USB-C iPhone 15 May Tempt Some Android Owners to Switch, Survey Suggests

[d5aqoëp]

This USB-C port is useless even if it is high speed. Apple only allows you to transfer photos and videos smoothly by plugging iDevice to a PC/Mac. But if you want to transfer any other file type, ring master Tim Apple makes you jump through hoops..... Use Files app to transfer downloaded file from Downloads folder to such an app which has it's own folder access. Then use iTunes to transfer that particular file from that app's folder to PC using legacy transfer interface and you don't even get to know what is your transfer speed.... whether you are transferring through USB 2.0 protocol speeds or you are using USB4 speeds on iPad Pros. Apple is anything but "ease of use". Everything is purposely convoluted to force people to do things the hard way.

You can't even download a large 10 GB file in Safari. If screen goes to sleep, so does your download. No support for proper download managers. Ohh but WWDC or iPhone/iPad presenters never forget to lie to you how iPad can make you ssssooooo productive. What will you do by purchasing overpriced 2TB/4TB variants then? Apple give people reason to buy higher tier storage devices damn it!!

 

[3530025]

This USB-C port is useless even if it is high speed. Apple only allows you to transfer photos and videos smoothly by plugging iDevice to a PC/Mac. But if you want to transfer any other file type, ring master Tim Apple makes you jump through hoops..... Use Files app to transfer downloaded file from Downloads folder to such an app which has it's own folder access. Then use iTunes to transfer that particular file from that app's folder to PC using legacy transfer interface and you don't even get to know what is your transfer speed.... whether you are transferring through USB 2.0 protocol speeds or you are using USB4 speeds on iPad Pros. Apple is anything but "ease of use". Everything is purposely convoluted to force people to do things the hard way.

You can't even download a large 10 GB file in Safari. If screen goes to sleep, so does your download. No support for proper download managers. Ohh but WWDC or iPhone/iPad presenters never forget to lie to you how iPad can make you ssssooooo productive. What will you do by purchasing overpriced 2TB/4TB variants then? Apple give people reason to buy higher tier storage devices damn it!!

I’m not saying you are wrong. But you definitely can connect external storage (flash drive) to your iOS/iPadOS and transfer photos and videos in and out without iTunes. It was not possible back then, but it is possible for some year now.

 

[Abazigal]

I suspect many android users don't use their usb-c cable for anything beyond charging, and so don't even know what transfer speed their charging cable has (it's likely 2.0 if they are still using the bundled cable). Mostly likely don't sideload, except maybe by accident. You don't miss what you don't need.

I can personally think of a couple of reasons to switch.

1) Third party apps. Your phone is likely the computer you spend the most time with, the majority of that time is likely spent in apps, and I feel that iOS apps are generally superior to android apps in terms of design, polish, or just plain availability. That said, do be prepared to pay for the good stuff.

2) The inability to sideload on iOS is not necessarily a bad thing, because it's one less vector of attack for scams. It's funny when my bank recently announced that their banking app is not going to work if it detects sideloaded apps on the user's android device. There was quite a bit of uproar over this, but they are standing by their decision (for now).

3) You may pay more upfront for an iPhone, but you do get better build quality and longer software support, so it can be worth it in the long term if you intend to hold on to it for 3-4 years. While one can argue that the same money could get you 2 android phones, what does it say when you are essentially generating twice the amount of landfill ultimately (and materials like plastic tend to be harder to recycle than metal)?

4) The ecosystem. Maybe you have held out on iMessage for as long as you can. Maybe you just want to be able to airdrop photos to the people around you or FaceTime someone with ease. That time is now. It's also the gateway into getting the Apple Watch and AirPods. Maybe an Apple TV or 2, and even an iPad while you are at it. And once you are in, you will never want to leave.

Apple attracting more switchers over the years is no fluke. Apple is clearly doing something right to appeal to current android users. I am still trying to understand the exact reasons why this is so, but I expect this trend to continue.

 

[Boeingfan]

Yeah nah.

 

[Zorn]

I have a lot of trouble believing that these $5 cables were the one thing that was dissuading Android users from switching. That just seems pretty incredible to me.

 

[hagjohn]

I've never made a decision on buying a device on which cable it is using.

 

[fwmireault]

I have a lot of trouble believing that these $5 cables were the one thing that was dissuading Android users from switching

This is not at all what the survey implies. How can you go from 'may tempt Android users' to 'the one thing that what dissuading them from switching'?

 

[laptech]

The poll number is so low MR should not have even considered making a post about it.

Oh and as both an Apple iphone and Android phone user, why did I want an android phone? simple, I want the ability to use an SD card slot both for increased storage space and for ease of use when dealing with video's and pictures. What type of charging port a phone has has never ever been a consideration of mine.

 

[Chevysales]

I don’t believe one bit of this survey. How is anyone claiming a $19 cable will influence their $1000 plus purchase. Just doesn’t seem plausible to me that a droid user will all the sudden make the change so I can use same cable. I’m calling bs.

 

[fwmireault]

The poll number is so low MR should not have even considered making a post about it

I can't presume this poll had a completely random sample, but the size of the sample is more than enough for a good confidence level

 

[pplfn]

I'm still not 100% convinced on USB-C, most non-pro users just use the Lightning Port to charge their phones and with Qi2/MagSafe we are getting close to the current charging speed of lightning cable (20W).

Watching Lightning become a >10 years decision I feel that this decision to USB-C doesn't hold as it would a completely wireless decision.

Is it really that bad to remove the port completely for non-pro iPhones?

 

[GuruZac]

Yes, like Google's call screener. That one feature has eliminated all of my Spam and Robocalls, which prior to that I would average between 250-300 robocalls per month.

Apple’s silence unknown callers feature combined with the free Verizon Call Filter have eliminated all spam calls for me. They go directly to voicemail, and shocker, they never leave a voicemail. Wonderful feature.

 

[chfilm]

What's interesting is what will happen to other devices like the magic keyboard for example.

 

[winxmac]

Possibilities:
iPhone 15 - USB Type C but USB 2.0 speed
iPhone 16 - USB Type C but Thunderbolt 4 speed

iPhone 15 - USB Type C but Thunderbolt 4 speed

Switch to USB Type C but remain USB 2.0 speed until someone outside forces Apple to be updated to higher speed

 

[pplfn]

What's interesting is what will happen to other devices like the magic keyboard for example.

I'm also interested on this! Removing lightning from iPhone should mean removing lightning from everywhere.

 

[urtho]

The port will not make me change, but it at least allows the iPhone to make my list. Size and weight are also huge factors for me.

 

[ignatius345]

I'm always very surprised at how much people care which charge cord their phone uses. I care but it's just so far down the list.

I do wonder, with Android users, if the people in this survey are already on the fence because of other features of the iPhone and USB-C is just kind of a tipping point that reduces the perceived burden of switching.

 

[laptech]

I can't presume this poll had a completely random sample, but the size of the sample is more than enough for a good confidence level

Go to the actual website and go look at the numbers, you will find they polled approx. 1023 to 1058 people. Considering the millions upon millions of iphone and android users, those poll numbers are way way too low to get any sort of accurate measurement of the general consensus of the public.

 

[fwmireault]

Go to the actual website and go look at the numbers, you will find they polled approx. 1023 to 1058 people. Considering the millions upon millions of iphone and android users, those poll numbers are way way too low to get any sort of accurate measurement of the general consensus of the public.

What do you mean? If the sample is completely randomized, you need 385 people to have a 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error. This is assuming the population surveyed was the 2.3B Android users, which I doubt. With over 1000 people, and if the sampling was done right, they could even achieve a 99% confidence level with a low margin of error.

 

[aberdeenmeadows]

That is so hard for me to believe people in the U.S. is going to move from Android to iPhone because of the charging cable.

I can see in Europe because they detest anything but USB-C - for a good reason!

 

[aberdeenmeadows]

What do you mean? If the sample is completely randomized, you need 385 people to have a 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error. This is assuming the population surveyed was the 2.3B Android users, which I doubt. With over 1000 people, and if the sampling was done right, they could even achieve a 99% confidence level with a low margin of error.

and depends on where they asked. If in the U.S., I doubt it. If in the EU, I can 100% agree and understand the results.

 

[ItsASpider]

I mean sure, it amongst other things lowers the threshold for waste generated from such a switch.

 

[mrat93]

Lets wait for android users to hear that the Pro models goes thunderbolt from the start, while android users have usbC for a decade and still without it..

I mean we’re still stuck with USB 2.0 while they’ve had USB 3.0 for a decade.

The jump between USB 2.0 and 3.0 is way more significant than the gap between 3.0 and Thunderbolt.

 

[stocklen]

How ridiculous does this sound.

Honestly - if an Android user really wanted an iPhone its just the lightning cable that stops them buying one??

Surely most people wireless charge and even if they dont its very cheap and easy to buy a cable

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Apple’s silence unknown callers feature combined with the free Verizon Call Filter have eliminated all spam calls for me. They go directly to voicemail, and shocker, they never leave a voicemail. Wonderful feature.

I get to watch Google's call screener answer my phone, it will inform the caller that Google's Assistant AI is requesting why they are calling and I can watch a "live" transcript as the person starts responding. Google's call screener is embedded into Android and doesn't require a carrier to work. At that point I have many options including flagging it as Spam, sending it to VM or hanging up. It will also save a transcript of the call.