As near as I can tell, Google STILL has not fixed the glaring problem that when you switch from one Android device to another, you lose all your customizations, game progress, stored files/music/movies, screen organization, downloaded apps, etc. It’s like starting fresh! What a pain. That’s not the way to be “sticky,” when an iPhone user can get a new iPhone and everything from wallpaper to folder organization is preserved—automatically with no special hoops to jump through. A clone of your old phone, with the new capabilities, thanks to the complete backup that iTunes provides.
My iPhone is the home of WAY too much of my life to put up with having to start over like that. And to make things worse: you face the same problem if your Android phone needs a warranty swap! Has this been fixed yet? Can you (finally) get your Android phone swapped and have 100% of your old phone cloned to the new one as it should be? Or is it still a halfway “some things will synch and then you’re on your own”?
I've speculated before that Android is a roman candle -- flies high and bright, but only briefly.
Just from an economic standpoint, Android is doomed. Apple makes far more money on the iPhone than all Android vendors combined plus Google. How can the Android platform continue to receive the necessary investment to move forward and compete with Apple under those circumstances?
By Google spending money it makes on the profitable part of its business on R&D for Android.
It's exactly statistics like this that leave me dumbfounded why Samsung is doing their best to piss off Apple and lose their business for components.
Looking at this graph, Samsung execs should really consider whether it's a good idea trading in stable revenue selling components to Apple, in favor of selling their own Android-based hardware. Like I already mentioned in the other post about Apple shopping elsewhere for RAM and flash, brand loyalty among Android vendors is almost non-existent. No matter how many Galaxy S and Galaxy Tabs Samsung sells today, if some other vendor launches a competing Android product tomorrow, that is comparable enough in features, but cheaper, it would leave Samsung empty-handed.
If this graph is for real, representative of the Android market, we can all see where this is going: a race to the bottom where you can only compete in high volumes and low margins, and low brand loyalty. The Android market is really starting to look like the netbook market of 5 years ago, and we all know how that worked out for the players involved.
Maybe it's not such a crazy idea after all that WP7 will pick up speed eventually, relegating Android to 3rd place.
Linux - More choice to switch whilst still using the same platform, lesser distro retention.
The very fact that a consumer has more manufacturer choice when choosing an Android handset will lead to lower retention percentage. I'll easily swap manufacturers if they have a higher end offering compared to the one I have now.
Crack has a high customer retention rate, it's not necessarily a good thing about the product.
Crack also makes you feel really good. If it wasn't illegal, bad for your health, and it didn't ruin your chances making a good living with a healthy social life, everybody would be using it.
Put it that way, comparing the iPhone to crack is almost a compliment, since the iPhone does not have any of the downsides that crack has, besides being relatively expensive.
The very fact that a consumer has more manufacturer choice when choosing an Android handset will lead to lower retention percentage. I'll easily swap manufacturers if they have a higher end offering compared to the one I have now.
You understand that brand loyalty is a pretty important part of succeeding in any market right?
If everyone does exactly like you do (which this graph suggests is true), this means it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for any of the Android manufacturers to spend a whole lot of money designing a killer phone that is actually the best they can do within their abilities, because next year when you are not able to out-do yourself, all your 'loyal customers' will run to the competitor, and you will never be able to recuperate the investment.
Result: every Android manufacturer tries to make phones that are generic, cheap to develop, and have a very high replacement rate. Better to sell 4 crap phones in 6 years, than to sell 2 expensive ones.
That's the other side of the coin, if you insist on having the 'freedom' to 'choose' between 10 manufacturers who all offer the exact same thing.
If everyone does exactly like you do (which this graph suggests is true), this means it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for any of the Android manufacturers to spend a whole lot of money designing a killer phone that is actually the best they can do within their abilities, because next year when you are not able to out-do yourself, all your 'loyal customers' will run to the competitor, and you will never be able to recuperate the investment.
On the flipside, you have an easy opportunity to gain sales by putting out a market leading handset (which is probably why Samsung & HTC are doing so well compared to other Android OEMs).
Quote:
Originally Posted by d-range
Result: every Android manufacturer tries to make phones that are generic, cheap to develop, and have a very high replacement rate. Better to sell 4 crap phones in 6 years, than to sell 2 expensive ones.
This isn't happening is it tho? Look at handsets like the Sensation and Galaxy S II. Android OEMs are pushing the envelope far faster than Apple are (and ever will with a yearly refresh).
When every single Android manufacturer stops making massive leaps ahead each few months coming out with the same spec phone using the same tech, what you say will be true.
Of COURSE. People buy apps for an iphone, and invest their time into one platform, so of COURSE they are less likely to jump to another company SINCE APPLE IS THE ONLY COMPANY RUNNING IOS
If I buy Android apps, I'm not confined to a single device. I can branch out and try whatever Android device I want, and with as much competition as there is in the Android field, each company is always out-doing one another and the latest and greatest isn't always with the company that previously held the title.
Linux - More choice to switch whilst still using the same platform, lesser distro retention.
The very fact that a consumer has more manufacturer choice when choosing an Android handset will lead to lower retention percentage. I'll easily swap manufacturers if they have a higher end offering compared to the one I have now.
You did not read the article details it covered this aspect to:
iPhone owners were asked if they planned to switch to a new OS platform
89% said NO
11% said YES
Android owners of all brands were asked if thy planned to switch to a new OS platform
55% said NO
45% said YES
31% of Android users planned to switch to iPhone
14% of Android users would then be switching to another platform besides Android or iPhone
Of all users of any platform who said they planned to switch to a new OS platform
The poll should be about platform and not hardware vendor. I don't think Android users are usually dedicated to the company that manufactured their Phone.
And that's the price you pay for using someone else's OS on your iClone, right Samsung?
The poll should be about platform and not hardware vendor. I don't think Android users are usually dedicated to the company that manufactured their Phone.
They did that too.
TFA: Android fared better when users were asked solely about software, as 55 percent said they would stick with Google's mobile platform. [PLATFORM] But an additional 31 percent of Android users also indicated they are likely to switch to an iPhone for their next handset, leaving Apple a sizable chunk Android users.
In other words, it's 89% vs. 55% based on platform, with almost 1 in 3 Android uses indicating that they want to switch to iPhone.
With only 10% leaving, that gives us a potential 20% of the current Android base going Apple...
This isn't happening is it tho? Look at handsets like the Sensation and Galaxy S II. Android OEMs are pushing the envelope far faster than Apple are (and ever will with a yearly refresh).
Right now, there are only 2 manufacturers making any money off of Android, who happen to have the better Android phones right now, yet, it doesn't actually translate to brand loyalty. So yes, I would say it's already happening.
I don't know what you mean by 'pushing the envelope', but if you mean 'cramming more hardware into the same space', you are confirming my suspicion that things are going to end up a disaster for Android. There's only so much you can do with hardware to get people to buy your phone instead of your competitors: vary screen, battery life, 4G YES/NO, put a better camera in, put it in a nicer case. That's it. It all has been done already. Yet, the iPhone 4 is still the best selling phone in the US, with the 3GS a close second. It's also the best selling phone on any US carrier that sells it. In Europe, the iPhone still represents a bigger market share than all Android handsets combined.
Why do you think things are like this? Because 'pushing the envelope' by having faster hardware upgrade cycles makes people buy more of your phones?
Besides Android handsets having faster hardware upgrade cycles (and not even by having 'better hardware', because the iPhone 4's screen, battery life and case are still top of the line compared to the most expensive Android phones), how are Android phones 'pushing the envelope' in terms of usability, software quality, accessibility of features, etc? Why do you think Apple consistently reports the highest customer satisfaction figures, even despite not 'pushing the envelope' as much?
Quote:
When every single Android manufacturer stops making massive leaps ahead each few months coming out with the same spec phone using the same tech, what you say will be true.
Like I said, I think we are already there. Out of every 10 Android phones, 9 will have completely uninteresting, generic hardware and software properties. Some will look a little different than others, or vary minor details like screen size, but that's about it. The remaing Android phone that stands out and brings something to the table that makes it worth buying over all the others, such as an LTE radio, AMOLED screen or a really nice case. Unfortunately for the manufacturers, selling just this one phone and making good money off of it for one year is not enough. Next year, or the year after, even a $100 chinese no-name Android phone has LTE, so what killer feature will they come up with next?
I think you are putting far too much focus on hardware. It's not as important as you think. People don't care about what's inside their phone, they care about how well it works for them, how long the battery lasts, how many apps it runs, what it looks like, how snappy it is, stuff like that. Instead of combining essentially the same hardware into a million variations of the same thing, Apple is 'pushing the envelope' through iOS, the ecosystem around it, all the services they can integrate into it, etc. No Android manufacturer can do this, they all depend on Google for the software, hence they are not able to really make a 'massive leap forward'.
Add me to that list... I plan to stick with the iPhone, unless they "screw it up" somehow. I've been with them since the original iPhone launch. I worked there and remember the day it came out. Great work Apple. Looking forward to this new one in October.
Comments
My iPhone is the home of WAY too much of my life to put up with having to start over like that. And to make things worse: you face the same problem if your Android phone needs a warranty swap! Has this been fixed yet? Can you (finally) get your Android phone swapped and have 100% of your old phone cloned to the new one as it should be? Or is it still a halfway “some things will synch and then you’re on your own”?
I've speculated before that Android is a roman candle -- flies high and bright, but only briefly.
Just from an economic standpoint, Android is doomed. Apple makes far more money on the iPhone than all Android vendors combined plus Google. How can the Android platform continue to receive the necessary investment to move forward and compete with Apple under those circumstances?
By Google spending money it makes on the profitable part of its business on R&D for Android.
Looking at this graph, Samsung execs should really consider whether it's a good idea trading in stable revenue selling components to Apple, in favor of selling their own Android-based hardware. Like I already mentioned in the other post about Apple shopping elsewhere for RAM and flash, brand loyalty among Android vendors is almost non-existent. No matter how many Galaxy S and Galaxy Tabs Samsung sells today, if some other vendor launches a competing Android product tomorrow, that is comparable enough in features, but cheaper, it would leave Samsung empty-handed.
If this graph is for real, representative of the Android market, we can all see where this is going: a race to the bottom where you can only compete in high volumes and low margins, and low brand loyalty. The Android market is really starting to look like the netbook market of 5 years ago, and we all know how that worked out for the players involved.
Maybe it's not such a crazy idea after all that WP7 will pick up speed eventually, relegating Android to 3rd place.
Look at it this way:
Platform: Windows
Platform: Linux
To stay with Windows:
Microsoft
To stay with Linux:
Debian
Red Hat
Fedora
Suse
Ubuntu
et;al
Windows - Higher likely retention rate
Linux - More choice to switch whilst still using the same platform, lesser distro retention.
The very fact that a consumer has more manufacturer choice when choosing an Android handset will lead to lower retention percentage. I'll easily swap manufacturers if they have a higher end offering compared to the one I have now.
Crack has a high customer retention rate, it's not necessarily a good thing about the product.
Crack also makes you feel really good. If it wasn't illegal, bad for your health, and it didn't ruin your chances making a good living with a healthy social life, everybody would be using it.
Put it that way, comparing the iPhone to crack is almost a compliment, since the iPhone does not have any of the downsides that crack has, besides being relatively expensive.
The very fact that a consumer has more manufacturer choice when choosing an Android handset will lead to lower retention percentage. I'll easily swap manufacturers if they have a higher end offering compared to the one I have now.
You understand that brand loyalty is a pretty important part of succeeding in any market right?
If everyone does exactly like you do (which this graph suggests is true), this means it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for any of the Android manufacturers to spend a whole lot of money designing a killer phone that is actually the best they can do within their abilities, because next year when you are not able to out-do yourself, all your 'loyal customers' will run to the competitor, and you will never be able to recuperate the investment.
Result: every Android manufacturer tries to make phones that are generic, cheap to develop, and have a very high replacement rate. Better to sell 4 crap phones in 6 years, than to sell 2 expensive ones.
That's the other side of the coin, if you insist on having the 'freedom' to 'choose' between 10 manufacturers who all offer the exact same thing.
If everyone does exactly like you do (which this graph suggests is true), this means it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for any of the Android manufacturers to spend a whole lot of money designing a killer phone that is actually the best they can do within their abilities, because next year when you are not able to out-do yourself, all your 'loyal customers' will run to the competitor, and you will never be able to recuperate the investment.
On the flipside, you have an easy opportunity to gain sales by putting out a market leading handset (which is probably why Samsung & HTC are doing so well compared to other Android OEMs).
Result: every Android manufacturer tries to make phones that are generic, cheap to develop, and have a very high replacement rate. Better to sell 4 crap phones in 6 years, than to sell 2 expensive ones.
This isn't happening is it tho? Look at handsets like the Sensation and Galaxy S II. Android OEMs are pushing the envelope far faster than Apple are (and ever will with a yearly refresh).
When every single Android manufacturer stops making massive leaps ahead each few months coming out with the same spec phone using the same tech, what you say will be true.
Of COURSE. People buy apps for an iphone, and invest their time into one platform, so of COURSE they are less likely to jump to another company SINCE APPLE IS THE ONLY COMPANY RUNNING IOS
If I buy Android apps, I'm not confined to a single device. I can branch out and try whatever Android device I want, and with as much competition as there is in the Android field, each company is always out-doing one another and the latest and greatest isn't always with the company that previously held the title.
Googlerola will fix that.
Agreed. I have an Android phone and will stick with for my next phone, but there are many manufacturers to choose from.
The study shows retention rate for the Android platform is 55%, with 31% wanting to switch to an iPhone.
Its in the AI article itself.
What a silly metric.
Look at it this way:
Platform: Windows
Platform: Linux
To stay with Windows:
Microsoft
To stay with Linux:
Debian
Red Hat
Fedora
Suse
Ubuntu
et;al
Windows - Higher likely retention rate
Linux - More choice to switch whilst still using the same platform, lesser distro retention.
The very fact that a consumer has more manufacturer choice when choosing an Android handset will lead to lower retention percentage. I'll easily swap manufacturers if they have a higher end offering compared to the one I have now.
You did not read the article details it covered this aspect to:
iPhone owners were asked if they planned to switch to a new OS platform
89% said NO
11% said YES
Android owners of all brands were asked if thy planned to switch to a new OS platform
55% said NO
45% said YES
31% of Android users planned to switch to iPhone
14% of Android users would then be switching to another platform besides Android or iPhone
Of all users of any platform who said they planned to switch to a new OS platform
50% said they planned to switch to iPhone
Crack has a high customer retention rate, it's not necessarily a good thing about the product.
You signed up to post that.. are you fucking kidding me!
Maybe you're trying to tell us something...
The poll should be about platform and not hardware vendor. I don't think Android users are usually dedicated to the company that manufactured their Phone.
And that's the price you pay for using someone else's OS on your iClone, right Samsung?
The poll should be about platform and not hardware vendor. I don't think Android users are usually dedicated to the company that manufactured their Phone.
They did that too.
TFA: Android fared better when users were asked solely about software, as 55 percent said they would stick with Google's mobile platform. [PLATFORM] But an additional 31 percent of Android users also indicated they are likely to switch to an iPhone for their next handset, leaving Apple a sizable chunk Android users.
In other words, it's 89% vs. 55% based on platform, with almost 1 in 3 Android uses indicating that they want to switch to iPhone.
With only 10% leaving, that gives us a potential 20% of the current Android base going Apple...
Maybe you're trying to tell us something...
most popular AND
Irrelevant
mobile platform in the world.
Nobody gave a sh%&t about Nokia. Nobody gives a sh4*t about Android.
Android's market share is USELESS.
This isn't happening is it tho? Look at handsets like the Sensation and Galaxy S II. Android OEMs are pushing the envelope far faster than Apple are (and ever will with a yearly refresh).
Right now, there are only 2 manufacturers making any money off of Android, who happen to have the better Android phones right now, yet, it doesn't actually translate to brand loyalty. So yes, I would say it's already happening.
I don't know what you mean by 'pushing the envelope', but if you mean 'cramming more hardware into the same space', you are confirming my suspicion that things are going to end up a disaster for Android. There's only so much you can do with hardware to get people to buy your phone instead of your competitors: vary screen, battery life, 4G YES/NO, put a better camera in, put it in a nicer case. That's it. It all has been done already. Yet, the iPhone 4 is still the best selling phone in the US, with the 3GS a close second. It's also the best selling phone on any US carrier that sells it. In Europe, the iPhone still represents a bigger market share than all Android handsets combined.
Why do you think things are like this? Because 'pushing the envelope' by having faster hardware upgrade cycles makes people buy more of your phones?
Besides Android handsets having faster hardware upgrade cycles (and not even by having 'better hardware', because the iPhone 4's screen, battery life and case are still top of the line compared to the most expensive Android phones), how are Android phones 'pushing the envelope' in terms of usability, software quality, accessibility of features, etc? Why do you think Apple consistently reports the highest customer satisfaction figures, even despite not 'pushing the envelope' as much?
When every single Android manufacturer stops making massive leaps ahead each few months coming out with the same spec phone using the same tech, what you say will be true.
Like I said, I think we are already there. Out of every 10 Android phones, 9 will have completely uninteresting, generic hardware and software properties. Some will look a little different than others, or vary minor details like screen size, but that's about it. The remaing Android phone that stands out and brings something to the table that makes it worth buying over all the others, such as an LTE radio, AMOLED screen or a really nice case. Unfortunately for the manufacturers, selling just this one phone and making good money off of it for one year is not enough. Next year, or the year after, even a $100 chinese no-name Android phone has LTE, so what killer feature will they come up with next?
I think you are putting far too much focus on hardware. It's not as important as you think. People don't care about what's inside their phone, they care about how well it works for them, how long the battery lasts, how many apps it runs, what it looks like, how snappy it is, stuff like that. Instead of combining essentially the same hardware into a million variations of the same thing, Apple is 'pushing the envelope' through iOS, the ecosystem around it, all the services they can integrate into it, etc. No Android manufacturer can do this, they all depend on Google for the software, hence they are not able to really make a 'massive leap forward'.