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How Android Users See iPhone Owners

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Android or iPhone? The question seems so innocent. But asking it, or sharing your personal opinion on a smartphone brand is asking for a strong and opinionated response — even in response to a well-reasoned statement.

We see it here at GottaBeMobile, where the comments explode when we compare the iPhone 4S to the Galaxy Nexus or iOS to Android. Despite my love for both Android and iPhone, and a passion for innovation that comes from heated competition, I get called a fanboy at least once a day.

I will get called an iPhone fanboy, and two hours later an Android fanboy, but sadly never a smartphone fanboy.

Android vs iPhone

Android vs iPhone

Mike Elgan of ComputerWorld noticed the same results of talking about the Android vs. iPhone, so he asked what Android owners think about iPhone owners. A good question since the Android user base is often much more opinionated, or at the least louder about their opinions.

In his post, What Android fans think of iPhone users, Elgan shares some of the most commonly held beliefs about iPhone owners, straight from the mouths of Android fans.

Here are a four of the highlights, you can find more on the ComputerWorld post. These are reasons I have heard frequently, and am probably guilty of thinking or saying during the early days of the iPhone vs. Android debate.

The iPhone is a status symbol. iPhone buyers are attracted to the Apple brand as a prestigious status symbol or fashion accessory, for the same reasons people like Rolex watches or Gucci bags.

iPhone users will buy anything Apple sells. In the minds of iPhone users, the “halo effect” of other Apple products, including the iPod, carries over to the iPhone.

iPhone users are suckered in by skillful marketing. iPhone users are brainwashed sheep, victims of Steve Jobs’ reality distortion field. Product announcements, commercials, packaging, TV and movie product placements and other marketing campaigns by Apple have convinced users that it’s a better phone. The iPhone’s assumed superiority is marketing-driven perception.

iPhone users don’t like technology. While Android phones feel like “technology,” the iPhone feels like a consumer appliance. Some choose iPhones because they want to avoid technology.

After finally purchasing an iPhone, to use alongside and Android device, I can’t argue with the many areas that the iPhone beats Android, but there are just as many areas where Android phones win. You can learn more about each phone does better in, 14 Days With the iPhone 4S: An Android Switcher.

Ultimately, this is as personal a choice as Ford or Chevy, Budweiser or Coors, religion, politics and your perfect spouse. Without knowing what someone values and wants to do with their phone, it’s impossible to say whether they should go Android or iPhone. If someone claims to tell you otherwise, they are full of it.

So, what do you think of these stereotypes? I’m curious to know what iPhone fans think of Android users.

14 Comments

14 Comments

  1. Iura

    11/05/2011 at 8:37 am

    my choise is Android of course !

  2. Anonymous

    11/05/2011 at 9:17 am

    I see (from both sides) a blind bias toward the competing OS.  Usually not based on facts, but public perception.  While I mostly find that greater with iPhone users (based on reading the blogs (nothing scientific here), it is true for both sides.  There seems to be a trend of respondents taking general comments about a product personally, rather than it being based on the information provided.  So a respondant isn’t replying about the product, or attacking one products faults…they’re attacking the general public using that device.  Almost funny to watch.  And if it’s not an opinion that they share…the respondent is instantly classified as a troll.
    The resulting heated debate that ends up looking like a bunch of immature children bickering, rather than the intelligent conversation that it starts out as.

  3. Guest

    11/05/2011 at 9:42 am

    I’m a current iPhone user getting ready to switch to the Darkside (just kidding about it being the Darkskde). Tha reason is I feeling disappointed in the iPhone 4S offering. I want a larger screen (easier to see) and the LTE speed. There are several other reasons too but those are the two main reasons. It seems Apple just flung this recent offering out know people would take anything as long as it said Apple. I’m just not willing to sign up to a two year contract for an iPhone 4S. I think the Android manufacturers have made great strides in offering a solid product and innovation. Competition is a good thing. Not only must Android phones compete against Apple but they must compete against each other. That has driven this current generation of phones. Both sides, Apple and Android, have contributed but currently IMO Android has superior offerings. Enough to make me want to switch, at least for the next contract cycle.

  4. Tim Davies

    11/05/2011 at 10:19 am

    I’m both a iOS User, as well as a Android user, and I can appreciate what each system brings to the table.

    My gear:
    Main laptop: HP TX2 Laptop/Tablet
    iPad 16Gb Wifi
    HTC Flyer w/Pen
    iPhone 4 32GB No contract, jailbroken 4.3.3 running on a Unlimited iPad Micro-SIM
    8GB iPod Touch 4th G

    I come from the Windows Mobile roots back in 2001 when I got my first Pocket PC. I had to use a Sidekick back then if I wanted mobile web(back when edge was fast). I still remember the excitement that Window Mobile 5.0 brought, and how disappointed I was with Windows Mobile 6.5.
    I Love Android because it offers the same customization that I enjoyed with Windows Mobile back in the day. I can do ANYTHING! BUT the reason I have my iOS devices is because they don’t do everything, but what they are able to do, they do better, or at least enough in a different way that makes me proffer to use the interface over any custom skin I have found available on android. Jailbreaking gives me just enough freedom to not miss the lack of functionality to much.

    With each device, there must be a use.

    My primary laptop does it all. Since I use google voice, I could text, make phones calls….ect as long as I have 3g or wifi(easy with ahotspot) but the Laptop is not best suited to be mobile, just portable. Which is nice if I really need to take it some place with me. This device is the one I use when I am home. The active digitizer is very useful!!

    The iPad is my “laptop replacement” as it is far more mobile and less intrusive in the class room. I’m a full time student, and if I was not, I would not need a iPad. It’s great for taking notes because I can basically spaz out on the keyboard and once I spell a diagnosis correctly, in finishes it for me. The app selection is what I need to get the job done. Android tablets are not there yet. I think they will get there eventually, but at the moment, if you want a 10″ tablet, the iPad is the way to go, no If’s And’s or But’s about it. Once I finish school the iPad will suffer the same fate as my HP TouchPad…become a clock or portable photo frame sitting in the living room.(and a software tinker toy like android on the touchpad)

    My HTC Flyer is also used primarily just for school, but more specifically Clinical. They don’t like you to have your phone out, but the white/aluminum back of the flyer seams to be right at home for a student clad completely in white doing his charting on the floor. The Flyers lets me get creative in what I need to do, and it offers a form factor that iOS does not allow. It also gives me a excuse to play with Android, though I must admit, non of my tinkering had produced as meaningful results on what I need to get done for school.

    The iPhone 4 is my communications device. It’s my hotspot for internet on my other devices, and the small portable device I take with me everywhere. It does what I need it to do very well, and very fast. I got this on launch day and I have not looked back since.

    The 8GB iPod Touch was a gift….I have not seen a reason to sell it since I loaded it up with games from installous(jailbroken) to let other play with. It really is the best gaming device that fits in my WALLET.(islim wallet)

    Next semester I am looking at getting rid of my iPhone 4 and Flyer and getting a Galaxy Note to replace both of them. I have way to many devices and as android progresses I’m going to take advantage of it. But I’ll keep the iPod Touch so I still have access to all those Apps I paid for, if I should ever need them or have use of them. I can see myself going back if the iPhone 5 impresses, but for now I have what I need.

    ….and that was a blog post in its own right…jeeze..lol

  5. William

    11/05/2011 at 10:38 am

    Cheering for any Corporation is just stupid. People who care about what phone you choose have little to do!

  6. Madnessssss

    11/05/2011 at 12:38 pm

    Heres the iPhone users perspective: 

    – Android users remind us of Windows users who haven’t tried a Mac and dont understand why its better. 

    – Apple invented the overall look and feel of touch screen smartphones as we know them, and Android copied. In fact, the android models that closest resemble the iphone tend to sell the best (galaxy sII). Its better to buy from the company with the original inspiration. 

    – iPhone adds value to our iPads and vice versa. Especially with iCoud. 

    – Android evangelists make a big deal out of specs, until a new iPhone smokes all androids in benchmarks and then they change the subject. iPhone users know advanced specs are not real innovation. Faster processors and more ram are inevitable incremental upgrades as time goes on. We care about functionality, ease of use, look, feel, reliability. 

    – Curated App store takes a load off. Android app store feels like browsing Kazaa or some p2p or torrent site. You never know what youre going to get. We can shop apples app store with no worries. 

    – Android evangelist criticisms of Apple and iPhone come off as immature. “They didnt invent the smartphone!” As if Google did? “They arent innovative!” You serious? “Its a closed system!” What benefits are there to Androids theoretically “open” system? “Its not customizable!”. I’d rather let professionals design my phone so I can just use it. Changing the size of app icons just isnt a big selling point for me. Tech geniuses customized my phone for me. 

    – Look and feel. Apple users always see and appreciate the extra work and attention to detail that goes into their user interfaces. Its not something people understand until theyve used an Apple product for a while. We can’t explain it well enough to lure people over, but its a big reason why we will never switch.

  7. Raul Santiago85

    11/05/2011 at 12:45 pm

    Iphone fans think nothing of Android users because, as you stated, iphone fans dont even know why they want an iphone, much less why they don’t want an Android. I have a “facebook friend” who just bought the i4 and talks about it as it’s the greatest thing. She doesn’t care that it’s not the newest. She only cares that it’s an iphone. It could as well be the iphone 2G. She wouldn’t care. As an Android lover and a wireless phone salesman I can say what I like and don’t like about the iphone. I hate selling it that’s for sure. Especially if the customer (as is the case the majority of the time) doesn’t know why they want it or refuse to give android a thought. I always attempt to make the customers feel like fanboys in the subletest of ways, indirectly ridiculing those who’d want to purchase something only because of it’s popularity. It works, sometimes. Most of the time though if a customer wants the iphone, selling them an Android won’t make them happy no matter how much “better” it is. I once talked a guy out of an iphone 4 and convinced him to buy an LG Revolution which is pretty comparable specs wise except the Revolution has 4G LTE and a host of other features the iphone doesn’t have. A week later he returns it and asks for the iphone. Why? Because his friend said it was better. Nevermind that I’ve been in this business for 7 years and put every product through it’s paces. Nevermind that neither myself, my co-workers, or any other Verizon, Sprint, or At&t rep I’ve ever uses Androids. His friend said it was better and the customer is always “right”

  8. Tenfour04

    11/05/2011 at 1:55 pm

    This sort of debate gets heated because a mobile phone costs a lot of money, so people subconsciously feel threatened when confronted with an opinion that they didn’t make the right choice with their wad of cash.

    I use exclusively Android for phone and tablet, but that’s because I develop Android apps. The iPhone is an incredible product. There are a lot of pros and cons for each that depend on the personality and interests of the person that’s shopping for a phone.

  9. Alexander Garcia

    11/05/2011 at 2:08 pm

    Devout fanboys from all camps that immaturely bash other fanboys from opposing camps are all a buncha douche-bags that need to get a life.

  10. Anonymous

    11/06/2011 at 1:03 am

    I’m not gonna complain about the divide. Why? Without this competition, the current crop of super-phones, frankly, would not exist.

  11. Roberto

    11/06/2011 at 7:02 pm

    Frankly the divide is quite stupid. They are just phones. People need to get a grip on reality.

  12. Rbdomingos

    11/07/2011 at 5:23 am

    And nobody mention the iTunes U, a great resource of knowledge for free and exclusive for Apple products.

  13. Brockmorlan

    11/26/2011 at 6:36 pm

    Operating systems are definately important. But who can say the technology for Android is subpar to apple? Faster processor and screens with better cameras and much more 4g…and I mean LTE

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