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Survey Says Most iPhone Users Love AT&T
Hugh Pickens writes "In a report sure to raise eyebrows, CNN Money claims that despite a very vocal group of detractors, the vast majority of iPhone users love AT&T. A survey released this week by Yankee Group reports that 73% of iPhone owners scored their satisfaction with the carrier as an 8, 9, or 10 on a 10-point scale. The results seem surprising, given the pounding AT&T has taken in the media and on the blogosphere about its service-related issues with the iPhone and AT&T's recent iPad-related security glitch. For its part, AT&T says its network really isn't as bad as many people think. 'There's a gap between what people hear about us and what their experience is with us. We think that gap is beginning to close,' says Mark Siegel, an AT&T spokesman. 'It doesn't mean we're perfect; we still have work to do. But that's no surprise to us, because we have a great network.'" Buried in the penultimate paragraph is the somewhat alarming note that "77% of iPhone owners say they'll buy another iPhone, compared to 20% of Android customers who say they'll buy another Android phone."
I bought a 3G 2 years ago. Then bought a 4 as soon as I could.
I've played a little with my friend's Androids. They don't do anything for me. Too many options. I'm a fairly hard core geek but sometimes you just don't want to be bothered with all the options. They just make things confusing.
---Technology will liberate us if it doesn't enslave us first.
Obligatory
Your post is a nice example of the ignorance that permeates /.
You're the smartest man in a theater. While the rest of the audience enjoys their dumb comedy, you're shouting "Stop laughing! Can't you all see the plot is nonsensical?!". There is a problem, but it isn't with the rest of the audience.
Are you saying the users are dropping calls and are unaware of it?
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
Around me, AT&T has nearly (I'd say 85-90%) of the coverage of Verizon, and probably 130-200% more coverage than the next best. When comparing my speed to those on Verizon about a year ago, my data was twice as fast. Then again, I'm not in a major metro area. I doubt we have a lot of iGoobers streaming youtube and pandora on every cell.
I will say that the iPhone appearance of speed in Safari is about twice that of any WinMobile phone I've had, though no faster or slower than the browser on the couple of Blackberries I've seen.
I suspect the satifaction, aside from the Apple factor, has more to do with the particular default setup of the OS than the actual OS efficiency. Android can do a hell of a lot more, but since most (80%? 90%?) of users never change the defaults, most of the people with Android phones are missing out a lot of the potential features. iPhones, otoh, are more of a WYSIWYG experience - if it doesn't exist in the default profile setup, it simply doesn't exist.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
I didn't realize that telephones were capable of becoming obsolete. All they have to do is transmit a vocalized conversation... nothing to really update there.
"He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
77% of iPhone users are fan boys/girls
80% of Android users value freedom of choice
95% of all fanboys don't realize they're fanboys.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
I have an iPhone and where I live voice and data coverage is great, much better than Verizon. I go to LA a lot and I usually have a lot of problems with reception there for some reason. As for the device itself, I can compare iPhone with Droid directly since my girlfriend has one and I can tell you I wouldn't swap the phones or the providers. She would though. They both do more or less the same things but iPhone UI is much nicer. Btw I can't make the antenna problem happen at all. The best I can do is get one bar to drop and that's with holding it in a completely unnatural way.
Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
I write apps for the android, I've compared 5 different models in my office full of engineers. I continue to stick with each iPhone version because I find the android interface and integration with my computers to suck frankly. I do not have reception problems, I've never been bricked.
I keep hoping android will do better, but the carriers are acting like music companies and screwing up the products in ways I find problematic. I'm not basing this on news, but on evidence from personal experience.
Am I in the reality distortion field or are you?
Who did they ask? People inside of Apple's campus.. You've got to be kidding me.
Got to love it--some research challenges your preconceived notions so, of course, the only thing to do is reconsider said notions, right?
Wrong. Better to disparage the research than admit they might have been incorrect.
This ain't rocket surgery.
The vocal minority bitch and moan. The majority of people like the service. It can't be all bad otherwise people would flee. Also, Apple would have nothing to do with a company that its consumers don't support. If Apple is happy then the majority of people are happy.
So everyone who likes their iPhone is ignorant and has no technical knowledge? Is that how it works? That statement is a blatant lie and shows a lot of ignorance on your part. I have owned the last two iterations of the iPhone (I bought both the 3GS and 4 when they launched) and I love both devices. I don't suffer from a lack of technical knowledge, I am a college student majoring in a computer science related field, and have had an interest in all things technology since I was in grade school. I own an Apple laptop because I enjoy their above average battery life, their design, and the fact that I can install windows on it should there be anything I need to run. I don't think it is infallible, I had a problem with the battery but Apple's customer support handled the issue that day and got it replaced. Along with that laptop I own a windows desktop that I built over the summer, and have previously built and helped built other computers. I know the specifications of my phone compared to other phones on the market. I am aware of their faults, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't like the device more than any other phone. It is largely a matter of personal preference. I wouldn't mind owning an android phone, I think most of them are great, but I enjoy the iPhone more. I think the design is fantastic, it has an equivalent if not (for the time being) better hardware than other phones on the market, and I like the software. I can make the signal drop if I take the phone out of the case and hold it in my left hand, but I am right handed and I ordered my case with my phone before the antenna was even a problem, so it isn't like I wouldn't have used one anyway. For others it's a deal-breaker and I can't fault them for that. The incessant need for people the validate their own technology choices by berating others is unnecessary. People will use what they like.
As for AT&T it also largely depends on who you ask. I live in a suburb of Philadelphia and AT&T provides pretty much the same coverage as my old Sprint phone and other people's Verizon phones. I have my areas and they have theirs, but overall it is a moot point. I have yet to experience a dropped call because where I live the service is fine. Chances are the vast majority of iPhone users live in a place where the service is not an issue. Other than the service the carrier is just like any other.
tl;dr The arguments are unnecessary, it boils down to individual preference / a personal choice.
After all, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and in addition to that, satisfied customers usually don't go to great lengths to praise service they're satisfied with.
Part of the hardcore faithful who believed in Apple long before it was cool again to do so
Its not like they had the opportunity to try an iPhone with another carrier.
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
I've owned Apple computers since 1993 and an iPhone since March 2009. What exactly am I doing wrong by owning and using them?
This is being typed out on an ASUS G73 I bought to game on. From an experienced Windows, LINUX and OS X user, here is an observation, Windows and modern Linux distros are a pain in the butt to use compared to OS X. PC hardware from the big vendors like Lenovo, ASUS, Dell or HP don't last as long as a Mac.
But when my PC went wonky and I needed to recover data, Ubuntu 10 is the first place I went to facilitate a recovery.
In the last ten years I've had countless incidents with malware, virus or trojans ending up on my PCs, in the same period I've come across three Word Macro viruses on my Macs.
I'm not buying a new iPhone right now till Apple fixes the antenna issue or comes clean on it, but how am I ignorant for buying one?
I think phone companies are much like banks. They're fine until something happens that causes the user displeasure, and then they become the most evil thing on the face of the earth causing them to change their service to some place else. The new place is fine, or even great, until something bad happens there, and then there are two most evil things on the face of the planet.
I'm with AT&T (and an iPhone). They have good service in my area ( I did ask around first for people's opinions of various phone company's service in my city), they had the phone I wanted (pre-iPhone), the store next to my house where I bought my phones, they give my company a discount, and I've never had any issues with them. Why shouldn't I like them?
Buried in the penultimate paragraph is the somewhat alarming note that "77% of iPhone owners say they'll buy another iPhone, compared to 20% of Android customers who say they'll buy another Android phone."
It's a throw away comment at the end of the story, but I don't believe that 'statistic' for a second.
The only way I can make sense of it, is perhaps the idea that only 20% would buy another Android phone from the same manufacturer. Due to the number of options, the grass always being greener and the effective 'arms race' between Android manufacturers etc that sounds vaguely plausible. But 80% ready to abandon the platform? That has to be nonsense. Apart from anything else, where are they gonna go?
FWIW I have an iPhone, never owned an Android, blah, blah...
Stockholm Syndrome?
Malware != virus, just so we're clear. Do you have any citations to back your claim up about OS X viruses? Didn't think so.
Yes, I do. Also OSX is a BSD variant, which have had several viruses in the 80's and 90's.
Besides, Apple over-simplifies a lot for customers. When they're talking about viruses, they mean all of them - viruses, malware, spyware, trojans and so on.
In fact, he nailed it spot on. The GP doesn't like the conclusions of the study, so he just assumes the study or the researchers are wrong. It's an excellent illustration of confirmation bias (or, in this case, its inverse).
Android users come from a more diverse population who are probably not loyal to any one thing but want good 'product' in a smart phone but have no tying factor to the platform.
Let's just say this BS is right. That doesn't change the fac that *80 percent of them* don't believe Android is "a good 'product'". Ignoring how customers feel about competing products, if that isn't an indictment of the Android platform, I don't know what is.
"...but how am I ignorant for buying one?"
Obviously you're not. But people like your parent poster tend to base their hate more on emotions and wanting to be on the anti-Apple bandwagon than on real issues. Apple makes great stuff. Not perfect, but great.
http://www.rootstrikers.org/
I started out with Sprint, then Nextel, neither of which was any good. Could never hold on to calls, mad dead spots, problems with reception at home, etc. Then I got verizon and loved it (but hated the phone). Verizon's service was rock solid, but their data plans were way too much. Then my iPod (which I live and die by) broke and I didn't have the cash for both a new phone and a new ipod, so I changed to ATT and got my 32 gb 3gs. The service in the boston area is on par with verizon. I can't speak to the data network, but there are no significant dead spots, I can talk on the phone and move around, etc. The internet is fast enough for what I need it for when Im out.
Even when I drove out to western ny on 88/86 we mostly had (edge) service. A few dead spots between towers, but good enough.
I think NYC has it much worse than I do anywhere I've been.
So I think it just depends on where you are, and also what your expectations are. If you're a wicked heavy internet user and you travel all over the country, yea, obviously verizon is going to beat the shit out of everybody. But if you mostly stay in a place where att has decent coverage and is not overloaded too bad then it will be fine.
Are you saying the users are dropping calls and are unaware of it?
I have AT&T and I am not satisfied with their service. I have no complaints about their customer service, but their cell service is sub-par.
My iPhone drops a *lot* of calls - at least a few every day (whether I'm at home, at a client or on the road). I'm in NJ about 1/2 hour from NYC so there's no 'rural' excuse or 'NIMBY' excuse. Hell, I have trouble getting an AT&T signal near the AT&T facility that's 10 minutes from here.
If I'm on the phone while driving (legally 'hands free' via bluetooth, TYVM) I tell my clients that I may lose them and that I'll call them back if I do. There are certain spots on highways around here that I know I'll lose calls once or twice within a mile or two.
You did the switch wrong. If you aren't a Mac-fanboy you need to find the relative that is the one that gets fed up and tries a Mac and begins drinking the kool-aid. Then you need to let them evangelize Macs so your other relatives purchase them. Then when a computer eventually has a problem, HDD crashes, they delete something they didn't want to, who knows. When they come to you for help you just turn around and say, "I don't know/support Macs". At this point you are no longer the family tech support guy.
Ah, the "Yankee Group".
Let's take a look at the "independent research organization" called the "Yankee Group" who was the publisher of this rather surprising "study".
The single-sentence introductory paragraph to the rather glowing Yankee Group Wikipedia entry reads as follows: "Yankee Group, a Massachusetts company, sells advice and market-research information relating to information technology".
The Yankee group makes a considerable amount of it's income from the "consulting services" it offers to corporations. Consulting about what? About marketing products.
You might remember the Yankee Group because they were the ones who Microsoft hired to do a study showing that Windows 2003 was superior to Linux "in terms of quality, performance and reliability and that the Windows users are more satisfied than Linux users (think about that). Who did Yankee Group hire to do the actual "study" part? Ah, well, they hired "Sunbelt Software, a vendor of Windows utilities, which publicised the survey solely through a mailing list called W2Knews, billing itself as "the World's first and largest e-zine designed for NT/2000 System Admins and Power Users"."
So, the impartial study about Windows vs Linux was solely published in a Windows user group's online forum.
When Yankee Group was criticized for the many press releases that they put out trumpeting Windows obvious superiority over Linux, this is what happened:
This according to ZDNet.
So, at a time when Microsoft was engaged in a FUD campaign against Linux, pushing their "revolutionary" 2003 Server, they hire the Yankee Group to frame "radical" Linux users as "extremist fringe" and "loonies" and are "disrespectful" and "threatening".
So you're an IT manager and you read that. You want "disrespectful and threatening loonies" working for you or do you want to hire the more satisfied Windows administrators whose platform is "superior" in terms of "quality, performance and reliability"? That was exactly how the press releases from the Yankee Group read.
So, all you iPhone users are just thrilled to death with AT&T? Fascinating...
You are welcome on my lawn.
Actually, I think it's just ignorance and lack of technical knowledge from the users. Apple and its users tend to run around telling how great their products are and there are no faults in anything. They most likely think it must be the same thing with every device.
Not so sure about that - 50% of Mac buyers are 'new to Mac', and so have plenty of experience of other platforms, and their imperfections.
And the iPhone has only been around for a few years, so almost anyone that owns one will have owned some other brand of phone before, so they too will be more than aware of what the user experience is like on a 'non-apple' phone.
Another great example of this ignorance (and misinformation spread by Apple) is that Mac OSX is virus-free and will stay so, while in fact there have been several recent instances of malware on OSX. The funny thing is that because Apple spreads these lies and users blindly trust them, they also are ignorant and can't see it. It's the classic lalalalala.
Ignorance is what is happening here too.
There is, regrettably, a vocal group of apple users who spread this kind of stuff, but I'm not sure apple specifically say their OS is virus-proof. I think they point out that their computers can't 'catch' PC viruses, but they don't specifically say that a virus can't be written for the mac.
Now, you could argue that apple should make it clear that malware exists for their platform. But with any malware attack yet to gain any meaningful level of traction, perhaps it's fair enough that they keep that smug grin on their face for now?
"We live in a global world" - Harvey Pitt, former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman
What a lovely little world you live in. It's one in which people who don't agree with you don't "want a good product".
I use an iPhone and continue to use it because it is a better product for my needs than the Android. I'm not being a doofus like you and claiming that the iPhone is a better phone for your needs.
It would seem that the only honest conclusion is that, of the survey population, more iPhone users than Android users believe that the iPhone best meets their needs and will continue to meet their needs.
I herby revoke your geek license.
Seriously, AT&T and the iPhone are probably good enough for the majority of people for what they need it to do. People know nothing is perfect and, so, good enough is fine.
Be more satisfied with what "is" than dissatisfied with what "could be".
Me? I own a Qualcomm QCP-1900 from around 1997 using PrimeCo/nTelos. Don't use it a whole lot, but the phone still works like a champ and I have *never* had a call dropped. I say "bah" to your fancy text and web-enabled phones, mine actually works as a *phone* :-)
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
That's not what I said.
That's why I asked for clarification as opposed to jumping into argue mode. ;)
It's also not so black and white - for example the iPhone could be skipping during the phone call, not drop it completely. Which most users again would probably think happens to everyone.
Why would they be more prone to accepting that than any other phone user?
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
Um, if you do a subjective survey of only people who use the service, of course it's going to get high marks. The people who are dissatisfied with it have mostly left for a different service. This is why you do random samples. So you get a representative sample of the entire population.
The only way the stat they measured carries any weight is if you compare to an identical survey of customers with other phone networks. The relative satisfaction rate between different providers can carry some statistical meaning. e.g. If AT&T's satisfaction rate is 73% and Verizon's is 90% (made up as an example), that tells you something. Otherwise, all you're doing is measuring the degree of self-selection of a self-selected population, which is pretty useless for market analysis.
If I were to write a Mac OS X virus and prove that it works, is there any chance you'll quit saying that? No? Didn't think so.
I think if you wrote a Mac OS X virus Steve Jobs would drive to your house and ask you to stop it. He's a very persuasive guy. ;-)
Excuse me, but I don't know how else to put this: fuck off.
I love my iPhone, despite it's faults, and I'm a pretty technical person. How technical? I have a degree in physics, have worked with open source and Linux since 1995, was a senior Linux sysadmin for 10 years, and spent a few of the years in between working as an *embedded Linux developer* for mobile projects.
Do I go around telling people that OS X is completely safe and free from viruses and other malware? No. Do I tell them that it's a platform that lets them access the power of Unix without having to fuck around at the command line? Yes.
Same with the phone. Do I say "Hey! This phone was made by Jesus himself and is completely infallible"? Or is it more likely that I say "Hey, it's got its faults - but it's still a great phone ... especially if you're not a Slashdot commenter"?
Enough with the self-righteous anti-fanboy shit. Your generalization of "Apple users" is insulting and wrong.
You're asking us to choose from two quotes, that you've put in quotation marks, that you've made up yourself.
The answer behind the stupid question is that the Flash browser plugins crash browsers on OSX. They don't crash the OS.
(nvm that other OSes do fine when Flash goes bonkers)
i.e. The same story as OSX.
So If I looked at the Android and the other networks and I decided to go with AT&T and iPhone because they were the best products for me. I am most likely a fan boy?
I agree a lot of the Android Phones are getting really good... However Apple has been the company that has been really raising the bar... Not Android. What Android does is raises their bar to Apples Level for Apple to raise it again.
Having been a Verizon Customer then to switch to AT&T I have to say I was happier with AT&T... Their Reps were always more polite... I never had a pushy sales person on me. And were very nice on finding ways to lower my bills. Now I may have been lucky and just gone to the right locations and called at the right time, while with Verizon I was rather unlucky. Also perhaps AT&T just has more towers in the areas I travel too... But really the only part I hate about AT&T is that their plans cost as much as Verizons.
Now I am not saying AT&T is perfect. Gosh Darn It! I want Unlimited 3G networking, and allow the Smart phones to tether. Nor is Apple perfect either, Let me put run my own apps without jail breaking the phone, or going threw iTunes. Allow me to backup my music any way I want. and Give Me Flash support...
But having made decisions and seen the competitors I am Happy with the iPhone and AT&T. Now I know a lot of people who rather have some of the features Android is better then Apple is at, that is great more power to them... However I dislike being called a Fan Boy who does what Mr. Jobs says just because I buy Apple Products. Or I value freedom of choice any less just because I don't choose an Android or a Linux or GNU based choice.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
I think we have a pretty good example of what she's talking about here in the comments section. I own one apple product, an iphone 4. I'm happy with it. I've looked at my co-workers android phones (including the EVO) and I still prefer my iphone but I'm constantly ridiculed as a "sheep", fanboi, etc...
Look, the bottom line is that Apple users like Apple. So what? If you don't like Apple, don't use it's products. End of story. Why the trolling?
What a load of crap. It's impossible to come up with any sort of 'translation' without knowing what question was asked of the pollees. If it was "when you buy your next phone, will it be the same one (iPhone/Android)?" then your rewording would be entirely false.
You're also insinuating that 77% of iPhone users are numbskulls who will just keep buying iPhones until Apple makes a 'good' one, in their eyes, while Android users are much more thoughtful and bright. As much as slashdotters love to drag out that old joke, you know it's ridiculous.
Additionally, it's laughable to assume that any smartphone owner who is happy with their current phone will never buy an updated model in the future. I'm guessing you were happy with your PC in 1995 -- do you still use that PC as your main machine, or have you upgraded since then?
He doesn't say it's a better product overall. Just that it's a better products for him.
Try reading at least the part of the post you quote.
I want to shoot the messenger!
iPhone.
Enough with the self-righteous anti-fanboy shit. Your generalization of "Apple users" is insulting and wrong.
But... but.. but... the headlines on all the ad-supported news sites and blogs I read say that Apple phones don't work, the factory workers kill themselves, no apps get approved, moisture sensors get tripped, there are useful features on the phone but you don't really want to jailbreak it, and that the iPad is a clone of an unsuccessful device from the 90's. Based on that, only millions of exceptionally stupid people would buy the phone!!1!
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
1. What BSD had in the 80s and 90s, those were worms, not technically viruses. But you can be forgiven for not understanding the distinction.
2. OSX kernel is not a BSD variant. the userspace is a BSD variant. The kernel is a Mach variant with a BSD personality welded onto it. (If I showed you some BSD code in the Windows98 kernel would you claim that Win98 is a "BSD variant").
3. Apple's website specifically mentions malware. So any over-simplification is on your part, not Apple's in this case.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
Android users come from a more diverse population who are probably not loyal to any one thing but want good 'product' in a smart phone but have no tying factor to the platform.
Let's just say this BS is right. That doesn't change the fac that *80 percent of them* don't believe Android is "a good 'product'". Ignoring how customers feel about competing products, if that isn't an indictment of the Android platform, I don't know what is.
That is 80% of AT&T Android users. AT&T only sells gimped Android phones.
I was on the old Cingular network when I first went into business. My first smartphone was a Treo 650. It sucked. Switched to a Treo 700p on Verizon a couple of years later when it came out. Network was a little better, phone sucked worse. Far worse.
After debating it with myself for a while, I bought the first iPhone when it came out in 2007. I still wasn't impressed by the AT&T network, but the phone worked so well I didn't care. When 3G came to pass I was unimpressed enough that if Verizon had an equivalent phone then that could have done simultaneous voice and data I might have switched.
Starting in late 2008, the AT&T network in my area's gotten a lot better. Good enough that I'm not tempted to switch anymore. I upgraded to the iPhone 4 last month, and antenna problems or not it improves reception even more for me - drop spots I had with older AT&T phones (going back to my Treo 650) are not a problem anymore. 3G speeds are excellent. When my VZ contract expires for the data card I have with them next month I will cancel it and just use tethering on my iPhone to save more money.
Basically, I pay less than I used to, have a better phone, and next to no network issues anywhere I go regularly. On the rare occasion I've had to call customer service they've been helpful and easy to reach. More than once they've called me back to follow up and make sure I'm happy. Bottom line for me - I'm happy with AT&T, and I see no reason to change. And I'm a happy iPhone user as well. As long as they don't screw it up, I'll stick with AT&T.
-- Josh Turiel
"2. Do not eat iPod Shuffle."
No surprise there...Android has been adopted by T-Mobile and Verizon (and Sprint) as an iPhone slayer...AT&T has imposed its firmware restrictions on its Android phones to limit options and because of the way the spectrum is cut up in the US, none of T-Mobile's 3G devices work on AT&T's network and vice-versa...so it's not like they're are a bunch of G1s and MyTouches running on AT&Ts network...those people would be with T-Mobile...so basically, if you're asking AT&T customers about Android, odds are, they're not happy with it and didn't look at phone first and carrier second...
Everybody's service sucks. I hear Verizon customers bitch all day long then someone mentions iPhone and all off a sudden they love Verizon and AT&T is the devil. I have had many carriers and they all suck. I tolerate AT&T's suck because the iPhone is better than any other phone I have tried.
I'll laugh my ass off, though, if the iPhone comes to Verizon and it drops calls constantly. If it doesn't, I'll be pissed that, for some reason, every other phone manufacturer can handle weaker coverage but Apple can't.
FWIW I live in europe and have an iPhone which I've used on several networks (and countries) and it performs the same or better as the other phones I've had (last phone was a SE-550.) YMMV, sample size of one and all that.
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
Oh no, you're not getting away so easily with that one. Here, a word from the messiah: "We also know first hand that Flash is the number one reason Macs crash."
And the story with supposed impressive stability goes on for a long time (and is featured in Apple marketing - so quick to forget "Hi, I'm a
Flash will cause Safari/Firefox to crash but it doesn't bring down OS X, at least not in my experience. I've had OS X crash on me a few times for all kinds of reasons but never because of "Adobe Flash" of all things. As of it's latest iteration even Safari doesn't even crash on you anymore because of Flash. It just throws up a dialog box informing you that Flash has had yet another one of it's familiar brian farts and gives you the option of sending a crash-report to Apple. You can wheel out some badly worded comment by Saint Steve but it doesn't change the fact that you are just plain wrong.
Only to idiots, are orders laws.
-- Henning von Tresckow
I wonder what percentage of android users even know they are using an Android phone? Verizon on the other hand did a great job with the Droid name, to the point I have to describe to my friends that other networks also have "Droids". Google needs to start doing better maybe something fun like working with manufacturers to ship some android green earbuds with every phone and do some Apple spoof commercials with silhouettes of the users dancing.
Well.
I have an Android phone - an HTC Legend, running Android 2.1
So - what's it like?
Coverage issues aside (I am on Vodaphone in Australia and cannot get any reception at the desk where I work, it's infuriating. I actually have my number forward to another phone just for that problem), it's ok.
Not fabulous, just ok. As a phone it is average - I previously had a Sony Ericsson K660i which I loved, it was surprisingly capable (I could get GMail and sync my contacts, but not calendar unfortunately) and the battery lasted ages. Great little thing. Keypad starting to wear out after 2 years of light use.
The HTC/Android software feels mostly average. Not brilliant. It feels a bit - well - clunky. I find myself with iPhone envy.
Battery consumption - pretty high - if I actually use the phone, I need to recharge every 1-2 days.
WiFi - reception is not great. In my front room I can use a laptop on wireless, but not the HTC.
The main phone apps could be so much better. When I look someone up, I may want to phone them, or I may want to message them. This takes far, far too many clicks.
The games are great - and I love the app store with a lot of useful things. Bit hard to find actual good ones, but such is life.
Am I satisfied - yes. Am I overjoyed - no. Am I looking forward to 2.2 - yes. Would I buy another Android - maybe. Hopefully it will improve a lot!
"Cats like plain crisps"
My iPhone drops a *lot* of calls - at least a few every day
You're holding it wrong!!
You obviously need an iPhone. With a degree in physics, you need something to balance your vast uncoolness.
In his experience vs. how you've chosen to interpret an ambiguous statement.
No, you're wrong because, unlike the other poster, you lack the experience of Macs to know what happens when Flash crashes. So you don't know which way to interpret the ambiguous statement.
No, Steve Jobs has no oversight. He's the boss.
Public understands "the computer crashes" in decently specific way...and considering Apple would like to see (and certainly cares about) only one browser engine on their machines, he could've just said 'Safari."
Again, there was no clarification. When will you get that?
One that hath name thou can not otter
Mod parent post up. Most people don't realize AT&T carries Android phones that don't compete with the iPhone. The 20% speaks to those phones, not phones like the HTC EVO, which is so popular it's sold out.
Fine print: I work for Google and these opinions are my own, not theres.
While the rest of the audience enjoys their dumb comedy, you're shouting "Stop laughing! Can't you all see the plot is nonsensical?!". There is a problem, but it isn't with the rest of the audience.
What you are describing sounds a lot like that "Think different" stuff, yet you say it as if it's a bad thing.
Since when did nonconformity become a positive thing only if it's used to sell Apple products?
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
I'm guessing he got it from the same place I did, by observing the victims firsthand.
Samsung took back my unlocked bootloader because Google wants me to rent movies. They're both evil.
Too many options. I'm a fairly hard core geek but sometimes you just don't want to be bothered with all the options. They just make things confusing.
Sorry, you just lost your geek cred. Go astroturf on the Apple forums, please
Here's a novel concept for you - sometimes people just like to perform a task at hand without having to endlessly tweak the tools they want to use. Now if you'd please go back to the Gentoo forums, that'd be great.
I love posts like this. You bought an Apple for the *right* reasons, everyone else bought an Apple because they are brand-fucking Mactards...priceless.
You, my friend, are what we (in the business) call a dick. Because of this, in all likelihood, your wife likes her computer more than she likes you. Chew on that for awhile.
It depends on the market, for sure. Here in the Washington DC area, AT&T is the combined 1900 MHz AT&T and 850 MHz Cingular. The service has provided superior voice coverage, moved to the higher-coverage 850 MHz band, with data in the 1900 MHz band. People tend to notice problems more on the voice network so it's top-notch here in DC.
On the other side of things, the New York City market is where AT&T coverage suffers. In the past, T-Mobile and Cingular created a network called "GSM Partners" which created a powerful, market-saturating 1900 MHz network for Cingular and T-Mobile, while the also-ran AT&T competed with a spotty, pathetic 1900 MHz network with hardly any 850 MHz coverage. When Cingular and AT&T merged, that network was required to be divested to sole owner T-Mobile. As a result, T-Mobile is solid coverage in New York City, but AT&T is a pathetic, spotty player.
It really depends on where you live. Los Angeles market has a similar situation. Here in DC, we love our AT&T network with solid 850 MHz voice and 1900 MHz data. It's too bad it's not so good in NYC and other markets.
Kriston
I suppose location matters most in the survey. Did they do a geographic spread representative of the country or did they stick to urban centers? In the somewhat rural area in which I live, almost no one uses AT&T because they can barely get any reception. In fact, if I were to travel five miles north and stand downtown of the nearest town, I would get no AT&T reception at all. This while I get maximum Verizon signal do to the huge tower that's nearby.
In fact Android is a trademark, there are requirements for its use, like for example having standardized hardware buttons and minimum performance specs. The iPhone meanwhile does not have a standard screen resolution (retina display, hello!), nor are capabilities or performance consistent across the different devices. In fact the same version of the OS may offer wildly differing capabilities depending on what hardware it's on.
The differences between Android and iOS are blown out of proportion by the media. There's really not a whole lot in it. Especially in regards to user interface. Quick, pick a random iPhone app and tell me if it has settings and if so, whether they're in the app itself or a part of the Settings app?
The iPhone meanwhile does not have a standard screen resolution (retina display, hello!),
From a developer's point of view (which is really what matters here), the screen does have the same amount of points. It's just that on the iPhone 4, 1 pt = 2 px. Thus, apps designed for earlier iPhones behave well on the new display.