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So a while ago, I had this thought: "It's pretty obvious that the casual user will buy iPhones and not Galaxies. After all, Apple works very hard to make iPhone

by edanm 14y ago

So a while ago, I had this thought: "It's pretty obvious that the casual user will buy iPhones and not Galaxies. After all, Apple works very hard to make iPhones perfect for the casual user, and all of the goodiness that comes from having a more open phone is meaningless for the casual user". A little later, as more and more people I knew gravitated towards the Galaxies, I realized the flaw in this thinking - the average user doesn't know that the iPhone is geared towards him/her, and is a much better fit for someone who doesn't want to tinker with their phone. Only techies know this. The average user wants to buy a phone that they can put apps on. As far as they're concerned, the iPhone and the Galaxy is the same product, only with a vastly different price structure.

gurkendoktor 14y ago
Just anecdotal (in the same way as the OP), but I ran into plenty of young, non-tech people who are aware of the difference and still choose Android. For them, Android is the OS with slightly worse apps but you can get them all for free, without ever using a credit card. E.g. WhatsApp couldn't afford to be paid-only on Android because it just wouldn't work with the audience.
- _djo_ 14y ago
  I also have anecdotal evidence of this, where Android is perceived as the better option because there are supposedly more free apps and paid apps are easily pirated. Even the local carrier's sales representatives try to move customers away from iPhones and iPads towards Android devices because 'most apps are free and they're just the same as the ones on the iPad/iPhone'.
veemjeem 14y ago
Lots of non-tech users have no clue about the difference between an ipad and a galaxy tablet -- the only thing they know to differentiate is the price. Samsung makes their stores identical to Apple (they even have an equivalent genius bar -- they're called smart tutors in the samsung store), so when the average joe walks into a Samsung store, they think they're just buying a cheaper Apple product.
Nick_C 14y ago
Even my 85 year old mother knows that there is Apple and then there are others. She doesn't know what the difference is, but she knows that there is one.

by edanm 14y ago

gurkendoktor 14y ago

Just anecdotal (in the same way as the OP), but I ran into plenty of young, non-tech people who are aware of the difference and still choose Android. For them, Android is the OS with slightly worse apps but you can get them all for free, without ever using a credit card. E.g. WhatsApp couldn't afford to be paid-only on Android because it just wouldn't work with the audience.

_djo_ 14y ago
I also have anecdotal evidence of this, where Android is perceived as the better option because there are supposedly more free apps and paid apps are easily pirated. Even the local carrier's sales representatives try to move customers away from iPhones and iPads towards Android devices because 'most apps are free and they're just the same as the ones on the iPad/iPhone'.

veemjeem 14y ago

Lots of non-tech users have no clue about the difference between an ipad and a galaxy tablet -- the only thing they know to differentiate is the price. Samsung makes their stores identical to Apple (they even have an equivalent genius bar -- they're called smart tutors in the samsung store), so when the average joe walks into a Samsung store, they think they're just buying a cheaper Apple product.

Nick_C 14y ago

Even my 85 year old mother knows that there is Apple and then there are others. She doesn't know what the difference is, but she knows that there is one.