Apple survey: people choose Android because of carrier, screen
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 14th Aug 2012 22:17 UTC
PDAs, Cellphones, Wireless You wouldn't believe it, but something actually, truly interesting came out of the Apple vs. Samsung lawsuit yesterday. Apple had conducted a survey to find out why, exactly, consumers opted to go with Android instead of the iPhone. The results are fascinating - not only do they seem to invalidate Apple's claims, they provide an unusual insight into consumer behaviour. The gist? People choose Android not because it's an iPhone copy - they choose it because of Android's unique characteristics.
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Comment by ilovebeer
by ilovebeer on Tue 14th Aug 2012 23:29 UTC
ilovebeer
Member since:
2011-08-08

The other reasons listed indicate that people chose Android because of its unique strengths over the iPhone: larger screens, the Google brand, the Android Market, and Google integration. These are all things where the iPhone - in the case of the Market and the brand, obviously so - the iPhone clearly lacks.

Come on Thom, you know better. First of all, only people who bought Android were surveyed. Were people who bought iPhone's surveyed the exact opposite of what you're trying to say would be the case.

Next, if you claim the Google brand is stronger than Apple, show me sales figures proving more people who picked their phone based on brand went with Android.

Also, how about people who had no real preference aside of texting, calls, games, and went with whatever the youngster at the store was pushing? This describes a very large number of users.

People are smart enough to see where this is going so I won't bother bringing up anything else. I'll simply say that to imply this survey is a reflection of the big picture, is being disingenuous at best. Assuming Apple create the survey, the one thing it does do is give insight into how Apple sees its competition.

Ps. Before you go on with your `Apple fanboi` claims, be aware that I am not loyal to any cellphone maker, cellphone OS, or otherwise. I care only if my phones suit my needs -- beyond that I couldn't care less. Unlike others, I'm not a cheerleader for any company.

Edited 2012-08-14 23:34 UTC

Reply Score: 1

RE: Comment by ilovebeer
by Thom_Holwerda on Tue 14th Aug 2012 23:33 in reply to "Comment by ilovebeer"
Thom_Holwerda Member since:
2005-06-29

With that quote, I'm not claiming the Google brand is stronger. I'm stating that the Google brand obviously isn't a strong point of the iPhone.

Reply Parent Score: 3

RE: Comment by ilovebeer
by JoeBuck on Wed 15th Aug 2012 00:12 in reply to "Comment by ilovebeer"
JoeBuck Member since:
2006-01-11

Apple is trying to make a "trade dress" case that people were fooled into buying Samsung phones because they look so much like Apple phones that they didn't realize they were buying the knockoff. To counter such a case, it's entirely appropriate to ask only those who bought a Samsung phone why they did so.

People aren't stupid. I respect Apple's design and engineering skills, but I don't buy their stuff because I don't want to live in a pretty jail. I can install apps on an Android phone or tablet that Apple would never allow in a million years, like SSHdroid (make your device into an SSH server and see the filesystem directly) just to give one example.

Reply Parent Score: 14

RE[2]: Comment by ilovebeer
by ilovebeer on Wed 15th Aug 2012 01:59 in reply to "RE: Comment by ilovebeer"
ilovebeer Member since:
2011-08-08

Apple is trying to make a "trade dress" case that people were fooled into buying Samsung phones because they look so much like Apple phones that they didn't realize they were buying the knockoff. To counter such a case, it's entirely appropriate to ask only those who bought a Samsung phone why they did so.

None of that has anything to do with what I said. I was talking about the spin Thom tried to put on it, nothing else.

People aren't stupid. I respect Apple's design and engineering skills, but I don't buy their stuff because I don't want to live in a pretty jail. I can install apps on an Android phone or tablet that Apple would never allow in a million years, like SSHdroid (make your device into an SSH server and see the filesystem directly) just to give one example.

That's nice and there are certainly others of the same opinion. I doubt the vast majority of cellphone users view their phone in terms of how "jailed" it is. Joe User has no use for his phone having SSH access. He has no need to browse the filesystem.

Whatever a persons reasons are for buying whichever phone they chose, as long as it suits their needs then they bought the right phone. There isn't a universal "best" as what's best is nearly 100% relative to the user.

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[2]: Comment by ilovebeer
by clasqm on Wed 15th Aug 2012 07:44 in reply to "RE: Comment by ilovebeer"
clasqm Member since:
2010-09-23

People aren't stupid. I respect Apple's design and engineering skills, but I don't buy their stuff because I don't want to live in a pretty jail. I can install apps on an Android phone or tablet that Apple would never allow in a million years, like SSHdroid (make your device into an SSH server and see the filesystem directly) just to give one example.

OK, that's you. And it's easy to see that you are utterly and completely unlike every single one of the people surveyed. "Android is open" does not even get 1% here.

Now that may simply be the result of the way the questions were framed. It's tricky to comment on results when you haven't seen the methodology (Thom? are you seeing this?). Perhaps this was simply not presented as an option to be ticked off on the questionnaire. But taking this on face value, it serves as a warning bell to all geeks who constantly praise Android for being open. The great unwashed masses don't care. If you want to promote Android, these are the points you need to get across.

Discalimer: I just ordered my iPhone 4s: I don't want a larger screen <grin>

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE: Comment by ilovebeer
by l3v1 on Wed 15th Aug 2012 06:17 in reply to "Comment by ilovebeer"
l3v1 Member since:
2005-07-06

Were people who bought iPhone's surveyed the exact opposite of what you're trying to say would be the case.


Uhmm, I wouldn't just suppose so. If you ask an iPhone buyer why (s)he bought the iPhone probably the most frequent answer would be that because they wanted an iPhone. I mean not because of x, y, z feature (well, maybe the looks would count, of course, we're talking Apple here) or because of the carrier's this and that. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it just would prove that Apple has a great fashion factor and still has some coolness factor (a diminishing one, but still) at least at some locations on the planet. But I highly doubt they would or could list a number of points similar to the one in the article.

Reply Parent Score: 7

RE[2]: Comment by ilovebeer
by clasqm on Wed 15th Aug 2012 08:07 in reply to "RE: Comment by ilovebeer"
clasqm Member since:
2010-09-23

They didn't list them. They were presented with a prefabricated list of choices and told to tick all that apply. As I've said elsewhere, the options that were NOT supplied might be as interesting as the ones that were. And people ticking off items on a list does not imply that they've given it a lot of thought. There's the "hadn't occurred to me, but I guess so" factor.

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE: Comment by ilovebeer
by Drunkula on Wed 15th Aug 2012 12:41 in reply to "Comment by ilovebeer"
Drunkula Member since:
2009-09-03

WTF? Why would they survey people who bought Iphones to ask why they purchased an Android? Nonsense, dude.

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[2]: Comment by ilovebeer
by ilovebeer on Wed 15th Aug 2012 17:48 in reply to "RE: Comment by ilovebeer"
ilovebeer Member since:
2011-08-08

WTF? Why would they survey people who bought Iphones to ask why they purchased an Android? Nonsense, dude.

What are you talking about? I think you better re-read the post and pay attention this time.

Reply Parent Score: -1

RE: Comment by ilovebeer
by Soulbender on Wed 15th Aug 2012 13:59 in reply to "Comment by ilovebeer"
Soulbender Member since:
2005-08-18

First of all, only people who bought Android were surveyed.


Uh, yes of course. If you want to find out why people are purchasing the competitors product you don't ask the people who purchased your product.

Reply Parent Score: 6

RE[2]: Comment by ilovebeer
by ilovebeer on Wed 15th Aug 2012 17:53 in reply to "RE: Comment by ilovebeer"
ilovebeer Member since:
2011-08-08

First of all, only people who bought Android were surveyed.

Uh, yes of course. If you want to find out why people are purchasing the competitors product you don't ask the people who purchased your product.

Why am I pointing out, again, that I was talking about the spin Thom tried to serve up? I wasn't questioning the survey itself, I was pointing out facts that directly contradict the spin.

As a general request, if "you" aren't going to pay attention to what you're reading, don't waste anyones time with irrelevant replies.

Reply Parent Score: -1