With Apple having over 50% market share in Australia since 2011 and recently passing 50% in the US, what do you think Google or Android phone manufacturers need to do to win more market share?
For those who switched to iOS or never used Android, what feature would get you to switch?
That is true. That was from 2 to 3 years ago.
LOL. They manufacture iPhone displays to Apple's spec - if samsung does not, chinese BOE or any other OEM can. Infact they are manufacturing some percentage of displays for iPhone 14. It would be utterly stupid of samsung to do that - their semi conductor division earns more than the mobile division and most of the R&D costs are also bore by the semi conductor division.
That would greatly harm Samsung and not Apple; Apple buys screens from multiple places so they'd figure it out quick-smart. They'd definitely have a contingency plan in place.
Globally Android dominates by a long way, I'm not sure they need to worry too much about a small population country like Australia.
Cheap and nasty phones. Yes. I would not call it domination though.
"We sell more sub-$100 poverty landfill bricks than you"
Wel phones at all levels really, including perfectly decent mid range ones and higher end. There is no need to be upset.
Android don't make phones, so that comment is kind of irrelevant. It is the operating system. Currently about 70% globally, vs 25% for IOS.
I would call that domination.
Quality over quantity, though. ie Quality sales (high-end sales) is far greater for Apple than Samsung.
It would be nice if Google required all Android phone manufacturers to provide an easy switch to vanilla Android as an alternative to their proprietary skins.
Comparing Android to IOS, what I like about Android is the different handset price points … you can buy quite decent mid and low priced Android phones. My current phone, bought over 2 years ago for $400, still works fine.
Exactly. I dont see why you would spend Apple money to get a top end Android. The mid range android phone's are pretty nice and with google camera forks, the camera performance is pretty good too.
Yeah should be a simple thing to reinstall to the stock Android OS.
Lower Idle Power Consumption.
More consistency across devices, or an option to reset to vanilla via settings with all manufacturers.
I'm not sure if anyone has elaborated on this but Android needs a universal messaging service like iMessage. One that Google won't cancel after 2 years of failed take-up lmao.
Do not come @ me with RCS cos that is ancient, insecure and lacks a lot of features.
Do not come @ me with RCS cos that is ancient, insecure and lacks a lot of features.
Could you elaborate?
Apologies, I really can't be bothered but if you want a good read, Ars Technica New Google site begs Apple for mercy in messaging war and the ensuing comment section has plenty of information.
That article is just silly.
Not saying RCS is good or that iMessage is bad. But it is ridiculous for them to call RCS "ancient" because it was first released in 2008 (completely ignoring newer subsequent releases) but somehow iMessage which was introduced in 2011 is not ancient. I suppose in a couple of years that is also going to be ancient then? Or does it get some special exemption because it is by Apple?
Also - if you use Google Messages (which I reckon most Android users do), messages are encrypted end to end.
Eitherway, having some universal messaging service that is used by Apple and Android won't fix anything because we all have those friends who prefer different apps. I have friends that only use facebook messenger for messages, some that user Whatsapp, some that use Viber, and they all have different reasons and I don't think any of those reasons are because lack of compatible messaging services between iPhone/Android.
@ThithLord: iMessage was released 10 years ago. If RCS is "ancient" then so is iMessage right? Or they somehow iterate and improve on the standard as time goes by?
I'm hoping people disable the iCloud backup for their iMessages as that isn't end to end encrypted. Oh, you also should hope everyone else disables this. https://9to5mac.com/2022/09/16/chinese-spy/
Then again, we have that whole "anti encryption" bill here, so I don't know how much encryption is going to help us (and the other 5 eyes nations for that matter).
iMessage was released 10 years ago. If RCS is "ancient" then so is iMessage right? Or they somehow iterate and improve on the standard as time goes by?
lol is this the best you can do? RCS is woefully fragmented and it's upkeep handled by the carrier. You know how on a lot of Android devices you have to wait for your carrier to release the OS updates? Ja, it'll be even worse for RCS compatibility.
iMessage receives day 0 updates whenever there is one. So yeah, it's a little different.
You have no idea what you're talking about, so best dip out of this thread, mate.
Honestly thought the same, however I'd much rather a solid third party solution that was cross platform so you can easily move between phones without losing chat history.
WhatsApp is what I mainly use, but can't easily move between Android and iOS.
Yeah, sure, but then you have to always check with the recipient if they use x system.
Apple does very well with device longevity and platform lock-in.
So someone who is a long time Android user might just 'try an iPhone this time' and then that phone will still be working perfectly on the latest OS and software 5+ years later.
By this time, half a decade later, that user is fully locked into the Apple ecosystem, prob signed up to Apple music, thousands of photos in iCloud etc - it becomes an obvious choice to get another iPhone.
Having swapped back and forth going right back to the iPhone 3G and HTC Hero, when I look at each device on it's own merit I really don't find an iPhone better or worse than a Pixel or Galaxy S Ultra, all have strengths and weaknesses and I generally just make the most of it. That being said, I've recently swapped back to an iPhone from Pixel and I think this is where I'll stay for the foreseeable future.
I think in 2022 what is striking to me is that Apple have done such a good job creating an ecosystem that works so well together. Over the the last 14 or so years or so i've only ever really owned 2-3 devices from Apple at any given time, but with the launch of the Apple silicon, I grabbed a Mac mini and my partner a MacBook air (and we got free AirPods included with our orders) and it was then I really started to see the value in how well everything just worked together. Most recently I sold my Shield TV Pro which covered the cost of an Apple TV 4K and it seems that with each device I own it becomes clearer that the compatibility and overall seamlessness of this ecosystem is where Apple truly shines over Android.
TBH i was in the Apple ecosystem for a couple of years and enjoyed it.
The only thing that made me leave was the sub par battery life that Apple was getting by putting an increasingly powerful chip in a constrained body (iphone 6, 7, 8, xr etc..)
Yes its nice to have a phone that works, but it has to have enough battery to power itself. Work gave me an Iphone SE and that thing will go to zero in a couple of days without even using it.
Begrudgingly jumped to Android (not because i wanted to) and tbh the battery life has been great, as well as the 120hz refresh rate and in display fingerprint reader.
I'm looking at going back now that they've got their batteries sorted but paying $1500+ for an apple to get the equivalent to my S22+ seems like a stretch.
Had my fair share on OnePlus, Oppo, Samsung, HTC and Xiaomi phones over the past 13 years.
Only a handful of times I have had a consistent working phone and that was my iPhone 6 which I had for 4 years and my iPhone 12 Pro which I’ve had since release.
Yeah sure, being able to root a phone and sideload apps and hacks for games or install cynogen cool cool but for all the hassle it was never worth it, even keeping stock android there were delays for apps to be released/updated vs iOS and not to mention app crashes. The amount of apps that I’ve had that just stop responding is crazy. Had it a few times on le iPhone but seemed to be a daily occurrence on Android.
I also like that iPhones seem to last 3-5 years opposed to Android which for some reasons runs a lot slower after a year, batteries seem to shitcan themselves early on also and repairs are generally impossible or if they can be repaired they never seem to seal correctly and fall apart.
I don’t know what appeal Android needs to create for itself, the budget phone market is what they’re ideal for. The upper end, eh, they seem ok but after a couple years I feel like I’ll need a phone because it’s having too many issues.
Maybe if they all ran vanilla versions of android there’d be less bugs, crashes, more seamless use especially if switching device and not having to relearn certain functionality.
Management is pretty average also.
Apple DEP > Samsung Knox and MDM’s seem to show the same thing.
You'd have to really focus on things that make people go to Apple for the most part and literally copy or emulate that
Majority of iPhone users are on probably 3-4 year upgrade cycle, and it's because it's possible with the extensive software updates provided, and things usually working well with their 3 year device to your cousin's latest iPhone device, obviously bar the new fancy features. But with Android, the amount of software updates differ too greatly, if you stuck with Pixel's and some other OEM's then you can probably squeeze out longer updates, but other popular OEM's are just super slow with making a new Android OS update available, which is really the contributor to fragmentation in the ecosystem.
As mentioned, fragmentation is what causes a lot of these people do dislike it, you look at the iOS major OS releases each year, and it's pretty crazy the uptake within 2 weeks. Granted I know Google's trying to fix this, from an app-submission stand point they are mandating developers to be on quite the latest API targets, but if your user's phones aren't using the latest Android major OS updates, then still fragmentation exists
Sure in terms of value the components and features on paper you get with say a Samsung flag ship could warrant it's pricing, but I think the pricing is copying a bit too much from Apple. Considering all of these major OEM providers don't provide the longevity of OS updates in a timely manner to your customers, and some have really poor after-sales support, I'm not entirely sure why they can command the same pricing aside from knowing that users would pay for it. So pricing wise it needs to be a bit more competitive
Sense of privacy, now whether or not Apple truly does it, but they've definitely marketed enough to create a solid divide where people go if you privacy and security, you go Apple, if it doesn't matter, Android. Probably more work needs to be done around that, and also I guess it's hard to re-shape anyways considering it's from Google, and their reputation is probably already solidified in some people's minds that them knowing so much about you, there's hardly much way of privacy.
I feel like in the software space, the OEMs have too much control in destroying the experience, sure they might try to make it better, but they are also destroying it by making things super inconsistent. When I was developing some apps for Android, it's insane how this OEM replaces the default browser, then another does the same, but it wasn't simply a browser choice, but it was also how inconsistent the results we got out of it, it wasn't your standard Chrome version either.
Developer protection, you aren't going to attract high quality applications when the review process is a joke and also the fact that it's so easy and flexible to attain an APK and sideload APK's. Writing mobile apps can be time consuming. Aside from big players and manufacturers needing to provide their app on the platform because it's a companion app, I fail to see putting any effort into the Android ecosystem as a developer, unless of course I have a lot of spare resources, but I would prioritise putting it on iOS first.
I think there's many things that Google can do, and they probably know how to improve it, but the challenge all falls under OEM's.
Sense of privacy, now whether or not Apple truly does it, but they've definitely marketed enough to create a solid divide where people go if you privacy and security, you go Apple, if it doesn't matter, Android. Probably more work needs to be done around that, and also I guess it's hard to re-shape anyways considering it's from Google, and their reputation is probably already solidified in some people's minds that them knowing so much about you, there's hardly much way of privacy.
This is a good point also.
I recently switched to iPhone after many years on Android with a few work phones in between on iOS.
I have no brand loyalty and just want the best device for my usage.
Apple has come a long way in my opinion. Yes, they were late with many features that Android has had for a long time but the implementation on iOS is often far better.
The battery life in my 13 Pro Max is unrivaled by any flagship Android device.
iOS apps generally look better and are better optimised.
Its a joke that my colleagues are running out of juice on their brand new Galaxy and Pixel phones by lunch time.
Carplay is superior to AA but AA is not bad either.
Google Photos is amazing and I am happy that I can continue to use it.
Google Assistant is superior but Siri works fine for my use case (I would say that I am not an advanced voiced commands user).
Android notification centre is superior but iOS have slowly but surely been making improvements however I still find it somewhat clunky, this could be due to me just being used to the way Android does things.
Many of the quirks of iOS that used to bug me and prevent me from switching to it are no longer issues.
Overall, I genuinely expected that the change back to iOS was going to be difficult and I half expected to be back on Android very quickly however it was the complete opposite. I miss nothing.
I've never had any trouble getting Androids to just work and I am not particularly tech savvy. Is this a persistent myth from the early days of the smartphone? I am never going to spend over $700 let alone $1300 on a phone so iPhone v Android is not going to be a decision I have to make.
I wish there was an easier way to get a custom ROM on an Android like the LineageOS I have now - brother did it for me. But I suppose I could get a Pixel for much the same thing without the hassle.
To each one his own but I wont put all of my sensitive information on a phone and have it run a community developed OS. I would rather buy a used iPhone or SE and use it.
Open source.
Better app cross platform compatibility.
I have an Android head unit in the car and its such a pain in the ass to get Android apps working on it when they work fine on an Android phone or tablet.
Also file system compatibility, such a pain to transfer files between Android devices and Windows.
Bring back/put microSD on flagship phones
Make a phone that doesn’t plummet in value, and give it features that people actually care about
I hope they sell many many more iphones without them my repair business would fail, to those that think iphones are way superior hardware wise sadly not the case , and oohh there are some large faults. But i stopped using any apple products due to their shameful business practices, not selling any spare parts, placing caveats on all their chips, serialisation of nearly every part in their phones, trying too look respectable by releasing a user repair program that costs way more than genius bar does. Locking phones n tablets regardless if they aren't reported lost or stolen just adding to ever increasing ewaste problems.
I hope they sell many many more iphones without them my repair business would fail, to those that think iphones are way superior hardware wise sadly not the case
Dude that's just confirmation bias. Seeing as Apple as a whole has a much larger share and a lot older phones (due to impeccable OS support), you'll see a larger percentage of your repairs as Apple devices.
The rest of your paragraph - fair enough
But also look at screen replacement costs.
3rd parties can do an S20 for around $400, iPhone 12 pro at under $200. The iPhone is generally easier to repair, cheaper for parts and their tends to be a lot less issues post repair for iPhone vs Samsung. I managed a large computer store that also specialised in phone repair and iPhones were repaired much more and the return rate was much lower without factoring in the quantity of repairs.
Damn ive been doing electronics repair for 30 plus years, ain't nothing easy about Apple products, cheaper parts ? What parts does Apple sell ? Zip nada not a one to any 3rd party repair shop. Only reason some parts cheaper is the Chinese copy manufacturers, you still have to pay big $$ for high quality Apple aftermarket screens, then you have to have machinery to actually make it work, hell my laser machine for removing newer iphones back glass was $6k, my nand programmer 2k.
Sadly its not , since iphone x my % of apple repairs has gone through the roof, as with all brands there has to be time when a phone is just not economical to fix. Apple no different.
I am glad they serialise the parts now and now also the fact if the connected airpods are genuine or not. I have been burnt buying a used iPhone only to find a non genuine display on it later.
Damn you would be the only person, all screens i sell are 100% genuine Apple, refurbed, n they still come up with unknown part error. Any brand phone or anything you can buy can have non genuine parts caveat emptor. Its your job to figure it out not Apple. Do you own your iPhone or Apple these days your merely renting it. If you think Apple is doing it to help you sorry, it's $$. I get many referrals anonymous from genius bar staff for data retrieval something Apple has always said is 100% impossible on damaged devices yet I've successfully recovered 100s iPhone data.
There are many factors here and we'd need more information to make sense of this:
Sadly new models of every brand aren't making the huge leaps they once did, only minor improvements eg couldn't see any reason to go from iphone 13 to 14 improvements are minor damn even look same
Simple, stop copying Apple's dumb $%#*
Vendors:
Google:
I agree, to me if the phone manufacturers don't want me to get root (like Samsung knox permanently disabling features when you root and Google safetynet encouraging developers to make apps stop working on rooted phones), then I don't see any benefit of the android OS over iOS. Both of these ecosystems are heavily locked down and if I had to choose one it would be iOS as it geels more polished and has more privacy. There's also no significant hardware differences between iPhone and android, unlike previously when flagship androids had a headphone jack and a microsd slot. The Samsung s21 will probably be my last android phone unless google and phone manufacturers bring back the flexibility of android.
Apple has always had a much better software architecture over their competition. A better software architecture means you can get efficiency with less. Android phones has always tried to go with the hardware game for the longest time, greater size, greater RAM… But these don't really equate to a better experience. That's the main problem, they never started with the 'why', they just went with "I'm better than…"
You cant deny that Android lovers were laughing at Apple when they removed the headphone Jack, only for their Android phones to follow suit afterwards. Apple is slow at 'innovating', features come slow… yes! 100%, but when they come out, it tends to be stable, it's functional, its polished. Android feels like using their users at beta testers at times.
Ask why did they make a flip phone? Because people were asking for phones that flip? because people like phones with creases? Answer that question and you have the answer to your question.
This.
Android OS and Apps are built to be able to run on more combinations/systems. They're less efficient than Apple's approach.
So they're perpetually trying to solve a software problem with a hardware issue. Case in point: battery life Versus battery capacity.
Granted, Apple drags their heels on many fronts but this complacency has turned out to be a positive. Apps support longer durations. Accessories fit more devices. And the experience is more consistent. Lastly, it slows progress so that Apple can milk the industry as long as possible. So if Apple wanted to do better, they can. So if the competition heats up they can respond in the next year or two, since they've given themselves some runway.
With that all said, have a look at the demographics. Take the top 20% of the world's population in terms of wealth, and the majority of them are using iPhone. Android has a monopoly on the bottom. So clearly there's a reason why Apple dominates, because it's not just the phone.
The reason is due to less tangible things. It's the perception of privacy, the cohesive ecosystem, consistent experience, huge international support, and the brand identity. Apple raised prices and saw sales skyrocket. So it doesn't work in a logical fashion.
If Android wants more marketshare at the top, they need to be less logical, and be more irrational. Use mass marketing and use psychology to convince buyers. But they can't do that as a whole option, they can only do so via a singular brand. And since they cannot match Apple's software, they must close the gap with something other than hardware. Perhaps if there was a company that could afford to put the best hardware together, play to their strengths, and market how much better it is than iPhone. I don't see that. Previous attempts have been horrid. Perhaps if they did foldables correctly. Or what I think could work is a Sony Xperia device, but it supports PlayStation Games and Network. Basically a PSPhone. But that's piggybacking on another ecosystem to promote your ecosystem.
I recently moved from iPhone 7 Plus to S22 Ultra, thanks to JB's trade in bonus & Gift card offer. First problem was finding accessories like screen protector & case which would last and are tailor made for the device. Given the number of Android devices in all shapes & sizes, I haven't had a proper screen protector in last 3 months, luckily Samsung still provides finger magnets as a case. The gating criteria for apps on Android seriously needs to keep up with the times. I recently struggled to find a decent Compass app (iPhone has this by default), which doesn't run ads. I want to buy wireless ear buds and smart watch, the available options aren't inspiring trust. The comparison to Apple devices is inevitable & they feel like a better choice when it comes to acceptable quality & reliability. I think it is this kind of feeling which attract more customers to Apple. I wish Android devices could provide a standardised experience.
I'd be happy if they supported their devices long term like Apple do
Yep. My Android phone and my iPhone were released within ten days of each other. The Android got its last major OS update last year where as the iPhone's still on the latest OS release and probably will be next year too.
The best phone I’ve ever owned was a note 9 that I used for 3 years. I now use an iPhone. I’m not a power user, just your average joe who is addicted to the phone.
Primary reason for switching was the app tracking option apple introduced. Whatever it’s called. I know it’s not foolproof. But android just makes it’s blatantly obvious that they are spying on you.
One year later, Am I happy with the switch?
Mostly, but the keyboard does my head in. I wish swiftkeys had the same functionality as it has on android. Not sure if it’s apple that doesn’t let Microsoft do it. Or it’s the latter that doesn’t want to do it.
Third party app integration is just too good with iOS. Works a charm with my car’s audio on CarPlay. Android used to disconnect every 10 mins. iOS works great with DJI drones, android again used to disconnect. It used to send my heart racing when the drone was flying and all of a sudden the app would crash.
Will I go back. Never say never. Android is a much more complete system to me. If you find anything frustrating or something doesn’t work for you, you can change it. ios on the other hand forces you to change yourself.
Trust, whether misguided or not.
Need win os back in action
I paid ~$300 for an extremely capable new phone (POCO X3 Pro). Can Apple beat this?
I run a de-googled custom ROM on it. Can something comparable be done on an Apple phone?
Why would someone with a bit of technical background and smarts about their money choose Apple?
Because if they are really "smart" then their time is better spent doing something worthwhile which makes them more money rather than trying hours upon hours to make a turd work. I work in tech and that is the reason why I dont chose to buy an Android.
trying hours upon hours to make a turd work.
I've been daily driving a POCO X3 Pro, wouldn't call it a turd by any means? Solid battery life, screen, build and cameras. Can't complain for ~$300.
Did it come with the latest version of Android installed? How many OS updates do they promise? The quality of components, the camera, the screen and the rest of the hardware? What about after sales support?
Did it come with the latest version of Android installed?
Yes, Android 11 at the time. Currently on the latest Android 12.
How many OS updates do they promise?
Atleast 2 years of OS updates and 3 of security updates.
The quality of components, the camera, the screen and the rest of the hardware?
Really quite decent for less than $300. 1440p 120Hz 6.7" display, Snapdragon 860 with 8GB RAM, 5000mah battery (easily more than 6hrs SoT), quad camera setup that takes really nice pictures with GCam. IP53 rating, even has the headphone jack too. Look for yourself here
What about after sales support?
1 year warranty.
This is nonsense, the phone did work out of the box, but I had an option of getting more out of it, of really making it mine.
A techie with an iPhone is a misnomer.
Plenty of people who work in tech have iPhones as well as Macs. Macs are a better platform for certain types of development as MacOS is unix. Once you have a Mac, the tight integration makes the iPhone a more appealing option.
A techie with an iPhone is a misnomer.
Most people who buy an Android phone do so on price alone and can in no way be called a "techie".
"A techie with an iPhone is a misnomer" - You really dont have a hang on tech it seems. If a software works better, almost deterministic, is stable and requires no maintenance or restarts is a better software and hence better tech. Same could said of Apple silicon or their user experience from hardware to software.
But no i am a techie because I spend my days customising the home screen icons on my phone, wallpapers and then spend time on internet to find the best community supported ROM so that I can update my phone to a version of the android which I want because the original manufacturer could not care less because its cheap. I then make a virtue out of it and spend my day on ozbargain proclaiming how I am a "Techie".
Given most of my personal information is on the phone, sensitive and all and it is one device which I use every single day multiple hours and I can get 4-5 years easily out of it and then still sell it for something at the end, I would happily spend on it.
@dealsucker: The sleekness of the iPhone comes at a price I am not going to pay ever. I don't mean the dollar cost even though it is ludicrous. Zero variance in hardware, config and software gives you a stable and predictable system, which also means you don't own your iPhone, you are locked out of it: you can't access the file system, you can't control the comms, you make no decisions of any importance on that little computer.
Yeah annoying, but not a deal breaker. It's more like a 1 hour effort at most. Same thing is required with many Windows PCs.
Been long term android user since the HTC Desire days. Upgraded every 18 months or so. No desire to mess around with custom ROMs and such anymore. Waiting for the first iPhone with USBc and I'll be jumping ship.
I think corporates stick with iphone to minimise admin overhead. That would count toward the better market share of Apple. For me iphone is always 50% as my personal phone is android and company one is iphone. iPhone apps seems to be snappier even the phone might have less ram - it has upper hands in terms of performance.
That's insane to fathom, iphones are so expensive, what's wrong with us? Most people should use a $400 android.
iPhone 11 is about $650 on special at the moment. The barrier to entry isn't as high as people think.
Many people I know buy a better phone for a better camera.
Why is it necessary for the Android build to be specific to the brand and model of phone? Imagine if Windows or Linux was like that - nightmare?
They could start making good phones themselves again. The pixel 6 was planned by everyone I know including those who have loved every generation!
I think it's more to do with marketing than anything technical…and you'll see the trends in rich western countries.
Apple is a marketing company which advertises itself as a luxury product, hence why in the western countries where the kids wanna be cool, their parents buy them apples. It's as simple as that, I've noticed with my own kids who never even used an ipad/iPhone, but they wanted them. Once the kids grow up, then they continue on using them.
In the other countries, where the ppl have to buy the phones themselves, they will evaluate the phone on its value and technical components and not its "status" as a luxury product.
Spot on. Perceived social pressure and poor financial discipline. First aided and abetted by parents, then assisted by "cheap" credit.
Please explain how do they advertise themselves as a luxury product? Dont ignore the question now and obfuscate with something else. I have asked you a very specific question.
Mistrust of Google. Google removed 'Don't Be Evil' clause from its ethical Code of Conduct in 2015. Yes, I can de-Google Android, but I'm not that desperate.
Price would be the biggest one. $1500+ for a phone is insane and Android is much better position to make good quality, affordable phones.
I strongly feel that there's a huge opportunity for a phone that is medium sized, has a great battery, is waterproof and costs something reasonable. Apple can't really compete with something like that because of the limitations of the way they develop and position their products. Basically, if Apple has most of the high end you can attack them from the more affordable direction.
Basically, if Apple has most of the high end you can attack them from the more affordable direction.
Price would be the biggest one. $1500+ for a phone is insane and Android is much better position to make good quality, affordable phones.
… Isn't this what it has been for the past 6-8 years? Practically all the phones above $200 (aren't complete s***) and below the $750 mark from manufacturers like Xiaomi/POCO, OnePlus and so on? Sounds like you're only thinking of the Google Pixel/Samsung range of phones
For example, it's a real hassle trying to find a good looking, functional calendar app on Android. Why? 0.000001% of Google's budget could be spent on that.
I would argue that the stock Google Calendar app is half decent, looks and functions perfectly fine
No-one looking at Apple is going to buy what they would regard as no-name brands like Xiami. Samsung and Google both need to focus on a decent mid-tier phone that starts at, say, $800 and drops from there, not starts at $1300 and creeps down.
As for Google Calendar, it's ugly as (profanity), has literally no customisation options and the widget is completely useless if you actually need to use your calendar for work. In-app it's ok, not great.
I don’t know if it’s changed but the deal breaker for me is Androids updates or lack there of.
It's improved.
https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705
Pixel 6 and later Pixel phones will get Pixel updates for at least 5 years from when the device first became available on the Google Store in the US
https://news.samsung.com/us/samsung-galaxy-os-upgrade-one-ui…
Eligible Galaxy devices include with four years of One UI and five years of security updates[1]:
Galaxy S Series: Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra as well as Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra, S21 FE and upcoming S series devices
Level of service! Android makers service is non existence just look at the biggest android phone maker Samsung abysmal service both before and after sales. With apple servie always a good experience even full refund after used for 13 days does Samsung do that
That's an interesting myth given Apple have been in trouble for refusing to honour Australian consumer law. That's what Apple does: Create a myth that's useful to sales.
The 14 days refund no questions ask does not include a crack glass or scratched case. You'd be flogging a dead horse just convincing samsung to take a opened sealed box after 6 hours, ditto for JB or for any android for that matter let alone 14 days its not a myth it's in the invoice clearly stated.
For every iphone returned within 14 days 300 of iphone goes out the door in 30 minutes
Myth my foot but you have to be reasonable and 14 days is very reasonable
You're just proving my point for me. This has nothing to do with scratched iPhones. Apple's repairs policy breached Australian Consumer Law and they were filed $9 Million. They were found to have engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct.
https://www.crn.com.au/news/apple-fined-9-million-by-the-fed…
But go on. Keep making excuses for them. As I said you're just proving my point. It just works huh?
@syousef: so I presumed you are saying Samsung is very noble and obeyed all laws in all lands?
paid $14 million dollars fine by ACCC for lying to the public that its phones are water resistent when it was everything but such lies and deception
or how about their reliable phones 'Samsung Sitting on Almost 50 Million Surplus Smartphones' unsold as no one wants to buy in a report in June this year
What do you say about personal experience of people? You can buy an iPhone from an Apple store, return it within the return windows no questions asked even if you have used the phone. Its not just iPhone, it could any of their product. Do you know any other manufacturer which does it for all of their products? Please name ONE
My wife got new hearing aids recently that could "Stream to android". Turns out it was only certain models of phone. It has to be enabled by the manufacturer on a per ROM basis. Samsung and OnePlus enable it on a handful of phones - mostly flagships. And top add insult to injury Android 12 broke it. The advice to hearing aid users by the hearing aid manufacturer is not to upgrade to Android 12. Good luck with that when the phone constantly nags you to and a couple of wrong button presses irrevocably proceeds. And for many models it is difficult or impossibler to downgrade without rooting the phone IF you can unlock the boot loader.
I hate the forced upgrades, especially since things get broken.. When I upgraded to Android 12 on my own phone I was relieved that nothing broke. But the UI had changed drastically. The simplest thing - the volume on the phone went from
Android 11: 1 vertical slider to 4 vertical sliders when you press … allowing you to change volumes for alarms, media etc.
Android 12: 1 vertical slider to 4 HORIZONTAL sliders when you press … allowing you to change volumes for alarms, media etc.
Android 12 makes less sense, is harder to navigate 1 handed and seems to be change for the sake of change.
End of the world? No. A hassle, inferior and something to get use to? YES!
The reasons Android is losing market share.
1. Buggy releases starting around Oreo or Pie.
2. Forced updates break things.
3. You can no longer tinker like the earlier versions of Android. It's more secure but at the expense of being much more locked down. And if you unlock it there are normal functions (like digital wallet) that will stop working for security sake.
4. Lots of very underpowered phones sold cheap for a quick profit. But they are or become a laggy broken nightmare experience and leave a bitter taste in a user's mouth.
5. Prices have increased to match Apple on flagship devices. There are still cheaper mid-range alternatives in the Android space that aren't underpowered, but Android use to have a clear price advantage and that is long gone.
What can Android do? Go back to its roots and put the control back in the hands of the user. Stop making change for the sake of change and above all stop breaking stuff.
Android would be a much more attractive option if things were somewhat standardised. But brands and carriers can make a mess of the Android OS. Janky launchers and unremoveable apps without going to an effort to install unofficial, unsupported software.
When the Android One project came along was the chance. But not enough brands took it up at the level it needed taking up and not enough people sought out the options that were available, demand wasn't there. Technically it's still going but options are fewer and further between, I imagine it'll become another in the Google Graveyard.
One problem is that Android manufacturers have to do something to set them apart from other Android manufacturers. They also need to establish their own brand/experience to keep users on their devices through launchers or apps. Android One probably isn't appealing for these reasons.
On top of this, they make extra profit through deals with other companies. For example, Samsung with Microsoft. My Samsung phone has OneDrive and Microsoft Swiftkey installed which can't be removed - only disabled.
Right. Which is why they lose market share. 'cause it's a (profanity) by it's nature.
Who cares. It's 2022 and this debate is exhausting. Use whatever phone fits your existing ecosystem/needs.
The people that get over-passionate about this whole android vs apple bs and slinging shit at the 'other side' for trivial reasons are honestly man-children with no lives.
"What Can Android Do to Win More Market Share?" Nothing, who cares? They both own a generous slice. Own what you want, use what you want, prefer what you want, it really doesn't matter.
God some people get astonishingly emotional on here about brands :)
It's just discussion on tech and trends.
The implications of loss of market share if the trend continues are also quite interesting. For example, if you look at the tablet market, many developers don't target Android. Any use beyond the basics is dominated by Apple.
Buy Apple, the phone you never own!
I'm an Android user but I've always liked the lack of input lag/touch latency on the iPhones. iPhones, sometimes despite having lower processing power, still feels snappier to me in comparison. To the point where I've considered going iOS. But i'm also a developer and prefer the openess to develop customize on Android.
If I could request one thing, it's to have the Android UI re-written from the ground without Java
Haha nice one. For that you would need to reduce the gullibility and susceptability to advertising for the droves of morons in this country that think using their brains is too hard work. Like seriously, how godamn stupid are people in this country?!
I’ve used both iOS and android. The process for setting up a new phone with iOS is way easier. Android has got better over the years but I always found there was some settings or data that didn’t transfer over and you’d have to play around with the phone quite a bit to get it right or move stuff over manually yourself. iOS is very seamless. And as I get older I have less time to play with my phone and so it’s iOS for me.
People who require their phone to shoot extremely good video must buy the iPhone. There is no Android that shoots as good video. To answer the question of OP, an Android capable of iPhone-level video capture would win them back a few sales. If I was at Android HQ that would be a quick win market share clawback of maybe 1%, well worth it.
Interestingly I have heard that Apple recently had to pay Samsung because they sold two few iPhones than planned ( and thus didn’t need as many screens as they had ordered). Now that’s a complicated relationship.