Why do people defend Android so much here? [Moved from iPhone forum]

[Rogifan]

Originally Posted by Apollo 13

Because this forum has a lot of Android fanboys on it. I use to be one of them...signed up here before even owning anything Apple.

Using Android and fanboy in the same sentence....is that even allowed?

[louis.b]

Originally Posted by Rogifan

Using Android and fanboy in the same sentence....is that even allowed?

The Android fanatics troll the internet bashing Apple every chance they get. As an ex Android fan boy I know this is true.

[Oletros]

Originally Posted by louis.b

The Android fanatics troll the internet bashing Apple every chance they get. As an ex Android fan boy I know this is true.

So, because you were a troll skill the others are trolls?

[Agathon]

Originally Posted by tbayrgs

People defend Android because, hard as it may be to believe , some of us don't wear rose colored Apple shaped glasses and are capable of objectively looking at the merits/flaws of any or all devices available to us.

That's not answering the OP's question. The OP asked why they do it here. S/he was asking about why so many Android fans perpetually clog up Apple message boards with their tripe and ridiculous conspiracy theories (my favourite is how Apple brainwashes people with marketing) while the reverse almost never happens.

The answer is of course that they find Apple's success to be some sort of personal affront, and the most common reason for that is that geeks are delusional. The reasons why they are delusional are highly interesting.

The nature of one of the delusions is that geeks believe that they do or rightfully should serve the function of a vanguard, by setting the tech trends that the great unwashed will follow.

Of course the real world doesn't work that way, since the needs of most consumers are, and will always remain, very different from the needs of tech nerds. Back in the day most consumer computer equipment was bought by nerds and so was designed to cater to the needs of nerds. The history of the last 20 years is the slow drift of consumer tech away from serving nerds to serving the population at large because that is where the money is. There is not much money in designing tech equipment to the absurd specifications of nerds, because most people aren't nerds. There is nothing wrong with this. Different people have different needs, and in the end that is all that this boils down to. What sticks in the craw of geeks is that hardly anyone else has the same needs as them, that the needs of others are not "wrong" or "stupid", and that this is never going to change.

Apple is a chief villain in this respect because it designs specifically for the mass market. It's forte is to make computing as simple as possible. This threatens nerds because they see themselves as gatekeepers and hate the idea that ordinary people should be able to do great things with technology without putting in the endless hours of learning that they have, or by asking their advice. Hence the endless ranting about how Apple is "dumbing things down". If tech isn't hard to use, then nerds lose their special status as a vanguard. In fact, they lost it ages ago, but nobody told them (the same thing has been happening with PC gaming vs. consoles). Nerds whine about how the iPhone isn't the best phone, when they really mean the best phone for them. Lurking behind this is the absurd idea that everyone should follow their preferences or at least admit that their preferences are "better". Almost nobody does.

The consumer preferences of nerds are largely irrelevant in the mass market. One of the places they take out this frustration is on Apple forums. It is nothing more than abandonment issues and status anxiety. Nerds are a niche market. Android suits them because it flatters their bloated egos.

The other geek delusion is in modelling the politics of technology on the politics of the Star Wars films (Apple fans have been guilty of this one in the past). We seem doomed to always hear about some evil empire crushing the freedom of brave rebels (and the Empire in Star Wars always has the modern, well-designed kit). Think about it. How many tech quarrels invariably rest upon this hackneyed plot? It's the stupidest thing imaginable.

Note to tech nerds: if you're modelling your view of real world politics on a kids' movie in which people wield a magical force and one of the main characters is a talking carpet, you might want to reconsider your approach.

The reason Apple fans don't flame Android forums is because they simply don't care about any of this stuff. They shouldn't. It's tilting at windmills.

[Oletros]

Originally Posted by Agathon

That's not answering the OP's question. The OP asked why they do it here. S/he was asking about why so many Android fans perpetually clog up Apple message boards

You know that you can own an Android smartphone or an Android tablet AND Apple devices.

You know that this site is not iOSRumors, it is called MacRumors

[F123D]

A lot of the android users on this forum were previously or still iOS users and still own other apple products. Just because we use an android device doesn't mean we're anti-apple. We just happen to prefer an android device over an iPhone and/or iPad.

[onthecouchagain]

The fact that we are in a sub forum created specifically for folks like us to talk about alternatives means we never have to answer this thread's question ever again.

[mattopotamus]

Originally Posted by onthecouchagain

The fact that we are in a sub forum created specifically for folks like us to talk about alternatives means we never have to answer this thread's question ever again.

I am just glad there is a sub-forum. This is my favorite forum to visit and it covers all of my needs/questions regarding any device....be it tvs, phones, computers

[Prototypical]

Originally Posted by Vegastouch

True and even with older Android devices, the Apps always get updated to the full version.

While this is a pro in many respects, it's a con in that the app gets updated even if the hardware can't handle it. For example, Google Maps is sketchy on my OG Droid (not that I use it daily anymore)... This sort of thing tends to irritate people who hold onto phones for a long time.

I'm not naive enough to think Apple doesn't intentionally withhold updates for financial reasons, but I think they also do it to preserve the user experience. Yes, you can't update a 3G to iOS6, but at least your 3G is still usable on 4.X or 5.X. And in the case of Maps, your 3G works better than my 4S on 6.01.

[cynics]

Forums like these keep "trolls" off other forums. There is a place to vent if your a diehard supporter be it Android or Apple or whatever.

You are fooling yourself to think iOS users don't goto Android forums to try to start trouble. And the opposite applies here.

My two main mobile devices are an iPhone 4S and a Nexus 10. I like both a lot. Both have pros and cons.

[aerok]

I love my Apple products and keep coming here to read news related to Apple products. I did not buy the iPhone 5 simply because I do not like the phone and NOT because I'm a hater/fandroid.

And yes I will defend products that I like and yes I will also call out on fictional gibberish a lot people post here about different OSs including iOS/OSX. And you will never see me troll/hate on Apple in my posts or any other manufacturers. They are all the same to me, money-making organizations that only care about my wallet.

----------

Originally Posted by tbayrgs

I love the standard (I'm paraphrasing of course) "why do you even come to MR if you aren't ready to swear loyalty to all things Apple and never say a bad thing about them, so help you Steve Jobs!". Last I checked, it's a site to get Apple news and discuss Apple products, not pledge your firstborn child to them.

well said!

[iAll]

I just gave up my Motorola Atrix 2 for an i5 and not totally out of dislike for the Droid, but because my wife and kids have 4s's and in some respects, I missed the OS. I had a 3G way back in the day and would have moved on to another iphone had they increased the screen size to be more user friendly for the "mature" user. I had Motorola phones for years and still think they make a superb product. I don't think I ever had one that let me down. The only time I had one fail was because I left it in my jacket pocket while dancing through severe rains on my bike. I liked the Droid; I miss the ease to customize per my personal tastes and moods. I liked NOT having to deal with *******'n' iTunes to place files inside. Turning on/off data and wireless with a single tap.
But I like gadgets, and quality ones at that. I just wish we had LTE up here. That's the only thing keeping me from upgrading my iPad1.

By the way. How many posts does one need to not be considered a "newbie"? I've been a Mac guy since IIE, ProDos and no browser.

[louis.b]

Originally Posted by Oletros

So, because you were a troll skill the others are trolls?

Because they admitted so in the Android forums. Duh. When I dont like anything I dont visit their sites. Funny how the Android lovers pop up everywhere to trash Apple but I rarely see Apple users in XDA, Android central, etc. to trash Android.

[F123D]

Originally Posted by Agathon

Sure you do.

Dear Agathon,



Sincerely,

My iPad

[cynics]

Originally Posted by louis.b

Because they admitted so in the Android forums. Duh. When I dont like anything I dont visit their sites. Funny how the Android lovers pop up everywhere to trash Apple but I rarely see Apple users in XDA, Android central, etc. to trash Android.

Maybe you are just closed minded? Because only a blind person misses these....

"The trolling stops here. Stop posting in this thread, and consider this a final warning for any further trolling in this forum."

This is a cut/copy response from the moderators. I know because I see it so often.....

From a Nexus 10 thread I was just reading on Android Central.

http://forums.androidcentral.com/goo...ml#post2360845

Its so bad I rarely goto Android forums all it is is a bunch of people that need to justify iOS so badly that's all they want to talk about....

[aerok]

Originally Posted by louis.b

Because they admitted so in the Android forums. Duh. When I dont like anything I dont visit their sites. Funny how the Android lovers pop up everywhere to trash Apple but I rarely see Apple users in XDA, Android central, etc. to trash Android.

Your eyes only see what they want to see.

[Black Magic]

Originally Posted by Agathon

That's not answering the OP's question. The OP asked why they do it here. S/he was asking about why so many Android fans perpetually clog up Apple message boards with their tripe and ridiculous conspiracy theories (my favourite is how Apple brainwashes people with marketing) while the reverse almost never happens.

The answer is of course that they find Apple's success to be some sort of personal affront, and the most common reason for that is that geeks are delusional. The reasons why they are delusional are highly interesting.

The nature of one of the delusions is that geeks believe that they do or rightfully should serve the function of a vanguard, by setting the tech trends that the great unwashed will follow.

Of course the real world doesn't work that way, since the needs of most consumers are, and will always remain, very different from the needs of tech nerds. Back in the day most consumer computer equipment was bought by nerds and so was designed to cater to the needs of nerds. The history of the last 20 years is the slow drift of consumer tech away from serving nerds to serving the population at large because that is where the money is. There is not much money in designing tech equipment to the absurd specifications of nerds, because most people aren't nerds. There is nothing wrong with this. Different people have different needs, and in the end that is all that this boils down to. What sticks in the craw of geeks is that hardly anyone else has the same needs as them, that the needs of others are not "wrong" or "stupid", and that this is never going to change.

Apple is a chief villain in this respect because it designs specifically for the mass market. It's forte is to make computing as simple as possible. This threatens nerds because they see themselves as gatekeepers and hate the idea that ordinary people should be able to do great things with technology without putting in the endless hours of learning that they have, or by asking their advice. Hence the endless ranting about how Apple is "dumbing things down". If tech isn't hard to use, then nerds lose their special status as a vanguard. In fact, they lost it ages ago, but nobody told them (the same thing has been happening with PC gaming vs. consoles). Nerds whine about how the iPhone isn't the best phone, when they really mean the best phone for them. Lurking behind this is the absurd idea that everyone should follow their preferences or at least admit that their preferences are "better". Almost nobody does.

The consumer preferences of nerds are largely irrelevant in the mass market. One of the places they take out this frustration is on Apple forums. It is nothing more than abandonment issues and status anxiety. Nerds are a niche market. Android suits them because it flatters their bloated egos.

The other geek delusion is in modelling the politics of technology on the politics of the Star Wars films (Apple fans have been guilty of this one in the past). We seem doomed to always hear about some evil empire crushing the freedom of brave rebels (and the Empire in Star Wars always has the modern, well-designed kit). Think about it. How many tech quarrels invariably rest upon this hackneyed plot? It's the stupidest thing imaginable.

Note to tech nerds: if you're modelling your view of real world politics on a kids' movie in which people wield a magical force and one of the main characters is a talking carpet, you might want to reconsider your approach.

The reason Apple fans don't flame Android forums is because they simply don't care about any of this stuff. They shouldn't. It's tilting at windmills.

Hear, hear! This is one of the greatest post I have read to date regarding Android vs. Apple fans. This should be blasted on all Android forums.

On a side note, maybe the Apple forums are just plain better too.

[cynics]

Originally Posted by Black Magic

Hear, hear! This is one of the greatest post I have read to date regarding this Android vs. Apple. This should be blasted on all Android forums.

On a side note, maybe the Apple forums are just plain better too.

Seriously? You think that's true? People prefer a more powerful 800 dollar desktop to a 1700 dollar Mac because they are "tech geek nerds" that can't figure out windows?

I tried on this forum so many times (check my history) to reason with and get an iMac to only be told to get a PC for my needs before I finally gave up. Die hard Mac users telling me to get a PC. Even then I'm still considering a 2012/13 27" iMac. The only argument is "you don't need that powerful of a computer" but that doesn't negate the fact I can do twice as much for half the expense....

Saying it takes a tech geek or nerd or whatever to use OS X, Windows, Android, iOS, etc is just completely absurd. There are no points for prosperity on that quote....

[AutoUnion39]

I'm just glad we have this subforum. Some iPhone fans are ridiculously jaded in their views.

[walie]

Originally Posted by AutoUnion39

I'm just glad we have this subforum. Some iPhone fans are ridiculously jaded in their views.

The "iPhone misinformation" thread is the current doozy

[Oletros]

Originally Posted by louis.b

I rarely see Apple users in XDA, Android central, etc. to trash Android.

It is called selective reading

[Tsuchiya]

Why shouldn't people defend Android?

It's possible to be a Mac owner and also have Android devices. It's hardly blasphemy

I assumed that was the point of the "Alternative to iOS and iOS Devices" forum.

[sc4rf4c3]

I thought the name of this forum is Alternatives to iOS and iOS Devices.

[3bs]

Originally Posted by sc4rf4c3

I thought the name of this forum is Alternatives to iOS and iOS Devices.

I think this was initially posted in the iPhone section then moved here.

[KnightWRX]

The question is not why people defend Android (the same reason people defend iOS), it's why do people fell compelled to attack Android (the same question also applies to iOS).

FUD on both sides is FUD. Stick to facts, no need to get emotional over a product you can switch to and from as easily as you change socks.