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>If you strip away the artificially gate kept services like iMessage, why should anyone spend a lot more on an iPhone? I think your qualification of Apple-ecos

by jasode 2y ago

>If you strip away the artificially gate kept services like iMessage, why should anyone spend a lot more on an iPhone? I think your qualification of Apple-ecosystem-services is a big part. There are stories of statistics that say more people switch from Android to iPhone than vice-versa[1] and the big reasons I see are ecosystem related: + Apple Facetime calls. If some family & friends are using Facetime, it has a gravitational pull to get you to buy an iOS device so you're not missing out on the conversations + Apple "Find My" to keep track of family members. When this feature first came out, the Android ecosystem didn't have an equivalent without downloading an extra app. + Apple Watch integration. The Android watches from Garmin/Samsung/Fitbit are not as seamlessly integrated as Apple. The areas where iPhone is worse than Android such as voice assistants Apple Siri vs Google Assistant, or cloud photos A.I. tools, or no sideloading vs sideloading, etc -- are not deal-breakers for most mainstream Apple consumers. [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=more+people+switch+from+android+to+iphone+rather+than+reverse https://www.google.com/search?q=more+people+switch+from+andr...

oaiey 2y ago
In most other places than the US there is no lock-in by iMessage. Everyone uses WhatsApp (or country specific alternatives). Family tracking is available on Google Maps since so long. Apple Watch as a market is not relevant enough. So ignoring the US situation of iPhones, in the rest of the world, iPhones are purely reputation based thing ("oh you can afford an iPhone" / "it looks good with my <add your brand> handbag") and a simplicity to use situation (enforced UX etc). In the past the camera was a key differentiator. And Apple (incl. some Android competition) will have a very hard time with inflation battled countries to maintain a high-cost strategy with a population who cannot afford it anymore.
Rinzler89 2y ago
Yes, but lot of people on the planet don't need, care or want the whole Apple ecosystem, most people just want "A phone" to surf the web, take photos and run basic apps like Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and that's it. And for that purpose, expensive iPhones and cheap Androids are relatively interchangeable commodity items since they all can run the same apps. Yes, iPhones will have less spy/bloatware, take better pictures, run apps a bit smoother and faster, but not 2-4 times better, and most people won't care or notice unless they compare and review both side by side which almost nobody does, most just impulse buy based on sales price, marketing, brand/platform familiarity or simply just on network effects (if my family or friends have iPhone I'll also get an iPhone). Apple's biggest cash-cow is the network effect and lock-in of their well oiled ecosystem, but if the EU will force them to open it up to competitors, then their charade could fall apart, hence why they'll fight the EU as long as possible to maintain it.

by jasode 2y ago

oaiey 2y ago

In most other places than the US there is no lock-in by iMessage. Everyone uses WhatsApp (or country specific alternatives). Family tracking is available on Google Maps since so long. Apple Watch as a market is not relevant enough. So ignoring the US situation of iPhones, in the rest of the world, iPhones are purely reputation based thing ("oh you can afford an iPhone" / "it looks good with my <add your brand> handbag") and a simplicity to use situation (enforced UX etc). In the past the camera was a key differentiator. And Apple (incl. some Android competition) will have a very hard time with inflation battled countries to maintain a high-cost strategy with a population who cannot afford it anymore.

Rinzler89 2y ago

Yes, but lot of people on the planet don't need, care or want the whole Apple ecosystem, most people just want "A phone" to surf the web, take photos and run basic apps like Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and that's it. And for that purpose, expensive iPhones and cheap Androids are relatively interchangeable commodity items since they all can run the same apps. Yes, iPhones will have less spy/bloatware, take better pictures, run apps a bit smoother and faster, but not 2-4 times better, and most people won't care or notice unless they compare and review both side by side which almost nobody does, most just impulse buy based on sales price, marketing, brand/platform familiarity or simply just on network effects (if my family or friends have iPhone I'll also get an iPhone). Apple's biggest cash-cow is the network effect and lock-in of their well oiled ecosystem, but if the EU will force them to open it up to competitors, then their charade could fall apart, hence why they'll fight the EU as long as possible to maintain it.