What Android fans think of iPhone users

iPhone fanboys are status-seeking, ignorant sheep brainwashed by Apple marketing, according to some Android users. Is that view accurate?

I've noticed a curious thing about some Android users. They have very strong and surprising opinions about people who choose iPhones.

Whenever I post something about phones, or engage in an online conversation about iPhones, I can always count on these opinions surfacing. I don't notice a strong wave of posts in the other direction during conversations about Android devices.

It's not just that Android users and iPhone users each have their preferred phones. Many Android fans think the decision to buy an iPhone is an error, and that if everyone was clear-thinking, objective and informed, they would choose Android.

It's a strange phenomenon. And I really wanted to understand it better. So I asked my Android-loving friends on Google+ a very simple question: Why do people buy iPhones?

In less than eight hours, they had maxed out Google+'s 500-comment limit. Boy did I get an earful. Here's why people buy iPhones, according to Android fans:

The iPhone is a status symbol. iPhone buyers are attracted to the Applebrand as a prestigious status symbol or fashion accessory, for the same reasons people like Rolex watches or Gucci bags.

The iPhone is a smart phone for dumb users. The iPhone is supposed to be easy to use, so novices are attracted to it for that reason.

iPhone users are ignorant. iPhone buyers don't know what Android phones are capable of, or how unnecessary iPhone limitations are.

iPhone users are suckered in by skillful marketing. iPhone users are brainwashed sheep, victims of Steve Jobs' reality distortion field. Product announcements, commercials, packaging, TV and movie product placements and other marketing campaigns by Apple have convinced users that it's a better phone. The iPhone's assumed superiority is marketing-driven perception.

The iPhone is the most popular phone and most recognizable brand.Some iPhone buyers want the biggest-selling phone for the same reason people go to Starbucks instead of the locally owned coffee shop or choose Nike shoes instead of a brand they've never heard of -- big brands and popular products are attractive for their own sake to some people.

The iPhone is associated with a famous person. Everyone knows who Steve Jobs was, and the founders of Google aren't as famous. Some people are attracted to products associated with a well-known person in a culture of celebrity worship. This effect has been magnified by Jobs' death and the media coverage that followed.

iPhone users will buy anything Apple sells. In the minds of iPhone users, the "halo effect" of other Apple products, including the iPod, carries over to the iPhone.

The iOS interface is familiar. Many people are already using Apple interfaces, with their home computers, iPod Touches, Apple TV systems oriPads, so an iPhone feels comfortable.

Wake-up Call for Android Manufacturers

While people were complaining about the Nexus One not getting updated for longer than 2 years, The Understatement blog tracked down every major and minor release of Android over the years and how the Android manufacturers handled it. And let me tell you, it’s not pretty. Compared to updates the other phones got, the Nexus One will look like is in its own league.

So who’s at fault here? Is it Google? You could certainly put some blame on them, too. They’ve made the bed they now sleep in. If they wouldn’t have compromised so much to allow for the fastest growth possible, they might’ve been able to force a few more restrictions on the manufacturers, to ensure a good upgrade experience with most Android phones. So I definitely think Google should’ve done a lot more to convince/force the manufacturers to upgrade all their phones and on time.

Is it the carriers? It definitely is sometimes – like when Samsung Galaxy S got its Android 2.3 update all over Europe, but it wasn’t available until months later in USA. Plus, the carriers forced Samsung to give them a slightly different version of the phone, too.

But I think everyone recognizes that the biggest blame will go to the manufacturers themselves. First of all, they don’t have much incentive or motivation to upgrade all their phones, because they know they’ve already made the sale, so keeping upgrading them, will cut into their profits. Of course, they should’ve thought of this before they tried to price their phones too low, or before they made the deals with carriers to sell them for less. They absolutely need to take into consideration upgrade costs into the future for all phone models.

And second, they are all spreading themselves too thin. Both Samsung and HTC are releasing a new phone every month now, that is slightly better than the previous one, but different enough to slow down the development team and the team in charge of upgrades. This means they will only focus on some phones, and only for a while. It’s a bad strategy not only because I believe this will end up commoditizing their hardware faster, but because it makes it a lot harder to support their own phones later, and they end up disappointing their customers in the process.

Not to mention that instead of at least leaving a gateway for customers to upgrade their phones with custom ROM’s, they try to lock them down, like how Motorola is doing, and they make it much harder for customers to upgrade it that way, too. So which is it, Motorola? Are you going to provide the updates yourself then? Hopefully, this will change with Google buying them, and they’ll start offering only stock Android phones from then on.

I’m also hoping that with Android 4.0, upgrading will be a lot easier for manufacturers, and we might see them faster and for more phones. But that’s only for new pho

[Download] Galaxy Nexus Full System Dump Including Boot, Recovery Image

Looks like there is more good news for perspective Galaxy Nexus owners as our pals over at MoDaCo has a little treat for us that many of you will be happy to see. We are getting access to a full system dump from the Galaxy Nexus’ ICL23D build.

There should be a little something for everyone: apps, ringtones and wallpapers for the basic users and everything else including the boot recovery images for you dev types. It’s very likely that this won’t be the build that makes it into retail devices but if it’s just the multimedia your after, there shouldn’t be an issue. Add this to the recently discovered root method and we’re all set! Hit the source below for details and download links.