Interesting Article about Android

Ivefoundgod

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/aug/08/iphone-android-leaky-ecosystem-us

"Once a consumer buys an iPhone, he or she is highly unlikely to switch to another ecosystem," it says, pointing to the loyalty figure. "Think of the Apple and Android ecosystems as two buckets of water. New smartphone buyers - mostly upgrading featurephone owners - fall like rain into the two big buckets about equally...However, the Android bucket leaks badly, losing about one in five of all the owners put into it. The Apple bucket leaks only about 7% of its contents, so it retains more of the customers that fall into it. The Apple bucket will fill up faster and higher than the Android one, regardless of the fact that the Apple bucket hay have had fewer owners in it to begin with."

I thought this article backed up my experiences with friends and family regarding android and apple smartphones. I've seen lots of people start off with an android phone and switch to Apple ASAP. My experience is Android phones make excellent first impressions but after a while, the average person starts looking enviously at their iPhone owning friends. I love the customisation my S3 allows but nobody I know is even aware of these options let alone actually use them, nullifying a key feature of android IMO.

Anyway, not trying to start an Apple vs Android thread just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for Google to hang on to users or is the article and the study correct?

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

donspeekinglesh

I think most of the Android owners that abandon the ecosystem only had what theregister.co,uk call "landfill android" - cheap poorly specced phones. And for some reason they are disappointed when their piece of rubbish doesn't match the iPhones owned by friends.

Nobody I know with a higher end Android would ever consider moving to iPhone. They may not customise it to the extent I do, but they customise it more than Apple would allow.

Ivefoundgod

Captain Morgan wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Thats actually another very good point. Too many cheap PAYG android phones that are practically unusable. Unfortunately for Google, its going to be very hard to get away from the perception of android as a cheap iPhone alternative. I've been asked "could you not afford an iPhone?" when a friend saw my S3 for the first time :mad:

I still think even high end Android owners are far more likely to switch to iPhone than vice versa. It seems to be either S4 or iPhone for most people, in my experience, customers will chose an android phone for their contract once, then switch to iPhone and this report seems to back that up somewhat.

errlloyd

I agree with the above. Android is similar to Microsoft pc os. Because lots of sub par hardware runs it, it gives the system a bad name.

theteal

It is all down to the cheap androids, they get very sluggish very quickly after a few updates and this is what lead to the bad user experience. I had a friend recently who went through this with her now buried HTC wildfire (and that was mid-range at the time), she's now the happy owner of an iphone 4 I think. She still asks me questions about my phone like, "doesn't it get slow?, doesn't the memory fill up fast?, htc batteries are crap aren't they?". I then show her my perfectly zippy 2.5 yr old Desire S (it is rooted an OCed though)- I still have to explain the difference between a €400+ phone and €200 phone.

On the other hand mrsTeal had a 3gs for 2+ years, was reasonably content with it but it had the usual bugs, mute button not working etc. She saw a friends SGS3 and had an instant "I want one" moment and so she got one and loved it. . .loved it so much that forked out another £300 a few weeks ago to replace the first one which was stolen

5starpool

I'll be staying in the Android bucket anyhow!

Gran Hermano

Plenty of articles over the last year from the USA (where apple has a bigger market share than android) from journalists who have made the change from iphone to android and have had no regrets. As mentioned above the key is comparing
an android phone of similar spec/price point to the iphone.

http://www.techhive.com/article/2030042/why-i-switched-from-iphone-to-android.html
http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2013/03/an-iphone-fan-makes-the-switch-to-android/

Yes it boils down to personal choice and what you're familiar with but I have both the iphone 5 and Nexus 4
and I only use the iphone for work calls and emails for all other tasks I use the Nexus 4.

krudler

I have both an iphone 4s and a samsung s3 as my spare phone, I mostly still use the iphone purely because of imessage, if there was a standard android messaging app aside from stuff like whatsapp and viber Id switch.

I love the S3 though I had a sony x8 as my first android phone and it was ok for what it was but it was laggy as hell after about a year, the lower end android still suffer from that. but the higher end stuff running jellybean and the like are lightning fast, and the developer options can make the screen transitions even faster.

donspeekinglesh

I support iPhones in work, and my personal phone is an S2 running the latest CM nightly. And I'd take the S2 over the iPhone any day. Nicer in every way.

errlloyd

Actually I do wonder if those stats are true for Ireland. I see a lot of people moving off iphone right now. Maybe it's just because it's been a while since an iPhone.

Corkfeen

The cheap androids is definitely a major issue. I'd also suspect that many android adopters remain relatively unaware of how much greater the level of customisation is.

I've been using Android since I got a HTC Desire a couple of years back and currently on HTC One. Can't see myself changing to another OS for the foreseeable future unless the other f developers step up their work.

Killgore Trout

Captain Morgan wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Drifting slightly off topic. Same applies to tablets. My brother bought his wife a cheap ass tablet and she complained about how bad it was. Completely different user experience to something like a Nexus 7/10.

homer911

I had a family argument the other day on this topic...
Its a well known fact that iOS users spend more on Apps than Android users.
Its my opinion that more women buy iOS than men. :eek: Thoughts?

Ivefoundgod

errlloyd wrote: »

Actually I do wonder if those stats are true for Ireland. I see a lot of people moving off iphone right now. Maybe it's just because it's been a while since an iPhone.

The stats are for the US, not worldwide. I suppose it depends on your circle of friends, personally I've got more friends who own iPhones than Android and even people who don't have a smartphone want an iPhone. Then again, i'm 26 so maybe its my age group?

homer911 wrote: »

I had a family argument the other day on this topic...
Its a well known fact that iOS users spend more on Apps than Android users.
Its my opinion that more women buy iOS than men. :eek: Thoughts?

Well the first statement is reported on regularly, I don't remember exact figures but there was a significant difference in average spend of iPhone user vs Android User.

From what i've seen I would agree with the 2nd part, how true that is I don't know though.

Dravokivich

homer911 wrote: »

I had a family argument the other day on this topic...
Its a well known fact that iOS users spend more on Apps than Android users.
Its my opinion that more women buy iOS than men. :eek: Thoughts?

I'd expect it would be the main reason why someone would stick with a particular phone OS.

I've paid in Android apps, that are transferable across all my android devices that support'em. So i've an invested interest in using Android. Buying something with iOS or Win8 means I may need to pay for similar Apps again. It'll take an awful lot for me to be able to do that.

What I'm not too keen on with iOS is you are tied to Apple as a manufacturer. Whereas with Android/Win8 they are made by multiple manufacturers. So even being tied to the OS, I've still got a wide choice of which device I want to buy.

Amirani

Dravokivich wrote: »

I'd expect it would be the main reason why someone would stick with a particular phone OS.

I've paid in Android apps, that are transferable across all my android devices that support'em. So i've an invested interest in using Android. Buying something with iOS or Win8 means I may need to pay for similar Apps again. It'll take an awful lot for me to be able to do that.

What I'm not too keen on with iOS is you are tied to Apple as a manufacturer. Whereas with Android/Win8 they are made by multiple manufacturers. So even being tied to the OS, I've still got a wide choice of which device I want to buy.

Some very valid points there.

If more people pay for iOS apps (as the stats show) then surely they'll be more hesitant to switch OS in the future.

The cheap Android device issue is also a massive reason.

Macy0161

Just to echo earlier comments about the cheap android phones doing some damage. My missus wasn't convinced of the need for a smartphone, so she went for the Smart 2. It was totally eyes open that it was basic/ low memory etc, with a view whether she could justify upgrading to something better. However, if you were going in thinking you've got a cheap iphone then you probably would be disappointed (most of the issue is all the crap vodafone load up the phone with that can't be removed - when I get brave enough I'll root it!).

There's also a lot of misconceptions around Android in general. At this time of the year when more and more schools go ipad, and try and justify that choice over Android, we here all the usual guff about ios being more stable, ios more restrictive for children, ipads better technology etc. Android being unstable isn't something I've experienced in the couple of years I've had a smartphone and a tablet, the average user won't be messing or exploiting androids customisation to a great degree (and what harm for our future if children do get that knowledge but with 4.3 there's restricted profiles available anyway), and there's simply no comparison in value for money between an ipad and a nexus 7. I suspect there's more to the ipad choice than technology, but still they're getting away with using the technology as an excuse in the media. They're charging parents upwards of €600 for an Ipad when I can walk out now and get a 16gb Nexus7 running 4.3 for under a €150. Madness.

Ivefoundgod

NiallSparky wrote: »

Some very valid points there.

If more people pay for iOS apps (as the stats show) then surely they'll be more hesitant to switch OS in the future.

The cheap Android device issue is also a massive reason.

Yeah but that works both ways, android users do still purchase apps that are not transferable to iOS/WP so if that was the main reason for an unwillingness to switch then android would hold users too. It'd be interesting to see the researchers ask the users why they switched to iOS from Android or vice versa.

EDIT: Also, isn't it true that apps that are free on Android are paid on iOS? Could that be a reason for the higher spend on iOS?

I've spent quite a bit on apps for my Nexus 7 and S3 but I would have no issue switching to iOS or WP if I thought it would suit me better. Buying apps again would not be a big enough factor to dissuade me.

tommy2bad

fall like rain into the two big buckets about equally

Er, no they dont; android has about 80% of the smartphone market, it's going to take a lot of switching to apple to get them anywhare like 50/50 share.
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/digital-life/item/33735-android-has-almost-80pc-of

I think the loyalty thing is mostly fanboys and people who are less than proficient with tech generally.

Ivefoundgod

tommy2bad wrote: »

Er, no they dont; android has about 80% of the smartphone market, it's going to take a lot of switching to apple to get them anywhare like 50/50 share.
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/digital-life/item/33735-android-has-almost-80pc-of

I think the loyalty thing is mostly fanboys and people who are less than proficient with tech generally.

Those are worldwide figures, the original article is US market only

hardCopy

Google need to add a standard docking system as part of the spec for full Google approved android devices. Some kind of combined micro usb and stereo jack at the base of the device. Even placing the stereo and usb side by side at a standard distance would mean third parties could make docking stations to play and charge multiple devices by different manufacturers.

There's such a huge range of charging and docking accessories for ios devices that encourages people to buy Apple and stick with Apple.

My dad loved his One-x but when it came to upgrade time he nearly bought the iPhone because it syncs with his BMW. He went with the S4 in the end, thankfully.

Both of my sisters already have iPhones with docking stations and I can't see them being swayed to android any time soon.

Amirani

Ivefoundgod wrote: »

Yeah but that works both ways, android users do still purchase apps that are not transferable to iOS/WP so if that was the main reason for an unwillingness to switch then android would hold users too. It'd be interesting to see the researchers ask the users why they switched to iOS from Android or vice versa.

Yes they do. The point is though that more people on iOS spend on apps, thus more people would have an impediment to changing operating system. Obviously there's people in the same position on Android, but not as many if they statistics are accurate.

Amirani

hardCopy wrote: »

Google need to add a standard docking system as part of the spec for full Google approved android devices. Some kind of combined micro usb and stereo jack at the base of the device. Even placing the stereo and usb side by side at a standard distance would mean third parties could make docking stations to play and charge multiple devices by different manufacturers.

There's such a huge range of charging and docking accessories for ios devices that encourages people to buy Apple and stick with Apple.

My dad loved his One-x but when it came to upgrade time he nearly bought the iPhone because it syncs with his BMW. He went with the S4 in the end, thankfully.

Both of my sisters already have iPhones with docking stations and I can't see them being swayed to android any time soon.

Apple have changed their dock port also recently. A fairy crazy move.

Frank Lee Midere

Ivefoundgod wrote: »

Yeah but that works both ways, android users do still purchase apps that are not transferable to iOS/WP so if that was the main reason for an unwillingness to switch then android would hold users too. It'd be interesting to see the researchers ask the users why they switched to iOS from Android or vice versa.

EDIT: Also, isn't it true that apps that are free on Android are paid on iOS? Could that be a reason for the higher spend on iOS?

I've spent quite a bit on apps for my Nexus 7 and S3 but I would have no issue switching to iOS or WP if I thought it would suit me better. Buying apps again would not be a big enough factor to dissuade me.

The number of apps isn't a large factor, I would think, given the price. However I have quite a lot of purchased movies,and some music, on iOS so I will always have an iOS device of some sort. However, it could be an iTouch, rather than a phone.

SpaceTime

krudler wrote: »

I have both an iphone 4s and a samsung s3 as my spare phone, I mostly still use the iphone purely because of imessage, if there was a standard android messaging app aside from stuff like whatsapp and viber Id switch.
.

There is ... Google Hang Outs (formerly known as Google Talk)

Ivefoundgod

SpaceTime wrote: »

There is ... Google Hang Outs (formerly known as Google Talk)

Not quite the same though, Hangouts doesn't support SMS as of yet and as far as I know its not certain if it ever will.

Ivefoundgod

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

The number of apps isn't a large factor, I would think, given the price. However I have quite a lot of purchased movies,and some music, on iOS so I will always have an iOS device of some sort. However, it could be an iTouch, rather than a phone.

Ahhh, I hadn't thought of that. I've bought some music on Google Play but all of that can be transferred to iOS devices.

EDIT: Quick google finds this http://bgr.com/2012/05/15/mobile-apps-ios-android-spending/ "70% of users spend little to nothing" in the App store so unlikely apps are whats keeping users on iOS

ra0044

Another issue with android over ios is literally the amount of swanky cases / acesories that you can buy for the iphone in lterally every shop you go in to for very little money.

The average user considers this to be " customisation " and is happy being able to just change covers or put a nice case on there phone rather than working with the OS to get the phone working better to suit them.

Also I think people have more what my friends call " niggles " with android which usually means they have inadvertantly messed something up or an app has altered a setting which they were unaware of and find it difficult to sort out.

My wife although happy with her Sony xperia z looks enviously at her friends iphone cases and covers compared to the one she has which was one of only three we could find in a shop in Dublin and it is dull. She also wants an iphone to dock and stream music from because it is easy and convenient.

These issues are on top of the ones already listed ie. crap low end android phones.

Atomic Pineapple

The premium aspect is what keeps people on iOS or what makes them switch, teenagers grow up wanting an iPhone for no other reason than they can show their friends they have an iPhone, this is evident throughout most age groups too, having an iPhone is a vanity thing for a large amount of the iOS user base.

Even if someone gets an Android as their first smartphone they will still aim to get an iPhone when they can so they can be part of that prestige, Apple have done an amazing job in making sure this happens and that they control that premium market.

When Apple release their budget range it will be interesting to see if that falters.

anncoates

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

Even if someone gets an Android as their first smartphone they will still aim to get an iPhone when they can so they can be part of that prestiige

As somebody who is on my 3rd high end Android phone, I'm intrigued to hear that deep down I'm subconsciously just killing time until I get an iPhone?

Frank Lee Midere

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

The premium aspect is what keeps people on iOS or what makes them switch, teenagers grow up wanting an iPhone for no other reason than they can show their friends they have an iPhone, this is evident throughout most age groups too, having an iPhone is a vanity thing for a large amount of the iOS user base.

Even if someone gets an Android as their first smartphone they will still aim to get an iPhone when they can so they can be part of that prestige, Apple have done an amazing job in making sure this happens and that they control that premium market.

When Apple release their budget range it will be interesting to see if that falters.

anncoates wrote: »

As somebody who is on my 3rd high end Android phone, I'm intrigued to hear that deep down I'm subconsciously just killing time until I get an iPhone?

Top level Android devices have as much prestige as iOS. Unfortunately the Android brand is being harmed by cheap devices. I think that the high end stuff will keep its cachet. And over time even cheap devices will be good. Better at least.

Ivefoundgod

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

Top level Android devices have as much prestige as iOS. Unfortunately the Android brand is being harmed by cheap devices. I think that the high end stuff will keep its cachet. And over time even cheap devices will be good. Better at least.

I'm not sure if the top level Androids do have the same image/prestige as iPhones. I'd argue that for most, the iPhone is the smartphone to have, regardless of specs or anything else. It's the genius of Apples marketing.

Atomic Pineapple

anncoates wrote: »

As somebody who is on my 3rd high end Android phone, I'm intrigued to hear that deep down I'm subconsciously just killing time until I get an iPhone?

I'm on my 5th, obviously my comment was not specific to everyone but a broader thought on why more people switch to iOS rather than vice versa.

Gran Hermano

Google have stated that key lime pie will improve the android experience for entry and mid level devices.

tommy2bad

Ivefoundgod wrote: »

Those are worldwide figures, the original article is US market only

Indeed and we may be talking about the influence of bill pay versus prepay as much as os loyalty. If on a contract your inclined to go for the highest value phone. I think prepay accounts for less than 25% of phones in the US. I wonder what the breakdown of OS's is here on billpay. I see a lot of iPhones with contract customers, not so much with the ready2go crowd.

Worldwide prepay is far more common so a glut of cheaper phones distort the balance.

TechnoMad

I was out with some friends last night, all senior technical engineers or management. Three years ago all eight of us had iPhones, now there is only one iPhone5 user among us and his company supplies him with it and won't consider any other option, (plus he develops apps for the iPhone so needs to be able to debug). We all feel sorry for him and he gets a huge amount of slagging from us, such as the tiny screen, the rubbish camera, the apps that you have to pay for in the Apple Store are free in the Android store and lots of other things.
there were several Sony Xperia S's, two Samsung S4's with the flashy cases and one Nokia Windows Phone. All of these phones are super sweet.
Would any of us go back to IOS? Maybe if the phones were equal to or better than our Android and Windows phones. A few of us are seriously thinking of trying out some Nokia Windows phones.
I have three iPhone docking stations and several different older iPhones/ iPods/Nanos and it also annoys me that only some will work with certain docking stations, others need a different docking station, even though they all have the same connector.
My kids love playing Angry Birds on my old iPhones, that's the only time they get switched on. My home AV amp streams music wirelessly from my Xperia, so no need for an Android docking station for me, as does my car stereo, including the handsfree phone features.
IOS will improve in leaps and bounds over the next few years with features we haven't even thought about, but I think Google will improve Android just as well.
America is a very, very conservative country in many ways and really quite backward from a technological point of view, (except for the likes of California). Apple got into the mainstream American home first and it will be very hard to shift that, but it will happen, albeit very slowly. Ireland is much more technologically advanced and much more willing to try new tech, just like the rest of Europe and Asia.
I'm surprised that people here have posted that they look down on Android users, because techies here generally have a slightly condescending attitude to Apple users, which we image to be the old fogies. Younger people have more sense than to buy an iPhone.
Please don't think that I am anti-Apple, I have so much admiration for their products and what they have achieved, bringing mobile tech to the mass market at an affordable, but still expensive price.
As regards Tablet devices: most people in Ireland seem to realise that Android is the way to go, for the huge range, connectability, value, and ease-of-use. You can buy a decent Android tablet for a third of the price of an iPad, and if you spend €400 or so on a tablet it will knock the socks off an iPad. I don't blame older non-technical people for going into a shop and buying an iPad or iphone, but younger people have no excuse!

RainyDay

I wouldn't go putting all my eggs in the Android basket, given that Samsung are working on Tizen, an alternative open-source OS to get them out of Google's grasp.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2013/08/08/samsung_wants_tizen_operating_system_on_all_kinds_of_devices

wotzgoingon

RainyDay wrote: »

I wouldn't go putting all my eggs in the Android basket, given that Samsung are working on Tizen, an alternative open-source OS to get them out of Google's grasp.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2013/08/08/samsung_wants_tizen_operating_system_on_all_kinds_of_devices

I don't think Tizen is much of a threat to Android. I reckon Ubuntu touch or what ever it's called is more of a threat.

Blazer

tommy2bad wrote: »

and people who are less than proficient with tech generally.

I wish people would stop throwing this out..just because someone is not techy doesn't mean they can't use android :rolleyes:
I'm extremely technical and work in a major pc company and I can appreciate the simplicity of the ios system. Sure i wish it had drop/drop, bluetooth sharing etc but a lot of this will come I'm sure later on with ios8 etc. IOS7 is a step in the right direction.
For the last 3 years I've been on iphone..last year switched over to the S3 , hated it and went back to iphone 5.
It's a fantastic phone and sure it's lacking specs wise against the HTC One I'm now using and the S4..but you know how many of those features I actually use? I'd say maybe 2 or 3.
I like dragging and dropping music and I must have tried about 5 roms now on the One, The One is a fantastic phone and Android has really improved in the past year and that's good as it's forcing Apple to open up ios some little bit.

A lot of the Android/Apple fanboys would love to see the end of each other but in fact these people are complete morons.
Competition is extremely healthy and drives innovation across industries...if Apple or Samsung weren't around they'd just sit on their ass and stagnate much like Nokia did for years. I definitely don't want this to happen.

Ivefoundgod

TechnoMad wrote: »

I was out with some friends last night, all senior technical engineers or management. Three years ago all eight of us had iPhones, now there is only one iPhone5 user among us and his company supplies him with it and won't consider any other option, (plus he develops apps for the iPhone so needs to be able to debug). We all feel sorry for him and he gets a huge amount of slagging from us, such as the tiny screen, the rubbish camera, the apps that you have to pay for in the Apple Store are free in the Android store and lots of other things.

I'm sorry but why would anyone whose not a teenager slag someone over their phone???

I'm surprised that people here have posted that they look down on Android users, because techies here generally have a slightly condescending attitude to Apple users, which we image to be the old fogies. Younger people have more sense than to buy an iPhone.

I don't think anyone here was saying that, more that it seemed a common perception amongst what you describe as non techies. I have to say we must socialise in different circles because almost everyone I know from 20-30 wants or has an iPhone.

Nolimits

RainyDay wrote: »

I wouldn't go putting all my eggs in the Android basket, given that Samsung are working on Tizen, an alternative open-source OS to get them out of Google's grasp.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2013/08/08/samsung_wants_tizen_operating_system_on_all_kinds_of_devices

I'd say the tizen phones will be used in developing countries rather than the likes of over here.

_Kaiser_

I agree about the cheap sub-100 Androids being practically useless and the urge to smash rises rapidly with the passing minutes of using them.

I've always had higher/top-end Androids since my first move to the platform with the HTC Desire (iPhone never appealed to me). Since then I've had a Desire HD, Galaxy S2, Galaxy Note, Note 2, all of which are (or were) excellent phones.
I've also rooted each one and loaded more Custom ROMs than I can remember and tweaked every option I could.

But y'know what? I'm bored with it! :eek: I don't play games on it, not a Facebook/twitter fan, and as I work in IT/former nerd I'm rarely more than 10 feet from a laptop so web-browsing on my phone is pretty low too.

So this week I've started trialling a Lumia 920 as my primary phone. Our users in the office use WP and while I initially was not a fan of WP7, since WP8 and decent hardware like the Lumia and Ativ S came on the market I've become more impressed with it. It just works, flies along (whereas even my Note 2 lags on stuff like the Contacts app), and I like the idea of having my primary desktop OS, mobile and gaming platform (thinking about an XBox One after Christmas) being linked together which is what MS are trying to do. Whether they'll pull it off is another thing of course!

Like I said in that thread I linked to, what I want is a seamless link between my desktop/laptop, mobile and console that allows me to access all the information on any of these devices. Apple are possibly part-way there with the Mac and iPhone, but Google really only has phones and tablets (which are really just bigger phones without the phone part!) so MS has a big edge here if they could take advantage of it.

I'm not an MS fanboy incidentally. Like I said I've had great experiences with Android and I use MS products daily too, but long-term I think it does make sense to unify these different devices rather than users maintaining two/three different ecosystems that will never fully integrate (for obvious marketing and licensing reasons). If Google came out with a true Windows Desktop competitor then I'd look at that too.

But that's just me