21% of iOS users say they wouldn't leave Apple at any price - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingsmuse 

Apples Ecosystem is far more immense regarding apps and media content.

 

It`s hardware ecosystem is so simple and really does "Just work" and interact in a manner I`ve not seen anywhere else.

 

I could ditch Apples media/apps ecosystem with little problem, I`d have a hell of a time replacing the hardware ecosystem.

I don't think it could be done as elegantly as Apple does it at the moment.

All of the apps I use are available in iOS and Android with the exception of Reeder. Some of the iOS versions are slightly more featured but thats about it.

iOS and Android have about the same amount of apps in their app store. Google Play works extremely well, you can update, install and remove apps all from your web browser.

Other than my phone, I prefer Apple for just about everything but I don't see how Apple's phone ecosystem is better than Android's at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredaroony 

How is Apple's ecosystem better than Android's?

Quote:

Originally Posted by anantksundaram 

Android has an ecosystem?!

 

LOL.

That's right Anan... I saw his question and just shook my head in disappointment.  After all the years of countless articles discussed about Android's so-called "ecosystem", he just was not worth the effort to reply to.  I'll take a wild guess that he knows how to use "google".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande 


Android has an ecosystem. It isn't as strong as the Mac ecosystem, and perhaps not even as strong as the Windows ecosystem (unless mobile is the only consideration), but it does have an ecosystem and Google is growing it.

How isn't it as strong? I would argue it is almost the same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sflocal 

 

That's right Anan... I saw his question and just shook my head in disappointment.  After all the years of countless articles discussed about Android's so-called "ecosystem", he just was not worth the effort to reply to.  I'll take a wild guess that he knows how to use "google".

That's because you don't have an answer either and probably have no idea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apple v. Samsung 

I found this pretty startling I myself will by products based their performance and quality. If I find another device at a similar price that functions better then I will buy it. Sticking to an inferior product regardless of the brand name is kind of cheating your self. If a superior tablet comes compared to my iPad I will buy it regardless of the company. 

It will take a lot for me to switch from Apple. I am invested, I know the platform in and out, the quality is top notch and I like the company and the way it does business. Why switch? If Apple goes downhill I will cut it a lot of latitude before I act. If a Samsung device is marginally better, so what? If the new Win Phone is great, so what? I love my technology but I have better things to do than switch - its a big deal and huge time waster unless you have no other stuff to do. Sticking to an inferior product may be cheating yourself but it depends on the level of inferiority. By the time I upgraded to my ip4 my ip3 was decidedly an inferior product, but I lived with it for quite a while. I have never tried an Android or Windows phone and I have no real desire to. In order to figure it out I'd have to spend hours at it and those hours are highly precious to me. I am sure there are aspects of other platforms that are marginally better than IOS or OSX, but hardly worth making a wholesale shift for. If I had to use only Picasa instead of iPhoto I am sure I would be just as happy as I am now, but its not worth the bother while iPhoto is still a great product. I ran an XP machine for a few years way back and it truly left a sour taste in my mouth. Oh, and it cost me so many lost hours I am not sure if I am over it yet. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by paxman 

It will take a lot for me to switch from Apple. I am invested, I know the platform in and out, the quality is top notch and I like the company and the way it does business. Why switch? If Apple goes downhill I will cut it a lot of latitude before I act. If a Samsung device is marginally better, so what? If the new Win Phone is great, so what? I love my technology but I have better things to do than switch - its a big deal and huge time waster unless you have no other stuff to do. Sticking to an inferior product may be cheating yourself but it depends on the level of inferiority. By the time I upgraded to my ip4 my ip3 was decidedly an inferior product, but I lived with it for quite a while. I have never tried an Android or Windows phone and I have no real desire to. In order to figure it out I'd have to spend hours at it and those hours are highly precious to me. I am sure there are aspects of other platforms that are marginally better than IOS or OSX, but hardly worth making a wholesale shift for. If I had to use only Picasa instead of iPhoto I am sure I would be just as happy as I am now, but its not worth the bother while iPhoto is still a great product. I ran an XP machine for a few years way back and it truly left a sour taste in my mouth. Oh, and it cost me so many lost hours I am not sure if I am over it yet. 

If you have never tried anything else then how do you know how long or how hard it would be to change?

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredaroony 

That's because you don't have an answer either and probably have no idea.

I see that tekstud is very active today.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mstone 

Maps...

That is an uneducated statement.  Apple could completely screw up the maps app and there would still be the online Google maps fallback.  So even in the unlikely possibility that Apple's maps are so unsatisfactory that I would bury them in a dead apps directory on page 6, I would still have reasonable mapping on the platform. 

Since the possibility of Apples maps being even 1% of that bad is roughly nil, and there is a lot more most folks use the phone for than that one app, the chances are more accurately that your personal crusade against Apple Maps has is blowing your credibility.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apple v. Samsung 

I found this pretty startling I myself will by products based their performance and quality. If I find another device at a similar price that functions better then I will buy it. Sticking to an inferior product regardless of the brand name is kind of cheating your self. If a superior tablet comes compared to my iPad I will buy it regardless of the company. 

Apple customer loyalty is not driven by blind brand loyalty. That loyalty is earned. Apple customers like the products, the ecosystem within which the products exist, and the confidence that Apple will continue to produce products of the highest standards while focusing first on their customers, rather than on business partners. it all comes down to trust.

I would never switch to another brand just because they released a competing product with better "specs." That's because I learned long ago that a product's value is defined by the overall user experience rather than by a set of misleading numbers listed on the product packaging. The only thing that would make me consider switching to another brand would be an extended period of declining quality and innovation from Apple, combined with an extended period of competitors offering superior products. I think the likelihood of either of those scenarios is nil in the next three years and extremely unlikely within the next five.

But to put things in perspective I was a Microsoft fan back in their early days. Today I wouldn't accept any of their products if offered for free (except for MS Office.) So loyalty does disappear when a company no longer merits it.

Where is the question "Would you be more likely to buy an Apple computer?" This is a question I've wondered about. Has the iPod revolution and iPhone revolution brought people to the Apple computer market?

As far as hating a company just for who they are, as in people just hate Apple, I just hate Microsoft. No matter how good their Surface tablets might be (who knows) I won't buy one. I hate Microsoft because of Vista.

Why did I switch from a Windows computer to Apple? I had never experienced Apple products in person. Nobody I knew had an Apple computer. I was just getting to the point where XP was driving me crazy with all of the required restarts any time something was updated. I hated the way I needed to keep the Task Manager open just to shut down the programs that would freeze. Sometimes I had to do hard shutdowns because even the mouse stopped working.

After owning my Mac Book for a few months I decided to buy a spare computer. It ran Vista. As much as I was annoyed by XP I could live with it occasionally. Vista was worse. That put the nail in the Microsoft coffin in my opinion.

If iOS or Android users were experiencing the same problems I had with XP you can bet there would be people wanting to switch regardless of their lack of familiarity with the other brand.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apple v. Samsung 

 

Phone is a galaxy nexus. I love the larger screen and stock google experience got an iPad last month. My computer is a custom made box with an Asus motherboard, Amd processor (Best performance for you buck) and video card, Western digital hard drive, Cooler master case, with a rosewell power supply. I run unbuto most of the time except for games and netflix, then its windows 7. I give my money to who ever has the superior product when I walk into the store.

None of those are superior products, every one is compromised for lower cost production.  You chose a cost band and then stuffed things into it, and then forgot that in the comparison you have to consider the time value of your own effort and time.  If you don't value your time much at all your comparisons can come out quite nicely dollar-wise.  Consider your time on par with what you would make in a career position and you almost assuredly just cost yourself a lot of opportunity to do something better with that time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by freediverx 

 

Apple customer loyalty is not driven by blind brand loyalty. That loyalty is earned. Apple customers like the products, the ecosystem within which the products exist, and the confidence that Apple will continue to produce products of the highest standards while focusing first on their customers, rather than on business partners. 

 

I would never switch to another brand just because they released a competing product with better "specs." That's because I learned long ago that a product's value is defined by the overall user experience rather than by a set of misleading numbers listed on the product packaging. The only thing that would make me consider switching to another brand would be an extended period of declining quality and innovation from Apple, combined with an extended period of competitors offering superior products. I think the likelihood of either of those scenarios is nil in the next three years and extremely unlikely within the next five.

 

But to put things in perspective I was a Microsoft fan back in their early days. Today I wouldn't accept any of their products if offered for free (except for MS Office.) So loyalty does disappear when a company no longer merits it.

Have you tried many other products to see if you prefer the user experience?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smallwheels 

Where is the question "Would you be more likely to buy an Apple computer?" This is a question I've wondered about. Has the iPod revolution and iPhone revolution brought people to the Apple computer market?

As far as hating a company just for who they are, as in people just hate Apple, I just hate Microsoft. No matter how good their Surface tablets might be (who knows) I won't buy one. I hate Microsoft because of Vista.

Why did I switch from a Windows computer to Apple? I had never experienced Apple products in person. Nobody I knew had an Apple computer. I was just getting to the point where XP was driving me crazy with all of the required restarts any time something was updated. I hated the way I needed to keep the Task Manager open just to shut down the programs that would freeze. Sometimes I had to do hard shutdowns because even the mouse stopped working.

After owning my Mac Book for a few months I decided to buy a spare computer. It ran Vista. As much as I was annoyed by XP I could live with it occasionally. Vista was worse. That put the nail in the Microsoft coffin in my opinion.

If iOS or Android users were experiencing the same problems I had with XP you can bet there would be people wanting to switch regardless of their lack of familiarity with the other brand.
 

Why do you actually hate a company? I just don't get why some people hate something that's really never caused them any harm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hiro 

 

None of those are superior products, every one is compromised for lower cost production.  You chose a cost band and then stuffed things into it, and then forgot that in the comparison you have to consider the time value of your own effort and time.  If you don't value your time much at all your comparisons can come out quite nicely dollar-wise.  Consider your time on par with what you would make in a career position and you almost assuredly just cost yourself a lot of opportunity to do something better with that time.

How are they inferior? Big statement to make, do you have examples on what makes them worse?

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredaroony 

How doesn't Android have a ecosystem? I see how you decided not to answer the answer, probably because you can't.

Is that your only post style?   Make a really dumb obvious comment, then when it gets answered with the only possible answer resort to the mental equivalent of "I know you are but what am I?". 

Yeah, really useful.  That's three threads of straight up bait-trolling now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredaroony 

All of the apps I use are available in iOS and Android with the exception of Reeder. Some of the iOS versions are slightly more featured but thats about it.

 

iOS and Android have about the same amount of apps in their app store. Google Play works extremely well, you can update, install and remove apps all from your web browser.

 

Other than my phone, I prefer Apple for just about everything but I don't see how Apple's phone ecosystem is better than Android's at all.

Easy question to answer. Your claim that all your Apps are available on both systems is meaningless since it's only what "you use". As others have mentioned, it has been proven time and again that iOS has a far better selection of Apps. Go to the tablet side and it gets even worse. iOS Apps usually appear first as iOS has more than twice the developer interest that Android does. iOS Apps are consistently higher quality and this is easily proven with a quick google search of reviews. I'm not sure how you can berate others for "not being able to answer the question" when it seems you are the one who is clueless about the differences between Android and iOS when it comes to Apps and their ecosystems.

In my city, there are lots of small businesses who have Apps. On iOS. They feel it's the next logical step after having a web page. You know, Apps go far beyond the "top ten" that people always talk about. Sports teams, financial institutions, schools, clubs and more are starting to use Apps and these are the ones you'll never see in the App Store. But when I walk down the street to my local Italian Deli, I see he has a sign in the window saying "Now in the App Store". You don't see this with Android.

Then there's media. The reason I can use iTunes Match to get legal copies of music is because Apple has secured the rights to do so. Apple has always been ahead of Google in terms of their relationship to record companies or movie studios and this is reflected both in the content and what Apple is allowed to do with it.

What about hardware? How many docks have you ever seen where you can drop in your phone and have it work without having to worry about whether or notthe USB port or 3.5mm jack is in the right position. How many cars do you know that have "Samsung Docks"? iPod/iPhone specific features are available in a lot of cars. And in cars they aren't, I can still use my iPhone with a USB port or AUX in. So my iPhone is actually compatible with MORE vehicles than your Android device is. Home theatre receivers are including Airplay as are many speakers.

Accessories/cases? Again it's not even close. Walk into any Best Buy and compare the amount of retail space they have set aside for Apple accessories vs everyone else. I have choices of hundreds (even thousands) of products that work with the iPhone simply because iPhones are all standardized (dock connector in same place, for example).

Shall I go on?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande 


Apple's ecosystem ties in established and mature desktop, media, and mobile products on a level no competitor offers at this time. It's probably a fool's errand to try and explain this to someone because it's probably exactly the sort of topic that people have already made their mind up about (and most people probably aren't familiar with more than one or two of the big technology ecosystems available), but when someone is using Macintosh products across the board, taking advantage of services like iCloud and iTunes, OS X and iOS, and even apps like Aperture or iPhoto, everything comes together maturely and with minimal effort. Toss in an Apple TV and you can do remarkable things in the media center, with more value added as you use more Apple devices. Also, speaking in terms of ecosystem, it is important to discuss the mobile App Store. Google's app ecosystem is definitely the second best out there, but it's a far cry from Apple's. The general quality of apps leaves a great deal to be desired and the number count is inflated with numerous copyright-voilating undesirables (not to mention more dishonest characters) which are rarely approved in the App Store. Not to say that people can't put together a functional collection of apps with some all-stars among them using the Android ecosystem—they can—but there's really no comparison at this stage. Maybe that will change one day.
So to address Google specifically. Beyond the app store consideration above, their desktop OS presence is tied to Google services. To fully appreciate Google's ecosystem (at least on a level even remotely comparable to Apple's at this time) you have to make use of them. They do integrate well, but not as smoothly. Also, many of them are nowhere near as mature as the Apple equivalents (Google just hasn't been working at this as long as Apple has). And then there are elements like media center integration where Google's still trying to release something excellent. I won't bother mentioning Chrome OS. On the other hand, Google has some fantastic, mature ecosystem elements like GMail. Google Voice ties in nicely and is a good product. So I definitely think people are kidding themselves to say Google has no ecosystem, but their ecosystem is nowhere near as mature as Apple's. And it doesn't lend to whether or not Google's ecosystem works, but it is a little depressing that theirs is the only big ecosystem founded around selling their customers' information and eyeballs.
Microsoft also has a very strong, established ecosystem. It shines especially in the enterprise, and they're already very well established in the media center with the XBox tie-in. The weakness in their armor is mobile. The old Windows mobile OS is garbage by today's standard and Microsoft is working hard to change that with the new Windows 8 platform. I'd argue that they'd be better off if they focused more, but that's a matter of speculation today. If Windows 8 takes off and establishes a great app store those who are fully invested in the Microsoft ecosystem will have a great platform. Outside mobile, the Microsoft ecosystem is probably stronger than Google's in nearly every way (especially considering it can also benefit from elements of Google's ecosystem). Unfortunately, mobile is probably the most important element of a given platform's ecosystem for most people.
A discussion like this deserves to be a well-presented article, but this is as good as I can muster with a few minutes.

Great post! Thank you for taking the time to actually explain your points.

I use OSX extensively for most of reasons you mentioned but I also use Google Apps services which also work very well in OSX. This is also one of the reasons I use a Android phone and it suits me well but I use the iPad as a tablet because it just works better. Having said that, my phone is a HTC One X which is really not standard Android so many of the features I like are actually from HTC.

For me it's about having the best of both worlds I guess.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anonymouse 

 

That's because you are a pessimist, and cling to the past based on fear of change.

 

Based on what I've seen to date, from both companies, I feel quite confident in predicting that Apple's maps will quickly be better than anything Google has to offer. Ditching Google Maps as the back end for the Maps app is like getting rid of the floppy drive: we'll all end up glad that they did, and wondering why we ever thought we would miss it. 

Not at all, that is like ditching one LCD screen maker for another LCD with diminished quality. I would be fully supporting Apple's new maps if it looked like it was going to be an improvement but it doesn't. I depend on that feature almost as much as texting and email, so if that feature is ruined in terms of how I use it, then I have lost substantial functionality. My usage patterns are most certainly different than others. I could live without several of the other built in apps. I'm sure that there are some users who absolutely have to have iTunes however I never use it. I do need Maps to work as well as it does now. Google Maps is on version 3. I don't want to start at Apple Maps version 1 and have to wait a few years for it to get up to the level that Google is now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hiro 

 

Is that your only post style?   Make a really dumb obvious comment, then when it gets answered with the only possible answer resort to the mental equivalent of "I know you are but what am I?". 

 

 

Yeah, really useful.  That's three threads of straight up bait-trolling now.

When replying to obvious dumb comment then why not...That's the point, so many of the posts in here are obvious dumb comments without any real explanation other than brand x sucks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apple v. Samsung 

 

Phone is a galaxy nexus. I love the larger screen and stock google experience got an iPad last month. My computer is a custom made box with an Asus motherboard, Amd processor (Best performance for you buck) and video card, Western digital hard drive, Cooler master case, with a rosewell power supply. I run unbuto most of the time except for games and netflix, then its windows 7. I give my money to who ever has the superior product when I walk into the store.

You seem to fit the classic profile of an Android/Linux user. Your purchase choices are primarily driven by configuration flexibility and a basic cost-to-spec ratio. You chose the iPad because essentially there's nothing else on the market that can even pretend to offer comparable features or value.

Apple fans seek out products that deliver a superior user experience and generally couldn't care less about what specific components were used to build their devices or whether or not they can tweak and customize every aspect of the product. They value design, quality of build and materials, attention to detail. They couldn't care less if a competing product offers a few more megaherts, gigaherz, or pixels.

The more you crunch the Apple, the more you want it !

Quote:

Originally Posted by EricTheHalfBee 

 

Easy question to answer. Your claim that all your Apps are available on both systems is meaningless since it's only what "you use". As others have mentioned, it has been proven time and again that iOS has a far better selection of Apps. Go to the tablet side and it gets even worse. iOS Apps usually appear first as iOS has more than twice the developer interest that Android does. iOS Apps are consistently higher quality and this is easily proven with a quick google search of reviews. I'm not sure how you can berate others for "not being able to answer the question" when it seems you are the one who is clueless about the differences between Android and iOS when it comes to Apps and their ecosystems.

 

In my city, there are lots of small businesses who have Apps. On iOS. They feel it's the next logical step after having a web page. You know, Apps go far beyond the "top ten" that people always talk about. Sports teams, financial institutions, schools, clubs and more are starting to use Apps and these are the ones you'll never see in the App Store. But when I walk down the street to my local Italian Deli, I see he has a sign in the window saying "Now in the App Store". You don't see this with Android.

 

Then there's media. The reason I can use iTunes Match to get legal copies of music is because Apple has secured the rights to do so. Apple has always been ahead of Google in terms of their relationship to record companies or movie studios and this is reflected both in the content and what Apple is allowed to do with it.

 

What about hardware? How many docks have you ever seen where you can drop in your phone and have it work without having to worry about whether or notthe USB port or 3.5mm jack is in the right position. How many cars do you know that have "Samsung Docks"? iPod/iPhone specific features are available in a lot of cars. And in cars they aren't, I can still use my iPhone with a USB port or AUX in. So my iPhone is actually compatible with MORE vehicles than your Android device is. Home theatre receivers are including Airplay as are many speakers.

 

Accessories/cases? Again it's not even close. Walk into any Best Buy and compare the amount of retail space they have set aside for Apple accessories vs everyone else. I have choices of hundreds (even thousands) of products that work with the iPhone simply because iPhones are all standardized (dock connector in same place, for example).

 

Shall I go on?

I agree with the tablet apps as that was my experience when I tried a Motorola Xoom but I don't believe that is the case with Android phone. Obviously, I'm talking from personal experience but I will admit that a couple of the apps I have on my iPhone and my One X the iPhone version is superior. For me though, it's only literally a couple and I have a couple great apps on my One X that you can't even get on iOS.

You are also totally correct regarding the accessories and it's not even close. I don't really use any accessories so probably never put much thought into it and was really putting it down to the user experience at a software level.

I haven't owned a competing mobile phone since the first iPhone came out, and I'm not inclined to buy one just for the heck of it. I have used various Android and other phones since then and have seen features I liked and some that I didn't like. I have not seen anything that tempted me to switch and in general I did not care for the products' build quality, design, user interface, or the general quality of the app selection. I also dislike their ecosystem as I am unwilling to embrace Google Docs, Calendar and their other services.

Also, on principle, I have no desire to purchase a product from a company that cares more about their relationship with mobile carriers than with their customers...

Quote:

Originally Posted by freediverx 

I haven't owned a competing mobile phone since the first iPhone came out, and I'm not inclined to buy one just for the heck of it. I have used various Android and other phones since then and have seen features I liked and some that I didn't like. I have not seen anything that tempted me to switch and in general I did not care for the products' build quality, design, user interface, or the general quality of the app selection. I also dislike their ecosystem as I am unwilling to embrace Google Docs, Calendar and their other services.

 

Also, on principle, I have no desire to purchase a product from a company that cares more about their relationship with mobile carriers than with their customers...

Fair enough and obviously you are entitled to your opinion and will vote with your purchases. I will be happy enough to move to another product if it suits me, brand loyalty is really for children, it's about what product suits your purpose at the time.

Not sure what you mean by your last sentence though. Companies really only care about one thing from my point of view.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephanJobs 



It's nice to be able to set up an appointment at the Genius bar to have someone talk to you in person and see what's going on and their secret "we're awesome" policy.
If you don't know what that means, simply put, they have supported and replaced items for me they have no right or obligation to be doing so. Just because they try to help and understand.

Actually I see this as a double edged sword. On one hand you get the service you need but on the other you have to make an appointment to get your devices even swapped out and if they are busy this can be days. I would prefer just to be able to walk in and get serviced.

The last time I booked at appointment was to get a iPad swapped out and they kept me waiting 45 mins past my appointment time. I saw so many of them having casual conversations with people and having no good place to stand in the shop it was getting quite annoying. When my time finally came it only took 5 mins...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sflocal 

Any androids lambasting Apple users for this are being hypocritical.  They would LOVE for Android to have this kind of dedication and loyalty, but are too tightwadded to admit to it.

Apple has created a fantastic all-in-one ecosystem.  Unless there is a huge screwup of biblical proportions, count me as one of the loyal folks as well.

Android users are loyal until the next gee-whiz android device that comes out. 

I'm dedicated and loyal to my family and friends, not to any company lol. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apple ][ 

The chances that my next laptop will be Apple is 100%.

 

The chances that my next tablet will be Apple is 100%.

 

The chances that my next phone will be Apple is 100%.

 

For any of those to not come true, Apple would have to screw up so badly, we're talking about a fuckup of RIM or NOKIA proportions, and I see that as extremely unlikely. 

110% agreed.

My time is worth as much as my money.  You couldnt pay me to go back to using cheaper, more frustrating devices that have questionable build quality.  The reason why I made the switch to Apple is because of all the things I did not have to worry about.  From my wifi router to my Macbook Air.. I've switched to Apple.. and gotten rid of so many technical headaches and gremlins.   There is something so incredibly satisfying about a well built product, that looks awesome and most importantly just works.. and doesnt cause any frustrations.  As long as they continue the path they are on, they have earned my loyalty for all of these products.  It also helps that the resale value of Apple products remain high.. making it less of a pain to upgrade when necessary.  My 2 year old iPhone4 has a trade-in value of $300 on Amazon.. while a Samsung Galaxy SII has a tradein value of $68.. lol!!

I'm always amazed at the people who use non-Apple products and how often they seem to be having problems, trading them in or always chasing the latest & greatest Android announcement.  They never seem satisfied.. and thats the only sign I need to stay away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinder6 

"Wouldn't leave Apple at any price" is a bit deceptive, as the article is talking about discounts applied to competing devices. I wouldn't take a free Galaxy S III if I could get my next iPhone for $200 (though I would take a free Nexus 7), but at the same time, I wouldn't pay $1000 for my next iPhone.

Your logical statements have no place here... be gone troll

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daekwan 

 

110% agreed.

 

My time is worth as much as my money.  You couldnt pay me to go back to using cheaper, more frustrating devices that have questionable build quality.  The reason why I made the switch to Apple is because of all the things I did not have to worry about.  There is something so incredibly satisfying about a well built product that just works.. and doesnt cause any frustrations.  As long as they continue the path they are on, they have earned my loyalty for all of these products.

 

I'm always amazed at the people who use non-Apple products and how often they seem to be having problems, trading them in or always chasing the latest and greatest.  They never seem satisfied.. and thats the only sign I need to stay away.

What about all the Apple users that upgrade when a new model comes out, isn't that exactly the same thing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hiro 

 

That is an uneducated statement.  Apple could completely screw up the maps app and there would still be the online Google maps fallback.  So even in the unlikely possibility that Apple's maps are so unsatisfactory that I would bury them in a dead apps directory on page 6, I would still have reasonable mapping on the platform. 

 

Since the possibility of Apples maps being even 1% of that bad is roughly nil, and there is a lot more most folks use the phone for than that one app, the chances are more accurately that your personal crusade against Apple Maps has is blowing your credibility.

Thanks for the suggestion. I was unaware how well the Google Maps mobile web app actually worked. The last time I tried it it was virtually unnavigable but now it works almost as well as the default  iPhone Map app. As long as I don't lose my transit schedules and route overlay in the Google Map web app I be fine. It doesn't seem to have street view but it is better than nothing. At least I have the transit info.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredaroony 

What about all the Apple users that upgrade when a new model comes out, isn't that exactly the same thing?

ALL those? I think you are far from what is the reality of the situation if you really believe there are a large percentage of iPhone users who upgrade every cycle. The VAST majority upgrade only when offered a full subsidy from their carrier.

Thats probably true of all smartphone users really.

Personally I love my Macbook, iPad and iPhone. Only the iPhone has competition worth considering right now IMO. I think that these days sticking with the iPhone doesn't always mean that I'll have the best phone, but its software update support keeps it the clear better value on its own. If the right Nexus came along, it would be something that, being totally honest, would start to tempt me for the first time in 5 years. ICS and now JB are pretty nice offerings and if the right hardware came along in a Nexus form then I'd probably go for it, except that having mac hardware really does come with nice benifits that are tangible and add to value. So in the end, apple has to screw up pretty bad on one product or have real competitors at better prices for all three areas for it to make sense for me to switch.

If there was ever a time where I felt the total package of electronics value was less than what I could have some other way I would def change my set up. But Mac+iPad+iPhone = best experience for my money right now in my view. When that changes I will change.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apple ][ 

The chances that my next laptop will be Apple is 100%.

 

The chances that my next tablet will be Apple is 100%.

 

The chances that my next phone will be Apple is 100%.

 

For any of those to not come true, Apple would have to screw up so badly, we're talking about a fuckup of RIM or NOKIA proportions, and I see that as extremely unlikely. 

Same here.

Got my first Mac in early 2010 (Mid 2009 13" MBP) and haven't looked back.  I also have an original iPad, an iPhone 4S and Mac Mini (Mid 2011).  I'm not one of those who is prone to jumping and upgrading at each new product announcement, but like many others, can appreciate the streamlined simplicity that OS X (Snow Leopard on the MBP, Lion on the Mini) provides.

In the interests of keeping things balanced, my 5 y/o DIY rig still finds use here too - mainly for DVD Burning/Video Encoding & Folding @home though.

I don't know that I wouldn't leave Apple "at any price", but my crappy Sprint EVO certainly wouldn't convince me to get a personal phone running Android.