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At the same time, I don't see very many iPhone 5s around - I only know one person who has one (though they can be difficult to differentiate from the 4/4S), whe

At the same time, I don't see very many iPhone 5s around - I only know one person who has one (though they can be difficult to differentiate from the 4/4S), whereas it seems like everyone has a Galaxy S2 or S3. The S2 really caught on in Australia due to some very agressive pricing. I'd say I see as many S2/S3s around as iPhones (and probably more than iPhone amongst younger people). They're everywhere. That being said, there is an additional layer of difficulty when it comes to purchasing apps on Android that iPhone doesn't have - most people had an iPod and one point and have an iTunes store account set up already, possibly with some credit already on it (ITMS gift cards were popular presents for a while). Play store requires you to enter your credit card on a new account, which I suspect is a significant barrier to app purchases for many people, out of caution or laziness. Also, due to the more technical nature of the Android developer crowd, with the exception of games, there is almost always a free equivalent to paid apps which are as good or almost as good.

beamso 14y ago
The iPhone 5 was very difficult to walk in and buy without taking out a two year contract (the Apple Retail Store reservation system was a raffle). It only got better within the past two weeks. You can walk in and buy at an Apple Retail Store, and others like JB and DSE are selling the 16GB model outright.
bad_user 14y ago
I'm not from Australia, but I got a Google account with a credit card before getting an iTunes account, even though I owned an iPod for years before getting an Android. It's true nonetheless that iTunes has more people hooked up because of iPods, but it's only a temporary problem and I don't really think there are many young people with a credit card anyway. On the technical nature of Android developers and free equivalents, personally I tend to get paid apps. For instance I bought "Extreme Call Blocker", because blocking calls and SMS messages is difficult as Android's APIs for it are private and I couldn't find a free app that worked well. I also got "GreenPower Premium" for saving battery, because such an app saves you money (I needed more battery life and the alternative would have been to replace my phone). I also bought "Paper Camera" because it's a fun app and cheaper than one coffee. In truth there aren't many free apps that are worthwhile, most of the useful ones being clients of online services.
- JimmyAustin 14y ago
  As a 18 year old Australian, virtually everyone I know (my age) possesses a debit card, which is virtually the same for purchasing most things. Mastercard start giving them out when you are 16, so most young people have them. That is also the age most people start getting more expensive phones, but my opinion might be skewed by the fact that the iPhone came out in Australia when I was roughly that age.
- css771 14y ago
  I'm not very knowledgeable on the matter. Maybe you can enlighten me. Can an open source OS actually have private API's?

beamso 14y ago

The iPhone 5 was very difficult to walk in and buy without taking out a two year contract (the Apple Retail Store reservation system was a raffle). It only got better within the past two weeks. You can walk in and buy at an Apple Retail Store, and others like JB and DSE are selling the 16GB model outright.

bad_user 14y ago

I'm not from Australia, but I got a Google account with a credit card before getting an iTunes account, even though I owned an iPod for years before getting an Android. It's true nonetheless that iTunes has more people hooked up because of iPods, but it's only a temporary problem and I don't really think there are many young people with a credit card anyway. On the technical nature of Android developers and free equivalents, personally I tend to get paid apps. For instance I bought "Extreme Call Blocker", because blocking calls and SMS messages is difficult as Android's APIs for it are private and I couldn't find a free app that worked well. I also got "GreenPower Premium" for saving battery, because such an app saves you money (I needed more battery life and the alternative would have been to replace my phone). I also bought "Paper Camera" because it's a fun app and cheaper than one coffee. In truth there aren't many free apps that are worthwhile, most of the useful ones being clients of online services.

JimmyAustin 14y ago
As a 18 year old Australian, virtually everyone I know (my age) possesses a debit card, which is virtually the same for purchasing most things. Mastercard start giving them out when you are 16, so most young people have them. That is also the age most people start getting more expensive phones, but my opinion might be skewed by the fact that the iPhone came out in Australia when I was roughly that age.
css771 14y ago
I'm not very knowledgeable on the matter. Maybe you can enlighten me. Can an open source OS actually have private API's?