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None of the other companies have a repeatably successful flagship phone that comes anywhere close to the iPhone in terms of brand recognition and prestige. Som

None of the other companies have a repeatably successful flagship phone that comes anywhere close to the iPhone in terms of brand recognition and prestige. Some might argue the Samsung Galaxy, but the image associated with the galaxy is not one of luxury, but of practicality and a sacrifice in usability in exchange for for customization; the general Android vs. IOS argument. Luxury breeds profit by turning users into silent evangelists/role models. Combine this with Apple's extremely strong ability to [1] set prices (Android is not a direct competitor, it's a whole different marketplace with its own internal competition) and [2] force costs onto partners (who wouldn't want to work with Apple and see that volume of business with those nice margins?) and it's no surprise that the iPhone is destroying competition on the profitability metric.

Cyph0n 11y ago
Maybe before, but the S6 screams luxury IMO, and is very clearly attacking the iPhone head-on.
- adevine 11y ago
  But roymurdock's point about Android not really being a direct competitor to iPhone is pretty much true. It is EXTREMELY rare, outside of the tech/developer set, for someone who has an iPhone to consider switching to Android, especially once they have a decent app investment.
  - jsight 11y ago
    I see a lot fewer iPhones among the non-tech/developer set than I used to. A lot of them are former iPhone users who have switched for one reason or another. I'm not saying they are a majority (they are not), but it is far from rare.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- roymurdock 11y ago
  I would still argue that Android does not compete directly with IOS. People who are purchasing the iPhone are buying into more than just a phone: they are buying into the Apple lifestyle and joining the iPhone/Macbook/Apple Store experience. People who are purchasing the S6 aren't buying into any lifestyle as far as I can tell. Maybe they'll share a common bond with some other S6 users, but I wouldn't call the Samsung ecosystem (what is the Samsung experience even?) luxurious. It takes more than just one product to build luxury and desirability.
  - noir_lord 11y ago
    In this case desirability is tied to fashion, people buy an iPhone because they see other people with an iPhone. None of the Android phones has ever really gotten the same cachet that the iPhone does (Samsung nearly got it right with the S3) but it's down to perception and marketing. In terms of device capability Android phones are considerably higher spec and just as usable (5.x is a big improvement) but it doesn't really matter, fashion and marketing wins out. You see this in other areas, Sennheiser headphones are demonstrably higher quality (in sound and construction) than "Beats by dre" but if the difference is small enough then fashion wins out again.
    - deleted 11y ago
      [deleted]
    - macintux 11y ago
      Such a tired, tired argument. More cores != better usable specs. If you prefer security and privacy, there's a strong case for iOS. If you prefer day-of-release software updates, there's a strong case for iOS. If you prefer robust photography solutions, there's a strong case for Apple's camera hardware and software. If you want to create audio, there's a strong case for the low latency of Apple's stack.
      - noir_lord 11y ago
        Who said anything about cores? Android phones equivalent to the price of an iPhone have higher resolution screens, more storage and RAM. Android phones half the price of the iPhone have equivalent screens, storage and RAM. I have Nexus devices so I get day-of-release software updates (even my Nexus 7 2012 is running 5.1.1) I couldn't care less about photography solutions or audio so that really doesn't apply. Privacy, agreed, Android is a data hoover out the box.
vfrogger 11y ago
I don't understand why people say that IOS is more usable than android. Android phones tend to have a much better "phone" usability in my mind. For instance, I can go to my recent calls on an android device and just swipe to the right to send a text to someone. In IOS, I have to click the i icon to go to that contact, click send a message, then click the phone number. Or the built on "swype" keyboard on my old note 2 is much better than the default apple keyboard on my current i6+. Really, the only thing that I would call noticeably better on my iphone over my note 2 is the camera functionality.
- roymurdock 11y ago
  Not arguing that one is more usable than the other (although I have an iPhone so I suppose that is a tacit argument), just stating a general opinion.
- superuser2 11y ago
  I got a nexus 6 last night-simple things like pinch to zoom and animations tend to stutter, tapping small touch targets in chrome is very hard (iOS has a nice assist there), Firefox freaks out and fails to render HN with nontrivial frequency, etc. Android does seem to support more customization but iOS but iOS's existing features actually work.
  - Maro 11y ago
    I had a Nexus 6 for about 6 months, it's pretty terrible, as you describe. I just bought an LG G4, it's great. No lag, it just works.
  - JohnTHaller 11y ago
    I have none of these issues on my Nexus 6. Firefox on Android is rather buggy, but that's not the fault of the OS. A real Firefox on iOS doesn't exist and likely never will other than the Firefox-ish browser they're working on that will be stuck using Mobile Safari for rendering.
smrtinsert 11y ago
Whenever I see people use ios devices near me it's pretty funny. Androids voice command abilities makes Siri look like a Speak & Spell from the 80s. edit: agreed with sibling comment that camera appears to be the only technically superior offering.

Cyph0n 11y ago

Maybe before, but the S6 screams luxury IMO, and is very clearly attacking the iPhone head-on.

adevine 11y ago
But roymurdock's point about Android not really being a direct competitor to iPhone is pretty much true. It is EXTREMELY rare, outside of the tech/developer set, for someone who has an iPhone to consider switching to Android, especially once they have a decent app investment.
- jsight 11y ago
  I see a lot fewer iPhones among the non-tech/developer set than I used to. A lot of them are former iPhone users who have switched for one reason or another. I'm not saying they are a majority (they are not), but it is far from rare.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
roymurdock 11y ago
I would still argue that Android does not compete directly with IOS. People who are purchasing the iPhone are buying into more than just a phone: they are buying into the Apple lifestyle and joining the iPhone/Macbook/Apple Store experience. People who are purchasing the S6 aren't buying into any lifestyle as far as I can tell. Maybe they'll share a common bond with some other S6 users, but I wouldn't call the Samsung ecosystem (what is the Samsung experience even?) luxurious. It takes more than just one product to build luxury and desirability.
- noir_lord 11y ago
  In this case desirability is tied to fashion, people buy an iPhone because they see other people with an iPhone. None of the Android phones has ever really gotten the same cachet that the iPhone does (Samsung nearly got it right with the S3) but it's down to perception and marketing. In terms of device capability Android phones are considerably higher spec and just as usable (5.x is a big improvement) but it doesn't really matter, fashion and marketing wins out. You see this in other areas, Sennheiser headphones are demonstrably higher quality (in sound and construction) than "Beats by dre" but if the difference is small enough then fashion wins out again.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
  - macintux 11y ago
    Such a tired, tired argument. More cores != better usable specs. If you prefer security and privacy, there's a strong case for iOS. If you prefer day-of-release software updates, there's a strong case for iOS. If you prefer robust photography solutions, there's a strong case for Apple's camera hardware and software. If you want to create audio, there's a strong case for the low latency of Apple's stack.
    - noir_lord 11y ago
      Who said anything about cores? Android phones equivalent to the price of an iPhone have higher resolution screens, more storage and RAM. Android phones half the price of the iPhone have equivalent screens, storage and RAM. I have Nexus devices so I get day-of-release software updates (even my Nexus 7 2012 is running 5.1.1) I couldn't care less about photography solutions or audio so that really doesn't apply. Privacy, agreed, Android is a data hoover out the box.

vfrogger 11y ago

I don't understand why people say that IOS is more usable than android. Android phones tend to have a much better "phone" usability in my mind. For instance, I can go to my recent calls on an android device and just swipe to the right to send a text to someone. In IOS, I have to click the i icon to go to that contact, click send a message, then click the phone number. Or the built on "swype" keyboard on my old note 2 is much better than the default apple keyboard on my current i6+. Really, the only thing that I would call noticeably better on my iphone over my note 2 is the camera functionality.

roymurdock 11y ago
Not arguing that one is more usable than the other (although I have an iPhone so I suppose that is a tacit argument), just stating a general opinion.
superuser2 11y ago
I got a nexus 6 last night-simple things like pinch to zoom and animations tend to stutter, tapping small touch targets in chrome is very hard (iOS has a nice assist there), Firefox freaks out and fails to render HN with nontrivial frequency, etc. Android does seem to support more customization but iOS but iOS's existing features actually work.
- Maro 11y ago
  I had a Nexus 6 for about 6 months, it's pretty terrible, as you describe. I just bought an LG G4, it's great. No lag, it just works.
- JohnTHaller 11y ago
  I have none of these issues on my Nexus 6. Firefox on Android is rather buggy, but that's not the fault of the OS. A real Firefox on iOS doesn't exist and likely never will other than the Firefox-ish browser they're working on that will be stuck using Mobile Safari for rendering.

smrtinsert 11y ago

Whenever I see people use ios devices near me it's pretty funny. Androids voice command abilities makes Siri look like a Speak & Spell from the 80s. edit: agreed with sibling comment that camera appears to be the only technically superior offering.