Android Users Are So Committed that Exploding Note 7 Did Little To Help Apple: NPD (appleinsider.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Like loyalty to a political party or hometown sports team, smartphone users are extremely passionate about their choices -- a commitment that led many customers to stick with Samsung, despite the disaster of its downright dangerous Galaxy Note 7. Earlier this week, mobile analytics firm Flurry published data from the holiday season, showing that Apple saw twice as many device activations as rival Samsung. Despite Apple's continued commanding lead in holiday sales of smartphones and tablets, however, the numbers suggested Apple's share was lower and Samsung's was slightly higher from last year. Attempting to explain the trends shown in the data, NPD analyst Stephen Baker told The Wall Street Journal he believes that Android loyalists are committed, and even dangerous exploding batteries in the Galaxy Note 7 were not enough to push significant numbers of customers over to the iPhone. "Most of those who bought or wanted to buy a Note 7 opted for a different high-end Galaxy phone," Baker said.

Comments

not loyalty

[Anonymous Coward]

it's not loyalty to android that keeps them from going to apple. it's apple that keeps them from going to apple

Re:not loyalty

[aardvarkjoe]

It's easy to buy a new Android phone that doesn't explode.

You can't buy a new iOS phone that has a headphone jack.

Multiple vendors really helps the Android user to get what they want. If the iPhone doesn't give you what you want, you're stuck.

Re:not loyalty

[thsths]

> If the iPhone doesn't give you what you want, you're stuck.

Except you are not: diversity has always been the defining feature of Android, so you can find pretty much anything you like. (Unless you are looking for years of support, in which case custom ROMs or Apple are indeed the only option.)

Re:not loyalty

[TWX]

Pretty much. I'm carrying one of those Kyocera IP-68-rated and MIL-810-rated rugged phones because my job has me working in poorly maintained, often dirty telecom closets and I wanted something that would handle harsh environments. I wasn't going to get that kind of capability out of an Apple device unless I put one hell of a case on it, and at that point the phone would be just as heavy and bulky as the Kyocera.

I suppose that Apple inventing new terms for marketing purposes also annoys me, such that I was disinclined towards Apple to start with.

Re:not loyalty

[unixisc]

Did those loyal Note 7 people stay w/ Samsung, or go w/ an Android phone from another company?

Re:not loyalty

[ranton]

This.

Apple's product line is too limited for me to ever consider them for my primary personal computing device (I have a PC and laptop, but neither see as much total use as my phone). I have had HTC, Motorola, and Samsung Android phones in the past and it is important to me that I have options when refreshing my phone. The Android ecosystem allowed me to leave Motorola for Samsung without even a minor disruption, and it will allow me to leave Samsung for probably LG or Google next year if the Galaxy S8 doesn't make up for the Note 7 debacle.

Apple doesn't offer that flexibility, so its nearly unthinkable that I would ever choose an iPhone. Especially now that phones are being commoditized enough that each new generation is almost indistinguishable from the last.

Re:not loyalty

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you considered that they might be strait.

I'm confused. What does a narrow body of water between two land masses have to do with phone preference?

Re:not loyalty

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

There's also the minor fact (how do you get called an 'analyst' while screwing up something this simple?) that Samsung is pretty much the vendor who does stylus support in phone-size devices, and the 'Galaxy Note 7', as its name suggests, was one of their stylus equipped models.

Even if you aren't especially wedded to Android, Apple simply doesn't make a comparable device(apparently voluntarily; their 'Apple pencil' thing suggests that they could do a stylus supporting phone if they felt like it). If your best explanation for why the people who spent nontrivial amounts of money to get this device would want a similar replacement is 'committed loyalists'; your analysis is fairly pitiful.

Re:not loyalty

[kuzb]

That's not really the point. The point is that with Android you have other options. With iOS you don't.

Re:not loyalty

[TheFakeTimCook]

It's easy to buy a new Android phone that doesn't explode.

You can't buy a new iOS phone that has a headphone jack.

Multiple vendors really helps the Android user to get what they want. If the iPhone doesn't give you what you want, you're stuck.

And in a year or two, you won't be able to buy a Samsung phone with a "headphone jack", either.

Re: not loyalty

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you kidding me? My 4s just stopped receiving updates. I got it in 2012.

Re: not loyalty

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't get you people, I really don't. You bitch at Apple because they release a new phone so often. Saying it's Apples forced obsolete model. Yet you run out and switch from Samsung to LG to Google to bumfuck. What is the difference? You are buying phones just as often as Apple people are, if not more.

All those android phones do the same god damn thing. So you are upgraded for the sake of upgrading. Why does Apple have to have multiple phone options? They already have the regular model and the plus. That is all one needs. A small screen model and a higher end large screen model.

What ever happen to KISS. If the software you run isn't The KISS principle people bitch. But the hardware doesn't matter. Hardware should apply to the KISS rule as well.

Still consuming my coffee, ignore any errors. ;)

Re:not loyalty

[CrashNBrn]

What the hell Anonymous Coward. That was my immediate thought. Have you been rummaging through my brain??

Re:not loyalty

[Anonymous Coward]

You of course have evidence concerning the 'designed to cripple', yes? Or could it just be that the new OS needs more resources? As far as I remember, that got fixed with iOS 9 and 10. There are a lot of iPhone 5 still out there and in use. They got iOS 10.

As for '2 year old hardware'... which SoC in the Android world beats the A10fusion...?

I can understand if people don't like Apple. Fine, don't by stuff from them, no one forces you. But when talking about their stuff, stick with facts.

Re:not loyalty

[ninthbit]

Cyanogenmod is just getting a rebrand to Lineage OS. Even if that team completely exploded, whoever is the number two ROM would just get a huge influx of devs as it becomes the new number 1 choice.

Not to endorse piracy, but as for "the community will provide" look at how these sites progress
Look at Piratebay -> KAT -> ExtraTorrent

If there comes a time when ALL major manufactures lock their phones so tight we can't install custom roms, the "community" will surely just kickstart their own open design. Today's phones are so common in form/function that it wouldn't even be hard. A small team of subject matter experts could collaborate on a design then send it to china to be built. As long as Gapps is easy to install, it wouldn't take any effort to sell to the Android elitist community.

Honestly, I'm just surprised there isn't a good one out there already. The Nexus line has probably helped keep that at bay. We'll see how things go with the Pixel brand.

Re:not loyalty

[johanw]

Fortunately there are many more manufacturers than Samsung who make Android phones.

Re:not loyalty

[Stormwatch]

Then I'll drop Samsung and go with another brand that gives me what I want. That's the point.

Re:not loyalty

[wvmarle]

It's not loyalty to Android indeed. It's loyalty to Samsung. That's made clear even in TFS. That Samsung phones use the Android system is probably largely irrelevant to this loyalty.

Re: not loyalty

[ranton]

I don't get you people, I really don't. You bitch at Apple because they release a new phone so often. Saying it's Apples forced obsolete model. Yet you run out and switch from Samsung to LG to Google to bumfuck. What is the difference? You are buying phones just as often as Apple people are, if not more.

You do realize there are more than one sets of opinions among Android users, and not everyone shares the complaints you mentioned. I for one never complain about Apple (or Samsung) releasing new phones so often, and while I don't like planned obsolescence it certainly doesn't affect me as I get a new phone every other year.

All those android phones do the same god damn thing. So you are upgraded for the sake of upgrading. Why does Apple have to have multiple phone options? They already have the regular model and the plus. That is all one needs. A small screen model and a higher end large screen model.

First off, Apple did not have a large screen until it had become common for at least two years in Android phones, so lets not pretend iPhone users always had that option. But still if you want the largest screen, best battery, best resolution, a stylus, best camera, a microSD slot, a headphone jack, or most RAM, you need to go Android. You might not get all of those in the same phone, but you can choose what is most important to you.

There was a time when the iPhone was the best of the best and worth putting up with the lack of options to get the best. That ended around 3-4 years ago. It is still a very good flagship phone but the only thing it is best at now is PR (and it is much better at that than its competitors).

Re: not loyalty

[harrkev]

Sorry, but I will not shed a tear for you. Most Android devices stop receiving major updates withing a year (if they ever even get an update). The manufacturer is too busy working on the next device to ever patch the old stuff.

This is both the blessing and the curse of Android -- the sheer number of devices. The good is that there is a lot of choice, and the down side is that there is a lot of variability.

An Apple developer can test four or five devices and be pretty sure that their app will work on pretty much all Apple devices, since they are fairly uniform.

An Android developer will find it impossible to do proper quality control. Maybe their app will suddenly crash only on that one model of Asus tablet, and the developer will find it hard to debug unless he goes out and buys that one model.

With that being said, I still prefer Android. I have 128 GB of storage on my phone that cost me $35. If you want an iPhone 7, upgrading to 128 GB from 32 GB will only cost you $100.

Re:not loyalty

[TheFakeTimCook]

apple worshippers just don't get it.

You'll see who doesn't "get it".

Re: not loyalty

[Zero__Kelvin]

You should read that post again. I think of you slow down and pay attention to what was written you will see why it was a foolish post.

Re: not loyalty

[TheFakeTimCook]

Did you know the first Android phone was made by HTC? How, prey tell, did they copy Samsung? That's quite a feat!

You know very well what I mean. Quit being intentionally obtuse.

Re: not loyalty

[Zero__Kelvin]

Indeed, Apple's experience with stylus input goes way back to the Newton circa 1993.

Re:not loyalty

[Mordaximus]

It's easy to buy a new Android phone that doesn't explode.

You can't buy a new iOS phone that has a headphone jack.

Multiple vendors really helps the Android user to get what they want. If the iPhone doesn't give you what you want, you're stuck.

Multiple vendors isn't relevant. The title is misleading; this isn't about Note 7 customers sticking with Android, they are sticking with Samsung. And guess what, true to form, Samsung is going for no-headphone jack in future models.

Just FYI, since the point seems to get so overstated so frequently, the new iPhones include a pair of lightning earphones and an 1/8 phono adapter. It's isn't like there is no alternative. The only sore point is that you can't charge and listen at the same time.

Re: not loyalty

[harrkev]

I think that I said "most" and not "all."

Look for updates for lower-end devices. Try manufacturers like LG, Alcatel, or HTC. Updates for phones under $100 are few an far between.

Re: not loyalty

[LynnwoodRooster]

At the $99 per unit price, you can buy a new one every year and be money ahead versus doing an iPhone...

Re:not loyalty

[uvajed_ekil]

it's not loyalty to android that keeps them from going to apple. it's apple that keeps them from going to apple

Close, but still wrong. I know I am not alone in saying that I use Android because it works, it does what I want it to do, and the Android devices I've owned have offered tremendous overall value. I have not interest in iOS, nor hate for Apple - the company and their over-priced hardware are irrelevant to me. I feel no loyalty to Google or Android, or any particular manufacturer, though Android phones, tablets, and media boxes have been good for me.

Re:not loyalty

[uvajed_ekil]

It's easy to buy a new Android phone that doesn't explode.

You can't buy a new iOS phone that has a headphone jack.

Multiple vendors really helps the Android user to get what they want. If the iPhone doesn't give you what you want, you're stuck.

I've never owned an Apple product, but every day at work I see multiple iphones with cracked screens, I hear people moaning about how expensive replacements are, how bad the last forced update hosed their phones. My Android phone is 2.5 years old because it still works fine. I may upgrade soon just because I am sometimes entranced by new, shiny things, not because I feel a real need to. There are at least eight phones I can think of right off hand that I will consider buying, none of which are Samsungs or Apples.

Re:not loyalty

[uvajed_ekil]

Too bad that "Custom ROMs" ability is going the way of Cyanogenmod...

Too bad you are wrong. It has already been forked and will be known as Lineage OS. The failure of Cyanogen as a company (thanks in part to Microsoft's reverse-Midas touch?) does not mean the end of CyanogenMod or the incredibly vibrant Android development community.

Re:not loyalty

[uvajed_ekil]

My nearly 3 year old Galaxy S5 got yet another update yesterday.

Bah, must be fake malware, since only Apple gives updates past a year. Praise Jobs!

Re: not loyalty

[uvajed_ekil]

Did you know the first Android phone was made by HTC? How, prey tell, did they copy Samsung? That's quite a feat!

I seem to remember a small company offering an Android phone targeted at developers around the same time, possibly first. But of course the Dream/G1 was the first commercially available Android phone, and it was great. There were also other smartphones before the iphone though, such as some by Nokia, Sony, Palm, and of course Blackberry. But I suppose they all copied Samsung, who copied Apple, just ask any Apple fanboy.

Re:not loyalty

[uvajed_ekil]

And in a year or two, you won't be able to buy a Samsung phone with a "headphone jack", either.

And in a year or two, there will still be numerous Android phones sold by companies not named Samsung. But that is an inconvenient truth for Apple fanboys who continually conflate Samsung's choices with the demise of Android.

Re: not loyalty

[jnork]

Samsung Galaxy owner here. Upgraded from an S4 to... A Nexus 5X.

I happen to like iPhones. I don't like Apple's walled garden.

Not all of us are so committed. But I think people tend to stick with what they know.

And frankly, any reasonable person will accept that companies make mistakes. One bad product doesn't make all their products bad, and Samsung has more of a track record than a single exploding phone. Just like the iPhone 4 antenna problem didn't prevent the iPhone 5 from being popular. The reasons I went with the Nexus have nothing to do with the exploding Note 7. Next time I change phones I'll look at numerous options, and who knows? Maybe a Samsung phone will fit my needs. Or an iPhone.

Re: not loyalty

[demonlapin]

And yet 7.1.1 is the current version...

I'm pretty anti-Apple; they have crippled their devices to encourage lock-in (you can't send a group message to more than 10 people unless all are iOS users). But there's a reason I'm running a Nexus 6P, and it's not because I thought Huawei makes great phones: it's the monthly security updates and two-year version guarantee.

Re:not loyalty

[demonlapin]

Monochrome (Looks exactly like a Serial port)

No, the MDA port on the computer was female, and the serial port was male.

I get your point, but there is something to be said for continuity. In the same way that there are USB<->almost everything adapters, the 3.5 mm audio jack is almost universal. Getting rid of it is A Big Deal.

Re:not loyalty

[TheFakeTimCook]

Too bad that "Custom ROMs" ability is going the way of Cyanogenmod...

Too bad you are wrong. It has already been forked and will be known as Lineage OS. The failure of Cyanogen as a company (thanks in part to Microsoft's reverse-Midas touch?) does not mean the end of CyanogenMod or the incredibly vibrant Android development community.

Time will tell...

Re:not loyalty

[TheFakeTimCook]

And in a year or two, you won't be able to buy a Samsung phone with a "headphone jack", either.

And in a year or two, there will still be numerous Android phones sold by companies not named Samsung. But that is an inconvenient truth for Apple fanboys who continually conflate Samsung's choices with the demise of Android.

And in a couple more years, every other phone will have finished copying Samsung, and thus there won't be a phone worth having that still has a 3.5 mm jack.

Mark my words.

Re: not loyalty

[hsmith]

Congrats on your latest OS being 14 months old. Certainly a point to brag about.

Re: not loyalty

[demonlapin]

Getting monthly security updates? I am.

Re: not loyalty

[MBGMorden]

I actually have a coworker at work who's still using an iPhone 3. No, it doesn't get updates and he only has like a 150MB per month data plan, but he seems happy with it. Granted, he's an old COBOL programmer in his late 50's, but some people just aren't into the latest and greatest tech.

Re: not loyalty

[MBGMorden]

That's not bad though. Updates cost money - the lack thereof is part of what makes those phones sub-$100 or even sub-$50 devices. If you want to live with that in exchange for a cheap phone, you have that option with Android. If you want a more expensive device that DOES get regular updates, you have that option too.

Sometimes the ability to cut a corner is a GOOD thing if it's something you feel you can live without.

Re:not loyalty

[zedaroca]

Multiple vendors really helps the Android user to get what they want.

Your response:

you won't be able to buy a Samsung phone with a "headphone jack", either.

Just that is enough to call your comment obtuse. You quoted the part that showing you are wrong. But let's read further...

He then repeats the point that there are more manufacturers.

To which you claim that all of them copies samsung, despite the diversity in phone models, sizes, materials and focus (like better front facing camera, lasting battery, water/dust resistance - that sony was doing for years before samsung or apple).

He gives you one example of how your sentence cannot be correct. To what you reply:

You know very well what I mean. Quit being intentionally obtuse.

I though I knew what you meant, something completely wrong about android phones, samsung and apple. But with this last comment I'm not sure anymore.
If what you meant was that some companies copy some things that samsung does, that sometimes is the same stupid shit apple did. That was a terrible way of expressing it.

Re: not loyalty

[Shirley Marquez]

The G1 was groundbreaking because it was the first readily available Android phone, but it was too limited in too many ways to qualify as a good phone. In my opinion, the first really good Android phone was the Sprint Evo 4G and its relative, Verizon's HTC Droid Incredible, They're both lacking by current standards (1GB flash, 512MB RAM, single core 1GHz CPU) but they were hot stuff in the day, and the Sprint version was the first phone to offer high speed 4G connectivity (on the now decommissioned Sprint WiMAX network).

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Two Party System

[BlackHawk-666]

It's probably not so much they are fanatical about Android, but simply don't want to use Apple, and there's really only the one main competitor to turn to from there. If you don't want an Apple handset you are almost bound to buy an Android set, unless you have a fetish for Windows.

People are pretty heavily conditioned by decades of advertising to believe brand is a highly valuable thing when deciding which item to buy. Samsung has a lot of brand recognition and many leading products on the market - it's no surprise they held their ground.

Re:Two Party System

[Anonymous Coward]

It's sheer convenience and inertia. I'm an Apple user and I have my complaints about their direction; the iPhone 7 with its lack of headphone jack is particularly troubling and makes me skeptical of their coming products. I kinda see a day where I just don't find their products fitting my needs, which apparently are out of line with the masses or what Apple _thinks_ are the needs of the masses.

But I probably won't switch because doing so requires me to learn an entirely new system, perhaps find new apps, and other assorted hassle. That's time I don't want to waste for moral turpitude or other minor dissatisfaction and so I'll put up with things with Apple until they become absolutely unbearable. (I had an Android tablet and it wasn't impressive. I don't think one is better than the other.)

Re: Two Party System

[Zero__Kelvin]

Not only that but a large segment of the population doesn't know Android from iOS, nor do they care. They want a phone that does what they want and need at a good price point. All of those people have essentially no choice but an Android phone in today's market.

Re:Two Party System

[jareth-0205]

It's hardly surprising at this point, despite what the zealots will have you believe, both Android and iOS are mature enough now that they've shared the major advantages each had - and there's few compelling reasons to switch. There still is a learning curve though, so the cost/benefit is highly weighted towards everyone staying where they are.

Samsung is Android now?

[Tukz]

At the very least, the headline should had been "Samsung users".

The summery compares Samsung sales with Apple, not Android.

Re:Samsung is Android now?

[AmiMoJo]

Imagine you were an owner of one of those exploding Samsungs. Chances are, yours did not explode. In fact it was just a really great phone. It got rave reviews, you were probably very happy with it. When it was recalled they offered to let you swap it for another similar Samsung phone. I bet a good proportion of users did just that.

Plus, the latest iPhones all suck. The 6 series seems to have major hardware issues (bending, battery problems, touch screen problems) and the 7 is missing the headphone socket. So not really a viable alternative if you want the best phone out there, which the exploding Samsung pretty much was.

And now the crown of best phone has passed on to Google's Pixel models. Best camera, best software, good battery size, silly price... It's got everything, even a headphone socket.

Re:Samsung is Android now?

[AmiMoJo]

Depends what performance. Single core, sure, but multi-core they get trounced. App performance seems to depend more on the quality of the app than anything.

Re:Samsung is Android now?

[TheFakeTimCook]

Depends what performance. Single core, sure, but multi-core they get trounced. App performance seems to depend more on the quality of the app than anything.

Bzzt!. Not according to Daring Fireball.

Um, and also not if the Android in question runs something equal to, or less than, a Snapdragon 821, like several do, including the Pixel.

A fact confirmed by this Test, too...

Re:Samsung is Android now?

[uvajed_ekil]

At the very least, the headline should had been "Samsung users".

The summery compares Samsung sales with Apple, not Android.

Both Apple and Samsung users think there are only two companies making smartphones. They see only 4 choices in the market: Galaxy S, Note, small iphone, and bigger iphone. Their loss is our gain, as Samsung continuing to be the most recognizable name in Android phones (and "the" iphone alternative) can only help keep prices down for equivalent or superior devices from other companies.

Tripe

[chispito]

How does this fanboy tripe make it to the front page? You could just as easily spin an alternate headline "iOS users are so committed that removing standard features in order to sell overpriced earbuds did little to help Samsung."

Re: Tripe

[Zero__Kelvin]

Well you start by being a guy named "Taco" then you sell out your supposed principles for a boatload of cash.

Obviously

[Anonymous Coward]

First, Samsung made the exploding batteries. Samsung is not the only Android manufacturer. If an HP computer exploded, we wouldn't be seeing an article wondering why people weren't switching away from Windows.

Second, I won't switch because I don't want to find/buy/download all new apps.

Re: Obviously

[Zero__Kelvin]

You evidently never switched Android phones. When you log in with your new device Google Play automatically installs your apps for you. No need to hunt through Google Play, or in case Apples store manually to find and install equivalent apps.

Android or Samsung users??

[decipher_saint]

Android is my mobile OS of choice, the hardware it runs on may not be Samsung on the next purchase

Re:Android or Samsung users??

[Anne Thwacks]

It is not impossible that users of the "rival" brands choose on the basis of the features they value most. However, Samsung have recently adopted a policy of removing features which Apple does not have. I anticipate that loss of removable batteries and SD cards may lose more customers than one specific model exploding.

Most of the reviews done by owners rather than "professional" reviewers moan about this. I have no intention of buying a phone without both features. Fortunately Samsung offer several. They are just not called "Note X" or Galaxy S X" and dont get mentioned in the press so much.

However, I really need the Note feature (ability to draw with a stylus) and won't replace my phone with one without it - even if it means buying an old one to get the removable battery and SD card features. I am certainly not going to by Apple - it entirely lacks the features I need.

Re:Android or Samsung users??

[fluffernutter]

My worst fear is that I'll have to choose between a headphone port and a stylus for my next phone.

Re: Android or Samsung users??

[uvajed_ekil]

Yes, they took a while, but this was justified by the fact that so very few vulnerable devices were actually being exploited. Along the same lines, the windows in my home are all very, very easy to smash with a hammer and climb through, but that doesn't happen much around here, so I'm not in a hurry to get SoCal-style bars installed over them, or replace them with Lexan because it is a little more resistant to hammer blows.

in other news

[Anonymous Coward]

you may be surprised to know that samsung is not the same as android...

Blowing up and catching fire is a FEATURE!

[Lumpy]

Stop making it sound as if it was a flaw. that was a FEATURE DAMMIT!

Apple owners only wish they had that feature in their phones.

Re:Blowing up and catching fire is a FEATURE!

[tginouye]

Stop making it sound as if it was a flaw. that was a FEATURE DAMMIT!

Apple owners only wish they had that feature in their phones.

It's coming in the next iOS update! Just place phone in nearby toaster to allow for "Catching Fire" (Hunger Games tie in?) update to download. Make sure you press down on the lever, and remember to turn bagel mode OFF or it'll just burn one side of the phone.

Re:Blowing up and catching fire is a FEATURE!

[Cro Magnon]

It's good advertising. Samsung can honestly say they have the hottest phones on the market.

ecosystem lock in

[mastershake82]

I'd wager it's more the ecosystem lock in. Both of these app/media ecosystems have been around long enough that most users have a significant investment in them, whether they planned to or not.

The obvious lock in is previous app purchases, you don't want to have to rebuy all those apps and games you purchased on your first real app ecosystem.

If you have more than one person in the ecosystem, that's a real lock in... with app purchase and music subscription sharing, it simply costs more to have your family split between iOS and Android. In addition, you get access to great family features like location sharing when you all have the same type of device. So if you want to switch, you have to be ready to move not just your phone, but 2+ phones at the same time if you really use these features.

And not just money, but time, curating music libraries and playlists in the cloud music solution provided by the ecosystem takes time and effort. There do not appear to be many good tools to migrate this sort of thing over.

Re:ecosystem lock in

[Powercntrl]

I'd wager it's more the ecosystem lock in.

Yep. While most of the peanut gallery on /. is whining about headphone jacks and custom ROMs, to the average smartphone user it's simply a pain in the ass to switch platforms.

Most people don't actually enjoy learning a different OS, and hunting down and re-purchasing all their apps. To a person who sees the prospect of futzing with mobile technology to be about as interesting as watching paint dry, it's simpler to just buy another Samsung phone (hopefully, one that's less likely to explode).

Re:ecosystem lock in

[iggymanz]

you're funny. My wife, kids and myself use Android and our apps cost $0. Maybe we'd like to keep it that way.

Re:ecosystem lock in

[kisrael]

Yeah, it's obviously this.

Apple was first out with a slab phone, and I was accidentally on purpose an early adopter, and over the years I've picked up the apps I like and am used to, along with the music handling and what not - the hardware is good enough or better that it will probably never be worth swapping over, and I'm sure long term Android users feel just the same the other way.

Ignoring this is as stupid as people who review various laptops purely on hardware, as if OSX vs Windows (or Linux, I suppose, in these parts at least) didn't matter.

Silly article

[MDMurphy]

The article is nonsense. The "surprise" that users didn't opt to move to a phone with different software after having one with a hardware problem does presume that users are really stupid. I'm not saying many aren't, but not that stupid. The more reasonable expectation would be that they'd opt for another Android phone and not an Apple one.
The article mentions may opted for another Samsung phone, but fails to mention than in addition to offering refunds for the Note 7 they purchased, there were additional rebates if they purchased another Samsung phone as a replacement. ( http://venturebeat.com/2016/10... ) Samsung offered to pay people to stay with them and it seems to have worked.

Equating the decision to stick with the same OS and to take advantage of a $100 rebate as loyalty to a sports team ignores too many of the facts.

Re:Silly article

[ergo98]

This article is a sort of saving of face because recall during the debacle there were poorly supported claims (via leading online surveys) that every Note 7 user was marching right to their nearest Apple store to buy an iPhone.

Re:Silly article

[93 Escort Wagon]

The article is nonsense.

The content of the article is irrelevant. The reason this story exists - as was the case with several other recent Slashdot submissions - is to get the name of the unknown company "Flurry" out into the public eye.

Seriously - how many "Flurry" stories have we had in the past week or two?

I don't know if it's their real intent, but I'm hankering for a McDonalds frozen dessert right now...

One man's loyalty

[_xanthus_47]

Is another man's common sense.

Obligatory Automotive Analogy

[Comboman]

Ford Drivers So Committed That Exploding Pintos Did Little To Help Mercedes Benz.

Re:Obligatory Automotive Analogy

[sysrammer]

Ford Drivers So Committed That Exploding Pintos Did Little To Help Mercedes Benz.

Ha! pretty much. While it's an oblig cliche which tends to get overworked (poorly), in this case you used the analogy well to quickly show that this article is just a puff piece.

Re:Obligatory Automotive Analogy

[fluffernutter]

Stop comparing iPhones to luxury cars, seriously. When you buy a mercedes benz, you can still drive outside the walled garden. iPhones are a tradeoff, not a luxury device.

Re:Obligatory Automotive Analogy

[fluffernutter]

Why do you say that, because they cost more?

Re:Obligatory Automotive Analogy

[lgw]

Finally, a car analogy! Now it all makes sense. Never change, Slashdot, never change.

Re: Obligatory Automotive Analogy

[Zero__Kelvin]

A cell phone is not necessarily a luxury device, but an iPhone certainly qualifies as one.

Re: Obligatory Automotive Analogy

[fluffernutter]

But no more than most Android phones. Yes I can accept 'a smartphone' as a luxury device.

Re:Obligatory Automotive Analogy

[cheesybagel]

So amusing. Actually Mercedes cars are, or used to, be well known for their easy maintenance and low part cost compared with other cars in the same segment. While Apple just glues shit together.

Well this is a dumb premise.

[rsilvergun]

It's got nothing to do with being committed. I have other options. For example, I was going to buy a Samsung J7. Samsung took 512mb of the ram out of this years model and hoped I wouldn't notice. I did. Now I'll be buying an LG. Still on on Android, just not Samsung.

Apple is evil

[short]

As long as Apple blocks Free formats such as WebM they have what they want.

burying the lead

[slashmydots]

Actually it might be because the last few iPhones have been massively defective too. Oh and perhaps if you haven't gotten sucked into iTunes licensing hell, you might be smart enough to not do it on purpose at this point.

who was expecting people to switch to apple?

[j2.718ff]

Analogy: Let's say I'm a Windows user, and I have a laptop that I love. It turns out that laptop commonly catches fire. Based upon that data alone, what kind of laptop do you think I'll purchase next?

Most likely, I think I'd consider switching brands, but still go with a laptop that runs the same software that I like, and has a similar design. I suppose it's possible I'd switch to a Mac, but only if the Mac had the features I wanted, but it certainly wouldn't be my first instinct.

I'm not familiar with the Samsung Note 7, but I'm willing to bet it has some features that doesn't exist in an iPhone. Users who like those particular features will look for a phone that has them when buying a replacement. It wouldn't surprise me to hear that a few users switched to iPhone, but it would surprise me if most users did.

Anrdoid Didn't Explode

[ZipK]

Android didn't explode - only one of hundreds of phones that use Android exploded. Those who like Android (or dislike iOS or Apple) can easily pick another phone. One hardware problem with a Samsung phone isn't going to send customers scurrying to Apple.

Logic? Never heard of it.

[dschiptsov]

Why users should switch to a different, hostile platform when one single model of one trusted vendor has a flawed battery?

This has got to be one of the dumbest articles...

[Red_Chaos1]

...I've read on /. I mean, come on, really? Should everyone rush to leave any given brand or ecosystem every time one particular piece fails? (Hint: the answer is NO)

All hardware vendors experience issues of varying degrees with things they make. Some manage to recover, some don't. Abit was one of the great mobo makers of the time. Bad caps marred them, but it doesn't diminish all the excellent stuff they had made, and had they weathered it better they'd likely still be making excellent stuff that people would buy. Asus got hit by the bad caps too, but they managed to survive.

All the hard drive makers, every last one of them have had drives with varying levels of defects. That doesn't diminish the good stuff they made prior, nor did it mean everything they'd go on to make later would be terrible too. Every company that makes routers has issues from time to time.

If everyone ditched a company every time they had a major flaw, no one would be able to buy anything at this point.

Or maybe its because...

[Solandri]

Or maybe it's because Note 7 sales only accounted for 0.6% of 3Q 2016 Android sales. (2 million Note 7s vs 328.6 million Android handsets sold (autoplay video warning). Yes, Android sales for the quarter were nearly 1.5x the iPhone's typical sales for a year. 2016 sales figures aren't in yet, but in 2015 Android sold 1.2 billion units. The Note 7 sales would only be 0.17% of that.

The only people who make a big deal about the Note 7 fiasco are Note 7 owners, Samsung stockholders, and Apple fanboys (where TFA comes from). Compared to Android's overall sales, Note 7 sales were a drop in the bucket. Every single Note 7 owner could've switched to iPhones and you would've needed 3 significant figures to even notice.

Samsung =/= Android

[ewhenn]

Android is the OS. Samsung is the manufacturer of a particular device that uses Android. If you like Android you can buy a device from any plethora of makers. I get it, the article is from appleinsider.com, so they have a definite bias, but there argument is less than flimsy at best. It follows the same logic as saying you had bought one bad chevy cruze, so you are now only going to buy diesel vehicles.

Because they're cheaper

[ilsaloving]

Android devices tend to be a lot less expensive than everything else. That has always been true, and has been the single biggest reason why Android is so popular. The majority of people don't care about what a device can do as long as it can do the minimum they need, and I guess, play Candy Crush.

All the people I know who use apple fall into two categories: People that need an easy to use device and have the money to buy apple, or people who are technical inclined but don't *want* to deal with complexity, and have the money to pay the Apple Tax.

There's really nothing in between. People who demand control, or care about the tech specs, and have the patience/willingness to play sysadmin on their phone buy Android. People who can't afford the Apple cost, buy an Android.

I'm not going to get into the technical aspects of each platform, cause that's not really relevant. This is all based on general perception/reputation.

I personally, gave up on Android at the 4.x time period, cause the Samsung S3 I got was the single worst device I had ever owned. If it wasn't Samsung's pre-loaded unremovable crapware, it was other things, like OS not keeping Apps in line or the absurd way it handled MicroSD cards. And this was on top of several landfill android devices I bought that were so horrible that they weren't even fit for purpose for anything more advanced than staring at your home screen.

Course, if Apple continues to make stupid design decisions like taking away very heavily used ports just so they can save 2 cents on their BOM, I may end up having to re-evaluate my requirements.

Did Apple need any help?

[Archeopteryx]

According to recent numbers, Apple devices lead all others in activations during the Christmas season...

Re:Did Apple need any help?

[LynnwoodRooster]

Yes, iOS gets occasional "blips" of big days, but the trend is unmistakable. iOS is sliding into irrelevancy (single digit market share) while Android is clearly taking it all.

Re:Did Apple need any help?

[iggymanz]

nope. beta only had 60 minutes while VHS debuted with 120 minutes, and RCA came out with 240 minute VHS soon after. When the beta came out with longer time format the horizontal res dropped to same as VHS, and the other claimed advantages of less crosstalk for beta weren't visible in blind tests. There became no compelling reason to own beta especially since VHS HQ then came out. Yes after that "super beta" came out but by then market share was tiny.

Re:Apple products stuck in the past in the post-Jo

[UnknowingFool]

There will never be a Note 8. The brand is tarnished. Samsung will brand what they might have released as "Note 8" under a different name.

^^^^ THIS

[ELCouz]

n/t

They do not tell the truth:

[LordHighExecutioner]

the Samsung Galaxy Notes 7 that exploded actually were owned by people thinking about switching to iPhone. If you have an Android device, it is better that you do not express your feelings about the operating system in front of you.

Switching platforms is real work.

[berchca]

Changing your phone OS is the same as changing that on your computer: you have to replace software, reconfigure stuff, re-train yourself. It's a real effort, and so it's not surprising it takes more than one bum phone to make people go through it.

You could apply the same logic to the missing headphone jack on the iPhone 7. Many would argue it's a limitation rather than a feature, but not, apparently, a big enough limitation to make people switch.

Unless you want updates

[WD]

Multiple vendors really helps the Android user to get what they want.

Sure, if it's the feature set that you're talking about. If you want a new phone that isn't abandoned update-wise a year or less after you get it, you have one Android option: the Pixel.

Duh

[uvajed_ekil]

Most Android users are not Note 7 users, or Note x users, or even Samsung users, so this seems obvious. Should a Ford F-250 having electrical issues convince me to buy a Hyundai sedan, or dissuade me from buying a Chevy crossover SUV?

Android users are Android users because Android works for them, and/or they have no interest in iOS or Apple products. When did the iphone v. Samsung (if not just the Note) become the only smartphone story in the media, anyway? I still like my old LG G3 because it works, and will probably buy a ZTE Axon 7 soon. There are plenty of good non-Samsung options that are also not iphones.

Re:Death by product?

[Falos]

Death By Construction Accident or Poorly-Maintained Machinery "Explodes" In Coal Mine doesn't get people drooling over the media. Or people demanding equal industry metrics, but that's not the cheap shot I came to make:

Journalists only want eyeballs; specifically, the end financial effect of eyeballs. Informing you isn't even a tertiary domino.

Familiarity

[bigdavex]

I think it's less to do with fanboyism or brand loyalty and more to do with wanting to take advantage of knowledge of how the thing works. The novelty of figuring out how yet another UI works wears off for people trying to achieve things.

Re:Apple products stuck in the past in the post-Jo

[magarity]

Actually the problem stems from skipping 6. So yes, the next Note will be the 6 as it ought to have been. Then they can jump to 8 after that because there's already been a 7.

Even the apps are walled gardens

[KramberryKoncerto]

I tried to stream some clips from my Samba share, and basically every app forces you to use both its own file manager AND video player at the same time. I don't know if it's a limitation of iOS but it killed off any chances I'm leaving Android.

you *do* realize iPhone6 and iPhone7 phones burn?

[kenyee]

Do a google search for iPhone6 or iPhone7 fire. You'll find that they also had a few incidents :-)

The Note7 had a higher incidence of it because of some dumb design decisions to maximize battery size, but phones catching fire because of lithium batteries is not a new thing...

WTF?!?!?!

[martinfb]

How about some intelligent reporting here?!

What the hell does a defective hardware part for a niche device have to do with the entire platform demographic?!

PLEASE get your (reporting) shit together!
How DARE you attempt to suggest that potentially literate, intelligent fellow humans make an invalid connection here - that a poorly designed battery sold to Samsung would taint ALL Android devices?

WAIT! I get it now. You MUST be a government official. That explains a lot!

You're looking at it the wrong way

[allo]

You're looking at it the wrong way.
It's not android vs. apple.
Its samsung and many many other manufacturers against apple. People do not care about android vs. iOS. When samsung devices burn, they may loose some users. But the odds that they choose apple next are just 1/N, when there are N-1 android devices left and just 1 iOS device.

Stupid summary

[Maritz]

The writer of the summary appears to think that "Android" and "Samsung" are the same thing. That's pretty fucking stupid.