Consumers Most Interested in Apple Products Because of Existing Ecosystem, Ease of Use

[iGrip]

Originally Posted by jayducharme

But how is this different from any other platform? If you have hundreds or thousands of dollars invested in Windows apps and hardware, how likely are you to switch to Apple? If you have an Android device and lots of apps for that, will you dump it all and buy an iPad? Or do you look for an OS that lets you have the best of both worlds (such as running Windows virtualized on a Mac)?

Clearly it is no different. Apple is masterful at lock-in. Microsoft too. It is a huge source of profits.

[Navdakilla]

we all knew this stuff..

That's the reason I personally have apple tech all around my house. Works flawlessly

[zukernik]

I thought it was because their products were fantastic, amazing and incredible.

[Digital Skunk]

Originally Posted by paulsalter

just as easy on Android

Mine just syncs any new content over once per day, no manually doing anything, obviously not with DRM's content though

How do you sync your music? Do you use Double Twist? I have a Note II and dont mind drag and drop but would love to sync over wifi or broadband.

[linuxcooldude]

Originally Posted by iGrip

With Apple's iOS rapidly losing market share, and with Android increasingly dominating in sales, how long will devs keep supporting the underdog?

It's the Ecosystem, stupid. And for Apple to remain on top of the ecosystem wars, it has two choices: Get back its lost market share, or spend huge amounts on R&D to make lots of exclusive, "must-have" software in-house, like they were forced to do with maps.

Without market share, the third-party devs will pay as much attention to iOs as they do to OSX. IOW, almost none.

Market share means diddly squat if iOS makes the majority of the profits.

Without market share, the third-party devs will pay as much attention to iOs as they do to OSX. IOW, almost none.

It seems third party developers have already made their choice on what platform they spend the majority of their time. The one that makes them the most money...iOS

[Digital Skunk]

Originally Posted by Haifisch

Exactly. Some power users think that "easy to use" means it's watered down for mass consumption. They're too good for that. It's the same snotty attitude that allows them to turn their noses up at iMacs, and for some, Apple at a company. To them, a REAL computer must be tweaked, modified, patched, hacked, customized. No thanks. I have better things to do with my time.

This is coming from the same crowd of folks that have to jail break their iOS devices to get them to download custom roms to gain features that Android, Windows Mobile, and Symbian have had for years. All of which are easy to use.

Now, what really makes your point moot is the notion that having features and tech that you dont fully understand or would use makes a phone complicated. When its in fact the opposite. Take NFC for example. I put my phone against another samsung phone with S Beam then tap the screen. Whatever is on my screen gets sent. Apps, photos, videos, webpages, anything. Thats what Apple said wasnt ready for primetime.

Then they gave use tech thats been in phones for years with passbook. Total waste.

[chairguru22]

Quit smoking and you can afford all the Apple products you want.

[iGrip]

Originally Posted by linuxcooldude

Market share means diddly squat if iOS makes the majority of the profits.

Articles like this are becoming more frequent.

Apps don't generate profit for developers. The Great App Bubble

http://www.kontain.com/plat4m/entrie...at-app-bubble/

A few devs make significant money. Pretty much all other devs make very little.

Originally Posted by linuxcooldude

It seems third party developers have already made their choice on what platform they spend the majority of their time. The one that makes them the most money...iOS

You are talking about the past. The trends are changing from iOS being in the vast majority of consumer's hands to exactly the opposite.

[sionharris]

Yes, the ecosystem and ease-of-use are the two main reasons I continue to buy Apple products. One time, Apple's arrogance and insistence to plough their own furrow was a major plus, to protect the consumer from bugs and overly-bloated software, thus offering a more streamlined experience. These days, however, particularly when you look at the features offered by Samsung, Microsoft and Google, it seems restrictive and prohibitive. The lack of customisation is a real drawback - with both hardware (particularly in the Mac lineup) and software. Apple are beginning to disappear up their own backsides, IMO, and they really need to listen to what their customers want, whilst also improving quality control (e.g. Maps, antennae issues).

Another bugbear of mine is form over function, one example being my new iPhone 5. Whilst it looks and feels beautiful, the 'slate' finish is not robust and, even though I use a cover, has worn off on several edges. My friend's new Samsung phone, although less alluring, has a more solid feel to it and probably won't scratch as much. I shouldn't have to cradle my phone like a newborn baby to keep it looking smart!

I also think the phone is too thin. Don't get me wrong, it feels nice to hold, but an extra millimetre or two would have been fine if it meant a longer battery life. Ditto the functionality that has been lost by making the new iMac thinner - it's a desktop computer FFS!

So, to summarise, I am concerned because, whilst making simple and 'sexy' products was once enough for Apple, the competition have really got their act together and consumers are becoming more savvy and more demanding. The only reasons I chose an iPhone over the competition were ease of use and the ecosystem, but if Apple doesn't address problems such as high accessory prices, quality control issues, missing features and a lack of choice, I believe they will lose a lot of customers, possibly myself included.

[linuxcooldude]

Originally Posted by iGrip

Articles like this are becoming more frequent.

Apps don't generate profit for developers. The Great App Bubble

http://www.kontain.com/plat4m/entrie...at-app-bubble/

A few devs make significant money. Pretty much all other devs make very little.



You are talking about the past. The trends are changing from iOS being in the vast majority of consumer's hands to exactly the opposite.

It was primarily geared toward comparing iOS & Android developers and profits. Some Apps are multiplatform to get to as many users as possible.

Yes, a lot of them don't make much money, some enough to make a living off of it.

I've talked to quite of few that they worry about the App first and profits later. If they can make it relevant in the market, then get a large user base around the app, then they try to pull money off of it when it gets popular.

[LagunaSol]

Originally Posted by Digital Skunk

This is coming from the same crowd of folks that have to jail break their iOS devices to get them to download custom roms to gain features that Android, Windows Mobile, and Symbian have had for years.

You know what we don't have to jailbreak (root) our phones for? The latest OS version.

[Digital Skunk]

Originally Posted by LagunaSol

You know what we don't have to jailbreak (root) our phones for? The latest OS version.

I was just about to say touche, but then I remembered that you have to jailbreak to get the features that the upgrade leaves out.

Originally Posted by iGrip

You are talking about the past. The trends are changing from iOS being in the vast majority of consumer's hands to exactly the opposite.

I think more devs are moving to producing cross-platform or just HTML5 based apps. The apps that matter anyhow.

[Outrun1986]

I use apple because it works for me, I have a large music library and iTunes makes it easy for me to manage it and edit it and do what I want with it. I chose the iPod touch as a music player since I need a lyrics display and this device does everything I need it to do. I didn't buy into apple till 2010 so I have no drm laden music, I don't buy videos or anything from the iTunes Store. I may have bought 5-10 songs at most. There is nothing stopping me from getting music elsewhere legally and importing to iTunes. I knew what I was getting into when buying into apple so if that was a problem I wouldn't have bought it in the first place. It's also easy to get prepaid gift cards for iTunes, I see no such thing for android so I would have to use my credit card and I don't like to give my credit card to digital content providers. It's also easy to get these gift cards from contests and sweepstakes and from relatives at Xmas. I do buy apps but I have paid for only a small amount of apps so one iTunes card lasts forever, more than a year even. Therefore I don't have to pay out of pocket for apps.

Before the 4th gen iPod touch I used to think apple was a crock, you had to buy each song for each device over if you wanted it on more than device, and they charged money to get software updates for the iPod touch which was ridiculous. So it has gotten a lot better over the years.

I don't think the devices are that expensive, the used market is there and it is huge now, plus retailers are giving lots of promotions to sell apple devices, plus apple refurbs, so there are ways to get discounts on this stuff.

[vaughnfelix]

Yes, ease of use, and pure aweosmeness keeps apple fans coming back for more. Only the super techy people get bored of iOS coz Instead of being productive or having fun with their phone or device, they seem to be fixated with what it can't do, instead of taking advantage of all the things iOS can do. And still, most people I know don't immediately know where their wi go setting is...

[gnasher729]

Originally Posted by iGrip

With Apple's iOS rapidly losing market share, and with Android increasingly dominating in sales, how long will devs keep supporting the underdog?

You are confusing things. One number is the percentage of people with a device that runs Android vs. iOS. That number isn't of any interest to developers. The second number is the percentage of people who actually _use_ Android vs. iOS. That number is slightly meaningful. But the real number, unless you are Google and make your money by selling out your users, is how many people are willing to spend money on Android apps vs. iOS apps. And in that category, Apple will always be ahead.

(From another thread: Why do people in China use Android? Because all Android apps are free! )

----------

Originally Posted by Haifisch

Exactly. Some power users think that "easy to use" means it's watered down for mass consumption. They're too good for that. It's the same snotty attitude that allows them to turn their noses up at iMacs, and for some, Apple at a company. To them, a REAL computer must be tweaked, modified, patched, hacked, customized. No thanks. I have better things to do with my time.

I can tell you that among my professional software developer colleagues, Macs are definitely the computer of choice. For exactly the reasons that you state. And they laugh at people who think they are "power users", and who think that beating Windows into submission is a sign of intelligence.

[Digital Skunk]

Originally Posted by vaughnfelix

Yes, ease of use, and pure aweosmeness keeps apple fans coming back for more. Only the super techy people get bored of iOS coz Instead of being productive or having fun with their phone or device, they seem to be fixated with what it can't do, instead of taking advantage of all the things iOS can do. And still, most people I know don't immediately know where their wi go setting is...

So no one gets bored with iOS simply because it stops (or never did and we got tired of waiting) doing what we needed it to do? No one ever looked at the other platforms, saw what they could do, and immediately knew they could implement it into their daily regimen?

No one ever thought that iOS is awesome, but they could be more productive with Android? No one ever saw their workflow and said, "Hey, I am TOTAL in the Google ecosystem so I can choose whatever phone I want based on features that weren't platform specific?

No one has an Android tablet and an iPhone, or an Android handset and an iPad?

Interesting side note, I consider myself to be moderately tech savvy and I have 0 interest in jailbreaking or rooting. If my phone doesn't come with a certain feature out of the box it's just not going to cut it for me.

[iGrip]

Originally Posted by gnasher729

Apple will always be ahead.

Famous last words?

[henjin]

I am committing treason by posting this using my MS Surface RT but it's appropriate. I bought this the first time directly from MS: a nightmare and cancelled the order. As soon as it came out at BestBuy I bought it because returns and exchanges or support are but a walk away.
The difference between Apple and MS or say HP is that it treats all its customers with respect and returns are on the whole easily handled in one phone call or visit to the store.
However, I have read of one Tech writer's experience with ghosting on his MacBook Pro Retina which suffers from Ghosting and the Genius bar refusing to see the clearly photographed ghosting. However, this is a rarity.
Most consumers want a hassle free experience and a company that will offer fast support even for "Newbie" mistakes.
HP offers me fast support but then I buy their top of the line workstations and mobile workstations but my experience is far different than someone buying a cheap computer from HP. Apple makes no distinction.
The reason I am switching "some" of my purchases from Apple to Windows 8 is that Apple is coasting and iOS especially is aging and getting more awkward to use. I now have to show people how to use an iPhone whereas it used to be so simple anyone could learn how to use it. Worse still the lack of a MacPro has forced me to buy HP Z series workstations and soldering memory onto a professional laptop made me move too. Add to that Mountain Lion which is clumsy and I am losing my taste for Apple.
However, I bough the new iPhone5 even though I find it boring and old hat. Yet, Apple Customer Support is the key.

[AirThis]

This is one of the most ridiculous and superfluous surveys in the entire history of mankind. Reuters would have been better off donating the time and money to a charitable cause. Of course we love the ecosystem.

[prowlmedia]

Originally Posted by jowie

Maybe it's just me, or the fact that I also have iTunes Match, but it constantly cocked things up (playlists not showing all items, importing tracks that just wouldn't show up, search not showing items that are blatantly there).

Anyway, I downgraded and everything is just great again. It looks nice, but it's really really flaky under the hood.

Point is, Apple should never release software in this state. It's a recurring theme.

Well as I said - not heard any problems at all so "Point is, Apple should never release software in this state." is completely

So the point is it's just you...