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Apple is true strength is marketing (not innovation). Take the iPOD for example - the original version was mediocre compared to some of the other mp3 players that were available on the market at that time from companies such as iRiver and Creative, but the iPOD became a blockbuster due solely to Apple's marketing prowess.
That's simply not true. You simply don't understand how consumers react to new technology products. Can you show me some links of these products from iRiver and Creative? I am really interested in seeing how these products were so much better than the original iPod. Did they come with easy to use software like the iTunes? Did they have a UI that was beautifully designed and intuitive?
Apple is true strength is marketing (not innovation).
What a joke.
iPhone was not an innovation? Changed the game for everyone. What about the iPad? Now there are thousands of touch screen phones and tablets. All came after the Apple products.
And now coming to the PC which dominated for years. Even here, the Mac-book is getting better and better, while the PC is trying to become a tablet/phone/watch/garbage device. Every serious person own and uses a Mac-book even though it is expensive. Why? Cause of Apple marketing?
It's funny to see these people saying Apple is more marketing than innovation when it's the Apple innovation with the original iPhone in 2007 that has served as the blueprint to whatever smartphone you're using right now. Go look at the original iPhone keynote and try to remember what popular "smartphones" were like before the iPhone and what they're like now. You favorite Android device has Apple DNA and innovation all over it. The same for tablets. It's no coincidence that there is now a tablet "market" after Apple unveiled the iPad.
Now to dismantle the other misguided posts here:
iPod: Were their MP3 players before the iPod? Yes.
iPhone: Were their smartphones before the iPhone? Yes.
iPad: Were there tablets before iPad? Yes
So why was Apple able to change the landscape of these markets and takeover? It wasn't marketing. The underlying problem with other manufacturers is the ease of use of their products and the overall customer experience. MP3 players before the iPod were clunky, difficult to use, and frustrating to the masses. The click wheel was ingenious and made everything easy to navigate, in turn leading to a superior end user experience.
As for smartphones I can remember how clunky, frustrating, and sloppy they were prior to the iPhone. Apple streamlined the experience and made it easy for the consumer to use. The interface is everything. Android received the reputation as a "poor man's iPhone" because when it was first released that's exactly what it was. It was a cheaper way to get an iPhone-like experience. At the time having an iPhone required you to sign up for an expensive monthly plan with AT&T.
On from the history lesson and fast forward to today, why do I still buy the iPhone over Androids and other competing devices?
- iOS still provides the most reliable and stable experience. I get less crashes of apps and "force closes" than I did when using Android devices. Androids have gotten much smoother since the days of Gingerbread but for some reason they still aren't quite as smooth as iOS.
- Customer support. This is a big one. Apple has hundreds of retail stores that people can go to if there's any issue with their device. If it's something covered by warranty then you can walk out with a new iPhone right there on the spot. With Android OEMs you have to go through archaic process of mailing your phone back and waiting to receive a new one in the mail. Meaning you might be without a phone for 3-5 days. Also even if you phone is totally out of warranty Apple will still diagnose the device and offer an out of warranty replacement for $199/$249, etc. depending on the device. If your Android is over 1 year old and craps out on you then HTC/Samsung/LG will tell you to cough up $600 for a new phone. After 1 year your device is no longer relevant to them. Apple is so far ahead of the competition in customer service that it's not even funny.
- Resale value. If one buys the latest iPhone at release then he can likely get anywhere around $400 for it one year later. With Androids the value plummets after about 6-8 months on the market. Right now an unlocked iPhone 5S is worth more than an unlocked Galaxy S5 on the used market. The high resale value makes it easier to upgrade more often with iPhones.
- Apps. For all of Android's marketshare, it's still the secondary platform of development. For those who don't know, what this means is that Android usually gets apps some time after they've been in Apple's App Store or sometimes not at all. It's also not uncommon for the iOS versions of some apps to have more features than the Android version.
- Integration. This one isn't a big deal if you don't own any other Apple products. But for those who own iPads and Macs it's pretty amazing. iMessage, SMS, FaceTime, Phone Calls, Photos, Safari tabs, Mail, and more are all seamlessly integrated across your Apple devices. If I'm working on my Mac I can make or receive a phone call right there. I can also send text messages to people. If I take a picture with my iPhone it's almost immediately available on my Mac and iPad as well. Mind you all of this is built in seamlessly and no third party apps are required.
- Updates. With Apple you can rest assured that your iPhone will receive software updates for at least 3 years after release. The iPhone 4S received iOS 8. With Android many devices receive 1 or often no updates after they're released. Abandoned by the manufacturer like an orphaned child. Or if you're lucky enough to get one of the devices that does get an update then it might be several months before the carrier and manufacturer decide to push it to you. How many devices are running Lollipop right now?
- Camera. I like taking pictures with my phones and the latest iPhone is usually one of, if not the best smartphone camera on the market at a given time.
- Backups. When you backup your iPhone in iTunes it backs up absolutely everything. Photos, contacts, messages, music, apps, and all of your settings. So when you upgrade and restore your backup to your new iPhone, everything is exactly as it was on the old phone. Everything. Almost as if it were the exact same phone. As far as I know Android still offers no built-in equivalent solution. I still have text messages from my iPhone 3G in 2008 and here it is 2014 and I have an iPhone 6.
- iTunes Music. For my criticisms of iTunes I have to say it still has the best overall music interface. I tried various Music apps when I used Android (Play Music, Amazon Music, and few others I forgot the name of) and they all were slower, more clunky, and crashed more often than the Music App on the iPhone. Also with iTunes Match I have my entire 16000 song iTunes library available at all times on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Anytime I edit a playlist or play a song, it's automatically updated across all 3 devices.
Can almost all of these things be done on an Android? Yes. Can they be done right out of the box without jumping through hoops of finding the best third party apps to do it, setting up accounts with 2 or 3 different companies, and tinkering with settings and things all day? No.
So in the end it's about the end user experience. Apple just does it better. iOS is better at managing resources so they're able to offer and superior experience with lower raw specs. Android NEEDS 2-3GB of RAM to run because it's so inefficient with managing resources. How else can Android fans explain the 1GB RAM iPhone 6 Plus lagging and stuttering less than the Note 4? A lot of you guys don't even seem to understand what innovation is. Since when is just putting more raw specs in your device an innovation?
People keep coming back to Apple because the product is fast, reliable, and works for everything they need it to work for. Along with the superior customer support. It's not marketing alone (though that's certainly a small part of it).
Ironically the lead Android manufacturer is the company that has been exposed for being all marketing and little innovation. Samsung burst into the forefront of Android with the Galaxy S3 with genius marketing aimed at Apple users. They successfully painted themselves as the Android alternative to Apple with their massive marketing blitz. Fast forward to today and Samsung's smartphone division is in profit free fall because they don't offer a product that's good enough to backup the marketing. Mind you this company spent more on marketing than Apple, Microsoft, and Coca-Cola combined. So the lesson is that Apple does have some clever marketing but they also have the quality product and customer service to back it up. That's why people keep coming back. No one is duped or tricked. If you like Android better then that's fine. It certainly isn't the unusable platform that it was in 2011 but don't try to bash the iPhone or its users because it's more popular than your niche device.
You started out so well until you started spewing lies about iPhones. Sure, the iPhone may be able to perform your basic tasks with ease, but Android can just do so much more. It's like comparing a $700 laptop to a $300 chromebook: The chromebook may be able to provide a smooth experience while checking your email and streaming youtube, but does it have the functionality or deep customization of the $700 PC? No. The same thing applies when comparing iPhones to Android; the only difference is, the iPhone costs $700 and the Android also costs $700. Would you buy a chromebook for $700 that does your basics well when you can get a fully featured laptop for the same price? No.
Apple doesn't make a innovative product, they make a watered-down and underfeatured product and then charge a bunch because they know people will buy it anyway.
Oh yeah, and not to mention your argument of Apple products just "working" how you want them to is true to Android as well, you're just inexperienced in the platform. I've used both platforms extensively, and doing these things on Android is just as easy.
Android phones are not a superior product for my needs. They're great phones, but the iPhone works best for me. Maybe someday that will change, but not yet. Markekting has absolutlely zilch to do with my choice of phone.
Specs blow away the iPhone (except internal storage so Google can push the cloud). If you've ever used a flagship Android phone, you'd know that every single one starting at the original Droid was every bit as smooth as the iPhone has been.
All those "revolutionary" features that iPhone touted when they debuted were copies of Android. Google voice search beat Siri to market by 3 years and had more functionality. Retina display? Samsung's phones looked amazing before that (since they manufactured the displays).
Apple products are solid. The user experience is excellent. But they are not a technological innovator. Apple's success has never had anything to do with technological innovation. They are very good at marketing and playing off market trends. It's like paying for a BMW and getting a Mazda. Consumers get good products at outrageous prices, and they're willing to pay because of Apple's brand. That is how great marketing works, and Apple is the master of it.
I just got an iPhone for the first time yesterday. The iPhone 5c to be specific. Ever since I had a smartphone, I had an Android based device. The most recent was the Samsung Galaxy S II. A bit old to today's standards, I know, but I've had it for almost two years and liked it. Probably would have kept it a little longer if it wasn't having problems. Time to upgrade and iPhone was having a sale. The Galaxy S 5 was too and I was debating, but I decided to jump on the iPhone bandwagon for a variety of reasons such as starting a new job where everyone had an iPhone, some family members had it including one who lived long distance and can do facetime, was tired of having problems with Androids I've had including battery problems, and for sheer curiousness to see if it was as great as everyone claims it is.
--snip--
So basically you made a purchase without really looking at whether or not the product meets your requirements. Not sure about society, but I'd say you certainly were....
Specs blow away the iPhone (except internal storage so Google can push the cloud). If you've ever used a flagship Android phone, you'd know that every single one starting at the original Droid was every bit as smooth as the iPhone has been.
"But it's not about specs" said every Apple Fan Boy since the beginning of time...
Look... as I always say, I love all technology...
But any Android Fan Boy that CANNOT admit what a "Revolution" that first iPhone was is simply just being a ... mmmm... stick in the mud... unable to give any credit where it is due.
What did we have before the iPhone?
This:
and this:
These were THE BEST Smartphones on the market.
100% geared towards business. Not ONE company had released a "touch phone" that was aimed squarely at consumers. NOT ONE.
And then.... even AFTER the iPhone had come out.... this.... THIS was Microsoft's Response?!?!
And I know...because I had one (still do actually).
Apple was the first company to bring out a SEXY AND FUN PHONE FOR THE MASSES. The CONSUMER MASSES.
Yes, yes, blablabla Google had one in development...but they got handily beat to release by Apple. They made a cool, fun and sexy phone AND they marketed it right.
And YES Apple shot themselves by only releasing on ATT.
Certainly not every move every one made was great.
But to sit here and deny that they had NO IMPACT... that Apple didn't RAISE THE BAR on what a phone should be.... then you just weren't paying attention.
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