A backup system image would be really nice, hence why the iPhones been able to do it for years. Normally people who downplay this wouldn't downplay this ability on a computer. A windows 7ish feature? Yeah it means it's an older technology that we know most androids still can't do because of all the skins companies put on their android os.
I wouldn't downplay it on a computer because on a PC I have to reinstall all my applications and typically data. However, today with my computer, most all of my data is in a cloud or on seperate storage thus I really just need to create an image of my PC to restore my applications that in turn will connect with said data. There are also far more 'settings' that I have on my PC than on my phone.
On my phone, there too, much of my data that's important to me is in the cloud. Android already has a means to restore all my applications so hence why I somewhat down-play the image creation peice. When I bought my Note 3 I was up and running with a mirror copy of my old phone by the time I left the store. All my apps, photos, music, contact, calender, tasks, etc were there for me on my new device. No real reason to worry about backing up anything as I had no need to restore from an image. The only things I lost were a few data sets from games that my kids play, not me. Perhaps I could have saved that data, but it wasn't important to me.
Those features like u mention that's important to u. I respect that. But the majority of people probably don't customize their phones to that degree. Replacement dialer? thats more important than a full system image?
I won't speak for the majority of people as none of us can do that. Especially since we don't control the fact that they don't know what they don't know; and there a lot of things about Android that people don't know.
In terms of a dialer, yes, that is more important to me than creating a system image. I've already covered why I'm good and don't need a system image to restore from. There's no great loss of anything imoprtant if I drop my phone in a pile of boiling lava today. Dialer wise however, I LOVE having the ability to replace things like that. I the CONSUMER have that OPTION and for me replacing the touch wiz dialer was great. I would love to have Power Amp on an iPhone as it's a far superior sounding system with a lot more functions than the stock Apple media player. That's not an option....yet.
Most people want a phone that is stable, feels good, and is efficient. I used to love messing around with phones, rooting etc different roms. But after a while it's redundant to me. And having a job and family as well as other endeavors I had little motivation to keep spending time trying out the latest build on android.
Please be clear, my "customizing" has ZERO reference to rooting. I don't root. My Note 3 is 100% stable too. Never locks up, freezes or hangs, etc. It's as solid if not better than my iOS Devices in use in my family. I also don't "mess around" with my phone. I update and add apps and widgets and change only what makes my entire experience and day better.
Replacing a dialer, adding a specific widget, customizing my launcher, SMS app, email app, camera app, etc. those are the specifics I'm talking about. Having location services tied in with Lama and Google now is awesome. I can go to work and have my phone recognize where I am changing my screen brightness (dimly lit office), lower my volumes of the ringer, notifications, etc all seperately, changes my bluetooth to on and connects to my office and then automatically forwards my phone to my desk and even launch airdroid so that my texts and data go to my desktop vs my phone. All that without doing anything. That's the power of what I EXPECT a SMART phone to do.
I imagine I'm not the only one cuz again every iPhone outsells the previous one. Every year. It rules the "flagship" smartphone category. Again the 5s was outselling the s5 a month after the s5 came out.
Wonderful, and the Chevy Cruze and Toyota Corolla are great little reliable and solid commuters that outsell themselves and many others too, but I've got zero interest in owning one. The masses love them though and nothing wrong with either.
Again at the end of the day people hate apple cuz they sell the number 1 smartphone. Apple doesn't personally harm anybody.
Here in the US but not world wide they do quite well for themselves. However, no one hates Apple because they are the best in the US. I have no hate for them at all. I just have come to expect more from the products I use. Solid products with a smooth OS and experience is no longer the high expectation. Apple is now beginning to see that and thus why they are opening up and becoming more like the competition. It's the extras that I mentioned that many are now looking for. Big screen iP6+, great....why do I care as a user? Does that 5.5" offer me anything today that really makes a difference to me over a 4.7" device? On a Note 3 vs a S5 it does.
Personally, they have a great product in the iPhone, but it needs to evolve into a platform than a more advanced person would use. After 7 yrs they really still have the same old type of device and now it's bigger. Big deal. The iPhone is still just one product vs a family of products.