Other Why so much elitism with some IPhone users?

[eyoungren]

Do you seriously think that that's a common scenario when certain people keep posting the same rant in various threads? Are those people genuinely new users to iOS and genuinely don't know about this, while they have been sideloading on Android? Correct me if I'm wrong if you have examples, but I have not seen that scenario at all here.

And even if that's the case, what do you think is the proper answer? I believe when the demand is something that is specific on Android, then the answer to use Android is appropriate. Ranting about iOS not able to do the thing endlessly won't do anything.

And I do believe many here are helpful to people who genuinely have questions about iOS.

I believe it's common enough. I've been around these forums long enough to see it. But, I'll switch it up. If I go into the MacRumors Intel Mac forums and ask for help about my 2006 or my 2008 MacBook Pro what do you think the response will be?

Historically the only response has been "Get a NEW Mac!!!" There's a reason that early Intel Macs have been supported by us MR users in the PowerPC Mac section for a number of years and it's precisely because of that response. You'll get very little help in the Intel Mac section if you aren't using a Mac that's a year old or less. That doesn't mean all users in that forum are that way…but enough have been over the years.

Maybe that's changed in recent years…but there's now an Early Intel Mac forum here on MR so I go there instead.

No matter what forum there will always be the troll ranting about something who won't listen. That's a different thing…Usually they get shut down. Again, I am speaking of the genuine user seeking help that gets told Apple isn't for them.

 

[Bokka]

I have always used computers with the Windows operating system (rarely Linux and at the beginning of my IT adventure a Commodore 64 for some time). As an operating system in my smartphones I have always had Android and before that Symbian. I have NEVER had anything from Apple, but by the end of the year I would like to take away the curiosity to try "the competition". Do I really need it? No. Am I a fan of technology and computer science in general and have I always been curious? Yes. For this reason I would like to try a couple of Apple products at least once in my life. The last thing I think is to join a sort of "elite" of users or feel part of a certain wealthy population group because I show off an Apple device. I am definitely not a rich person, but I have had a steady job for about 20 years, a home and a family. I'm making some sacrifices to buy Apple products. I think that whoever buys a product with these ideas in mind is truly a frustrated and depressed person, who seeks in these things a personal redemption towards other people. But also the various media are treading this thing and trying in some way to inculcate certain ways of reasoning in people's heads. The world is not divided between those who have an iPhone and those who do not, in the end they are only and exclusively phones.

 

[eyoungren]

It's the blatant disregard for the user experience that Microsoft and Google have which borders on disdain for users that causes some people (like me) to talk about Android and Windows that way. It has nothing to do with the price of the equipment because there are pricier Android phones and Windows computers than Apple products. It has nothing to do with people using those products either.

When a company rolls out dark mode and even half their own apps ignore it, when they take away the back button and replace it with a gesture that simultaneously opens the side bar, when their OS has multiple control panels, when animations are choppy on even the highest end hardware, when their UI is so inconsistent that the user doesn't know what to expect when doing the same thing in different circumstances, when they let an app run in the background and drain all the battery at night so your alarm doesn't work in the morning, when they constantly take the user's data and sell it to third parties, etc. etc. etc. we as Apple users make fun of that company. It has nothing to do with people using the product. It has to do with the company who doesn't care about them.

My only quibble with what you've said is this. Apple, by its actions, may appear to care about its users/customers more than the other guys. But believing that they are all about you is a trap. Apple is a business and they have a long history of doing what they want at the expense of the customer while either ignoring the customer or telling the customer that Apple knows what's best.

Maybe Apple cares a little more, but ultimately you're just another sales statistic.

 

[bricktop_at]

For me it's rather simple: If I want something to "just work" and don't give me a headache, I go with Apple stuff. So privately/at home I use iPhone, Apple Watches and Macs. Simple as that.

For a living, 99% of the time I have to deal with Windows machines and some friends, family and my girlfriend own Android phones of various types. Guess it's OK to say that I know both worlds rather well.

So... I tend to get a bit annoyed when people ask me to help them with issues with their Androids or setting up a new one - and that's mainly because I see problems that on an iOS device would never even occur in the first place. I won't even start about the things you see when setting up a new Android from an old one and assume the whole process would be as smooth as with iOS.
Windows is quite fine now, especially since Windows 10 - but apart from the Surface devices which are nice, there's nothing that compares to the build quality of Macs.

So in conclusion I think there is definitely no need or place for elitism but my own experience has taught me that Apple's products are more mature in many ways and that's why I prefer them.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

I have always used computers with the Windows operating system (rarely Linux and at the beginning of my IT adventure a Commodore 64 for some time). As an operating system in my smartphones I have always had Android and before that Symbian. I have NEVER had anything from Apple, but by the end of the year I would like to take away the curiosity to try "the competition". Do I really need it? No. Am I a fan of technology and computer science in general and have I always been curious? Yes. For this reason I would like to try a couple of Apple products at least once in my life. The last thing I think is to join a sort of "elite" of users or feel part of a certain wealthy population group because I show off an Apple device. I am definitely not a rich person, but I have had a steady job for about 20 years, a home and a family. I'm making some sacrifices to buy Apple products. I think that whoever buys a product with these ideas in mind is truly a frustrated and depressed person, who seeks in these things a personal redemption towards other people. But also the various media are treading this thing and trying in some way to inculcate certain ways of reasoning in people's heads. The world is not divided between those who have an iPhone and those who do not, in the end they are only and exclusively phones.

I think you're making a great choice to try something new this far on. Hard to say how things will work out for you but I always get a bit of a buzz from hearing someone is making the switch.

I'm not sure what you use your current phone to accomplish but I had to point out the bolded statement as it couldn't be further from the truth in my use case. For me the phone is part of a group of apps that get very little to no use on an average day.

 

[Nhwhazup]

I’m a complete Apple fan and have been since my first iPhone 3G. But I also have an open mind for non Apple products and I surely don’t think I’m special for having them.

It’s pretty sad and a complete laugh that having Apple products would make someone feel they are part of an elite group - 😂.

 

[bricktop_at]

For me the phone is part of a group of apps that get very little to no use on an average day.

Same here... saying that it's "just a phone" nowadays is plain wrong for most people - it probably was true 10-15 years ago.
I use it for banking and payments, surfing the internet, sending mails/messages, play the occasional game, find my way in areas I don't know, taking pics or listen to music. So it's PRETTY far from being just a phone.

 

[nburwell]

I grew up using Mac's in middle school all the way through college. Finally purchased my first MBP after graduating college (owned PC laptops prior) and since then, expanded to iPhone, AW, ATV, iPad, etc. I have owned a couple Android devices over the years, mainly to just play around with and see the differences between iOS and Android.

Between my wife and I, we're an all Apple household because the devices just work. Especially with my wife not being tech savvy, if she is having an issue with one of her Apple products, I'm able to diagnose and fix relatively quickly. Unfortunately, I'm not well versed in PC's (although I use one for work).

To me, a phone is a phone. You use whatever device works best for you. My FIL and SIL both own Android devices because they prefer them to iPhone's -- that is their own personal choice. I'm not going to say that I'm better than them because they don't own iPhone's -- that's just silly and quite honestly, petty.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Eww, an unwashed green bubble peasant. Get it away, get it away.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

I am of the opinion that if there was some way for Apple to physically mark (even while using a case) which storage option you purchased for your iPhone/iPad, a lot of this elitism would disappear. It would not eliminate it entirely I think, but it would shut up the price snobs who could only afford the lowest storage option.

A lot of these elitists hide behind the fact that no one can tell they couldn't afford more than the base model. It's the same smug arrogance as an old friend of mine who could only afford the base model Mustang V6 with manual windows, plastic hubcaps and a CD controller that was always falling off the dash. He was a 'proud' (arrogant) Mustang owner until you pointed all that stuff out.

Personally, I don't really care - but these people do and being able to call them on that would be useful.

You should tell your friend that need needs to save up and get the remaining 1/4 of his engine.

I get what you’re saying but as a car guy, I knew your buddy had a base model based solely on his single exhaust.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

I love when I get to wield this.

 

[eyoungren]

You should tell your friend that need needs to save up and get the remaining 1/4 of his engine.

I get what you’re saying but as a car guy, I knew your buddy had a base model based solely on his single exhaust.

Well, except for my father's funeral I haven't talked to him in ten years. It's around that time any friendship really ended. But I always wondered why just the mere ownership of that car mattered to him. Appearances I guess. Thing is, I worked with a guy who paid next to nothing for a salvage 25th Anniversary Mustang. That car was fully restored, modified and had a supercharger. THAT was a Mustang, not my old friend's tin can.

I am a firm believer in getting what you want. I'm patient and I'll wait for it. And I'd rather take something older so I do get what I want. My mother had the option once to get a '96 Accord with all the options. But this was 1997 and my dad overruled her and they ended up with a '97 model wtih much less features. It's a good car (in my driveway) but my mom didn't get what she wanted.

This is one of the reasons I have an iPhone 11 Pro Max. I wanted 512GB and have no need for 5G. It was much cheaper to go with that than the same storage in the 12 PM.

But if all someone cares about is perception than that's pretty sad.

 

[Johns12]

Eww, an unwashed green bubble peasant. Get it away, get it away.

I know you're joking 😀 , but this is another example of what was floating around these forums a few years ago.

 

[giv-as-a-ciggy-kent]

I love when I get to wield this.View attachment 1808772

Based.
This thread is now a green bubble meme thread.

 

[Uofmtiger]

I love when I get to wield this.View attachment 1808772

My girlfriend has an Android and we switched to Facebook messenger because she couldn't see some of the emojis.

I do think that we are seeing more of the "you should switch to Android" lately. Not surprised since sideloading is in the news right now. A lot of people are happy with their iPhones and don't want to see the experience ruined. Not that an individual poster on this site would have any say over it, though.

 

[johannnn]

I see a lot of elitism in Android forums as well. It exists in all communities.

 

[prizm]

Tribalism surrounding consumer purchase choices is an odd thing. It's like getting passionate and combative about the brand of lawnmower you use. It's ridiculous and borderline pathetic.

 

[Feyl]

There is now also elitism amongst Apple users, not just against Android users. Some (not all) ipad Pro users looking down their noses at Ipad air users, and the same with Iphone Pro over the regular/se iphone owners. Aluminium looks cheap, 60hz screen is for peasants… it goes on and on. 12 mini owners getting dumped on left, right and centre.

That's actually a great strategy from Apple to divide us like that and make some people to buy more expensive product even if they don't need it. This wasn't the case where there was only one iPhone and only one iPad. I miss those times.

 

[giv-as-a-ciggy-kent]

Tribalism surrounding consumer purchase choices is an odd thing. It's like getting passionate and combative about the brand of lawnmower you use. It's ridiculous and borderline pathetic.

I don’t know why you and some others in this thread are so confused by this. National and ethnic identities have been increasingly stamped out over the last 80 years but the need still exists in people so the tribal/community void is being filled with sports team affiliations, product choices, etc.

Its the result of late stage monopoly capitalism using liberal democracy as its cudgel. People are turned into interchangeable economic units to broaden the market. If there are only superficial differences between people, you can sell your product anywhere without having to make any changes. You then reap the profits thanks to economies of scale.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

My girlfriend has an Android and we switched to Facebook messenger because she couldn't see some of the emojis.

I do think that we are seeing more of the "you should switch to Android" lately. Not surprised since sideloading is in the news right now. A lot of people are happy with their iPhones and don't want to see the experience ruined. Not that an individual poster on this site would have any say over it, though.

When I was young(er) and dumb(er), I was in that flip-flopping stage when I got together with the girl who is now my ex. She was a robot phone user. I think I went through 3 HTC M8s, 2 iPhone 6 Pluses, an iPhone 6, 1 Nexus 6P, an HTC One M9, an iPhone 7 Plus, HTC M10, and 1 Essential PH-1 before realizing just how trash android was and sticking with my iPhone X.

Incidentally around that time, our relationship turned sour and I eventually left her for my current girlfriend.

My current girlfriend who sends messages in blue bubbles.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

I know you're joking 😀 , but this is another example of what was floating around these forums a few years ago.

Who's joking?

Kind of relating back to my response just before this one, when I broke things off with that girl, her friends obviously stopped talking to me. Nowadays, literally no one except a handful of coworkers are green bubbles (and I don't hang out with them). All my friends and family are blue bubbles, and my coworkers who are blue bubbles, we hang out.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I find the elitism I experience is on here and rarely in the outside world. Nearly everybody I associate with owns an iPhone but very very few people seem to be snobby about owning an iPhone simply because they are so common. The elitism I see on here is more to do with some Apple users opting for a Pro device and looking down at those who own mid tier devices like it’s some kind of elite techie badge. We used to have it when Plus iPhones came out too and since more models have been released, the elitism has gotten worse. You see it with Apple watches as well where people like to project that a 44mm Apple Watch is better than a 40mm lol. It’s sometimes hard not to get drawn in when you know it’s all rather irrelevant.

 

[HowlinAl]

This has been normal Apple user behavior since 1978.

 

[Berries-A-Million]

Yeah I agree with everything you say. There are some users here that go out of their way to bash Android at every single opportunity even when the topic in question has nothing to do with Android.

For whatever reason they need to lash out at something that they don’t like or don’t understand… This behaviour can very often be attributed to insecurity of course. Also a perceived lack of power and control from the person lashing out.

It is nothing more than childish play ground behaviour from adults that really should know better. Unfortunately, there are fanboys on both sides of the camp and they are as bad as each other.

It’s a very similar behaviour to those people who are of the mindset that there is only one opinion that is valid, correct and worth listening to, and that is theirs. Any other opinions are, in their eyes, useless and worthless. Of course they are doing nothing more there than projecting.

At the end of the day, there are pros and cons for both operating systems and phones. Neither are perfect, neither are 100% reliable, there is good and bad in both.

Keep in mind, over the years, I have noticed more Android users bash more Apple users than Apple users bash Android users. Just each of them making excuses to try and prove their device is better. Both work good and bad in their own way. I switch between them yearly.

 

[giv-as-a-ciggy-kent]

Keep in mind, over the years, I have noticed more Android users bash more Apple users than Apple users bash Android users. Just each of them making excuses to try and prove their device is better. Both work good and bad in their own way. I switch between them yearly.

A lot of small PP energy on the android side smdh tbh