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I’m not sure how many of these research reports and studies we’ll post before we stop, but here’s another (that probably sounds a lot like 100 other reports out there): consumers are more likely to buy Android devices over iPhone. They found that 34% of those surveyed are looking to buy a Android device this year, while 21% were looking to buy an iPhone. 12% were said to be looking for a new Blackberry.
We can’t vouch for this survey in relation to the real world – especially since we don’t know what the sample size was. But considering all of the trends from other high-profile research firms – such as IDC and Gartner – mirror this particular survey, we can’t say we’ll doubt its accuracy. [Market Force Research via Android Community]
Not much surprise there. I can’t believe how primitive my wife’s iPhone is compared to even my old Nexus One.
Primitive? What’s so primitive about the iPhone? I have a Nexus S, but I can recognize there are areas that iOS beats Android, and there are areas in which Android is better than iOS.
As for this survey, if carriers were offering free iPhones, the numbers would be very different. It’s sold as a premium product, so the numbers will reflect that.
Also, comparing iPhone to Android is ridiculous. One is a device, and the other is a platform.
Then comparing IOS to Android….IOS is primitive. How’s that?
iphone are the only phone that carries the ios platform for phone. when you compare android to iphone, it’s kind of like comparing the platforms.
No, Scott is right. iPhone is a bit primitive. Liking the interface (an opinion thing, i think its horrible) is one thing but as far as what it can do, it’s not in the same league as Android. We can go on and on about flash this, true multitasking that, tied to iTunes blah blah.. we all know it the many things iOS can not do so I wont repeat them all.
Just because it was not included in the iOS by choice doesn’t make the system any less primitive.
I still get a kick out of my sister who is an Apple fan girl. She tried out an iPhone and an HTC Incredible last year and said it was no contest that Android was better on so many levels.
Interesting. Id like to know what phones those 34% have currently. Bb? iPhone? Android? Win? Dumb?
@theman: haha, actually I was comparing the iPhone to a Nexus One (not android) if you want to play semantics. I won’t bother reiterating everything Len said to reinforce my statement.
@Len
And we also know the things iOS does better than Android. menu-less interface, uniform copy and paste, better apps/games, updates that support the device for at least 2 years, better keyboard…
Like I said, both companies have a few things to learn from each other.
Sorry, i highly doubt this is a good survey to go by. I definitely agree with post number 2. There are quite a few things that IOS/Iphone does much better than Android and those strengths are many of the reason IOS does so well year after year. And there are things that android does better as well. Although personally, i’d probably take a Webos or Windows phone 7 device(if the hardware was alot better for both platforms)
@ theman fuck off iPhone lover…!!!
I don’t see how “menu-less interface” can be touted as an advantage. That is one of the things that makes it feel so primitive. There is no such thing as a long-press for context menus or additional functionality. There is no such thing as a back-stack, so developers have to manually code a back button on every page. Do you remember when Macs only had 1 mouse button? Yeah, context-sensitive menus are a good thing btw.
i’m an android fanatic. but i always run into those people who are clueless which platform to get. i would never tell anyone to get android flat out. i would always ask them what their needs and desire first. if they want to listen music 24/7, then go with iphone. if you want freedom and independence, go with android. if you want to text a lot, go with blackberry. but when they say they want a nice size screen, lots of apps, easy to use, then you start to go into the grey areas of recommendations.
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Frankly, each is their own. i love android because of the lack of restrictions and Google services.
That’s it. I’m getting a blackberry.
Oh wait…what are we talking about again?
Good point Inspiron41. I don’t think anyone can argue that Android is the clear winner for anyone technically minded while iPhone is a good choice for most women, lol.
As a former iPhone owner I have to agree, the iPhone is primitive compared to Android even though Android is less polished. Apple is in a quandary in that their users despise change but their OS is getting left in the dust. The app/game argument is slowly becoming a non-issue and will soon tip in Android’s favor and with Android focusing on polishing their OS in it’s next iteration Apple needs to get their act together quick to keep up. Consumers have started seeing through Apple’s ruse of reinventing old technology while leaving out important features and that’s why they’re all headed to Android.
I just had that thought this morning, iphones are better for people who want easy functionality with little or no thought. Android is great for techy folks who like to customize and experiment.
I wouldn’t call the iphone primitive. People have different needs and wants and this is why we’ve got so many great choices. ie: Android, iOS, Blackberry, Win7, etc. Diversity is good for everyone. Just because most of us will take Android over the iphone, doesn’t make the iphone any less of a device imo. It’s got it’s pros and cons just as Android does.
i cant believe 12% of the people are still living in the stone age.
Navigating on the iPhone sucks. I have the mental capacity to use multiple buttons. Back, settings, search all better on Android, because those functions have dedicated buttons. Btw Gingerbread’s keyboard and word suggestions kick ass. I don’t think iOS has the edge anymore.
@jmax: Yeah, the Gingerbread keyboard does kick ass. Just noticed the space bar lights up as soon as it finds an autocomplete match. Also love the screen-off animation too.
the user experience on the iphone is much better out of the box than with Android.
There is no tweaking involved. Nobody needs to say “Hey root it and flash this rom…and it will be much better”
in the end, it doesn’t matter how primitive the menus are to people…People i know that have tried android have said it is too hard or it takes to many steps to do something that takes less steps on the iphone. Apple has a great user experience…
Just got back from Best Buy after playing with the Xoom for the first time. *sigh* It’s OK. As an unapologetic “Apple hater”, I hate to admit this, but the responsiveness of the iPad is till better. :(
Seems that switching iPhone to VZW didn’t fix the dropped call problem , lab reports still does it .
@theman,
Primitive in that is hasn’t allowed change since day 1. The layout is still limited to a grid of icons and THAT’S IT. Let’s not talk jailbreaking, we are talking out of the box functionality that people want. The average person doesn’t jailbreak, root, install custom roms, etc. Out of the box iOS is a thing of the past. THAT is what he means by primitive (and this is coming from a person who has had ALL the iPhones and only ONE Android phone (EVO)!
@carmendiva
Please go spew your iOS/WebOS/W7P rhetoric elsewhere.
theman just used one of the AppleInsider cookie cutter responses of “comparing iPhone to Android is ridiculous. One is a device, and the other is a platform.”… Apparently they haven’t figured out that iPhone is synonymous with iOS considering iPhone is the only phone iOS is available on.
yeah, no kidding… W7P is a joke. I don’t get their whole marketing campaign of “getting you in and out quicker”… 90% of the time I’m using my phone (when not actually talking on the phone of course ;) is when I’m trying to kill time.
Not to mention anyone can install widgets that do the same thing.
It’s all personal preference. The biggest advanatge I see to an iPhone is the apps. In my case, I would be much more likely to buy an iphone with a 4″ screen and a browser that had text reflow with any size text because of my eyesight. I also don’t want to be locked into a 2 year agreement without LTE (Verizon only offere’s two year agreements with the iPhone). I don’t mind having to jailbreak to get the customization that I want.
On the other hand, I am beginning to get the “evil empire” feel from apple with them taking 30% cut of all in app purchases. It leaves a really bad taste in my mouth and I’d rather not support a company with such business practices.
“Apple is in a quandary in that their users despise change but their OS is getting left in the dust.”
This is not true. They despise change unless it is announced by Steve Jobs. Then it is magical and genius. If an iPhone OS came out tomorrow with widgets, homes screens, etc…, iPhone users would be calling them the greatest thing to happen since sliced bread. Of course, Apple would have intended thse features from the beginning, but they wanted to get them right (eg multi-tasking) as opposed to Android which is half baked.
iphone is boring!!! 2 me the only thing they have good is retina display and the games.. the games “apps” is what make it popular. you cant really do nothing with an iphone only if you jailbreak it!! if honeycomb is where android heading apple have huge problems
#12.jaestoner wrote on February 25, 2011
@ theman fuck off iPhone lover…!!!
Good to see how mature some people are.
#14.Inspiron41 wrote on February 25, 2011
i’m an android fanatic. but i always run into those people who are clueless which platform to get. i would never tell anyone to get android flat out. i would always ask them what their needs and desire first. if they want to listen music 24/7, then go with iphone. if you want freedom and independence, go with android. if you want to text a lot, go with blackberry. but when they say they want a nice size screen, lots of apps, easy to use, then you start to go into the grey areas of recommendations.
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Frankly, each is their own. i love android because of the lack of restrictions and Google services.
I agree completely with this, don’t tell people what they should buy, let them make their own choice, whats right for you might not be right for others.
theman posted:
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“As for this survey, if carriers were offering free iPhones, the numbers would be very different. It’s sold as a premium product, so the numbers will reflect that.”
.
…….
Ok, when the iPhone out sells any single Android phone, its amazing. That one phone sells so much. So alot of ppl paid for the that premium product. Alot of ppl like it
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Seeing as jobs were being cut left n right last year, the economy was bad the iPhone set yet another sales record from the previous version.
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But this survey is in favor of Android because carriers arent offering free iPhones…
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Maybe, just maybe its in favor of Android cuz of the ppl that responded, they want an Android phone. I know its a wild concept..I cant believe it myself at times…
I took the Iphone for a test drive and didn’t care for it.. I had a friend show me the ins and outs of it.. had it a week and took it back.. there r some things the android does the Iphone doesn’t.. and just alot more complicated than an android.. I really missed my notification bar too.. if the android market got rid of half the junk on it and phone developers used better materials ( like the cameras and glass) the droid would totally rule over it.. both have pros and cons.. so I’m back with android.. and staying..but now I wish they would just make the phones all around better instead of making so many different ones.. put ur money on a few new phones and use better materials.. then see how much their sales will go up..
Inspiron41,
I wouldn’t use “freedom and independence” as a reason to pick Android. Unless you get the Nexus S, you don’t really have much freedom. I have a Droid X and it’s a fine phone, but I’ll be going back to the iPhone as soon as I can.
Yes, I’ll be giving up widgets (I use 2 currently) and I’ll be giving up the ability to place app icons anywhere I want. I’ll also be giving up some customization ability.
I won’t try to speak for any other area, but where I live (north of Dallas), there really isn’t any difference in network quality. I have had as many dropped calls on Verizon as I ever did with AT&T on the iPhone. The only difference is that AT&T’s network is about twice as fast.
Everyone’s different and wants different things from a phone. At the end of the day, I want a phone that just works. I spend way too much time dealing with poor battery life and doing battery pulls after a lockup. About 25% of the apps I install either don’t work at all or aren’t fully compatible with my phone. Layar and Ringdroid are two that come to mind.
The last thing I would do is say that iOS is primitive. I also won’t say Android is horrible. It’s just not for me. If I were still 20 and single and had time to “tinker” with the phone, I might see things differently. It has nothing to do with intelligence or technical savvy – I just need something I can use without some of the hiccups. If that means I give up a few features that would be nice but aren’t necessary, then so be it.
I don’t care if people on this website like android. I don’t care if most people who check out tech websites like android. I do care that most people in general like android.
As I said all along, iPhone is like AOL. Very very popular for a while because it’s so easy to use but eventually people get over it and want out of the closed garden.
GOSH…. Same Old BULL SHIT.. They set us up with these polls just so we can ARGUE ABOUT THIS CRAP… First off I must KEEP IT REAL…. FUCK IPHONE AND EVERYONE THAT USES THEM.. It is nothing but a little toy something a mindless FOOL would have. In my world iphone is not a platform.. IF IT WAS THEN IT WOULD OFFER FLEXIBILITY WHICH THERE IS NONE… When was the last time a iphone user changed there keyboard??? When was the last time a iphone user was able to change there lock screen??? When was the last time a iphone user was able to add an actual widget that provided important information to there device??? When was the last time a iphone user was able to purchase a battery or sd card for there device??? When was the last time a iphone user was able to download an application from the cloud to your device without a usb cord???? Man IF I GO ON AND ON WITH THIS IT WOULD BE SO LONG THAT NOBODY ELSE WOULD BE ABLE TO POST A COMMENT… Time to get real… ANDROID IS OPEN OFFERS CHOICE… IPHONE IS CLOSED OFFERS NO CHOICE….. ANDROID OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN AND EXPLORE… IPHONE OFFERS NOTHING just turn on your little toy and feel important to the world… IPHONE OWNERS ARE LOSERS AND DUM ASS NON THINKING LAZY ASS PEOPLE UNABLE TO THINK ON THERE OWN… I give credit for there insight into the industry there ability to engineer competition to a certain extent… TREND SETTERS THEY ARE NOT… Many areas THEY ARE SO FAR BEHIND ANDROID IT CRIMINAL… I live in Newyork I ride the trains and buses everyday.. I KNOW ANDROID RULES AND APPLE FANBOYS AND FANGIRLS ARE SO SCARED OF THAT… I tell my friends ”FUCK A IPHONE”… AND I TELL PEOPLE I SEE WITH ONE… FUCK THE IPHONE…Now back to normal… No more of this IPHONE CRAP…
I am kinda surprised by this survey. I much prefer Android, but Apple has such good mind share it’s hard to believe. Perhaps when the iphone5 rumors start swirl the results will change.
As for WP7, I tried it out last week. It’s actually not bad, the UI is very smooth, although it does have less going on than your average Android screen so there is less for the OS to keep track of, but I have to admit, I was surprised how smooth it ran. However, that is just the UI.
Richard you don’t have to make hating iPhone an obsession. Most people will eventually forget about the iPhone, not because they have some ideological problem with it being a closed platform or that Steve Jobs must be the devil incarnate, etc etc but simply because closed platforms can’t adapt and offer what people want.
theman wrote on February 25, 2011
carmendiva
————————–
Oh please.
Really? iO/S is being left in the dust according to flexibility, period.
I don’t care if it’s ‘easy to use’, and that your ‘four yo can operate it’. That is NOT A GOOD THING.
I don’t want to be a dumbed down member of an Idiocracy.
FYI – You don’t have to ‘root and mod’ your phone to install a new keyboard, new live wallpapers, a launcher, etc…they’re all available straight from the market.
Apple has a lock on people who consider themselves ‘trendy’ or ‘hip’, without much other substance.
The iPhone with the iO/S is an endangered species BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY that one manufacturer who is NOT EVEN INNOVATING can keep up with the juggernaut that is Google, and its Android consortium of manufacturers.
None.
Innovation you say? Google developed a completely distinct O/S for tablets in a few months; Apple slapped on the same iO/S onto a bigger screen (iPad).
Innovation. the iphone is old and boring; it hasn’t changed, just things get added and tweaked. Boring.
customer looking at XOOM in my store: Is this an ipad?
Me: No this is the motorola XOOM runs on android, has two cameras and a faster processor.
……(blank stare)
Customer: So its…. the new ipad…..????
me: -______-…… (Phack!)
ari-free wrote on February 25, 2011
Richard you don’t have to make hating iPhone an obsession. Most people will eventually forget about the iPhone, not because they have some ideological problem with it being a closed platform or that Steve Jobs must be the devil incarnate, etc etc but simply because closed platforms can’t adapt and offer what people want.
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Your last line is dead on; that’s why Sony has recognized that a closed/proprietary base has caused their products to whither away; witness the introduction of their new cameras..you can actually use *gasp* an SD Card!
It’s because IOS is just a fancy app tray. Android is a more full featured OS.
Apple and iOS seems to give some of you high blood pressure. Calm down people. It isn’t that serious. I don’t really know why people get so mad at what other people like. Be happy you have a choice and keep it moving.
I was an early Android adopter with a G1 the 1st day it came out and now I have a Nexus S. I owned an iPhone between the years. I guess I’m one of the few people who can recognize the strong qualities of both platforms.
Shit, so Android is the mainstream OS now? Damn I liked it, ah well
@Jeff
Wow. Pitiful. Prime i*hone candidate talk. Not willing to figure anything out for themselves. In love with words like “automatically” and terms like “all by itself”.
2Legit,
I am very willing to figure things out. I can figure Android out – that’s not a problem. The problem lies in the fact that there doesn’t seem to be any logic to figuring it out. For instance, from one day to the next, battery life can vary by several hours even though I have not installed new apps, changed any settings, or been in different areas of service.
Also, I have tried several weather widgets and none of them seem to be able to actually update on the set interval. I always have to manually update them to get the current temperature. By then, I could have launched a weather app.
I don’t recall using the words ‘automatically’ and ‘all by itself’. I said the phone should just work. It’s pitiful that 25% of the apps I install either don’t work completely or don’t work at all.
I like gadgets and new technology and pick up stuff quickly. I have had no trouble adapting to a new business system at work. As a matter of fact, I helped get the rest of the engineering department up to speed since the IT and training departments were overwhelmed.
This has nothing to do with figuring out things. I’ll say it again – I just want a phone that works, even if it doesn’t have all the ‘bells and whistles’ that Android does.
I am continually amazed at the backlash I see against anyone who dares to say anything remotely negative about Android phones. It’s okay to admit they aren’t perfect and that iOS is a viable alternative.
@Richard,
You need to calm down a bit. It’s just a phone OS. People who use iPhones are not mindless. It suits their needs.
@Jeff
The points you made:
1. Battery life varies: well this is true for ALL phones. I had a 3g and its life varied according to usage. That’s normal. I get 8-18 hours or so from my X according to how I use it.
2. Apps / Widgets not working: Again, happens on all platforms. Appls crashed left and right on my 3g and I know they do at times on my friend’s iPhone 4. I use the weatherbug widget and have no issues with it updating automatically. However at times I do hit the update button to get the most recent update. Not a big deal really and also consider that if you’re in a location with a poor or no connection, the app can’t update. As for 25% of your apps not working, that’s something I can’t relate to. I have over 100 apps and the THEY ALL work. However I ony use a fraction of them regularly.
3.You want a reliable phone: Well again, I can’t relate here. Granted I’ve only owned 2 Android phones: A Droid and Droid X, however, they’ve been very reliable and the only reason I ditched my original droid was its screen size.
On the flip side, my 3g was a nightmare. It dropped calls for no reason, rebooted constantly and volume would randomly go up and down. I researched and found that I wasn’t alone and that only added to my Apple distaste.
I have no reason to doubt you are smart, however, you seemed to have had issues with your phone that was easily fixable with a little research.
Either Phandroid is screwed again or they are censoring me
Either sucks.
tbh….it is becus iPhone is more expensive really..
I tried getting my sis an iPhone4 over here in the UK but damnn it’s ridiculously priced.
@jeff….just curious, have you looked at HTC as an option. You obviously love certain aspects of android more than iphone. Moto blur is not as friendly as sense. People have mixed opinions but sense$ overlay is crisp, easy to use, but you still get the benefits of android.
On a side note, I am not sure why people think ios is so easy to use….i was playing with my brothers iphone 4, mostly out of curiosity. The one button thing is not something I call user friendly! It was confusing, of course I have home, menu, back and search buttons that all make sense. (maybe because I have a brain) But to me the biggest thing with ui for me is the ability to customize my phone. When I get bored I change it. With ios you have one view. It certainly is like being in prison! Yeah, you get three meals, a bed, a place to pee but when you look up, all you see bars and bricks. it just seems like I would get over it quickly!
90% of the apps I have on my iPhone I can’t find anywhere in the Android market…..to hell with widgets, live screens and HDMI out; until the quality of apps for are on par with the iPhone I won’t even consider Android….
And btw, a jailbroken iPhone is just as customizable as any Android phone….plus it’s much better looking! Lol
@whap, you got it, Stevie’s Crapple is a jail, and the iDud is a brick.
“Survey Demographics
The survey was conducted in December 2010 across the United States and Canada. The pool of 5,600 respondents reflected a broad spectrum of income levels, with approximately 70% reporting household incomes of more than $50,000 a year. Respondents’ ages ranged from 19- to 70-years old. Approximately three-quarters of respondents were women – the primary household consumer purchasers – and an equal percentage work full- or part-time. Half of the respondents have children at home and two thirds are married. “
to quote iphone hacks… “With iPhone Hacks, you can make your iPhone do all you’d expect of a mobile smartphone”
Well my first android device was a Droid, (im ashamed that at one time i did own a ip.. sorry nasty taste in my mouth from trying to complete that sentence) I was able to do all I expected BEFORE I rooted 4 months down the line. (and was pleasantly surprised in fact) I am on my third android device now (still use the other two for apps and games) and will not be going back…
@Whap. Completely agree on the one-button thing is really annoying. Furthermore, the browser flat out SUCKS. Entire page doesn’t render, gray boxes whenever you scroll. Browsing the internet on the iPhone is such a frustrating experience (o and it is slow, and doesn’t have flash). It is the most unintuitive platform out there.
@John,
I’ve done research and tried to deal with the issues with little luck. The point is, I shouldn’t have to do it. I can understand the occasional app crashing, but I am constantly getting system crashes where I have to do battery pulls. I NEVER had more than two or three system crashes in 3 years of iPhone ownership.
I also never once had an app not work. I had some that weren’t as polished as others but never any that just flat didn’t work.
@Whap,
Yes, I looked at HTC and tried an Incredible for two weeks. It was better than the Droid X on crashes and freezes, but HORRIBLE on battery all the time.
On the ease of use, I like the multiple buttons on Android phones, but it’s frustrating because sometimes, the back button does completely different things in different apps. I still think the iOS method of having one Home button an using “buttons” within the apps is the way to go. However, the Android method could be improved (more consistency).
I like the customization, too, but the fact is that once I set up my phone, I never change it again other than changing the wallpaper on occasion. I can do that in iOS.
I realize that Android phones can do more things, but they are not things that I, or most people, are all that concerned with. The beauty is that the option is there and if you want to use Android phones, you can.
I prefer iOS.