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Copycat iOS Launcher on Android Surpasses 50 Million Downloads
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What I will say next is my observations of what has made Apple insanely profitable over the years. These are the things that go beyond a mere launcher on an android phone.
I am sure that people here can easily come up with anecdotal evidence of what they like / dislike about iOS which runs counter to my narrative. However, Apple is undeniably a very successful company, and with over a billion active iPhone users, it's probably more productive to try explaining Apple's success rather than try to explain it away.
Again, some of you here will no doubt disagree with me based on your personal experiences, but I am willing to bet that I will be more right than not.
Not quite what I was referring to.
Think about an iPhone user who goes on to buy an Apple Watch and AirPods. Then they subscribe to some Apple services, or maybe even Apple One. They then get an iPad because they all sync together via iCloud and airdrop and you get to share app purchases. With an iPad, some end up getting an Apple Pencil and smart / magic keyboard as well.
A Mac is the next logical choice, with features like continuity, sidecar, universal control, airdrop, as well as the stock apps such as safari and maps. I like being able to make a call directly via my Mac, or even something as innocuous as having my saved articles be synced via reading list.
At this point, I may as well get an Apple TV and tie everything together with iTunes and iCloud, and live and breathe Apple apps. Airplay, photos, podcasts, Apple Arcade, music, TV+ etc.
Accessories-wise, you have Apple Watch bands, AirTags, monitors which really only work with other Apple products. Something like AirPods getting spatial audio support, and TV+ and Apple Music content supporting spatial audio is possible because Apple owns and controls both.
I made a similar point many years back when Google released the Nexus 7 tablet and people were claiming that the iPad was doomed because of cheaper android tablets (another "Apple is doomed" statement that we all know aged poorly). The reason is really Apple's ecosystem, where Apple products are more than the sum of their parts. Once you get one Apple product, it makes increasing sense to get another Apple hardware over a competing alternative. Despite the price, and especially if the only differentiating factor is price.
I am generally all-in with the Apple ecosystem, I use stock Apple apps wherever I can, and I just wish Apple could bring more of their products and services to Singapore, such as the Apple Card, Fitness+ and the HomePod.
I use a number of apps which to my knowledge, either aren't available on android or came to them very late.
- Fantastical
- Apollo
- Tweetbot
- Notability
- Scanner Pro
- Lumafusion
- Overcast
- 1password (only recently got an android app, IIRC)
In addition, there are also other productivity apps like Ferrite (podcast editing), Ulysses (blogging), Spark (email), Affinity Photo, Deliveries, Omnifocus and I could probably add on to the list if I dig deep enough. I know the iOS files app gets a bad rep, but I do like its ability to combine various file hosts in one interface.
That's also not forgetting that a number of apps also look slicker, and work better on iOS.
And when someone says that Android is "more powerful" than iOS, they are probably talking about changing the UI font, or using a custom home screen, or using Tasker to automate little things like turning off Wifi when leaving the house, which actually has very little to do with actually getting any work done.
Not here in Singapore, and again, in countries with a strong Apple Store presence at least, there's value in a one-stop shop where you can bring your stuff in and know that Apple will (generally) handle matters satisfactorily for you.
My observation is that iPhones retain their resale value longer in part due to the longer software support (as well as their excellent build quality which contributes to their overall longevity). This has led to a fairly strong 2nd hand market for used iPhones, which grows the iPhone user base. While Apple doesn't really profit from the sale of 2nd hand phones, they can still earn from a growing install base in the form of accessories, services and apps.
I believe most people don't really care about rolling back software updates, and they are happy to continue receiving updates and new features year after year after year.
The points I have listed above are the reasons I am still in the Apple ecosystem, and I believe they represent the reasons why many others are too. The strong ecosystem, the apps (I teach with Notability in class and have used Lumafusion to edit a couple of videos for school events), the warranty (not always perfect, but Apple has come through for me more often than not), the software support (I held on to my 8+ for 4 years before upgrading to the 13 pro max, and so was happy to get updates every year), and recently, M1 Macs.
They all come together to form a very compelling value proposition that is all but impossible for the competition to match, simple because none of them are able to control the hardware, software and services aspect of the end product the same way that Apple does.
And maybe you will fine one some day.
And <0.02% of active Android devices. Many well known apps in the Android Play Store have downloads in the Billions.
You make a lot of interesting points, thanks for the interaction!What I will say next is my observations of what has made Apple insanely profitable over the years. These are the things that go beyond a mere launcher on an android phone.
I am sure that people here can easily come up with anecdotal evidence of what they like / dislike about iOS which runs counter to my narrative. However, Apple is undeniably a very successful company, and with over a billion active iPhone users, it's probably more productive to try explaining Apple's success rather than try to explain it away.
Again, some of you here will no doubt disagree with me based on your personal experiences, but I am willing to bet that I will be more right than not.
Not quite what I was referring to.
Think about an iPhone user who goes on to buy an Apple Watch and AirPods. Then they subscribe to some Apple services, or maybe even Apple One. They then get an iPad because they all sync together via iCloud and airdrop and you get to share app purchases. With an iPad, some end up getting an Apple Pencil and smart / magic keyboard as well.
A Mac is the next logical choice, with features like continuity, sidecar, universal control, airdrop, as well as the stock apps such as safari and maps. I like being able to make a call directly via my Mac, or even something as innocuous as having my saved articles be synced via reading list.
At this point, I may as well get an Apple TV and tie everything together with iTunes and iCloud, and live and breathe Apple apps. Airplay, photos, podcasts, Apple Arcade, music, TV+ etc.
Accessories-wise, you have Apple Watch bands, AirTags, monitors which really only work with other Apple products. Something like AirPods getting spatial audio support, and TV+ and Apple Music content supporting spatial audio is possible because Apple owns and controls both.
I made a similar point many years back when Google released the Nexus 7 tablet and people were claiming that the iPad was doomed because of cheaper android tablets (another "Apple is doomed" statement that we all know aged poorly). The reason is really Apple's ecosystem, where Apple products are more than the sum of their parts. Once you get one Apple product, it makes increasing sense to get another Apple hardware over a competing alternative. Despite the price, and especially if the only differentiating factor is price.
I am generally all-in with the Apple ecosystem, I use stock Apple apps wherever I can, and I just wish Apple could bring more of their products and services to Singapore, such as the Apple Card, Fitness+ and the HomePod.
I use a number of apps which to my knowledge, either aren't available on android or came to them very late.
- Fantastical
- Apollo
- Tweetbot
- Notability
- Scanner Pro
- Lumafusion
- Overcast
- 1password (only recently got an android app, IIRC)
In addition, there are also other productivity apps like Ferrite (podcast editing), Ulysses (blogging), Spark (email), Affinity Photo, Deliveries, Omnifocus and I could probably add on to the list if I dig deep enough. I know the iOS files app gets a bad rep, but I do like its ability to combine various file hosts in one interface.
That's also not forgetting that a number of apps also look slicker, and work better on iOS.
And when someone says that Android is "more powerful" than iOS, they are probably talking about changing the UI font, or using a custom home screen, or using Tasker to automate little things like turning off Wifi when leaving the house, which actually has very little to do with actually getting any work done.
Not here in Singapore, and again, in countries with a strong Apple Store presence at least, there's value in a one-stop shop where you can bring your stuff in and know that Apple will (generally) handle matters satisfactorily for you.
My observation is that iPhones retain their resale value longer in part due to the longer software support (as well as their excellent build quality which contributes to their overall longevity). This has led to a fairly strong 2nd hand market for used iPhones, which grows the iPhone user base. While Apple doesn't really profit from the sale of 2nd hand phones, they can still earn from a growing install base in the form of accessories, services and apps.
I believe most people don't really care about rolling back software updates, and they are happy to continue receiving updates and new features year after year after year.
The points I have listed above are the reasons I am still in the Apple ecosystem, and I believe they represent the reasons why many others are too. The strong ecosystem, the apps (I teach with Notability in class and have used Lumafusion to edit a couple of videos for school events), the warranty (not always perfect, but Apple has come through for me more often than not), the software support (I held on to my 8+ for 4 years before upgrading to the 13 pro max, and so was happy to get updates every year), and recently, M1 Macs.
They all come together to form a very compelling value proposition that is all but impossible for the competition to match, simple because none of them are able to control the hardware, software and services aspect of the end product the same way that Apple does.
And maybe you will fine one some day.
Your last comment made me laugh, my one experience trying out an Android was a laggy disaster, but to be fair, I did go for one that was half the price of an iPhone rather than a flagship.