Apple Overtakes Android In U.S. Market Share, By A Hair

[thundervore]

Yes, Apple must thank all those out there that have a iPhone 5s that just switched to a iPhone 6. Then 18 months later when the iPhone 6s releases Apple can thank them again.

Apples slogan:
Welcome to yesterday!!

Not really true. There are a lot of people who were using Android and were waiting for Apple to release an iPhone with a reasonable size instead of the miniature 5s size. I know a lot of such people. Once Apple offered better phone sizes, the floodgates opened. I almost bought a 6+ but decided to go with a Note 4 due to the lack of tethering apps in the iOS App Store (despite carriers publicly stating subscribers have the right to tether on their metered plans) and due to humblebundle.

While the Note is great and the dimensions aren't as awkward and the long 6+, I am jealous of the traction Apple Pay is getting (as digital payments are far more secure than using plastic credit cards). I am also jealous of the attention iOS gets compared to Android. Heck, even Microsoft develops mobile apps for iOS before both Android and Windows Phone. Even the Kindle app is better on iOS (multicolor highlighting) than for Android.

While I enjoy building a Windows desktop, I have no interest in customizing my devices. I think the majority of people are like me -- no real interest in taking advantage of the flexibility to customize android. I find it annoying when my phone comes with 2 different Google messaging apps, a Samsung messaging app, and Verizon begging me to use their messaging app. If Blackberry and Apple were able to come up with such successful messaging solutions, why is Google failing so hard at this? Android messaging is just too chaotic.

I play in both worlds daily as I have an iPhone and android device. Android is way better.

Im not understand how you can be jealous of Apply Pay when Google Wallet have been out for so long and Android devices included NFC for years. Apple pay just came out and everyone treats it like its the next best thing. "Welcome to yesterday"

My first 2 home screens on IOS were useless as there were so many stock apps I could not remove. The best I could do was put them in a folder.

I cant do any type of local transfer with the phone unless I use iTunes. Something as simple as transferring my pictures from computer to the iPhone should not require additional software. My Android, I just plug it in and it shows up as an external drive for me to read and write to it.

Most of the users that jumped to iPhone6 were the same ones criticizing Android devices of having a screen too large, but years later they release a phone that looks like a Galaxy S2 and its the new best thing

Microsoft develops for iOS because they just want their hands in all markets, for instance every phone Android sells, Microsoft gets a cut. It only makes sense for them to make some revenue from IOS as they know Windows Phone is failing.

The one thing I am jealous about is App development. For instance I have the same apps loaded on my iPhone and Android phone and iPhone apps update way before "months" Android then the developers get lazy and just port it over to Android later excluding most Android finger guesters. Finance apps are notorious for this

 

[David Moreau]

Yes, Apple must thank all those out there that have a iPhone 5s that just switched to a iPhone 6. Then 18 months later when the iPhone 6s releases Apple can thank them again.

Apples slogan:
Welcome to yesterday!!

Not really true. There are a lot of people who were using Android and were waiting for Apple to release an iPhone with a reasonable size instead of the miniature 5s size. I know a lot of such people. Once Apple offered better phone sizes, the floodgates opened. I almost bought a 6+ but decided to go with a Note 4 due to the lack of tethering apps in the iOS App Store (despite carriers publicly stating subscribers have the right to tether on their metered plans) and due to humblebundle.

While the Note is great and the dimensions aren't as awkward and the long 6+, I am jealous of the traction Apple Pay is getting (as digital payments are far more secure than using plastic credit cards). I am also jealous of the attention iOS gets compared to Android. Heck, even Microsoft develops mobile apps for iOS before both Android and Windows Phone. Even the Kindle app is better on iOS (multicolor highlighting) than for Android.

While I enjoy building a Windows desktop, I have no interest in customizing my devices. I think the majority of people are like me -- no real interest in taking advantage of the flexibility to customize android. I find it annoying when my phone comes with 2 different Google messaging apps, a Samsung messaging app, and Verizon begging me to use their messaging app. If Blackberry and Apple were able to come up with such successful messaging solutions, why is Google failing so hard at this? Android messaging is just too chaotic.

I play in both worlds daily as I have an iPhone and android device. Android is way better.

Im not understand how you can be jealous of Apply Pay when Google Wallet have been out for so long and Android devices included NFC for years. Apple pay just came out and everyone treats it like its the next best thing. "Welcome to yesterday"

My first 2 home screens on IOS were useless as there were so many stock apps I could not remove. The best I could do was put them in a folder.

I cant do any type of local transfer with the phone unless I use iTunes. Something as simple as transferring my pictures from computer to the iPhone should not require additional software. My Android, I just plug it in and it shows up as an external drive for me to read and write to it.

Most of the users that jumped to iPhone6 were the same ones criticizing Android devices of having a screen too large, but years later they release a phone that looks like a Galaxy S2 and its the new best thing

Microsoft develops for iOS because they just want their hands in all markets, for instance every phone Android sells, Microsoft gets a cut. It only makes sense for them to make some revenue from IOS as they know Windows Phone is failing.

The one thing I am jealous about is App development. For instance I have the same apps loaded on my iPhone and Android phone and iPhone apps update way before "months" Android then the developers get lazy and just port it over to Android later excluding most Android finger guesters. Finance apps are notorious for this

Yes, things also exist for Android. That isn't really a response to my point.

For example, Apple Pay is getting traction and exclusivity deals are causing problems for Google Wallet. Google Wallet is great, but if it is becoming less available, that is a problem. Especially when you consider the types of people who have iOS phones and their incomes. It doesn't matter who was first. What matters is who makes it broadly useful. Android devices having NFC for years had mostly meant that many people paid for hardware never used.

Also, you completely sidestepped my point about MS. MS isn't just developing for iOS. They are developing for iOS first. Look at the lag between free Office apps with editing between iOS devices and other platforms.

You also focus on old Apple owners when talking about screen size. Those people don't matter right now. Where Apple is making a killing right now is on the many Android users who would only consider phones with larger screens, thus, no Apple pre-6 and 6+. Plus, there are many Apple users were wanted larger screens who have upgraded. And let's be honest -- a lot of the nonsense about the 5s size being better can be chalked up to cognitive dissonance.

In general, I prefer Android to iOS as an OS, but the heterogeneity of devices leads to watered down rollouts and inconsistent implementations of Android features. This is problematic because the success of features is often dependent upon communities and other businesses besides OS developers and handset makers.

It is sad that Apple's main asset is not creativity, engineers, or developers at this point, but market position. Nevertheless, it allows them to do successfully what others are already trying to do unsuccessfully.

 

[Math Geek]

"but the heterogeneity of devices leads to watered down rollouts and inconsistent implementations of Android features."

this is what will always hold android back except for high end models. i can't imagine as a developer trying to be compatible with the hundreds of models running 10 different android versions with literally thousands of possible hardware combinations. i would stick to the flagships and leave the others behind like they pretty much do anyway.

the high end marker will adapt to the newest os and hardware and be fine with the new apps (at least until the next flagship model comes out). while those on the low-mid end will be left unsupported as soon as they buy the phone and see a steady drop in apps they can run. those buying these high end models are no different than apple buyers. $700+ phones that will more than likely be replaced with the next newest/latest/greatest. folks at this level like the bells and whistles and happily update when a new button is added (myself included)

apple has always been a good mix of innovation and optimization. they change the landscape with things like the ipod and first iphone and then sit back and slowly do better what everyone else adds to the mix. i am not saying no android is good but as you point out, they are real good at taking these ideas and making them easier to use and for whatever reason more popular at the same time. it easy to note how they bring out something that is old and folks pretend it is new (like nfc, voice messages....) but folks like to overlook stuff they introduced first and were copied by others (like siri, smart phone concept, ipod, ipad.......).

i guess it is fun for the kids to hate on apple and their users but really it is rather silly how they talk sometimes. i guess it would be useless to point out how fanatical they are about pointing out that many apple users are ...well... fanatics!! i know irony is a lost art but this thread would be a great footnote for how irony works in the world.

i use both os's and know each has it's high and low points but clearly many are not capable of being objective about things (another word we have forgotten)