Why do people buy iPhones?

[Maximusfoximus]

iPhones are worse when it comes to hardware, but their software is next level. I know that when I'm using an iPhone, I'm pretty much safe from viruses and attacks. This is especially evident where even the FBI has trouble cracking into iPhones. I like the uniform and stable updates across the platform that I know almost everyone will be using, and the stability and priority devs place on IOS apps. I like that my iPad and my iPhone can be linked and my tablet can make calls and send real SMS texts. Most of all, I need imessage. I am currently in high school and everyone has an iPhone. If I want to be in a group chat with my friends, I know I'll be able to. When you're that one person who has a green bubble and 20 other people in the chat have to text SMS just for you versus imessage, it puts a lot of pressure just to use an iPhone. Hopefully, this will change when Google releases its new "Chat" app, but until then I'm going to have to stick to Apple. 

[Nicnac]

to witness the litness

[Shreyas1]

I know people who bought iPhones and other Apple devices a long time back and just don't want to learn how to use a new operating system.

[kokakolia]

I used Android phones for many years until I recently switched to iPhone 7. Here’s why:

 

- Android phones get absolutely gimped with dumb software updates 2 years after launch (if you have a flagship device). There’s a new Android phone every week and it shows. Manufacturers don’t give 2 cares about their phones after they launch (unless maybe it’s a super expensive flagship product). And then it’s a matter of hacking your phone to install a custom ROM so that you can get the latest version of Android.

- Android phones have no resale value unless they’re some kind of Samsung flagship

- iPhones don’t have to be expensive if you buy used

 

I honestly wouldn’t mind having an Android phone if it were no more than $200 because it will be garbage in 2 years time. So I’m sticking to Apple for the 4+ years of updates.

[PlayStation 2]

A lot of people here are commenting random bullshit that has little to do with this, but really, it's all about user experience. You like iOS's simplicity? Cool! You like Android's customizability? Also cool! That's why a ton of phones exist, to suit one's needs.

[Daniel644]

48 minutes ago, Maximusfoximus said:

iPhones are worse when it comes to hardware, but their software is next level. I know that when I'm using an iPhone, I'm pretty much safe from viruses and attacks. This is especially evident where even the FBI has trouble cracking into iPhones. I like the uniform and stable updates across the platform that I know almost everyone will be using, and the stability and priority devs place on IOS apps. I like that my iPad and my iPhone can be linked and my tablet can make calls and send real SMS texts. Most of all, I need imessage. I am currently in high school and everyone has an iPhone. If I want to be in a group chat with my friends, I know I'll be able to. When you're that one person who has a green bubble and 20 other people in the chat have to text SMS just for you versus imessage, it puts a lot of pressure just to use an iPhone. Hopefully, this will change when Google releases its new "Chat" app, but until then I'm going to have to stick to Apple. 

thats not even remotely true, stop trying to justify pier pressure. there are TOTALLY virus's for iOS, they are rare but they exist and the whole not being able to unlock iPhone thing was solved like 4-5 months ago, there is now a security firm with the tech to unlock any iPhone. https://thehackernews.com/2018/02/unlock-iphone-software.html

there is NO problem using group iMessage between android and iOS users, my boss and his girlfriend both use iMessage and I have Android and we've been on a chat group together, don't know what your issue is.

[PlayStation 2]

2 minutes ago, Daniel644 said:

thats not even remotely true, stop trying to justify pier pressure. there are TOTALLY virus's for iOS, they are rare but they exist and the whole not being able to unlock iPhone thing was solved like 4-5 months ago, there is now a security firm with the tech to unlock any iPhone. https://thehackernews.com/2018/02/unlock-iphone-software.html

there is NO problem using group iMessage between android and iOS users, my boss and his girlfriend both use iMessage and I have Android and we've been on a chat group together, don't know what your issue is.

I think his point was that iOS has seen far less vulnerabilities coming to light than Android.

[TacoSenpai]

58 minutes ago, Maximusfoximus said:

iPhones are worse when it comes to hardware, but their software is next level. I know that when I'm using an iPhone, I'm pretty much safe from viruses and attacks. This is especially evident where even the FBI has trouble cracking into iPhones. I like the uniform and stable updates across the platform that I know almost everyone will be using, and the stability and priority devs place on IOS apps. I like that my iPad and my iPhone can be linked and my tablet can make calls and send real SMS texts. Most of all, I need imessage. I am currently in high school and everyone has an iPhone. If I want to be in a group chat with my friends, I know I'll be able to. When you're that one person who has a green bubble and 20 other people in the chat have to text SMS just for you versus imessage, it puts a lot of pressure just to use an iPhone. Hopefully, this will change when Google releases its new "Chat" app, but until then I'm going to have to stick to Apple. 

GroupMe is actually a great app to use for group chats in general and works beautifully cross os.

[Daniel644]

12 minutes ago, kokakolia said:

I used Android phones for many years until I recently switched to iPhone 7. Here’s why:

 

- Android phones get absolutely gimped with dumb software updates 2 years after launch (if you have a flagship device). There’s a new Android phone every week and it shows. Manufacturers don’t give 2 cares about their phones after they launch (unless maybe it’s a super expensive flagship product). And then it’s a matter of hacking your phone to install a custom ROM so that you can get the latest version of Android.

- Android phones have no resale value unless they’re some kind of Samsung flagship

- iPhones don’t have to be expensive if you buy used

 

I honestly wouldn’t mind having an Android phone if it were no more than $200 because it will be garbage in 2 years time. So I’m sticking to Apple for the 4+ years of updates.

do you NEED 4+ years of updates though? most apps out there run on android versions that are 4+ years old NOW, you don't HAVE to have the latest version of the OS as long as you get regular security updates, which come nearly monthly on newer Android.

[SupremeGOAT]

7 minutes ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

A lot of people here are commenting random bullshit that has little to do with this, but really, it's all about user experience. You like iOS's simplicity? Cool! You like Android's customizability? Also cool! That's why a ton of phones exist, to suit one's needs.

That's the thing i would expect people who dont understand tech would be the ones to purchase iphones. Given android's ridiculous flexibility i would assume tech savvy people would implement whatever their heart desired onto the device... Most of the posts seem to suggest some people are trapped in the ecosystem which is laughable..lol

[PlayStation 2]

1 minute ago, SupremeGOAT said:

That's the thing i would expect people who dont understand tech would be the ones to purchase iphones. Given android's ridiculous flexibility i would assume tech savvy people would implement whatever their heart desired onto the device... Most of the posts seem to suggest some people are trapped in the ecosystem which is laughable..lol

Well, there is a sense that iOS does offer a better experience because of how it is. Think of it like macOS. Far less customizable than even Windows, much less anything related to Linux. But it runs. It runs really well and it's pretty damn stable.

That's the thing. People like Android. People like iOS. They have their reasons. I usually don't talk shit about Android because I've never had a fair go at it on a decent phone. I do give criticism of iOS where it needs it, though, and especially the iPhones. 1GB of RAM up to the iPhone 6? That shit's kinda dreadful, actually. iOS 8 shipping broken as fuck? I remember that one pretty vividly.

[Drak3]

1 hour ago, r2724r16 said:

iPhone cameras are way ahead of android ones.

Not even remotely true. Past 4 to 5 years, all flagships are equal, with the only real differentiators being stock software auto modes, and which aperture benefited which use case.

[Guest]

Flame war bait is flame war bait....

[Giganthrax]

iPhones are very expensive.

 

Therefore, social status. 

 

Also, unlike Android, iPhone software is much harder to accidentally break. 

[gbergeron]

2 hours ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

The fact that they're very well built? Top of the line specs? Good design? 

 

Brand loyalty? Locked into the Apple ecosystem? Just like Apple products? 

 

I'm not really sure how you're struggling to work out why people buy them. 

Thats mostly marketing what you said cuz they not build that awesomely also specs most often are generations behind samsung or for pc's, apple are always generations behind windows computers

[LogicWeasel]

2 hours ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

The fact that they're very well built? Top of the line specs? Good design? 

Ok so this is a bit too easy but:

 

Good design and well built implies they didn't have a model (iPhone 4) where placing your hand on the phone made calls drop (lower left antenna short anyone?).

 

Top of the line specs?!

>Implying that the hardware is always state of the art:

You mean like that low-grade Intel modem Apple now insists on putting in all their phones because the Qualcomm one every sane flagship maker uses was "too expensive" for the "best phone"

Not to mention that iPhones from any given year always have less RAM in them to cut costs as Apple strives to do.  And it's often half the ram or less than the android competition.

[C2HWarrior]

Snapchat.

[kokakolia]

4 hours ago, Daniel644 said:

do you NEED 4+ years of updates though? most apps out there run on android versions that are 4+ years old NOW, you don't HAVE to have the latest version of the OS as long as you get regular security updates, which come nearly monthly on newer Android.

YES!

 

- Look at Android from 4 years ago. It’s ugly and dated. It diminishes the value of the device. 

- The iPhone 5S is justification why we need 4+ years of updates. The phone still looks good. It still runs like a champ. 

- “As long as you get regular security updates” LMAO. I am laughing so hard I can’t breath. Budget or Midrange Android devices seldom get any updates. You’re lucky if you even get updates for 1 year or at all. You get what you get with cheaper devices. 

 

I personally like Android more than iOS. It’s so much easier to use because of the back button. And the keyboard is nicer too. And notifications are a million times better on Android too. But Android is objectively terrible because of the phone manufacturers not giving two cares about keeping things up to date. Or phone manufacturers that install dumb skins and features that slow down the phone considerably. 

 

I am just begging to see a good Android experience over the course of 3 years on one single device. 

[Arika]

because people can buy what ever they like with their own money.

[Clanscorpia]

Because not everyone wants to customize their phone. I thought I'd want to change everything, but really everything is so much easier when it just works, and it works amazing. Sure theres a few flaws, but considering I used my iPhone 4S up until 6 months ago, those flaws are a lot less apparent then a Samsung phone from the same time. The camera thing is also quite true if you go back a few years, which most people are at unless youre rich. My friend has an S7, and his photos look god awful compared to the camera in my 6s. iPhone cameras are very forgiving, and make life very easy. Apple just works, and thats why everyone who has no interest in diving deep into their phones gets one. Also the thing about specs... it really doesnt matter with an iPhone, because everything is so well optimized, you dont need to throw in 6 gigs of RAM because you'd never use it, and the iPhones have never been generations behind Androids, with the only real reason being the different release cycle between them. 

[Taja]

6 hours ago, Minibois said:

"It just works" - Todd Howard, 2015.

 

People are used to non-stock Android phones being sooooo slow, which is not the case anymore with modern mid end Android phones.

Also, many people have bought into the Apple eco system or even just always had an iPhone and don't want to switch.

Agreed. People tend to say that iphones are faster, more intuitive and better overall. But really, nowadays even mid end phones (whitout tons of bloat anyway) are FASTER than what the regular user will ever need. My moto g5s plus is a beast, and I use it all the time - I wont need anything better for at least 2 years, and yes I am a heavy user (but dont play mobile games).

As for the intuitive part and UI preferences.. it is not true. The best one is the one you are used to, and both IOS and android are easy to use. Just learn for a few days and you are good to go. If you never used any of those, both you look hard, but both are easy in the end.

 

The last part is that it is an Apple product, and ppl value that. Here in Brazil, I always see Apple stickers in CARS, and people insist on buying phones that cost 3-4x the minimun wage. 

If you are a tech person and like an Iphone, be happy, but if you are a regular costumer that think iPhones are great "because", then think again. It became mostly a fashion icon, people like to walk with an iphone like it is a fine piece of clothing - pretty and expensive, mostly for showing off

 

Edit: not saying that iphones are BAD, actually the core problem of Apple products is the price. And the price is absurd because people buy them anyway. Not saying that android phones are perfect also, I hate some of the flagship shenanigans, like putting more and more RAM even when half will never be used.

For me the perfect phone is in the mid range. And I believe almost no one needs a high end phone, actually most dont even need a mid range. But people are not tech savy and do not even know that

And at last, please manufacturers, dont put so much shit on your products. It makes then slow and not intuitive, and I believe It is the main reason why people THINK that apple is better - because they dont do that shit. That reminds me of the MSI notebook gamers nexus reviewed, and he showed that the bloat made the product bad, because the specs were good but the experience was awful. After "cleaning" everything up, the computer was amazing.

[Jsmith]

Because they work.

[Daniel644]

1 hour ago, kokakolia said:

YES!

 

- Look at Android from 4 years ago. It’s ugly and dated. It diminishes the value of the device. 

- The iPhone 5S is justification why we need 4+ years of updates. The phone still looks good. It still runs like a champ. 

- “As long as you get regular security updates” LMAO. I am laughing so hard I can’t breath. Budget or Midrange Android devices seldom get any updates. You’re lucky if you even get updates for 1 year or at all. You get what you get with cheaper devices. 

 

I personally like Android more than iOS. It’s so much easier to use because of the back button. And the keyboard is nicer too. And notifications are a million times better on Android too. But Android is objectively terrible because of the phone manufacturers not giving two cares about keeping things up to date. Or phone manufacturers that install dumb skins and features that slow down the phone considerably. 

 

I am just begging to see a good Android experience over the course of 3 years on one single device. 

1. If you don't like the launcher from 4 years ago or think the one it has looks dated download a NEW one, plenty of launchers out there in the world.

2. The 5S is a steaming pile compared to the modern units, infact anything before the 6 Plus (or whatever it was when they added the NVME storage) is GARBAGE.

3. well don't compare BUDGET phones to a FLAGSHIP IPHONE, you gotta compare other flagships. and REMEMBER there are updates that AREN'T android version updates that are just updates for security and don't change the look of things, iOS only gets full version updates, no small patches. from what I can find it looks like the S7 on Verizon has received 22 updates in the not even 2 and a half years since it launched, including the update to Oreo, you 4 year old 5S has had what 8 updates in that stretch of 4 years?

 

most the women in my family have iPhones and my Boss has had a 3G, 5, 5S and now the 7 over the years, I have more then my share of experience with iPhones, I also have a 5 year old Galaxy Tab 2 7" running a 3-4 year old version of Android and NOTHING looks dated there, unless you are on Gingerbread 2.3 or older nothing looks "dated", what it is is SLOW AS FUCK because it's a 5 year old mid level tablet, you wanna see dated go look at Ipads from that first and second gen, those things are tacky AF looking (my boss had one).

[TheKDub]

7 hours ago, SupremeGOAT said:

Please someone explain to me the fascination with iphones? I know less and less people are buying them but... why are people still buying them? what exactly is the appeal?

For some it's because of the Apple ecosystem. For others it's because of Facetime, iMessage, etc... or it's just what they are used to or prefer.

[captain_to_fire]

7 hours ago, SupremeGOAT said:

Please someone explain to me the fascination with iphones? I know less and less people are buying them but... why are people still buying them? what exactly is the appeal?

Security features...and yes I'm aware that nothing is 100% foolproof including iOS

• All apps submitted to the App Store are sandboxed and reviewed thoroughly for malware 
• iMessage and FaceTime use end-to-end encryption just like Whatsapp and Telegram. Skype and Hangouts only do client to server encryption 
• Once passcode is set up, the iPhone is protected by file level encryption (since iOS 5) 
• Jailbreaking an iPhone is getting harder and harder since iOS 10 
• Timely software updates for at least five years for iPhones since the iPhone 5s. Android is maxed out to three years but there's no guarantee that all Android phones will be patched. iPhones since the 5s received exploit mitigations for Spectrre and Meltdown. I can't say the same thing for all Android phones.

 

Also, I know PCMR people who use iPhones.