How did Android ever reach out to the masses?

[TacticalDesire]

For my friends, it's probably the larger screen first and foremost, followed by the desire to "not use Apple products because everyone else is using them".

They are the ones who also don't bother changing many of the default settings on their phones, likely won't update the OS ever, don't even know what imessage is, and use it for basic purposes like calls, email, web-surfing, light-gaming and watching videos. So they would be largely indifferent between an iphone or android phone, but I guess the larger screens of the S3 and Note2 won them over in the end.

Second, and more ironic, some claimed to stop using iphone because it was "too restrictive", yet I don't see them doing anything with their android phones that you can't already do on an iphone anyways. I guess at a time where over half the colleagues in my school were on iphones, it seemed cool to buck the trend and wield a different device.

Pity, because that makes imessaging them from my macbook or ipad just a tad more difficult.

Or perhaps they do in fact do more with their phones than iOS would allow them and you just don't see it?

 

[mobilebuddha]

i'll give you 1 more reason why Android is more popular:

On my note 2, I can download apps from any of the 3-4 major chinese app stores, google play store, amazon appstore, etc. and download/buy whatever apps I want.

my iphone 5 cannot do that w/o changing some sort of settings somewhere (that i haven't figured out), since the note 2 supports that natively.. i never bothered with what the iphone 5 does. consequently, more android usage, less iphone usage.

i know quite a few people that travels internationally/has business between different countries prefer android over iphone because of this. you could probably jailbreak the iphone and accomplish this but none of them are comfortable with jailbreaking their phones (and risk losing warranties/support, etc)

 

[sentinelsx]

Another reason is android phones are generally easier to SIM unlock and use anywhere. Unlocking a carrier unlocked iPhone is a PITA in many places and some carriers still don't allow it. And both the 4S and 5 (along with basebands higher than 1.59.00 for 4) cannot be software unlocked. Gevey is a bandaid solution that is not perfect either and requires jailbreak to work.

With Apple the ability to switch carriers on a whim comes with the full price tag.

 

[g4manimac]

One word ACCESSIBILITY and the ease of it.I still have an iphone and an android but the android is just way better with the way I can get all the apps from play store and dont get me wrong my iphone has cydia but its just not the play store.And if you want and android you can get all kinds of phones in all kinds of price ranges if you want and Iphone well you gotta get an iphone.Even though I am apple all the way and my computer will always be apple and I will most likely always have an Iphone,just not a brand new one every time they come out.Iphone just seems like a past trend to me they really gotta go BIGGER and BETTER.

 

[ceva321]

The carrier availability is the main reason. Also, a lot of the Android phones started out as cheaper phones for the peasants who couldn't afford an iPhone.

The first Android phone that really caught the attention of consumers really was the Motorola Droid. The Verizon and Motorola campaign was huge.

WRONG! I didn't get an iphone for 2 years because Verizon didn't sell it and I did not want to switch carriers (not because I cound't afford it) then when I finally had a change to get an iphone I did, loved it at first but 2 years later, it was just too boring for me, so I bought a GS3 and then a GN2 AND I LOVE THEM NOW.......bigger faster more beautiful to use......i hate small phones now thank God for Samsung


DSC00002 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

 

[chris2k5]

Yuck! Recently sold my Note 2.Decided to keep the iPhone 5...

 

[Wrathwitch]

It's not my intention to be rude, but I think you are wrong. I believe that most people don't like or care for choice when it comes to electronics. They want it to work. Which has been the extremely successful marketing strategy for the advertising experts.

This is also why most android users don't bother to change the look of their phones, or purchase swiftkey.

When it comes to something as simple as a phone is (in the big picture) I hardly believe that choice really is the reason high end android smartphones sell that well these days.

Regarding the bigger screen I'll have to agree, but I still see a lot of new android users that would've been better off had they played safe and gotten an iPhone.

FWIW here is my opinion to your post. I am one of those masses I guess who would NEVER have dreamed of straying from iOS/iPhone......UNTIL

Will try to keep this short. I am a tech junkie. I love especially mobile technology. Apple was a great kiddie pool phone for me and it was ever so reliable and wonderful for my first smartphone without hassles. Previously I owned (shudder) HTC windows 6.5 Touch Diamond (kill me now for my stupidity), Blackberry Storm (really, kill me again) and finally the smart phone I wanted the iPhone. I now own an S3.

Why? It certainly wasn't cheaper to go with the S3. I had concerns that it wouldn't be as reliable as my trusty iP4.

I have had the phone for a year now and it is reliable as hell. Use it as my alarm clock every day as well as so much more. I run my Russian language lessons on it (which I only had to drag and drop for them to work) Music player for when I am in the shower, media reader, weather info, email, texting and yes even phone calls. I use it as a GPS, I surf with it, take pictures with it (although the camera isn't as good as my iP4). Use it for google translate etc etc. (The reason I mention this is just to let you know I don't just use the device for texting.)

I love deciding what I want to see on my homescreen instead of a bunch of apps that you can't hide unless you stuff them onto another page.

Touch Wiz dog locked on me a few times so I switched to Nova and not a single problem with the UI.

Swiftkey is the best keyboard app I have ever used. I barely have to type 3 letters and I can just hit the space bar, it is that accurate.

I have NOT rooted or messed with the phone other than the Interface.

What drew me in initially was boredom of a stagnant OS and an itty bitty screen. I just wanted a bit more. Although personally I would love it if the phone had the same specs with a 4.5" screen.

People who say that Android (esp JB) is not smooth or fluid are just blind fans of other OSs. I am pretty fussy on my devices and get bored easily but I have to say that the S3 is pretty amazing.

The only things I dislike is the noise cancellation fail when I use my car's BT with it and the camera can't touch the iP4 when it comes to photo clarity (I may have a small issue with my phone's camera) but hard to get them to replace it when the damn thing still works, but just not as perfectly as I would desire.

So yes, I really really love the screen, customization, options of keyboards etc. But that is not what drew me in.

What drew me in was Apple's failure to elevate it's OS and it's devices. They rested on their laurels and have fallen behind. Yes they still put out good products but face it, when the OS big update merely offers what Android has already been offering for quite a while, it hardly seems they are striving to excel. Why else would they have fired the iOS dev head?

Had they allowed me the slightest customization included in a slightly larger (NOT TALLER) screen. I would never have strayed.

I am glad I did.

 

[jrswizzle]

Had they allowed me the slightest customization included in a slightly larger (NOT TALLER) screen. I would never have strayed.

I am glad I did.

I want to do a PSA on this ridiculous notion that Apple did something weird or crazy by only lengthening the iPhone 5.

The fact is, Apple DID move to a slightly larger screen. It's just they moved to the more popular 16:9 aspect ratio at the same time (the same ratio the Galaxy lines and just about every flagship handset are on).

Now if you had wished they stayed with the 4:3 AND increased the screen size, then say so. But for the love of all that is holy can we please stop pretending like Apple created some frankenstein phone that is abnormally long and skinny???

Ever seen the Droid Razr M? Same dimensions. It just so happens, that's what the GS3 (roundabouts given different bezels) would look like at 4".

Please tell your friends....I'm sick of having to disprove this nonsense on ever freaking thread in these forums....

 

[jrswizzle]

What drew me in was Apple's failure to elevate it's OS and it's devices. They rested on their laurels and have fallen behind. Yes they still put out good products but face it, when the OS big update merely offers what Android has already been offering for quite a while, it hardly seems they are striving to excel. Why else would they have fired the iOS dev head?

Obviously if this is your conclusion, Android is the OS for you.

People who think this way fail to realize the OS is not Apple's primary focus....never has been. The emphasis in an iDevice is the apps and the in-app experience. The OS is supposed to "just work" so it blends into the background. There isn't any "elevating" iOS because Apple simply doesn't want it to be elevated. They want it to be in the periphery.

That being said, there are plenty of things they can do to improve iOS - just as there are plenty of improvements to be made to Android. But we are looking at two different philosophies here - one focused on the apps and in-app experience, the other focused on the specs and OS itself.

Neither is perfect, and both are immensely popular with the markets they are trying to reach - the sway (move in market share) comes from which is marketed more effectively. Samsung is currently leading that arena and therefore you see a shift toward Android and away from Apple - even though it was last quarter that saw Apple take 1st place in the US away from Samsung since 2008. (and of course, on a global stage the relative low pricing of Android adds marketshare as well).

To say Apple isn't excelling because "Apple is putting out features Android has had for a while" has always been an invalid argument because it assumes both do those "features" exactly the same way - which is obviously not the case, especially given the different paths each company is trying to take.

Look, both Apple and Google (and Samsung and every other OEM) have this stuffed planned multiple years ahead of time. The fact it seems Apple is only reacting to what other OEMs are doing isn't entirely accurate.

And generally speaking, being first to do something isn't always a recipe for success....

Having lived with both an Android and Apple device for a couple of weeks now, I am more convinced than ever that these statements of Apple's doom or of Android's bugginess are simply exaggerated cries by people who either can't or won't just accept that everyone has a different preference.....

And that's ok.

 

[maxosx]

Thing is, suddenly everyone uses Android anyways. Tell me why?

The large scale adoption of top of the line Android phones is a result of the superior experience & performance they provide.

Offering many ways to setup the phone to one's liking it's a time saving, fun to use Smartphone. The word is out, Androids a great OS.

 

[aneftp]

I don't get the whole price thing. Sure a lot of android phones are cheaper on prepaid plans than iPhones but the majority of people in the U.S still sign a two year contract and upgrade every two years. And on a two year contract the price points are the same.

Free
$49 (Apple doesn't have a phone in this tier)
$99
$199
$299.

So no, I don't think it's the price.

Subsidies contracts are meant to confuse the public what carriers like ATT, Sprint, Verizon etc actually pay for the phones in bulk.

What we do know (from Sprint CEO's remarks) He said the Sprint subsidizes the iphone 50% more than any other phone they carry. This includes the Galaxy phones.

Just do the math. Let's say Sprint sells the Galaxy S3 for $199 on contract and the iPhone 5 for $199 on contract. If Sprint's CEO says the iphone subsidy costs his company 50% more. Than how much is Sprint paying for the S3 (in bulk) from Samsung. And how much is the company paying for the iPhone in bulk.

It's pretty reasonable to assume Sprint pays about $450 for each Samsung Galaxy S3 from Samsung in bulk. And Sprint pays about $600 for each iphone 5 (16GB model) in bulk. The math with the subsidy here is $400 for iPhone and $250 subsidy for the S3. That's the real cost of the phones to the carriers.

That's why they promote non -iphones cause their subsidies are much less. Of course you have resellers who can sell the S3 for much less. But many of the resellers have "gotchas". Meaning you simply can't add a line to get the S3. You can't delete the data plan and put a flip phone on the line (thereby insuring ATT/Verizon gets $30 data on that line for at least 6 months or a double ETF can be hit).

 

[jrswizzle]

The large scale adoption of top of the line Android phones is a result of the superior experience & performance they provide.

Offering many ways to setup the phone to one's liking it's a time saving, fun to use Smartphone. The word is out, Androids a great OS.

I'll preface what I'm about to say by saying I'm very much enjoying my Nexus 4 being my daily driver/personal phone.....

But I'd like to be realistic about why Android has seen such widespread adoption and success:

(1) It has evolved into a great mobile OS. Smoothness has gotten much better, the customization is obviously a plus for many and updates are starting to be rolled out on better timetables.

HOWEVER....

(2) Whether you want to believe it or not, carriers DO push Android more than iPhone. They make more money, there are more "Brand New" Android handsets in a given year - it just makes sense the carriers would do this - especially when those Android handsets are allowed to have carrier bloatware on them that a majority of the public won't know (or care) how to get rid of it.

(3) Marketing. Samsung is absolutely the marketing champ right now. All they get is good press while it seems all Apple gets is bad press. Marketing is swaying those in-betweeners toward trying Android - and many are liking what they see.

(4) However - Apple still reigns supreme when it comes to customer satisfaction, and there is SOME truth to this timeline: a customer buys Android - doesn't like it - goes to iOS. Obviously this also happens the other way as well, however given MANY more people are starting in the Android camp first, there is a higher defection rate. So while at times during the year Android's marketshare is dominating, Apple hangs on by grabbing the defectors until their annual release, at which point they generally grab a big chunk back.

(5) And finally - price. In the US, this really doesn't apply and I'm sure there are other countries where consumers want the top handsets and carrier subsidies make the prices of those flagships relatively equal. However, in a large market like China, cheap Android smartphones are huge - its simply a culture thing, especially when carrier subsidies don't exist and you're looking at purchasing an iPhone for upwards of $800+

All that to say, again, I enjoy both platforms. Since I got my Nexus 4 a few weeks ago I have become even more convinced that there is a place for each OS and there is a distinct philosophy that drives each company to make the changes and design the OSes the way they do. Neither is better than the other overall - ultimately the decision is up to each individual to decide which is best for them.

I just happen to be one of those way too into tech for my bank account's own good, so I play around with both and wish I had the disposible income to buy one of each (BB10 and WP8 both do some interesting things)....

*Please read and comment on this post IN ITS ENTIRETY. It is extremely irresponsible to take my comments out of context as I am trying to make well thought out statements and arguments as to why I believe Android is in the position it is in. Remember, ultimately it is at the top because it is a great OS that caters to a great many people - the other side of that is, so does iOS.

 

[AmtrakRider]

I think the Apple Vs. Android debate in some parts of the world are not even about software, and more about brand. In the few months I have been in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Each one of these countries have different views on the Android vs Apple debate.

2 countries in particular stand out in their differences on this subject. Being in Vietnam you see people wearing iPhone flip flops, or pants with printed apple logos all over them. For them Apple is a true luxury brand, and having a device like that gives you enhanced status. Even if you are using an iPhone 3gs which seemed to be the most common model. While in Vietnam I had a Galaxy Note 2, a Nexus 7 and the recently released iPad Mini. No one said anything about my Note 2, but when I was using my iPad in coffee shops, locals in broken english were asking me about the iPad.

In South Korea especially in Souel having a Note 2 or Galaxy S3 was required to be seen outside. While I didn't see anyone wearing Samsung logos on their pants it was clear that Samsung was the biggest brand in the country.

I think that in some of these places the debate is almost more about the culture around the brand in the area where your from then the technology. I feel that even on this forum people in 2013 wouldn't want to be using a 3gs.

 

[cynics]

Obviously if this is your conclusion, Android is the OS for you.

People who think this way fail to realize the OS is not Apple's primary focus....never has been. The emphasis in an iDevice is the apps and the in-app experience. The OS is supposed to "just work" so it blends into the background. There isn't any "elevating" iOS because Apple simply doesn't want it to be elevated. They want it to be in the periphery.

That being said, there are plenty of things they can do to improve iOS - just as there are plenty of improvements to be made to Android. But we are looking at two different philosophies here - one focused on the apps and in-app experience, the other focused on the specs and OS itself.

Neither is perfect, and both are immensely popular with the markets they are trying to reach - the sway (move in market share) comes from which is marketed more effectively. Samsung is currently leading that arena and therefore you see a shift toward Android and away from Apple - even though it was last quarter that saw Apple take 1st place in the US away from Samsung since 2008. (and of course, on a global stage the relative low pricing of Android adds marketshare as well).

To say Apple isn't excelling because "Apple is putting out features Android has had for a while" has always been an invalid argument because it assumes both do those "features" exactly the same way - which is obviously not the case, especially given the different paths each company is trying to take.

Look, both Apple and Google (and Samsung and every other OEM) have this stuffed planned multiple years ahead of time. The fact it seems Apple is only reacting to what other OEMs are doing isn't entirely accurate.

And generally speaking, being first to do something isn't always a recipe for success....

Having lived with both an Android and Apple device for a couple of weeks now, I am more convinced than ever that these statements of Apple's doom or of Android's bugginess are simply exaggerated cries by people who either can't or won't just accept that everyone has a different preference.....

And that's ok.

Ohh, I like this....

----------

Subsidies contracts are meant to confuse the public what carriers like ATT, Sprint, Verizon etc actually pay for the phones in bulk.

What we do know (from Sprint CEO's remarks) He said the Sprint subsidizes the iphone 50% more than any other phone they carry. This includes the Galaxy phones.

Just do the math. Let's say Sprint sells the Galaxy S3 for $199 on contract and the iPhone 5 for $199 on contract. If Sprint's CEO says the iphone subsidy costs his company 50% more. Than how much is Sprint paying for the S3 (in bulk) from Samsung. And how much is the company paying for the iPhone in bulk.

It's pretty reasonable to assume Sprint pays about $450 for each Samsung Galaxy S3 from Samsung in bulk. And Sprint pays about $600 for each iphone 5 (16GB model) in bulk. The math with the subsidy here is $400 for iPhone and $250 subsidy for the S3. That's the real cost of the phones to the carriers.

That's why they promote non -iphones cause their subsidies are much less. Of course you have resellers who can sell the S3 for much less. But many of the resellers have "gotchas". Meaning you simply can't add a line to get the S3. You can't delete the data plan and put a flip phone on the line (thereby insuring ATT/Verizon gets $30 data on that line for at least 6 months or a double ETF can be hit).

But doesn't apple bully the carrier where to set the subsidy price? I believe I read that before.

Apple considers it a privilege to be allowed to sell their products. Which is probably true from the amount of return the carrier sees from the consumer....

 

[jrswizzle]

Ohh, I like this....

Why thank you

I become convinced more and more as I'm using my Nexus these spec wars and arguments over which phone OS is the best really are huge wastes of time....

If only people would realize other preferences exist outside their own, we'd be in a much better place.

 

[The iGentleman]

I want to do a PSA on this ridiculous notion that Apple did something weird or crazy by only lengthening the iPhone 5.

The fact is, Apple DID move to a slightly larger screen. It's just they moved to the more popular 16:9 aspect ratio at the same time (the same ratio the Galaxy lines and just about every flagship handset are on).

Now if you had wished they stayed with the 4:3 AND increased the screen size, then say so. But for the love of all that is holy can we please stop pretending like Apple created some frankenstein phone that is abnormally long and skinny???

I think what she's trying to say is, with the screen merely being longer, it doesn't add to the experience. More content still isn't really shown except toward the bottom. In other words, things such as web pages, still show the same amount of content in regards to width. The phone's screen is still quite small, regardless of the aspect ratio.

It just so happens, that's what the GS3 (roundabouts given different bezels) would look like at 4".

But the GS3 isn't a 4" screen, so that issue is nonexistent.

Obviously if this is your conclusion, Android is the OS for you.

People who think this way fail to realize the OS is not Apple's primary focus....never has been. The emphasis in an iDevice is the apps and the in-app experience. The OS is supposed to "just work" so it blends into the background. There isn't any "elevating" iOS because Apple simply doesn't want it to be elevated. They want it to be in the periphery.

But that's just it, having an OS that isn't functional is a bit of an antiquated concept. There is no reason the OS shouldn't have more functionality.

To say Apple isn't excelling because "Apple is putting out features Android has had for a while" has always been an invalid argument because it assumes both do those "features" exactly the same way - which is obviously not the case, especially given the different paths each company is trying to take.

They don't have to do them the same way for it to be true. The bottom line is, if your new features in your newest version of the OS is something that's been pretty standard for a couple of years, then it doesn't matter how you do it...in the end it's still nothing special.

And generally speaking, being first to do something isn't always a recipe for success....

This is true, just ask Clear lol.

 

[Wrathwitch]

I want to do a PSA on this ridiculous notion that Apple did something weird or crazy by only lengthening the iPhone 5.

The fact is, Apple DID move to a slightly larger screen. It's just they moved to the more popular 16:9 aspect ratio at the same time (the same ratio the Galaxy lines and just about every flagship handset are on).

Now if you had wished they stayed with the 4:3 AND increased the screen size, then say so. But for the love of all that is holy can we please stop pretending like Apple created some frankenstein phone that is abnormally long and skinny???

Ever seen the Droid Razr M? Same dimensions. It just so happens, that's what the GS3 (roundabouts given different bezels) would look like at 4".

Please tell your friends....I'm sick of having to disprove this nonsense on ever freaking thread in these forums....

I'm sorry but to me it felt like a sell out compromise. They created a negligibly larger screen without going the extra mile to make it shine. Just so they could say that the screen was larger. For Apples usual care and design it does look like some sort of Frankenphone especially compared to what could have been.

----------

I think what she's trying to say is, with the screen merely being longer, it doesn't add to the experience. More content still isn't really shown except toward the bottom. In other words, things such as web pages, still show the same amount of content in regards to width. The phone's screen is still quite small, regardless of the aspect ratio.


But the GS3 isn't a 4" screen, so that issue is nonexistent.




But that's just it, having an OS that isn't functional is a bit of an antiquated concept. There is no reason the OS shouldn't have more functionality.


They don't have to do them the same way for it to be true. The bottom line is, if your new features in your newest version of the OS is something that's been pretty standard for a couple of years, then it doesn't matter how you do it...in the end it's still nothing special.


This is true, just ask Clear lol.

Nicely stated.