I think I explained it in my comment what attracted me to the Galaxy S8. The screen looked amazing and the shape of the phone. I love iOS but I hate the hardware. So my point was that I wish I could get a Galaxy S8 with an iOS in it. That's all.. I never went to try the Galaxy hoping for a better OS because I'm aware that to me iOS is the bomb compared to android. I'm also aware that iOS is not what it used to be, but it's still better than android to my eyes.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone Scores 92% Loyalty Rate in Recent Survey Ahead of iPhone 8
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I think I explained it in my comment what attracted me to the Galaxy S8. The screen looked amazing and the shape of the phone. I love iOS but I hate the hardware. So my point was that I wish I could get a Galaxy S8 with an iOS in it. That's all.. I never went to try the Galaxy hoping for a better OS because I'm aware that to me iOS is the bomb compared to android. I'm also aware that iOS is not what it used to be, but it's still better than android to my eyes.
Well, this is it now, isn't it? With Android, you can go to a different vendor and use the same Android specific apps. What happens if you leave iOS? Start again.
I doubt this is an overwhelming factor given that I assume the majority of average users like me use device agnostic apps (FB, Youtube etc), but it has to be *some* kind of consideration, especially among people like my mum who are just going to stay with what they know. If I see the latest HTC is sweeter than the Samsung, I might change vendors on Android. No can do on Apple.
Going further, to the Mac platform, I have been invested for the last 8+ years with Macbook Pro, and my current one is from 2011 ffs. The latest offerings haven't even been tepid, they have been crap in an expensive box. I really, really have to consider how locked in I am to the Mac ecosystem when it comes to my next computer (which will be my first full priced MBp). I love the software, but the price and performance of the new line-up are quite sub-par.
[doublepost=1495178317][/doublepost]
I have to agree. I have been using Mac for 9-10 years now and I love my MBP, but I got both my previous ones on *massive* discounts and my next one will be my first full priced Mac. If the Surface Pro 5 offers up the goods, it *could* be what pushes me over. I love the Mac software and OS, but the price for the performance is just offensive now.
Even if the 92% figure is true, the fact that iphone is losing market share over the years means that new users that join iphone club are lesser than the attrition rate.
Ultimately as other smartphones become better and yet sold at much cheaper price, the worst scenario is iphone users will slowly become marginalized. Maybe apple will continue to survive depending on the existing pool of loyal customers who are willing to fork out more money for less.
Ultimately as other smartphones become better and yet sold at much cheaper price, the worst scenario is iphone users will slowly become marginalized. Maybe apple will continue to survive depending on the existing pool of loyal customers who are willing to fork out more money for less.
Fact is there are no credible competitors for my needs. Android vendors don't concentrate on security enough but has the Apps and Windows Phone has the security but not the Apps, iOS has both, and in both cases their implementations are also better than the competitors. I know its sounds very 'fanboy' but that is the reality for me at the moment (I am aware there are Android devices that claim security but they have other disadvantages or are just not that secure).
I saw this article. Don't just assume anything on security.
http://www.darkreading.com/mobile/enterprise-android-vs-ios-which-is-more-secure/a/d-id/1328068
I believe that WhatsApp can back up everything (including photos) into your Google account. I have the setting enabled, although I haven't switched phones to check if the chat history is persistent.
[doublepost=1495188618][/doublepost]
More like "Hotel California"
Huh, no, people are just keeping their phones longer and longer.
In fact, Apple's user base has continued growing non stop, no attrition, just a longer sales cycle.
That's a particularly big problem with the Ipads which are kept around for 5-6 years.
In fact, it could be argued that it takes since Apple's phone are probably probably about 4 years in active use, compared to maybe 1.5-2 years for the cheap phones, this explains a good deal of the difference in sales volume (pricing being the other big explanation.
Have you used an iPhone? Actual question.
Whatsapp on iPhone backs up to iCloud/iTunes as part of the regular backup process. Not related to google.
Whatsapp on Android can back up locally or Google Drive.
You can email your conversation, but obviously that's not what people would want.
Oh I didn't realize that WhatsApp on the iPhone uses iCloud instead. Shame. Perhaps Google Drive integration will come at some point. And no, I haven't used an iPhone for WhatsApp - I only used iPhones for very brief periods of time when looking for a new phone.
There is no built-in way to do this.
Yes you can email your chat conversation, but that is not what people want.
I wouldn't know about third party software (most, if not all, are paid software), and I have not had any testimonies that they worked (most forum posts were bots/baits for the software itself).
Even if something works, it's one chat app. There are a lot of other apps that are not really cross-platform on their data.
My point is, most people who use their smartphone as a smartphone don't just switch platforms willy nilly. They don't have time to waste in figuring out how to migrate their stuff. Heck, even users are having problems migrating from an old Android phone to a new Android phone. At least Apple makes it ultra easy for people to stick on theirs (simply restore a backup to a new iPhone, and it's like you never left your iPhone).
Generally I agree with you, although I never had trouble migrating to a new Android. You put in your Google account and everything else seems to follow. I cannot recall ever losing something I wanted to keep. These days you can even get the icon layout transferred.
But clearly, it's a little more complicated to migrate from an Android device to another than it is to migrate from an iPhone to another. Much of this is because Android is a lot more varied and customizable compared to the cookie-cutter iOS, so there's a downside to that.
Personally I don't find it intimidating to migrate from Android to iOS - there's nothing I'd lose in terms of apps or data that I want to keep, and I don't care much about my WhatsApp chat history - but the thought of using iOS on my phone makes me nauseous.
To date Apple has never produced smartphone hardware that I would want to buy (horrible small screens, huge bezels, or a plain huge phone with huge bezels in the Pluses). This might change with the next iPhone, particularly if it has an in-glass fingerprint reader and OLED screen with minimal bezels like the S8. However I realized I would probably go crazy with the lack of the back button, the multitude of extra taps and swipes it takes on iOS to do almost anything compared to Android, and the hard requirement to use iTunes - which I loath - to put my music on my phone.
This is why the next iPhone won't be as revolutionary and groundbreaking as a lot of people on here seem to believe. When 92% of your customers say they will buy the next iPhone before even knowing what it's like, why bother?
Apple have done all the hard work and have millions of people ready to buy whatever they make, so I don't blame them for resting on their laurels.
Apple have done all the hard work and have millions of people ready to buy whatever they make, so I don't blame them for resting on their laurels.
When buying smartphones, and PCs, the first choice to make is the operating system you want to use.
Apple doesn't license its OS to third party, so if you want their OS you really need to buy an iPhone or a Mac.
Some people like you are used to Android, so switching to iOS could be a pain as you describe. The same goes for people who like iOS and would never buy an Android phone.
Hardware if obviously important, but with Android you have plenty of choice.
The main reason I use iOS is because of my job as developer for that platform, and that forces me to use macOS as well. But I have to agree with you on the hardware, many Android phones look better than iPhone and they have better specs. They don't have the same hardware and software integration, so as far as concern performances iPhone is great, but I hate the huge bezels, the display is good but not great (while I like the oled of my Apple Watch), and it costs a tons of money.
If I were you I'd stick with Android and chose the model that best suits your needs. I miss the old times when I had another job and I was free to install the Linux distribution I liked, and was able to chose between a vast number of laptops. Apple's ecosystem is not bad, but is forcing me to take too many compromises.
Since there's no other choice except an iPhone if someone is deeply invested in iOS (and that's pretty common for iOS users), that percentage is not surprising.
With Android, users are more free to jump around to whomever makes the latest and greatest at the best price.
Even then, there are some extremely loyal subsets of users. Heck, 90 percent of Note 7 buyers continued to choose another Note during the first bad-battery exchange program (before they were recalled for good the second time). And probably most of those will get a Note 8 (or refurb'd Note 7).
Why is the percentage not surprising? I would think people who are UNHAPPY with iOS would not want to upgrade and would jump ship. This percentage seems to indicate people who are happy with iOS.
The problem with Android is that each apps has its own way of storing its data, and although Google offered an integrated way so everything will be backed up (and easily restored) via Google Drive, not all developers bite. Apple's method is to just back up the whole phone, so when it is restored, everything will be there. Try migrating Line chat history form an Android phone to another. It's a nightmare. At least on iPhone, it's being taken care of by the main backup.
I have switched between Android phones since the days of Nexus one (Gnex, Nexus 4, 5, Xperia, HTC One, Galaxy, Moto X, OnePlus, Vivo, Xiaomi, each as daily driver, I probably have tried more Android phones that most people here). I don't care if you are nauseous using iPhones, that's your issue. And if you buy phone only for the spec, you are in the wrong forum imo.
My main point remains, those that use a smartphone as a smartphone will not just switch platforms willy nilly as it is a hassle to do so. Thus the retention number for iOS makes sense.
Sure, and I think a lot of that happiness is because it's easier. The same reason people got an iPhone in the first place. Few models, few options, little customization, and a walled garden; the overall simplicity is intentionally designed to be quite appealing to people who just want something that works out of the box with little or no thinking required, and which is hard to screw up
Heck, that's why I have iPads all over the house, and half our family has iPhones. Also why we have Rokus and Amazon Echoes, for that matter.
Ah now I understand. I do what's best not what's easiest. The path of least resistance is easiest but not necessarily best.Sure, and I think a lot of that happiness is because it's easier. The same reason people got an iPhone in the first place. Few models, few options, little customization, and a walled garden; the overall simplicity is intentionally designed to be quite appealing to people who just want something that works out of the box with little or no thinking required, and which is hard to screw up
Heck, that's why I have iPads all over the house, and half our family has iPhones.
I don't disagree with you at all, although I'm not familiar with Line. I personally haven't had any trouble and I went through a similarly long list of Android phones.
As far buying phones for specs, I'm not into that at all, otherwise I'd always buy the latest Samsung, but that's not the case. To date I only had one Samsung phone (an Alpha, which was ok but not great), apart from the Galaxy Nexus which was more Google than Samsung. I just want a decent screen size (I've been steadily going up faster than Apple has), a fluid experience (fortunately today's nearly every phone costing more than $300 provides this), good battery life and, since I got the P9, now I'm picky about the camera too... Shame the P10 has the fingerprint reader on the front, otherwise I'd have gone for one.
I ask many people why they chose iPhones, and most of them say they want something easy. To them, the iPhone is a tool, and they don't want to deal with figuring out the tool every time they upgrade. They have better things to do than tinkering with their phones. And these are smart people (investment banker, CEOs, consultant, luxury brand marketer, etc).Ah now I understand. I do what's best not what's easiest. The path of least resistance is easiest but not necessarily best.
So to each to his own.
My trainer was complaining yesterday about not sleeping well and how she starts doing stuff on her phone, which in turn wakes her up even more. She's always been an iPhone user, and I pointed out that her iPhone has a "night mode", I find this very effective on my phone, and then showed her how to enable it. Her reaction was "wow, I didn't know that", which was funny given how simple the process is.
I never had any question mark over technically illiterate (*) or fashionable people using iPhones. They are indeed very simple devices, and they're good tools for social signalling (design, price, marketing), so it fits well. I'm baffled as to why someone who's able to understand technology would buy one, short of being forced to by circumstances.
(*) Not meant as an insult but mere description. We're all illiterate when it comes to many domains.
5 years ago this may be true. Now this is just a myth propagated by apple users who may have not even touch or use other OS.
If you are novice, both are as easy to setup. You just need a google or Apple account. In fact, Android you don't even need any account and start using the phone. The rest are the same. Install apps then run apps. Make calls and send texts.
For first time advanced users, iphone is much more difficult than Android. You need to relearn most basic operation. There is no file system. Just adding attachment to emails need to go through convoluted steps unlike Android which does it exactly like in PC /Mac. Android has universal long press (just like right click on PC/Mac) to popup a menu. Iphone is hell confusing - is there a long press or 3dt or none. Android has USB/UTG support (just like PC/Mac). Iphone doesnt. Android can integrates with heterogeneous PC/Mac environment. Iphone cannot. Android (just like PC/Mac) can create shortcuts to virtually anything. Iphone cannot. Android apps have pull down menu support (just like PC/Mac). Iphone doesnt. The list goes on.
Sounds like you are the one making assumptions, and the assumption is that people want a PC on their phone. You can think of it that way, but reality says otherwise. People don't want a PC on their phone, they want a phone. And when they upgraded to a newer phone, they don't want to relearn things. Apple delivers that. The closest thing on Android side is Xiaomi, and that is if you stick to Xiaomi phones. Even Samsung always change things on every new iteration of their skin. My facts are from actual chats with people like I mentioned above. They are no fans of Apple per se, and they don't care. All they want is a phone that they don't have to tinker like a PC. The iPhone happened to be that. These people have better things to do in their lives than having yet another frustrating "PC" in their pocket.
If you want a PC in your pocket, it's your choice. The topic here is about user retention of iOS. Your argument doesn't support the data.