iPhone 5c Broadens Apple's Customer Base, but Android Continues to Lead in Smartphones

[pdqgp]

Really? What Innovations does Android have that iOS lacks? Cause one of my coworkers was showing off his Nexus 5 and there wasn't anything that my iPhone 4S can't do.... And some things my 4S can do that his Nexus can't.

I've owned several iPhones and iPads and still use them and in comparison the Note 3 is 20x better and more useful day to day. Please feel free to elaborate with specifics. That's a discussion I would welcome.

I did the Android thing and it was such a poor experience I doubt I'll ever go back. And that was on a new, great, hot Android phone.

No phone is for everyone, but if you had a horrible experience on a recent Android I wouldn't be so quick to blame it on the OS or the Phone.

 

[thehustleman]

Are you joking?

For a dumb user point of view, there is really no different. Use the phone app for calling. Web browser app for surfing etc.

For a more typical to advanced users, iOS is such a pain to use and really needs workarounds. I can do hundreds of things easier and faster with less steps on my Note3 that I can do in iOS. There are so many limitations with iOS that's not even funny any more.

Agreed. I should be able to do whatever I want with my phone. Apple should just simply catch up, but they make phones for people that don't really understand tech (it shows in the numerous times I've had to help someone figure out their iPhones - it was NORMAL) because if they were really knowledgeable more than likely they'd go android.

Android doesn't limit it's phones.

You can't even download free music on an iPhone unless you jailbreak it, and even then apple is ignorantly blocking jailbreaks.

How does one objectively define what the "best" phone is?

most features, functionality, and how well they work.

It's a reason ios7 took a lot from android.

I've owned several iPhones and iPads and still use them and in comparison the Note 3 is 20x better and more useful day to day. Please feel free to elaborate with specifics. That's a discussion I would welcome.



No phone is for everyone, but if you had a horrible experience on a recent Android system it's user error. Seriously.

Same here, no way a 4s can so something a nexus5 can't do.

Plus the nexus let's you change that keyboard, the iPhone won't let you swap out that horrible keyboard. You're stuck with it and that juvenile looking to the app.

And I agree, if you had a bad user experience on a flagship android the problem is user error.

You did something wrong. I left iPhone due to the lacking user experience.

 

[Michael Scrip]

It's very easy to answer this answer since Amazon.de publishes the list of their best-selling unlocked phones: http://www.amazon.de/gp/bestsellers/ce-de/3468301/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_ce_1_2_last

Observation (1): 300 EUR seems to be a psychological barrier that is hard to pass (and, arguably, phones for less than that browse the internet, allow you to read your emails and take pictures jsut fine...)

Observation (2): It's mostly the latest Android flagship phones that sell beyond the 300 EUR price-point.

Is Amazon where most people in Germany buy smartphones?

Don't they want to try them out in a store?

I couldn't imagine buying something personal like a smartphone on a website. But maybe people are trying them out somewhere in person.. and just ordering them online.

I'm wary about using Amazon best-selling charts to make a conclusion. Too often we'll see something lauded as the "best-selling item on Amazon" but in the real world it's nowhere to be found.

See Kindle Fire sales on Amazon vs. tablet sales elsewhere

Or the Chromebook that is currently the best-selling laptop on Amazon... but in the real world Chromebooks barely register in worldwide laptop sales.

Again... I don't put too much faith is using Amazon's best-selling charts to make a conclusion.

 

[spjonez]

You can't even download free music on an iPhone unless you jailbreak it, and even then apple is ignorantly blocking jailbreaks.

Why should you be able to download music for free? I want my favorite artists to continue making music and I don't see how they can do that if they don't get paid for their work.

I'm completely against DRM, but with iTunes and Google Play selling high quality unrestricted music at reasonable prices there's really no reason to not pay for music these days. Piracy was one thing when restrictions were in place now you have options.

most features, functionality, and how well they work.

It's a reason ios7 took a lot from android.

There is no such thing as "the best phone", it's too subjective. More features is not always a good thing. Compare hype/sales of the Pebble vs the Galaxy Gear.

Plus the nexus let's you change that keyboard, the iPhone won't let you swap out that horrible keyboard. You're stuck with it and that juvenile looking to the app.

It's a keyboard, some of us don't care what it looks like as long as you can type on it. Time spent customizing the appearance of my phone is time better spent working and making more money.

And I agree, if you had a bad user experience on a flagship android the problem is user error.

You did something wrong. I left iPhone due to the lacking user experience.

Well that's quite a cop out. No OS (desktop or mobile) is so intuitive that every error can be blamed on the user.

 

[Hyper-X]

Android leads because there are more different models from more different companies, which has the big negative of creating a fragmented user base.

When you look at iOS products, many users will admit that they're often bored of the "same ol' interface, the phone basically looks the same as before, etc." so the diversity is what attracts iOS users to the Android product market. The same happens to long time android users when they finally decide on switching to iOS products.

On one hand iOS users like to overuse the word "fragmented" when hardly any android user is remotely concerned about any fragmentation within their user base. All a user is concerned with is having their own device(s) work the way they need it to.

On the other hand the "fragmentation" also allows for a much more active community of users to create better apps than you can find in the Apple App Store because Apple tells you what you can and can't have on your device that you pay for.

Each platform has its pro's and con's, it's all about choosing the one that best fits your needs.

 

[pdqgp]

Why should you be able to download music for free? I want my favorite artists to continue making music and I don't see how they can do that if they don't get paid for their work.

I'm completely against DRM, but with iTunes and Google Play selling high quality unrestricted music at reasonable prices there's really no reason to not pay for music these days. Piracy was one thing when restrictions were in place now you have options.

Site like ivave and others offer way better values at nearly free rates. ITUNES is a rip off.

Time spent customizing the appearance of my phone is time better spent working and making more money.

Androids customizations go well beyond cosmetic features.

Well that's quite a cop out. No OS (desktop or mobile) is so intuitive that every error can be blamed on the user.

In this case it's true though. Androids are not complicated by any means. Especially in terms of setting up email.

 

[dBeats]

Cut a 65% of android marker, do you really know what are you talking about or you just put the first link you have found on google even if it is an Windows Mobile smartphone, a Nokia phone or a high end Android smartphone from 2011?

Well, firstly I have a job, so I can't spend hours doing research for you. But since you ask for just one, here is a great example.

http://www.infibeam.com/Mobiles/i-Magicon-M3-Atom-Android-Smartphone/P-E-M-Magicon-M3-Atom.html

Now I'm sure you will say. "It runs apps, it's a smartphone" But you and I know that people use these as feature phones. They get Fruit Ninja, Facebook, and text with good ol' SMS and surf the "baby web", if they surf at all. With a romp-stompin' 160MB of Onboard Storage(!) you'll need an sdcard just to load any app on it.

There are hundreds of these types of phones all over India, China, Brazil, etc. They are dumb smartphones which are effectively feature phones. They don't spend much time on the internet, they are basically used to make phone calls, SMS, check email and play a game or three. They are not in the same class as iPhone, Lumia, Nexus, Galaxy, and even BB7!

So split hairs as you wish, but THIS is why when they compare web traffic and iOS trounces android, and when they compare app revenue iOS trounces android. Because, globally, the above phone is perfectly representative of what an Android phone is, a cheap lame super-feature phone.

 

[spjonez]

On one hand iOS users like to overuse the word "fragmented" when hardly any android user is remotely concerned about any fragmentation within their user base. All a user is concerned with is having their own device(s) work the way they need it to.

On the other hand the "fragmentation" also allows for a much more active community of users to create better apps than you can find in the Apple App Store because Apple tells you what you can and can't have on your device that you pay for.

Each platform has its pro's and con's, it's all about choosing the one that best fits your needs.

If you've ever developed an app for Android you'd understand the negative connotation around fragmentation.

As a developer you have only have two options. You can a) build your app using only API's available in an old version of Android and support the majority of devices, or b) build your app using brand new API's only available in the latest release and alienate the majority of your market share.

This is why you see most AAA titles appear on iOS first. It's easier to develop for and support all devices on the platform. ICS is still running on over 50% of Android devices and it's over 2 years old. Having to use old API's is not my idea of a better situation.

Apple blocks apps that compete with it's sales platforms and so does Google. Google makes money off ad revenue and they've removed ad blockers from the Play Store. The entire reason they built Android was to prevent iOS from having a monopoly on mobile web browsing. If they hadn't and Apple replaced Google as the default search engine in Safari (ala Maps), Google's primary source of revenue would be jeopardy.

Apple does some shady things and so does Google.

 

[Oletros]

Because, globally, the above phone is perfectly representative of what an Android phone is, a cheap lame super-feature phone.

You have to spent a lot of time to find just a link to a ****** device that is not even sold to make the logical jump that 65% of Android devices are like this.

Do you really believe that nonsense?

And, by the way, that device is still an smartphone. You peharphs would like to redefine what an smartphone is, but reality is what it is and this is an smarthpone

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The entire reason they built Android was to prevent iOS from having a monopoly on mobile web browsing.

Funny, Google bought Android on 2005, did they had a time machine?

Google bought Android because of Microsoft, not because of Apple

If they hadn't and Apple replaced Google as the default search engine in Safari (ala Maps), Google's primary source of revenue would be jeopardy.

Safari primary source of revenue for Google? Really?

 

[spjonez]

Site like ivave and others offer way better values at nearly free rates. ITUNES is a rip off.

With iTunes I click one button and the song is instantly available on all my devices (phone, two tablets, desktop, tv). The time I save manually syncing all my devices outweighs the cost savings. At 5c a song I find it hard to believe artists see a penny of that and it's not going towards their hosting fees.

Androids customizations go well beyond cosmetic features.

That's exactly my point. I use a phone for work and to play a game or browse the web and while I'm waiting. If you want to customize your phone I can see the appeal of Android but not every user needs or wants to do that.

In this case it's true though. Androids are not complicated by any means. Especially in terms of setting up email.

So the copy/paste bug on the S3 was user error? No software is infallible, blaming the user is not constructive. You'd be surprised what turns up in user testing. I've seen a user say, "oh I better not click that it looks like an X" to an icon that was a paint brush and ruler in an X shape... would blaming the user make that software better? No, the icon should be changed.


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Funny, Google bought Android on 2005, did they had a time machine?

Google bought Android because of Microsoft, not because of Apple

And the Android they bought looked nothing like Android 1.0. It was completely revamped after the unveiling of the first iPhone. Google has admitted that on several occasions.

Safari primary source of revenue for Google? Really?

I'll just assume you read that too quickly. If Google had never made Android no other OEM was prepared to rival Apple's mobile web browser.

The fear was that users would flock to the iPhone so they could browse the "real" web (for lack of a better term) and in this position, if Apple replaced Google.com as the default search engine in their browser, Google could be cut off or at least their ability to collect user data severely impeded. Since ad revenue is Google's primary source of revenue you can see why this would send them scrambling.

 

[pdqgp]

iPhone 5c Broadens Apple's Customer Base, but Android Continues to Lead in Sm...

With iTunes I click one button and the song is instantly available on all my devices (phone, two tablets, desktop, tv). The time I save manually syncing all my devices outweighs the cost savings. At 5c a song I find it hard to believe artists see a penny of that and it's not going towards their hosting fees.

While you're playing around with iTunes and a crippled version of real cloud computing, Android users are using Google's network of cloud capabilities that sync music and photos to all their devices too. In fact if I replace my Note 3 with another Droid, all I have to do is login on that new phone with my Google Account and down come all my apps and entire set up. My photos and music will all be available too. Regarding Ivave pricing, I could care less what the artists get from those sales. They are all doing just fine $$.

That's exactly my point. I use a phone for work and to play a game or browse the web and while I'm waiting. I have far more productive things to do with my time then fiddle with the appearance or advanced settings on my phone.

Again, you're clearly not familiar with the customizations I'm referencing. I use my device 100% for work and can tell you Android offers way more real productive uses for business than Apple. Yes, I also use an iPad for work too. No comparison. A simple example is when I go to the office, I forward my cell to my desk. Doing that on a Droid is 2 clicks and no-retyping of anything thanks to a free widget. On iPhone is several steps and I have to retype the number whenever it changes.

When I'm at a clients site and need to print an MS Word document or a photo I can simply simply hit print and send it to just about any wifi printer. Not so with an iDevice. If I am going to use map a route to a client, I can use WHATEVER software I wish natively. Not so with iOS. If I want to upload files from a clients USB Stick, a simple OTG Cable works just fine, not to mention I have also added a 64GB microSD Card.

While you're playing around with Passbook for boarding passes Google Now has already taken mine from my inbox and not only presents it to me at the airport via a live tile but provides me with all the flight stats and gate information, etc. seemlessly. Even just now as I head out to dinner with my wife, it told me the ETA is 9 minutes to where we're going and that traffic is clear the whole way. The list goes on.

So the copy/paste bug on the S3 was user error? No software is infallible, blaming the user is not constructive. You'd be surprised what turns up in user testing. I've seen a user say, "oh I better not click that it looks like an X" to an icon that was a paint brush and ruler in an X shape... would blaming the user make that software better? No, the icon should be changed.

The example I referenced is setting up email. Android doesn't require anything special. Simple login names and passwords, etc.

 

[spjonez]

While you're playing around with iTunes and a crippled version of real cloud computing, Android users are using Google's network of cloud capabilities that sync music and photos to all their devices too. In fact if I replace my Note 3 with another Droid, all I have to do is login on that new phone with my Google Account and down come all my apps and entire set up. My photos and music will all be available too.

I live in Canada. If you don't live in the USA Google's extra services are limited or non existent. Compare that to iTunes which works in how many countries now?

Regarding Ivave pricing, I could care less what the artists get from those sales. They are all doing just fine $$.

You expect to be paid for work you do, correct? If you enjoy the artists music why not throw them a few bucks and show your support?

Again, you're clearly not familiar with the customizations I'm referencing. I use my device 100% for work and can tell you Android offers way more real productive uses for business than Apple. Yes, I also use an iPad for work too. No comparison. A simple example is when I go to the office, I forward my cell to my desk. Doing that on a Droid is 2 clicks and no-retyping of anything thanks to a free widget. On iPhone is several steps and I have to retype the number whenever it changes. When I'm at a clients site and need to print an MS Word document or a photo I can simply simply hit print. Not so with an iDevice. If I am going to use map a route to a client, I can use WHATEVER software I wish natively. Not so with iOS. If I want to upload files from a clients USB Stick, a simple OTG Cable works just fine, not to mention I have also added a 64GB microSD Card. The list goes on.

I'll give you credit for that one, you use your phone for a lot more then I do. We use BaseCamp and share files through client threads. I've used Apple Maps quite a bit and it works for me. Other then the design I don't notice that big a difference from Google Maps. I don't think I've ever had more then 6GB on my phone, with client files in BC and personal content in iCloud I don't need local storage. Other then a few playlists I stream everything else.

The example I referenced is setting up email. Android doesn't require anything special. Simple login names and passwords, etc.

My point is that every user report, no matter how crazy it may be, can help make software better. Even if you don't feel it's broken and you could change the design slightly to prevent that users problem, wouldn't you?

 

[pdqgp]

You expect to be paid for work you do, correct? If you enjoy the artists music why not throw them a few bucks and show your support?

No thanks. Don't get me started on the recording industry. I'm not paying $1.25 per song or anywhere near $10 for a CD full. Not today. $.05 per or maybe a $1 per album which is what many other sites sell them for is good.

I'll give you credit for that one, you use your phone for a lot more then I do. We use BaseCamp and share files through client threads. I've used Apple Maps quite a bit and it works for me. Other then the design I don't notice that big a difference from Google Maps. I don't think I've ever had more then 6GB on my phone, with client files in BC and personal content in iCloud I don't need local storage. Other then a few playlists I stream everything else.

iPhone wise, MotionX Drive is IMO the very best GPS. Puts the rest to shame badly. Worth $10/yr. for turn by turn. I don't even use Google maps on the Android. There i use Sygic, but my point is I can choose. Apple doesn't let people choose much if anything. iOS is old-school limiting. I completely understand why they do it, but it's too constricting and it's been that way forever.

 

[majorchimp]

I recently switched from iPhone to Android. I don't know why I waited so long - lots more innovation and choice on this side of the fence. Moved my parents over this weekend as well - they are also thrilled

I used to be 100% in the Apple ecosystem with laptop, phone, and tablet. Apple's lack of innovation (ever-thinner is no longer a suitable upgrade feature) is going to start to see the loss of a lot more people.

Too bad there's no down vote for such a stupid comment. Innovation? In what sense? Android is a mess. OEMs are all over the place. Ads literally everywhere!! No updates. A horrible UI and absolutely no ecosystem. You sound like a typical troll.

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I have long left the iPhone for android and will never go back. I own several macs at home but I am very tired of the closed in nature of IOS products. My Note II is better than the iPhone is pretty much every way. I have 64gb storage, complete file access, googlemaps, customization, changeable battery, the build quality is great (sure it is not aluminum, but I have dropped it several times and no cracked screen, I see so many cracked iPhones it is ridiculous.

I love the large screen and the true multitasking. I have converted several of my friends to android and it is almost like there eyes were opened. I still love my iPad, but only because it is jailbroken. You can't even upload a file natively other than photos to your email or on a website on an IOS device!!

Once I find an android tablet that has a complete smooth UI and the build quality of the iPad I am leaving it behind. If only apple would design a tablet that is suited more for the power user that includes a stylus, but I guess they don't want to stick to steve's vision. Too bad.

I have a Note 2 collecting dust while my 5 and 5S get used nonstop. I hate the laggy interface of android, the disjointed nature of the horrible OS. It's like going back in time to 1995 and working with a palm pilot or windows 95. Just horrible.

 

[pdqgp]

Too bad there's no down vote for such a stupid comment. Innovation? In what sense? Android is a mess. OEMs are all over the place. Ads literally everywhere!! No updates. A horrible UI and absolutely no ecosystem. You sound like a typical troll.

The key to Android isn't so much raw innovation in a single device as it's about innovation in integration of all that Google (a software co.) has to offer. Apple is a hardware company that writes pretty decent software but in the end is more about their gear than their code. Google and droid based phones move to the cloud while Apple and their users were and to a large extend still are playing around with iTunes.

Android is a software project from a software company that's very appealing to hardware companies thus why so many makers of phones have moved that route. Each vendor is very competitive with the others and to some extent they each provide added value with either extra software features or extra hardware features.

An iPhone is one thing - Android phones come as many different things from high to low and now Apple is once again copying them with less expensive products and will likely move to larger version phone in yet another attempt to copy others.

The iPhone's operating system - iOS - works only one way. Android is a software system with many standardizations, but able to present to the user to appear to work in many ways. That's the appeal and power.

iOS is using the same multitasking scheme as Windows 95. Android is using the Linux multitasking and is more similar to Apple's OS X (a kind of unix, as is Linux) or desktop Windows 7 in that regard.

Using a properly set-up iPhone is liking using a great phone. Using a properly set-up Android is like using a tiny laptop that also makes phone calls. If anyone has made the move and done this correctly, they won't ever go back. I'm one of those people. In the end, you're able todo more with Android - it's just a fact.

Android is an open source code project - unlike iOS, anyone can and many, do reach into that Android code repository and re-do Android into their own image. If you root your Android phone (our analog to an iPhone jailbreaking) then you can add those various operating system re-dos. I'm not into it and may iPhone users aren't either, but that flexibility and capability exists.

Even if you don't root your phone or care about the technical stuff, a user can put on add-on products that completely change the look and feel of your front-end in all sorts of ways. Or you just buy those variations by selecting which maker to go with - HTC, Motorola, Sony, LG and Samsung all provide different user experiences. Again, don't mistake that latter as the only way of changing configurations. The power is deeper than just cosmetics. Androids give users the ability to make their phone their own and follow how THEY want the phone to function. Apple insists you do it their way or go elsewhere. In the business world SAP functions that way. No thanks.

Apple didn't invent the smartphone, they innovated the front-end experience compared to what was out there and available. That was then, this is now. Since then, they've not hardly changed their interface at all. Mind you, the iPhone is still a good phone for those that want that sort of thing but Android is a better phone because it does more, comes in more than just one way, works in more than just one way, and works great out of the box or can be customized so that it functions according to how the owner wants it to function.

I moved to a Note 3 and it's way faster and more powerful than anything Apple has available. In the real world of business, it's just plain a better tool for me. YMMV depending on your needs

 

[majorchimp]

How about the ability to send someone a file other than a photo natively, without the aid of an app? Or true multitasking, or external storage, or better maps or nicer screen size, customization, better sharing features, better keyboard choices, visible file system, better notifications, (apple realized this and copied) google now, (Siri is a joke), more free apps, unlock options, shall I go on.....

How about the ability to send someone a file other than a photo natively, without the aid of an app? WHY can't you use an APP? IS IT TOO HARD?

True multitasking? Because the current multitasking model doesn't allow you to do what exactly?

Better maps? Use Waze, Google or other maps.

Customization? No one cares about your stupid widgets. I've had countless android phones and hate the widgets. I work in apps not in widgets.

Visible file system....seriously?

Google Now is garbage....Ok Google, call my brother....returns with a search for brother.

Android is utter junk.

 

[pdqgp]

How about the ability to send someone a file other than a photo natively, without the aid of an app? WHY can't you use an APP? IS IT TOO HARD?

In the business world, it's much easier to meet with a client, grab their USB drive or media and plug it into my Note 3 and share a file. It's also easier to open a file on my note 3, connect to one of their wifi printers and hit print vs looking for an Air print capable device or jerk around email files back and forth, etc. Especially traveling overseas or even here in the states, NFC for purchases makes things so easy. When I go to the UK which I do a lot, I don't have to carry my credit cards if ever as most merchants have NFC capability.

Better maps? Use Waze, Google or other maps.

Great, iOS has options but it doesn't allow the user to fully integrate them into the calender, contacts or other apps. For those you MUST use Apple Maps.

Customization? No one cares about your stupid widgets. I've had countless android phones and hate the widgets. I work in apps not in widgets.

So, they don't work for you but for me, I love Google Now. I love being able to forward my phone in just two clicks with diving into menus and retyping a number; I love having the Chatter Feed on SalesForce 1 as a live tile.

Visible file system....seriously?

Yes, actually being able to "save as" and have a file structure is nice. No need to open a PDF from email in an App only to have that App be the system where they are managed. I'd much rather have My Documents in one spot and able to be opened by numerous programs of my choosing.

Google Now is garbage....Ok Google, call my brother....returns with a search for brother.

Not a Google feature but it is a phone feature for Samsung. Thus for those of us who CHOOSE to make that a key feature of need, we have CHOICES. I personally love that ability and S-Voice blows Siri Away and with Google now, it offers more than what Siri is capable of doing all without my having to interface with it at all. Happy to give you examples if you need them. Real world productive examples too.

Android is utter junk.

So is a sports car if one can't drive well.

 

[majorchimp]

The key to Android isn't so much raw innovation in a single device as it's about innovation in integration of all that Google (a software co.) has to offer.

The iPhone's operating system - iOS - works only one way. Android is a software system with many standardizations, but able to present to the user to appear to work in many ways. That's the appeal and power.

iOS is using the same multitasking scheme as Windows 95. Android is using the Linux multitasking and is more similar to Apple's OS X (a kind of unix, as is Linux) or desktop Windows 7 in that regard.

Using a properly set-up iPhone is liking using a great phone. Using a properly set-up Android is like using a tiny laptop that also makes phone calls. If anyone has made the move and done this correctly, they won't ever go back. I'm one of those people. In the end, you're able todo more with Android - it's just a fact.

Android is an open source code project - unlike iOS, anyone can and many, do reach into that Android code repository and re-do Android into their own image. If you root your Android phone (our analog to an iPhone jailbreaking) then you can add those various operating system re-dos. I'm not into it and may iPhone users aren't either, but that flexibility and capability exists.

Even if you don't root your phone or care about the technical stuff, a user can put on add-on products that completely change the look and feel of your front-end in all sorts of ways. Or you just buy those variations by selecting which maker to go with - HTC, Motorola, Sony, LG and Samsung all provide different user experiences. Again, don't mistake that latter as the only way of changing configurations. The power is deeper than just cosmetics. Androids give users the ability to make their phone their own and follow how THEY want the phone to function. Apple insists you do it their way or go elsewhere. In the business world SAP functions that way. No thanks.

Apple didn't invent the smartphone, they innovated the front-end experience compared to what was out there and available. That was then, this is now. Since then, they've not hardly changed their interface at all. Mind you, the iPhone is still a good phone for those that want that sort of thing but Android is a better phone because it does more, comes in more than just one way, works in more than just one way, and works great out of the box or can be customized so that it functions according to how the owner wants it to function.

I moved to a Note 3 and it's way faster and more powerful than anything Apple has available. In the real world of business, it's just plain a better tool for me. YMMV depending on your needs

What is it with this multitasking everyone keeps saying? I have never had a need to edit a spreadsheet while making a phone call. Even if I did, it's still possible!

Android is still a clunky mess more or less similar to running windows 95 with an archaic and insecure underpinning. Yes you can skin android all day long if that's your thing and even then most launchers still work horribly except maybe nova. You can try real hard to make it even look like an iPhone by using espier and such but the whole thing is terribly disjointed. Samsung does things one way, HTC does it another. Not to mention that updates are all over the place or never at all.

Airplay alone has been a huge asset in my home to stream content from ALL of my devices. Just the iWork suite on an iPhone or iPad puts the android comparisons to shame and that's not even factoring in other apps like Garage Band or iPhoto. Once you add the simplicity and ease of using iCloud, Photo Stream, iMessage etc, the entire package outshines it's android counterparts which is why the iPhone is still the best selling phone in the world.

The value proposition for android is price as witnessed by the 24% of users still running gingerbread.

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So is a sports car if one can't drive well.

Sports car??? LOL! Enjoy your jalopy!

 

[Colino]

Every single member of our community who has criticized the 5C should apologize to Apple.

I mean, seriously - shouldn't we all know by now that Apple always gets it right when it comes to releasing new consumer products? They know what we want.

 

[pdqgp]

What is it with this multitasking everyone keeps saying? I have never had a need to edit a spreadsheet while making a phone call. Even if I did, it's still possible!

Can't speak for others and some of what I do is more Sammy based but that's why I enjoyed having the CHOICE of manufactures that support Android. I travel a lot and am on a plane. On my Note 3, I can watch one of many different videos that I have to do often for work and take notes simultaneously with a dual window display. Yes, the screen is plenty big enough and I can type or write my notes while watching a video presentation. If the guy next to me says something, the video will pause as I look to him and answer...but you've seen that commercial.

I can compose and email and read text messages at the same time. I can't tell you how many times someone text messages me information that they should have just put in an email. Copy/Pasting and deleting/editing an email is not fun. Having two screens makes it easier as I can simply highlight and drag/drop the text all while seeing both windows. No flipping. I can also drag/drop the photo one of my coworkers texted me and put it in an email.

It's not all work either. Just this weekend, I was texting two different people about two different college football games both at the same time with split screens. No flipping around between messages. I can even screen shot and drag/drop images or do that with photos too. The fun part was marking them up on-screen with comments before sending them. Very nice when shooting pics on site with a client and trying to compose an email as I scroll through my gallery. Drag/drop easy. To me, that's true multitasking.

Android is still a clunky mess more or less similar to running windows 95 with an archaic and insecure underpinning. Yes you can skin android all day long if that's your thing and even then most launchers still work horribly except maybe nova. You can try real hard to make it even look like an iPhone by using espier and such but the whole thing is terribly disjointed. Samsung does things one way, HTC does it another. Not to mention that updates are all over the place or never at all.

Enough with the cosmetics of it all. Although I do run Nova which is nice. My phone hardly looks like an iPhone and it's seamless and smooth, not clunky or disjointed in any way. As I noted earlier, try forwarding your cell to your home or office phone. Count the steps. Then see if that matches the two clicks it takes me. Remember, I don't re-type numbers if I then forward it to my home once I'm there. On Android, that's a free widget. You have a 5s and light fingerprints? Great, I have voice recognition passwords, swipe and others. If I buy an app, it can hit my Google Play Acct., my credit card, my AT&T Bill. On the iPhone, not so many choices. No need to sign in if I don't want to either. Controlling my screen is as simple as eye control, air gestures or moving the phone or using voice control too. Nice when I'm watching TV Eating popcorn and don't want butter on my phone.

Again, having a choice among manufacturers is very nice. Some go for OIS cameras and the camera first, others like me enjoy shooting 4k video at 60fps as it edits far better and smoother, especially if lighting is poor. I also prefer a larger phone but others want smaller sizes. Some like me prefer MicroSD cards, others don't want to pay for that capability. Choices are good man, and with those does come some different features. Again, nice to know they are there vs no choices at all.

Airplay alone has been a huge asset in my home to stream content from ALL of my devices. Just the iWork suite on an iPhone or iPad puts the android comparisons to shame and that's not even factoring in other apps like Garage Band or iPhoto.

Airplay is cool but Samsung offers AllShare or with my newer receiver, it's got built in bluetooth. I can stream right from my phone too and I don't have to have Apple TV or an Apple Router to do it. For our couple year old Plasma that's not a "smart TV" I can simply hook an HDMI cable on it. Good luck with Image Quality if you're using HDMI on a lightening cable. It can't handle USB3 speeds let along HDMI full HD Data and Sound. Not without pixelation. All said I can even use the IR Capabilities of my Note 3 to control my entire home theater and all it's components right down to customizing the macros and layout of the remote for all the devices. Try that with an iPhone.

I too use iWork on an iPad, but why? I have plenty of MS Office solutions right on my phone that will actually allow me to drag/drop files wireless from the My Documents folder on my PC to my Note 3, edit them, even print them to nearly any wifi printer. I can store it in the cloud easily of course for working with it at home too. The Note is nice as I can also pull out a Stylus and sign my name with a pressure sensitive screen and thickness exactly like on paper. Did this just tonight. I opened a MS Word 2010 file form my attorney via his cloud link in an email via Polaris Office that shipped with my phone; hit "save as" because of course, I want the original file. Then My wife and I edited the document, initialed edits in our handwriting just as we would on paper with the stylus then exported it to a pdf and hit "Save as" again. Then we just printed it right at the bank as if my laptop was in front of us. I then took a picture to scan the signed and notarized image which along with the others is now safely "in the cloud" automatically. Try that with an iPhone out of the box.

Once you add the simplicity and ease of using iCloud, Photo Stream, iMessage etc, the entire package outshines it's android counterparts which is why the iPhone is still the best selling phone in the world.

Simplify? The cloud doesn't get easier than with Google. Google automatically backs up my content 100% with no need to mess around with any iCloud account or anything. I even get a notification once they are secured after shooting photos or video. I can edit the photos and rearrange them in the cloud too. In fact if I buy another android phone, all I have to do is sign in via my Google account and down come all my apps, documents, photos, music etc....just like my old phone. All done before I leave the store. No way iCloud outshines all that. Believe me, I own and use both. Google wins the cloud race and was there long before Apple and with way more features. Not to mention in the US you get 15GB of storage for free.

The value proposition for android is price as witnessed by the 24% of users still running gingerbread.

for some price is the motivator. Again, they have that choice...Apple...well now they sorta do but even still, people are stuck paying a premium for extra storage because apple won't allow such a thing as a simple MicroSD Slot. No thanks. My note 3 came with 32gb and cost me $299. The same price as a 32gb 5s. However for $30 I added a 64gb Card. Try that with Apple.....

 

[mib1800]

If you've ever developed an app for Android you'd understand the negative connotation around fragmentation.

As a developer you have only have two options. You can a) build your app using only API's available in an old version of Android and support the majority of devices, or b) build your app using brand new API's only available in the latest release and alienate the majority of your market share.

This is why you see most AAA titles appear on iOS first. It's easier to develop for and support all devices on the platform. ICS is still running on over 50% of Android devices and it's over 2 years old. Having to use old API's is not my idea of a better situation.

Why can't you use the newer API? Isnt the newer API downward compatible unless you use newer API specific interfaces. It is not so much more complicated to do a version detect in the code when you need to use the newer API interfaces.

This is much better than iOS which in most cases you cannot even run a newer version app in an older OS.

Apple blocks apps that compete with it's sales platforms and so does Google. Google makes money off ad revenue and they've removed ad blockers from the Play Store. The entire reason they built Android was to prevent iOS from having a monopoly on mobile web browsing. If they hadn't and Apple replaced Google as the default search engine in Safari (ala Maps), Google's primary source of revenue would be jeopardy.

Apple does some shady things and so does Google.

I really would like to see Apple drops everything google. In fact, it would be best if Google were to withdraw its services from iOS like it did for Winphone. Then it will be exciting to see whether how iOS users will feel without services like Youtube or google search. Then it is really a battle of the eco-system. Now Apple plays cheat as it does not open all its services to other platforms whereas iOS has access to all google services.

 

[fertilized-egg]

The key to Android isn't so much raw innovation in a single device as it's about innovation in integration of all that Google (a software co.) has to offer.

No the key to Android was the business innovation. It provided an iPhone like alternative at free licensing cost for OEMs. Even better Google actually even paid the OEMs and carriers to use Android - at least they used to, not sure if it's still the case.

I moved to a Note 3 and it's way faster and more powerful than anything Apple has available.

That's not really true. The Galaxy Note 3 uses the widely available Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip which is usually considered less advanced than Apple's A7 chip. A reviewer even expressed a concern the A7 chip might have too much power that's an overkill for this generation of devices.

As a phablet the Note 3 serves a slightly different market and if you're happy with the phone that's all that matters to you. But it's pretty silly to say Android is necessarily better for everyone. I've been using a number of Android phones in the past few years but generally find it less pleasing and productive for my needs in general.

 

[pdqgp]

That's not really true. The Galaxy Note 3 uses the widely available Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip which is usually considered less advanced than Apple's A7 chip. A reviewer even expressed a concern the A7 chip might have too much power that's an overkill for this generation of devices.

I can appreciate reviewers opinions, but I am using a real world example of a 3mb Excel spreadsheet that I access daily for work. It's intensive and on my coworkers Iphone 5s unit side by side with my Note 3, opening the file, clicking on one of the many tabs and scrolling through lines of data to get to the same place on both, the Note 3 does so without any delay. The 5s lags in both opening the file and refreshing the screen. We've tried several different apps from Polaris Office to Numbers, HD Office, etc. I think the spreadsheet pushes the limits of both RAM and processor. Either way, it's based on uses I have for the device.

As a phablet the Note 3 serves a slightly different market and if you're happy with the phone that's all that matters to you. But it's pretty silly to say Android is necessarily better for everyone. I've been using a number of Android phones in the past few years but generally find it less pleasing and productive for my needs in general.

Don't get me wrong; I agree YMMV regardless of the device as will everyone's. Not everyone will use or see value in the capabilities or differences between the two.

 

[Hyper-X]

If you've ever developed an app for Android you'd understand the negative connotation around fragmentation.

As a developer you have only have two options. You can a) build your app using only API's available in an old version of Android and support the majority of devices, or b) build your app using brand new API's only available in the latest release and alienate the majority of your market share.

This is why you see most AAA titles appear on iOS first. It's easier to develop for and support all devices on the platform. ICS is still running on over 50% of Android devices and it's over 2 years old. Having to use old API's is not my idea of a better situation.

Apple blocks apps that compete with it's sales platforms and so does Google. Google makes money off ad revenue and they've removed ad blockers from the Play Store. The entire reason they built Android was to prevent iOS from having a monopoly on mobile web browsing. If they hadn't and Apple replaced Google as the default search engine in Safari (ala Maps), Google's primary source of revenue would be jeopardy.

Apple does some shady things and so does Google.

True enough. I used to develop some simple apps for the Android 2.2-2.3 API and I guess it depends on the app itself. I tend to create utilities like networking tools I'm often not happy with seeing in other apps.

Are the API's for iOS 6.1.x different from iOS 7, I'm guessing they are. There's still millions of iOS users who haven't upgraded to iOS 7 with concerns over losing their jailbreak.

 

[dasx]

I've played with Android. I had to work with one for over a month for job reasons (Note I). I've tried different models from my friends.
I've owned a 4S (1 year) a 5 (1 year) and a 5S (2 months).

I don't plan on making any kind of switching to Android. Never say never, but right now? NOO. Period.

BUT. I'm very, very curious about Nokia. A Lumia 1020 for instance. Sure, they don't have much apps, but this will certainly improve and let's be honest, I could live with half the apps I have. (And I just have 2 screens leaving aside games).

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Phone subsidies are abolished in Spain, Germany, Italy and Russia. (iphone market share is weak)

I'm from Barcelona, and all carriers have iPhone subsidies. I can tell you my case.

My 2-year mandatory time of being with my carrier was gone, so gave them a call and told them I had been offered by another carrier the new iPhone with a better price plan than the one I had with them.

I ended up with a free 5S (yes, 0€) and a 65€/month plan, with a 30% discount,
leaving it in around 45€/month, 8€ less than what I was paying at the moment.

So yes. Subsidies do exist, and people do use them. They're just not as common because most people have 5-15€/month plans and all they give you with that are cheap Androids.