3 ms·

When u consider the software cost the Android phones are definitely NOT cheap. A few years ago the Android phones software support were absurdly short and they

When u consider the software cost the Android phones are definitely NOT cheap. A few years ago the Android phones software support were absurdly short and they are almost disposable. Some phones' updates are even dead on arrival as they are not even updated once. It's better nowadays as Samsung is providing even longer support than Google itslef

tristor 3y ago
Android vs Apple is Samuel Vines' Boots Theory of Economics played out with handheld electronics: > "The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet." If you can afford an Apple device, there's nearly no reason why you'd submit yourself to the mistreatment of being an Android customer, consequently those who buy Android devices, especially the bottom-dollar ones that never receive a single update post-purchase are those that can't afford better in the moment. Exactly like the cheap boots vs good boots in this classic allegory.
- summm 3y ago
  That comparison is valid only if you had lots of suppliers and basically a single criterion, such as "feet dry" or in case of Apple "status". However, there are a lot of other reasons why you'd not want bo bend over for Apple's arrogant golden cage treatment. Main problem here is multiple instances of market failure all over the place: Qualcomm being a quasi-monopolist, made worse with patents. A phone being so complex that it cannot be made from scratch like a boot basically out of a cow. Apparently there being a place for only 2 App Ecosystems. General enshittifcation etc. etc.
  - tristor 3y ago
    Those are all a part of (but not the complete reasons) /why/ there is this segmentation in the market, but the segmentation is clear. Apple offers a superior product, treats their customers better, and is so expensive it is out of reach for many many people. Android offers a cheaper product, offers sometimes no updates at all or any assistance to customers, and is available to the masses. Vines' theory doesn't try to analyze /why/ things are the way they are, it's an observation of the higher cost of being poor. I am simply pointing out that the allegory extends to mobile phones, apparently, because there is a higher cost to being poor when your device gets security (and other) updates for half the length of time or less, or is made with lower quality and less powerful components, so has to be replaced more often. A base model iPhone is $800, a typical base model Android phone is around $200. That base model iPhone will get full iOS updates for 6 years, and security updates for 8 years, and is made of high quality components, and apps on the app store will generally work on that device for its entire lifespan (~8 years). That base model Android phone may never receive an update after release, but is generally guaranteed at most 1 year of updates, it is made with the cheapest components available as a low-margin device, and there are many apps on the play store that won't work on the device on the day its bought because it's not powerful enough, it will require replacement in roughly 1 year when it can no longer be updated (or more likely becomes broken, with no support). Over the same 8 year span that the iPhone base model user spends $800, the Android base model user will end up spending $1600 to maintain a phone with updates. Of course, there are flagship Android phone models as well. But even in that case the story is worse for Android, because you'll spend $1000 on an Android phone instead of $1200 on an iPhone, and you'll get 3 years of updates and no support, vs ~8 years of updates and support. In time-adjusted dollars, the iPhone is actually cheaper than Android, but it has a higher entry cost in the general sense than the Android phone. It's matching nearly identically to the allegory, which is why I pointed that out. The fact all modern devices, technologies, and our society in general is going to hell in a handbasket doesn't really matter in the context of what I am saying, but yes, I agree, enshittification ruins all.

tristor 3y ago

Android vs Apple is Samuel Vines' Boots Theory of Economics played out with handheld electronics: > "The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet." If you can afford an Apple device, there's nearly no reason why you'd submit yourself to the mistreatment of being an Android customer, consequently those who buy Android devices, especially the bottom-dollar ones that never receive a single update post-purchase are those that can't afford better in the moment. Exactly like the cheap boots vs good boots in this classic allegory.

summm 3y ago
That comparison is valid only if you had lots of suppliers and basically a single criterion, such as "feet dry" or in case of Apple "status". However, there are a lot of other reasons why you'd not want bo bend over for Apple's arrogant golden cage treatment. Main problem here is multiple instances of market failure all over the place: Qualcomm being a quasi-monopolist, made worse with patents. A phone being so complex that it cannot be made from scratch like a boot basically out of a cow. Apparently there being a place for only 2 App Ecosystems. General enshittifcation etc. etc.
- tristor 3y ago
  Those are all a part of (but not the complete reasons) /why/ there is this segmentation in the market, but the segmentation is clear. Apple offers a superior product, treats their customers better, and is so expensive it is out of reach for many many people. Android offers a cheaper product, offers sometimes no updates at all or any assistance to customers, and is available to the masses. Vines' theory doesn't try to analyze /why/ things are the way they are, it's an observation of the higher cost of being poor. I am simply pointing out that the allegory extends to mobile phones, apparently, because there is a higher cost to being poor when your device gets security (and other) updates for half the length of time or less, or is made with lower quality and less powerful components, so has to be replaced more often. A base model iPhone is $800, a typical base model Android phone is around $200. That base model iPhone will get full iOS updates for 6 years, and security updates for 8 years, and is made of high quality components, and apps on the app store will generally work on that device for its entire lifespan (~8 years). That base model Android phone may never receive an update after release, but is generally guaranteed at most 1 year of updates, it is made with the cheapest components available as a low-margin device, and there are many apps on the play store that won't work on the device on the day its bought because it's not powerful enough, it will require replacement in roughly 1 year when it can no longer be updated (or more likely becomes broken, with no support). Over the same 8 year span that the iPhone base model user spends $800, the Android base model user will end up spending $1600 to maintain a phone with updates. Of course, there are flagship Android phone models as well. But even in that case the story is worse for Android, because you'll spend $1000 on an Android phone instead of $1200 on an iPhone, and you'll get 3 years of updates and no support, vs ~8 years of updates and support. In time-adjusted dollars, the iPhone is actually cheaper than Android, but it has a higher entry cost in the general sense than the Android phone. It's matching nearly identically to the allegory, which is why I pointed that out. The fact all modern devices, technologies, and our society in general is going to hell in a handbasket doesn't really matter in the context of what I am saying, but yes, I agree, enshittification ruins all.