According to the study well-to-do urban whites, those making $150K or more, are the group most likely to use an iPhone. Poor African-Americans are in the group most likely to use an Android smartphone. Further, there's little difference in Android use across income categories unlike iPhone owners which isn't what some might expect. An affluent Android using individual is reportedly as likely to have one as someone making 40K a year. To me that might indicate that it's not necessarily uneducated poor people reluctantly buying Android as much as something else. That "something else" is perhaps the iPhone being considered a symbol of status for the wealthy white males IMHO.
I started a conversation with another member here a couple days ago about this report. He was right that AI would get around to writing up an article about it within a few days.
That's funny because I live near a very large African-Amercian community, in fact the next largest after Harlem (around St. Louis. MO). Most of that demographic I see in the shopping malls are carrying iPhones, not Android. And I think your comment about wealthy white males is about as condescending and bigoted as it gets for a troll. Yet more FUD to somehow try and diminish the popularity of Apple's products with users from all demographics.
That's funny because I live near a very large African-Amercian community, in fact the next largest after Harlem (around St. Louis. MO). Most of that demographic I see in the shopping malls are carrying iPhones, not Android. And I think your comment about wealthy white males is about as condescending and bigoted as it gets for a troll. Yet more FUD to somehow try and diminish the popularity of Apple's products with users from all demographics.
In all fairness, he's only reporting what the Pew study says.
You should at least check it out before calling someone 'bigoted'. You can't make statistical generalizations based on your individual experience. As noted, Pew studies are quite carefully done.
That's funny because I live near a very large African-Amercian community, in fact the next largest after Harlem (around St. Louis. MO). Most of that demographic I see in the shopping malls are carrying iPhones, not Android. And I think your comment about wealthy white males is about as condescending and bigoted as it gets for a troll. Yet more FUD to somehow try and diminish the popularity of Apple's products with users from all demographics.
Quoting from the Pew Report for your benefit since you obviously weren't going to be bothered reading the link I gave to it before accusing me of bigotry and making stuff up.
"Cell phone owners from a wide range of
educational and household income groupings have similar levels of Android adoption, but those from
the upper end of the income and education spectrum are much more likely than those with lower
income and educational levels to say they own an iPhone. Indeed, fully half—49%—of cell owners with a
household income of $150,000 or more say their phone is an iPhone. And African-American cell owners
are more likely than whites or Latinos to say that their phone is an Android device as opposed to an
iPhone."
Lots of demographic charts in that report's 12 pages too broken down by education, race, and income if your're at all interested. The claims weren't my invention.
Three days ago, AppleInsider had iPhone at 40% of the US smartphone market, with Android declining. It might be nice if you tried to relate one thing you say to the next.
And what they said was in fact correct. Looking at just smart phones apple has 43% of the us market compared to android at 52%. So when saying that smart phones comprise 56% of the entire phone market (dumb and smart phones) 25% of all phones would be about right.
That's funny because I live near a very large African-Amercian community, in fact the next largest after Harlem (around St. Louis. MO). Most of that demographic I see in the shopping malls are carrying iPhones, not Android. And I think your comment about wealthy white males is about as condescending and bigoted as it gets for a troll. Yet more FUD to somehow try and diminish the popularity of Apple's products with users from all demographics.
Quoting from the Pew Report for your benefit since you obviously weren't going to be bothered reading the link I gave to it before accusing me of bigotry and making stuff up.
"Cell phone owners from a wide range of
educational and household income groupings have similar levels of Android adoption, but those from
the upper end of the income and education spectrum are much more likely than those with lower
income and educational levels to say they own an iPhone. Indeed, fully half—49%—of cell owners with a
household income of $150,000 or more say their phone is an iPhone. And African-American cell owners
are more likely than whites or Latinos to say that their phone is an Android device as opposed to an
iPhone."
Lots of demographic charts in that report's 12 pages too broken down by education, race, and income if your're at all interested. The claims weren't my invention.
...and thanks Anant
That doesn't say what you said. Putting aside the fact it doesn't say what size of the market the highest wealth brackets represent, the gender breakdown for men is higher with Android; with white people, it's evenly split. $50-75k is a fairly well-off household as far as smartphone ownership goes and again higher numbers for Android. Your conclusion of the iPhone being a status symbol for rich white men is totally unjustified and derogatory. This is an example of the propaganda I described a short time ago - selective picking of facts in order to push forward your offensive opinions.
Android devices start at lower price points and it so happens that more black people are less affluent so there's obviously going to be more people at a lower earning threshold buying Android devices. Similarly, iPhones are better quality products so people at the higher earning scales want the best quality on the market. Both women and men are roughly equally likely to have one or the other, same with white people. The only differentiating factor is income and impacts the black community more, which shows up in that ethnicity bracket. And that still doesn't mean the iPhone is a product for the wealthy because it doesn't break down what portion of the overall market the upper income tiers represent.
Once again the big loser here is Windows phone. That entire project is in serious need of a reset. As it stands today it's a complete flop.
Like a fish out of water, the MSFT WP has a couple of good flops left in it... I understand Uncle Fester wants to release an RT version of WIndows 8 phones before they bum rush him out of the building... It will be like other smart phones but will lack apps and email.
With all apologies to Southpark, it will be called the Kenny phone.
The report basically provides solid empirical support for what many of us have been saying here for a while now: iPhone users are more educated, more affluent, and unsurprisingly, (given its association with education and income) more white.
iPhone users have three-digit IQs, while some Android users brag about having two-digit IQs and both of their front teeth.
That doesn't say what you said. Putting aside the fact it doesn't say what size of the market the highest wealth brackets represent, the gender breakdown for men is higher with Android; with white people, it's evenly split. $50-75k is a fairly well-off household as far as smartphone ownership goes and again higher numbers for Android. Your conclusion of the iPhone being a status symbol for rich white men is totally unjustified and derogatory. This is an example of the propaganda I described a short time ago - selective picking of facts in order to push forward your offensive opinions.
Android devices start at lower price points and it so happens that more black people are less affluent so there's obviously going to be more people at a lower earning threshold buying Android devices. Similarly, iPhones are better quality products so people at the higher earning scales want the best quality on the market. Both women and men are roughly equally likely to have one or the other, same with white people. The only differentiating factor is income and impacts the black community more, which shows up in that ethnicity bracket. And that still doesn't mean the iPhone is a product for the wealthy because it doesn't break down what portion of the overall market the upper income tiers represent.
Marvin, making a guess that the iPhone may be considered a status symbol for the well-to-do should hardly be considered offensive. Other studies as well as individual experience have found the choice of smartphone to be a sign of status for many. While Android uptake stays relatively constant, varying by 6 percentage points at most across all income and education levels, iPhone use skews heavily towards the wealthier with a much higher range between the categories, up to 39 percentage points top to bottom. There are "free" and comparably-priced iPhones widely available so price would not be the determining factor IMO.
On the second point my noting the findings of the published Pew Study, to quote my first post, show that "well-to-do urban whites... are the group most likely to use an iPhone (while) Poor African-Americans are in the group most likely to use an Android smartphone". (rich white men is your choice of words not mine and yes might be considered derogatory depending on the circumstance and the facts) is neither offensive IMO nor invented. You seem to think it's made up. The Pew Study chose race as a potentially important factor and specifically pointing out that they discerned a difference worth a dedicated paragraph to emphasize the result. I personally think you're looking for an offensive post where none exists, but I'll extend an apology to you if you're offended.
EDIT: Since its being largely ignored I'll also mention that the typical characterization of Android users as uneducated and poor would not be supported by the Pew results. Android smartphone use is pointedly consistent with little variation across all income and education levels. Where the differences in relative wealth and education are most pronounced are in iPhone user categories.
Marvin, making a guess that the iPhone may be considered a status symbol for the well-to-do should hardly be considered offensive.
It's offensive when you make statements that imply the business model Apple uses has an inherent class or race bias e.g Android devices are equal opportunity devices for everyone regardless of education, race or income but iPhones are primarily accessible to rich white men. If the really wealthy category of smartphone users comprises less than say 5% of the whole market then even if the iPhone had 90% of that demographic, that still doesn't mean the iPhone is a status symbol for the wealthy because wealthy people can pick whatever they want. The iPhone is a symbol of quality and people from multiple wealth categories appreciate that.
The iPhone does have a high minimum price especially off-contract but so does the XBox One. Do you think a $450 iPhone is a status symbol for the wealthy and a $499 XBox One isn't? Are you going to suggest that the $100 Android based consoles are breaking down race barriers and giving poor black people a leg up to some gaming entertainment they'd otherwise be deprived of?
The only meaningful conclusion you can draw from the study is that because Apple products have a high minimum price and there are more poor black people than white, that skews the low earning black demographic. It doesn't mean it's inaccessible to that demographic otherwise the iPhone share would be zero. The ratio of iPhone to Android in the black demographic is almost the same as the lowest earning bracket.
To even the numbers out, Apple would have to make a $100-200 smartphone and that's not what they do but it doesn't make their business model discriminatory as you are suggesting. It just makes it less appealing to low earners.
If you read comment #31, I think you'll find you said "That "something else" is perhaps the iPhone being considered a symbol of status for the wealthy white males IMHO."
It's offensive when you make statements that imply the business model Apple uses has an inherent class or race bias e.g Android devices are equal opportunity devices for everyone regardless of education, race or income but iPhones are primarily accessible to rich white men.
How the heck do you connect the results of Pew's research to Apple's business model to make it offensive? Your "connect the dots" page is coming from an entirely different book. The study had to do with adoption of smartphones from the consumer side, not manufacturer's marketing plans.
With "free" and $49 iPhones commonly available in the US even the less-well-off can afford one just as well as they can an Android-based smartphone if that's what they really wanted.
So I'm curious how what I said differs from the Pew findings. Even this single Pew paragraph is nearly the same as what I wrote with the addition of some other Pew details from the study.
Pew: "Cell phone owners from a wide range of educational and household income groupings have similar levels of Android adoption, but those from the upper end of the income and education spectrum are much more likely than those with lower income and educational levels to say they own an iPhone. Indeed, fully half—49%—of cell owners with a household income of $150,000 or more say their phone is an iPhone. And African-American cell owners are more likely than whites or Latinos to say that their phone is an Android device as opposed to an iPhone."
My post:
"According to the study well-to-do urban whites, those making $150K or more, are the group most likely to use an iPhone. Poor African-Americans are in the group most likely to use an Android smartphone. Further, there's little difference in Android use across income categories unlike iPhone owners which isn't what some might expect. An affluent Android using individual is reportedly as likely to have one as someone making 40K a year."
If your problem is only with the much later post mentioning "wealthy white males" I'll agree that was not necessarily accurate and should also have been worded differently, just leaving it at my original "well-to-do" tho Pew does offer more specifics in it's charting extending it to "white, non-Hispanic". You've taken it farther by changing it to "rich white men" as tho it's carries the same connotation. In any event restricting the comment to male is probably inaccurate. It's just as likely 50/50 male and female if I read the charts correctly.
I'm curious how what I said differs from the Pew findings.
The report itself is mildly offensive in the conclusions being drawn because it ignores the racial and educational effects on income but your wording was far worse. Take for example the stats that show that people who don't achieve a high school or college education choose Android far more than an iPhone. They worded that by saying:
"those from the upper end of the income and education spectrum are much more likely than those with lower income and educational levels to say they own an iPhone"
What you did would have been equivalent to saying:
"this just goes to show people who buy Android devices are too stupid to know any better"
and then under criticism, suggest that you're saying exactly the same thing as the study says. It's not the same thing when you word it to attack the people you don't like. You even took issue with the implied link with a lack of education and Android adoption by saying "it's not necessarily uneducated poor people reluctantly buying Android"; nobody in the thread even made that suggestion but you pre-empted it with an attack against the iPhone as being elitist.
Large parts of this paragraph are different from what the report said:
"According to the study well-to-do urban whites, those making $150K or more, are the group most likely to use an iPhone. Poor African-Americans are in the group most likely to use an Android smartphone. Further, there's little difference in Android use across income categories unlike iPhone owners which isn't what some might expect. An affluent Android using individual is reportedly as likely to have one as someone making 40K a year. To me that might indicate that it's not necessarily uneducated poor people reluctantly buying Android as much as something else. That "something else" is perhaps the iPhone being considered a symbol of status for the wealthy white males IMHO."
The report didn't in any way link location or ethnicity with wealth. The wealthiest demographic they tested could easily have been over 50% black. Same with you saying "poor African-Americans", they didn't link the two descriptions like you did. They said more African-Americans use Android and more poor people and less educated people use Android. It doesn't follow from the study that the separate demographics can be joined. It so happens that there are more poor black people than white so some links can be justified but you're merging parts of the stats to arrive at offensive remarks and claiming the study backs it up.
If you take ethnicity, gender and education out of the equation entirely, the conclusion you reach is that people who don't have much money can't afford an iPhone that starts at around $450 off-contract. That's not particularly surprising. Now add in the facts that black people make up most of the poor and it follows even without a study that more black people would prefer cheaper alternatives. Add in the fact that people with a poor education might struggle to get a good job and there you have a lack of income again. Drawing conclusions about ethnicity and education in relation to smartphone preference is offensive when it comes down to a problem of income disparity that has nothing to do with the smartphone manufacturers.
The report didn't in any way link location or ethnicity with wealth. The wealthiest demographic they tested could easily have been over 50% black. Same with you saying "poor African-Americans", they didn't link the two descriptions like you did. They said more African-Americans use Android and more poor people and less educated people use Android. It doesn't follow from the study that the separate demographics can be joined. It so happens that there are more poor black people than white so some links can be justified but you're merging parts of the stats to arrive at offensive remarks and claiming the study backs it up.
If you take ethnicity, gender and education out of the equation entirely, the conclusion you reach is that people who don't have much money can't afford an iPhone that starts at around $450 off-contract. That's not particularly surprising. Now add in the facts that black people make up most of the poor and it follows even without a study that more black people would prefer cheaper alternatives. Add in the fact that people with a poor education might struggle to get a good job and there you have a lack of income again. Drawing conclusions about ethnicity and education in relation to smartphone preference is offensive when it comes down to a problem of income disparity that has nothing to do with the smartphone manufacturers.
I assumed you read their methodology. On page 10 they stated that their survey was representative of the population as a whole plus or minus 2.3%. If your assertion that the results are only due to obvious poverty in the black community and have nothing to do with race as such then poverty rates in the Hispanic community would have to be much lower since they are as likely to be an iPhone owner as white non-Hispanics according to Pew findings. Wouldn't that be correct? So how do the Hispanic vs. African-American rates compare? They look just about the same to me (look them up) yet African-Americans are much less likely to buy an iPhone than Hispanics. Maybe you have an alternate explanation for the disparity.
...and no I'm not claiming it's Apple's fault so we can dispose of that one.
If your assertion that the results are only due to obvious poverty in the black community and have nothing to do with race as such then poverty rates in the Hispanic community would have to be much lower since they are as likely to be an iPhone owner as white non-Hispanics according to Pew findings. Wouldn't that be correct?
It depends on how accurately the sampling was done but it still doesn't back up your comment about the iPhone being a white status symbol when Hispanics are equally likely to own an iPhone in that study. The last Pew study showed different ratios and the conclusion there was:
I don't think you can draw meaningful information out of these kind of things outside of the wealth brackets when there are so many factors influencing each other and basing the certainty on statistical probability that the sampling of a couple of thousand people is accurate enough to be applied to about 1.5 billion people. These kind of surveys serve more for projecting your own conclusions onto and I think everyone is clear on what your conclusions are by now.
Comments
According to the study well-to-do urban whites, those making $150K or more, are the group most likely to use an iPhone. Poor African-Americans are in the group most likely to use an Android smartphone. Further, there's little difference in Android use across income categories unlike iPhone owners which isn't what some might expect. An affluent Android using individual is reportedly as likely to have one as someone making 40K a year. To me that might indicate that it's not necessarily uneducated poor people reluctantly buying Android as much as something else. That "something else" is perhaps the iPhone being considered a symbol of status for the wealthy white males IMHO.
http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2013/PIP_Smartphone_adoption_2013.pdf
I started a conversation with another member here a couple days ago about this report. He was right that AI would get around to writing up an article about it within a few days.
That's funny because I live near a very large African-Amercian community, in fact the next largest after Harlem (around St. Louis. MO). Most of that demographic I see in the shopping malls are carrying iPhones, not Android. And I think your comment about wealthy white males is about as condescending and bigoted as it gets for a troll. Yet more FUD to somehow try and diminish the popularity of Apple's products with users from all demographics.
That's funny because I live near a very large African-Amercian community, in fact the next largest after Harlem (around St. Louis. MO). Most of that demographic I see in the shopping malls are carrying iPhones, not Android. And I think your comment about wealthy white males is about as condescending and bigoted as it gets for a troll. Yet more FUD to somehow try and diminish the popularity of Apple's products with users from all demographics.
In all fairness, he's only reporting what the Pew study says.
You should at least check it out before calling someone 'bigoted'. You can't make statistical generalizations based on your individual experience. As noted, Pew studies are quite carefully done.
Quoting from the Pew Report for your benefit since you obviously weren't going to be bothered reading the link I gave to it before accusing me of bigotry and making stuff up.
"Cell phone owners from a wide range of
educational and household income groupings have similar levels of Android adoption, but those from
the upper end of the income and education spectrum are much more likely than those with lower
income and educational levels to say they own an iPhone. Indeed, fully half—49%—of cell owners with a
household income of $150,000 or more say their phone is an iPhone. And African-American cell owners
are more likely than whites or Latinos to say that their phone is an Android device as opposed to an
iPhone."
Lots of demographic charts in that report's 12 pages too broken down by education, race, and income if your're at all interested. The claims weren't my invention.
...and thanks Anant
That doesn't say what you said. Putting aside the fact it doesn't say what size of the market the highest wealth brackets represent, the gender breakdown for men is higher with Android; with white people, it's evenly split. $50-75k is a fairly well-off household as far as smartphone ownership goes and again higher numbers for Android. Your conclusion of the iPhone being a status symbol for rich white men is totally unjustified and derogatory. This is an example of the propaganda I described a short time ago - selective picking of facts in order to push forward your offensive opinions.
Android devices start at lower price points and it so happens that more black people are less affluent so there's obviously going to be more people at a lower earning threshold buying Android devices. Similarly, iPhones are better quality products so people at the higher earning scales want the best quality on the market. Both women and men are roughly equally likely to have one or the other, same with white people. The only differentiating factor is income and impacts the black community more, which shows up in that ethnicity bracket. And that still doesn't mean the iPhone is a product for the wealthy because it doesn't break down what portion of the overall market the upper income tiers represent.
Like a fish out of water, the MSFT WP has a couple of good flops left in it... I understand Uncle Fester wants to release an RT version of WIndows 8 phones before they bum rush him out of the building... It will be like other smart phones but will lack apps and email.
With all apologies to Southpark, it will be called the Kenny phone.
iPhone users have three-digit IQs, while some Android users brag about having two-digit IQs and both of their front teeth.
yet ANDROID DEVICES HAVE A HIGHER MARKET SHARE.. more BS from AppleInsider
"while Apple's iPhone leads all other devices among smartphone owners."
yet ANDROID DEVICES HAVE A HIGHER MARKET SHARE.. more BS from AppleInsider
Android is not a "device".
Marvin, making a guess that the iPhone may be considered a status symbol for the well-to-do should hardly be considered offensive. Other studies as well as individual experience have found the choice of smartphone to be a sign of status for many. While Android uptake stays relatively constant, varying by 6 percentage points at most across all income and education levels, iPhone use skews heavily towards the wealthier with a much higher range between the categories, up to 39 percentage points top to bottom. There are "free" and comparably-priced iPhones widely available so price would not be the determining factor IMO.
On the second point my noting the findings of the published Pew Study, to quote my first post, show that "well-to-do urban whites... are the group most likely to use an iPhone (while) Poor African-Americans are in the group most likely to use an Android smartphone". (rich white men is your choice of words not mine and yes might be considered derogatory depending on the circumstance and the facts) is neither offensive IMO nor invented. You seem to think it's made up. The Pew Study chose race as a potentially important factor and specifically pointing out that they discerned a difference worth a dedicated paragraph to emphasize the result. I personally think you're looking for an offensive post where none exists, but I'll extend an apology to you if you're offended.
EDIT: Since its being largely ignored I'll also mention that the typical characterization of Android users as uneducated and poor would not be supported by the Pew results. Android smartphone use is pointedly consistent with little variation across all income and education levels. Where the differences in relative wealth and education are most pronounced are in iPhone user categories.
It's offensive when you make statements that imply the business model Apple uses has an inherent class or race bias e.g Android devices are equal opportunity devices for everyone regardless of education, race or income but iPhones are primarily accessible to rich white men. If the really wealthy category of smartphone users comprises less than say 5% of the whole market then even if the iPhone had 90% of that demographic, that still doesn't mean the iPhone is a status symbol for the wealthy because wealthy people can pick whatever they want. The iPhone is a symbol of quality and people from multiple wealth categories appreciate that.
The iPhone does have a high minimum price especially off-contract but so does the XBox One. Do you think a $450 iPhone is a status symbol for the wealthy and a $499 XBox One isn't? Are you going to suggest that the $100 Android based consoles are breaking down race barriers and giving poor black people a leg up to some gaming entertainment they'd otherwise be deprived of?
The only meaningful conclusion you can draw from the study is that because Apple products have a high minimum price and there are more poor black people than white, that skews the low earning black demographic. It doesn't mean it's inaccessible to that demographic otherwise the iPhone share would be zero. The ratio of iPhone to Android in the black demographic is almost the same as the lowest earning bracket.
To even the numbers out, Apple would have to make a $100-200 smartphone and that's not what they do but it doesn't make their business model discriminatory as you are suggesting. It just makes it less appealing to low earners.
If you read comment #31, I think you'll find you said "That "something else" is perhaps the iPhone being considered a symbol of status for the wealthy white males IMHO."
How the heck do you connect the results of Pew's research to Apple's business model to make it offensive? Your "connect the dots" page is coming from an entirely different book. The study had to do with adoption of smartphones from the consumer side, not manufacturer's marketing plans.
With "free" and $49 iPhones commonly available in the US even the less-well-off can afford one just as well as they can an Android-based smartphone if that's what they really wanted.
So I'm curious how what I said differs from the Pew findings. Even this single Pew paragraph is nearly the same as what I wrote with the addition of some other Pew details from the study.
Pew: "Cell phone owners from a wide range of educational and household income groupings have similar levels of Android adoption, but those from the upper end of the income and education spectrum are much more likely than those with lower income and educational levels to say they own an iPhone. Indeed, fully half—49%—of cell owners with a household income of $150,000 or more say their phone is an iPhone. And African-American cell owners are more likely than whites or Latinos to say that their phone is an Android device as opposed to an iPhone."
My post:
"According to the study well-to-do urban whites, those making $150K or more, are the group most likely to use an iPhone. Poor African-Americans are in the group most likely to use an Android smartphone. Further, there's little difference in Android use across income categories unlike iPhone owners which isn't what some might expect. An affluent Android using individual is reportedly as likely to have one as someone making 40K a year."
If your problem is only with the much later post mentioning "wealthy white males" I'll agree that was not necessarily accurate and should also have been worded differently, just leaving it at my original "well-to-do" tho Pew does offer more specifics in it's charting extending it to "white, non-Hispanic". You've taken it farther by changing it to "rich white men" as tho it's carries the same connotation. In any event restricting the comment to male is probably inaccurate. It's just as likely 50/50 male and female if I read the charts correctly.
The report itself is mildly offensive in the conclusions being drawn because it ignores the racial and educational effects on income but your wording was far worse. Take for example the stats that show that people who don't achieve a high school or college education choose Android far more than an iPhone. They worded that by saying:
"those from the upper end of the income and education spectrum are much more likely than those with lower income and educational levels to say they own an iPhone"
What you did would have been equivalent to saying:
"this just goes to show people who buy Android devices are too stupid to know any better"
and then under criticism, suggest that you're saying exactly the same thing as the study says. It's not the same thing when you word it to attack the people you don't like. You even took issue with the implied link with a lack of education and Android adoption by saying "it's not necessarily uneducated poor people reluctantly buying Android"; nobody in the thread even made that suggestion but you pre-empted it with an attack against the iPhone as being elitist.
Large parts of this paragraph are different from what the report said:
"According to the study well-to-do urban whites, those making $150K or more, are the group most likely to use an iPhone. Poor African-Americans are in the group most likely to use an Android smartphone. Further, there's little difference in Android use across income categories unlike iPhone owners which isn't what some might expect. An affluent Android using individual is reportedly as likely to have one as someone making 40K a year. To me that might indicate that it's not necessarily uneducated poor people reluctantly buying Android as much as something else. That "something else" is perhaps the iPhone being considered a symbol of status for the wealthy white males IMHO."
The report didn't in any way link location or ethnicity with wealth. The wealthiest demographic they tested could easily have been over 50% black. Same with you saying "poor African-Americans", they didn't link the two descriptions like you did. They said more African-Americans use Android and more poor people and less educated people use Android. It doesn't follow from the study that the separate demographics can be joined. It so happens that there are more poor black people than white so some links can be justified but you're merging parts of the stats to arrive at offensive remarks and claiming the study backs it up.
If you take ethnicity, gender and education out of the equation entirely, the conclusion you reach is that people who don't have much money can't afford an iPhone that starts at around $450 off-contract. That's not particularly surprising. Now add in the facts that black people make up most of the poor and it follows even without a study that more black people would prefer cheaper alternatives. Add in the fact that people with a poor education might struggle to get a good job and there you have a lack of income again. Drawing conclusions about ethnicity and education in relation to smartphone preference is offensive when it comes down to a problem of income disparity that has nothing to do with the smartphone manufacturers.
I assumed you read their methodology. On page 10 they stated that their survey was representative of the population as a whole plus or minus 2.3%. If your assertion that the results are only due to obvious poverty in the black community and have nothing to do with race as such then poverty rates in the Hispanic community would have to be much lower since they are as likely to be an iPhone owner as white non-Hispanics according to Pew findings. Wouldn't that be correct? So how do the Hispanic vs. African-American rates compare? They look just about the same to me (look them up) yet African-Americans are much less likely to buy an iPhone than Hispanics. Maybe you have an alternate explanation for the disparity.
...and no I'm not claiming it's Apple's fault so we can dispose of that one.
It depends on how accurately the sampling was done but it still doesn't back up your comment about the iPhone being a white status symbol when Hispanics are equally likely to own an iPhone in that study. The last Pew study showed different ratios and the conclusion there was:
http://gizmodo.com/5977625/android-is-popular-because-its-cheap-not-because-its-good
I don't think you can draw meaningful information out of these kind of things outside of the wealth brackets when there are so many factors influencing each other and basing the certainty on statistical probability that the sampling of a couple of thousand people is accurate enough to be applied to about 1.5 billion people. These kind of surveys serve more for projecting your own conclusions onto and I think everyone is clear on what your conclusions are by now.