro 3y ago

Does this mean the US government can finally start treating Apple the way it treats Microsoft, etc when it does clearly anti-competitive things? They get away with murder sometimes and no one bats an eye. Even here on HN, it's full of people that turn a blind eye because they have a love for Apple. Everything as spun as "looking out for the user" as if not using USB-C, locking out RCS, the "Apple Tax" etc are anything but anti-competitive behavior or straight gouging. Apple to this day is treated like it's late 90s 5% market share self. This isn't the 90s anymore. Edit: Instantly being downvoted is ironic.

diebeforei485 3y ago
I don't think not using USB-C qualifies as an antitrust issue. It is appropriate to focus on the App Store commission, absolutely.
- partiallypro 3y ago
  The "lightning port" is to block vendors from making universal products for its competitors while it lets Apple collect a licensing fee to use it, and it creates tons of needless e-Waste. No one cares though, at least not in the US.
  - martin8412 3y ago
    Lightning is because it predates the USB-C connector.
Jtsummers 3y ago
Market share alone is not why MS was sued for anti-trust violations. It was how they got into that position, what they did to maintain that position, and what they did with that position.
- partiallypro 3y ago
  This isn't in contradiction of what I just said. If anything, it supports it, because 55% isn't a "monopoly" but their behavior is anti-competitive, and they have been propelled into this position in part because of that behavior.

djhworld 3y ago

I'm thinking of making the switch to iPhone this year once the USB-C model comes out Whether I regret it, not sure, I mean Android isn't _that_ bad really and the Samsung phones are good, but I think Apple have nailed the ecosystem thing a lot better than what google have.

dopamean 3y ago
I made the switch at the end of 2021 after only having an android phone since the very first one. I wouldn't say I regret the change but I would say I'm not impressed. The way so many of my friends mocked me for having an android phone and talked up their iphones made me think I _must_ be missing something. Alas, I don't feel that I was. Every once in a while I boot up my old android phone (oneplus 6) and use it and it's snappier than I remember and feels way better in my hand than my iphone does. I kinda want to go back but we'll see.
- bgirard 3y ago
  FWIW When I switched from Android->iPhone, I didn't think much of it. Some stuff was better, some stuff was worse. I didn't 'feel' that much better. Then when I switched back from iPhone->Android (Pixel 4) the change was a lot more jarring. I noticed a lot of polish and batteries issues and I missed my iPhone until I finally switched back. My theory is it's similar to lifestyle creep. You wont appreciate improvements as much as you'll notice regressions. > Every once in a while I boot up my old android phone (oneplus 6) and use it and it's snappier than I remember and feels way better in my hand than my iphone does. I wonder if you'd use it as a daily driver for a longer time if you'd have the same experience as me.
- matthewaveryusa 3y ago
  I made the switch to iphone as well in 2021 after androids for 10 years and I echo this sentiment. It's not transformational, it's more or less the same, especially compared to a pixel flagship phone. I still use google photos because I find it better and it works fine. My next phone will be a pixel again though.

joshstrange 3y ago

Personally I don't understand the friends I have that use Android. They wear it as a badge of pride that they didn't give Apple money [0], ok... cool? None of them use a third-party app store, none of them use a custom rom, none of them really customize the phone at all past stock. I understand if you want to go the Android route to root/customise it but if you aren't going to do that then I really don't get the point. Google and Apple are, at worst, equal in how "evil" they are and in my opinion Apple comes out on top for more things that I care about. I also never say shit about their phone/computer choices but for some reason some of them find reasons to bring up my use of Apple products regularly. Makes me think of the scene in Mad Men "I don't think about you at all" [1]. [0] https://youtu.be/z6fX6-aCZ9Y?t=52 https://youtu.be/z6fX6-aCZ9Y?t=52 [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlOSdRMSG_k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlOSdRMSG_k

jansan 3y ago
Maybe they just want a descent browser on their phone. Another reason could be theat they don't have an abundance of financial resources and are fine with a $200 phone.
- joshstrange 3y ago
  > Maybe they just want a descent browser on their phone. Safari is just fine on mobile. > Another reason could be theat they don't have an abundance of financial resources and are fine with a $200 phone. They are buying flagship Samsung or Pixel phones, finances isn't a factor here
mike00632 3y ago
What if we just want to customize our home screen? I use a custom launcher which doesn't require root or a custom rom.
- joshstrange 3y ago
  I totally understand that, that's why I said "I understand if you want to go the Android route to root/customise it" but none of my friends are doing that, that's what puzzles me.

tails4e 3y ago

Was just on to apple support for an issue with my daughters phone, and I have to say it was a really nice experience. Good online chat first (may be a bot, but if so was a good one), and immediate call from a senior advisor when it needs to be escalated. Issue solved in 10 mins flat. Not sure how well it goes with others, but customer service counts for a lot and glad apple appreciate that.

lockhouse 3y ago
Support is also great at an Apple Store. I walked in with a broken Apple Watch. A couple minutes later my Apple Care claim was taken care of, and 2 days later I had a replacement arrive on my doorstep.

sb057 3y ago

I'm part of this statistic. I've been an Android user my entire adult life, but it really has been a constant downward spiral over these past several years. My previous three phones from LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi all had major software bugs that were never fixed, the biggest being just incredibly poor network connectivity (across multiple carriers, mind you) resulting in at least several calls just not connecting to me. I switched to an iPhone SE several months ago and have had zero issues whatsoever. I resent that my money went to a company like Apple, but there really is no alternative if you want a decent cell phone in 2023.

mgh2 3y ago
Curious, why do you "resent" your money going to Apple?
- ok123456 3y ago
  Because they're hostile to general purpose computing.
  - Angostura 3y ago
    Well, they certainly view phones as appliances, rather than general purpose computers. Personally, I’m fine with that
    - MildRant 3y ago
      They absolutely view phones as general purpose computers. It's why iOS is slowly turning into OS X.
      - abenga 3y ago
        Isn't it going the other way?
        Tagbert 3y ago

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nightshadetrie 3y ago

The difference is that the iPhone is the bread and butter to Apple, where as Google's Android is treated as secondary.

ke88y 3y ago
Which seems like a massive liability for the company. Search engines seem like a much lower moat than mobile platforms these days.
- 79a6ed87 3y ago
  They seem to be paying more attention to YouTube rather than the search engine. What's more, Google is better at developing Android than it is as a search engine, that's why I started to pay for Kagi.

hospitalJail 3y ago

To be fair, iPhones almost have caught up with Android features. Still the lack of control is poor. Maybe in 10 years they will give users control. However, the security is a dealbreaker. I have something quite important on my phone, I can't trust Apple's lack of security.

nologic01 3y ago

Article says iPhone market share was 57% in Q2 2022, so basically people get excited and spend quality time analyzing noise fluctuations

JohnFen 3y ago

Android phones stopped being attractive to me a few years back. They've become overpriced and it's much harder to make them work acceptably well. iPhones don't appeal to me at all, though. The decline of Android phones is one of the reasons that I've decided go without a smartphone entirely when my current one dies.

silon42 3y ago
yeah... IMO Android 5 I think was more or less the optimum (Nexus 5)
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

lolinder 3y ago

The link should really be to the original report [0]. This 55% is iPhone's share of phone shipments in Q2, not the number of users of the respective phones at any given time. In other words, fewer people are buying smartphones than were before, but Apple saw less of a hit to their numbers than everyone else did. Contrary to existing comments here, this stat doesn't appear to indicate that people are switching from Android to iPhone. It looks like Android users are more likely to avoid upgrading their phone in an uncertain economy, while Apple users are more likely to upgrade regardless. [0] https://www.counterpointresearch.com/us-smartphone-shipments-q2-2023/ https://www.counterpointresearch.com/us-smartphone-shipments...

zh3 3y ago
I'm constantly amazed by how people spend so much of their income on Apple products; it's almost like their lives are ruled by the status they feel an iPhone brings (and the consequential sacrificial purchasing). It likely varies by area and average income, here it's almost an inverse correlation - the less-well off kids at school tend to have parents on iPhones and the comfortable parents are on whatever works for them.
- jnwatson 3y ago
  It isn’t any different than buying Nike, Gucci, or Michael Kors. Many folks are extremely brand and status conscious. Appearing high status is more important than many other expenses.
  - barbecue_sauce 3y ago
    Nike is high status?
    - chasd00 3y ago
      Nike can be extremely high status to some groups. Certain Air Jordans go for 10s of thousands of dollars.
    - 3y ago

ChocolateGod 3y ago

I swapped from Android after a decade to iOS at the end of last year, and don't regret it one single bit. Android you just get plagued with software bugs (random battery drain, UI freezes, weird crashes etc) constantly, additionally I wasn't a fan of how system apps because they come from Google auto-update, going in and having an app completely change at random when I'm not expecting it, is not a nice experience when you need the app in a hurry (looking at you Google Maps). Ironically for a phone, phone calls were the buggiest thing on nearly all Android phones I had over a decade (OnePlus, Samsung, Pixel etc). iOS, as much as I disagree with Apple's closed ecosystem and propriety behaviour, is just a far better software quality than Android. Google is obviously not a software company.

moffkalast 3y ago
Well it's far easier to have better overall software quality when you have a closed ecosystem with even the hardware and drivers designed by yourself. You need to implement and support only your own use cases with all loose ends cut. For me the choice is simple. Android allows piracy out of the box and lets you do some pretty advanced power user stuff (e.g. system-wide VPN ad blocking) without rooting, iOS requires a jailbreak to do literally anything. Android will run any browser, iOS is Safari only. Android is open source, iOS is a closed proprietary black box. iOS also does other absolutely ludicrous things, like ATS blocking fetch and xhr requests over HTTP with no way to disable it. It's like it comes with always-on parental controls out of the factory. I'm the admin of my device, not fucking Tim Apple. Android may be a buggy duct taped amalgamation of random hardware and software, but that's a direct result of it being open and no worse than the average linux machine.

bhewes 3y ago

So the real take away is Google is up 48% and everyone else is down with Apple down 5%. Sales have been flat in the USA since 2018 https://www.statista.com/statistics/191985/sales-of-smartphones-in-the-us-since-2005/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/191985/sales-of-smartpho...

matthewfcarlson 3y ago
It doesn't exactly seem fair to say Google is up 48% when they went from 2% to 3% of the market. It seems to me that their growth is almost entirely coming from Samsung. The numbers are jumpy enough that I also wonder how much when different phone makers announce their new wares affects the numbers.
- bagacrap 3y ago
  I think he means Google phones, ie Pixel. I am not surprised because they've been advertising pixel really hard, and they are good phones. Still, it seems a lot more likely to eat into Samsung than Apple market share.
  - bhewes 3y ago
    I agree Google is more likely to eat Samsung shares till they offer an equivalent high end as Apple, but that may take a decade or more with phone life at Google and Samsung support moving closer to Apple's model of six years or more. And yeah it is way easier to grab marketshare at the 2% range then to take Apple head on with say 40% market share in USA.

MildRant 3y ago

My Pixel is rapidly coming out on it's drop dead date for security updates and I'm considering just switching to an iPhone SE. I want a small phone that will be supported for a long enough time that I don't have to constantly remind myself when the EOL date is.

bornfreddy 3y ago
I think LineageOS should be well supported on Pixels, if this suits you.

Lorin 3y ago

In Canada perhaps It's due to zero choices from service providers? Samsung and Google Pixel are the only Android options in the high-end (TCL/Motorola/ZTE low end). I would consider a Asus Zenfone or Sony Xperia if they were widely available here.

FredPret 3y ago

Phones are so good now that even a 2-3 year old iPhone can do pretty much anything you want. Battery life degrades and it slows down a tad, but there isn't the same pressing need to upgrade of yore.

flyingcircus3 3y ago

How are we still, 15 years later, stuck in the feigned incredulity stage of android vs ios? "I don't see how anyone still buys an ____. How can you not see the overwhelming evidence that ____ is unequivocally the better phone?" If either device can fit in either blank, as it has all over this thread, perhaps that's because there hasn't been any undeniably impactful feature improvements on either platform in the last decade.

bhauer 3y ago
Tribalism. Just like politics and brand preferences in other economic sectors (cars, computers, and so on). I for one think both Android and iOS are pretty awful operating systems. I still look forward to a viable third option, and would especially enjoy a phone that functions more like an accessory or terminal to my computer, rather than a first-class computer in its own right.
- BLKNSLVR 3y ago
  I quite like Android in it's more libre form, disconnected from artificial manufacturer-imposed restrictions, ie. LineageOS. I tend to purchase hardware based on the availability (or likely availability) of 3rd party ROM support.
fsflover 3y ago
> How are we still, 15 years later, stuck in the feigned incredulity stage of android vs ios? We aren't. Sent from my Librem 5.
brobinson 3y ago
It's a useful signal: these people aren't worth engaging with.

sourcecodeplz 3y ago

Apple is the only manufacturer that still sells a phone today with an actual physical button. It is hard for me to give that up. Also it is very small and slim. Barely feel it in my pocket, not to mention the nice feeling aluminium on the back.

JamesAdir 3y ago

And still no mini Android phone from the one of big manufacturers.

2OEH8eoCRo0 3y ago

So iPhone users typically have more money?

Kon-Peki 3y ago

Remember back in the old days when people got their phones and phone plans together as part of a 2 or 3 year contract? Back then, people lived with cracked screens and other damage as much as possible because of being locked into those contracts. And then that sort of went away when the market decoupled and you got your phone and service separately. Well, lately I've been noticing more and more people carrying around phones with cracked screens, and apparently just dealing with it. This is totally anecdotal and unscientific, but it feels like there is a shift in mindset going on. For one reason or another, people are keeping those "broken" phones in service rather than replacing them.

hyperthesis 3y ago

Mature market (phones have been "kgood enough" for a while) plus down economy. 38% vs 6% Android/Apple is a big difference.

ineedasername 3y ago

>foldable shipments could reach their highest level ever in the US in Q3 2023. Yes, people with a bit more disposable income &/or early adopters (there's some overlap there) are going to be less price sensitive and therefore less put off by rising costs elsewhere in their lives. Of course it helps that there are increasingly more foldable options, and more mature designs in them, as time goes by.

tommek4077 3y ago

Android phones have become good enough to keep. - Written on a 4 year old phone.

mikewarot 3y ago

Now that the 2G network shutdowns are done, there's no driving force to get a new phone, especially in this economy. The phones have gotten far more durable in the last decade as well, so breakage isn't as big of a driving factor either.

qlkjwenf 3y ago

Apple uses mobbing strategy to force teenagers to use iPhones: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-apples-imessage-is-winning-teens-dread-the-green-text-bubble-11641618009 https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-apples-imessage-is-winning-... Anyone who don't use iPhone will be bullied (in USA). But yeah, let's pretend that Apple have some moral values when exactly the opposite is true.

seydor 3y ago

Manufacturers deserve this because they became greedy bastards. My anecdote, i loved my samsung S10 which i had to replace. Their new flagship is heavier, has no headphone jack, no FM radio, no SpO2 meter, and doesnt feel considerably faster. It also seems to heat up a bit more. What the hell is going on. I feel cheated Apple's phone seem to make slight improvements, but really it's hard to tell anymore. I think the sector is beyond its peak and about to see a huge slump

egberts1 3y ago

I want my phone to stay small and simple with clickable tactile keyboard. Why have phone manufacturers forsaken the likes of us?