(unpaywalled version on archive.today: https://archive.ph/03cwZ)
Interesting figure that comes out of the article: 87% of US teens prefer iPhones. Also the explanations given aren’t quite surprising, I guess it’s mostly because of iMessage. Teens will feel like outcasts if they get an Android phone while their friends still use iMessage because of the green bubbles.
It’s actually hilarious how we allowed consumerism to take us this far and that we have now peer pressure over smartphones.
“You’re telling me in 2023, you still have a ’Droid? […] You gotta be at least 50 years old.”
ouch 😔
What I hate about the Android the most that manufacturers are free to fuck em up the way they want to, with enforced bloatware and absolute zero “performance requirements”.
Android would shine if Google enforces everyone to:
I think my shitty “Cat S62 Pro” is the best example - shitty performance, no updates, stuck with Android 11, no 3rd party ROMs, no AOSP Android, no way to reinstall device, enforced bloatware (whatsapp, facebook). If Google would enforce some sort of expected quality - that would be completelly different thing.
So the best thing that android does – allowing choice – is your issue with them? What you’re asking for here is the apple business model. Absolute control. No thanks.
If your issue is you can’t figure out which android phone is good, that’s a you problem. Online reviews exist. Not that hard to research a phone …
Asking Google to enforce freedom is “issue with allowing choice”?
You just referred to freedom as something that should be forced lol
Exactly. That’s the point I am trying to make - if manufacturers want to add Google services (including Google Play store), they should have to follow rules by Google, such as ability to reinstall, restore, change and modify Android OS, have proper performance & optimizations (some sort of benchmark?), otherwise no Google for them. This would directly benefit consumers and they can use their phones longer.
50% at fault is Google here for not forcing such requirements. Or manufacturers can go “Huawei way” and do whatever they like.
Obviously I am not referring to phones like Google Pixel (I have one and it’s great). I am referring to other manufacturers. “Cat S63 pro” or whatever one that I have that is my backup phone and it sucks ass.
Yeah, again you’re advocating for Google to be more like apple. The fact that shitty phones are allowed to exist is definitely a positive thing. Because that allows choice. Just do your research and don’t buy that shitty one to begin with. Unless it’s all you can afford, in which case, it probably costs less than a third of the cheapest iPhone.
How is this a positive thing?
Isn’t my point about advocating Google to enforce choice? You are focusing on part of my message about quality requirements.
Lorem ipsum bla bla bla. I already have Pixel 7p and I have no issues with it. However, someone would buy a random smartphone that does not work, lags like hell, sees that it’s utterly slow and decodes to swap to iphone. Boom - iPhone is better than Android! I assume that’s why lots of people prefer iphones over android.
I think people can handle the idea that a phone is not its operating system. It’s pretty obvious a $30 product is not equivalent to a $900 product. People have understood that since currency was invented
In what world would this be a good idea? I much prefer OneUI over AOSP for example. Option to easily opt-in for unlocking bootloader and flash stock ROM would be a good thing though.
Well, the idea is still the same - allow users to modify their device as they would love to. OneUI is a matter of preference - you should be able to install it on any device, just like you have such ability on Linux. It should come as a package to core Android OS.
Currently you are locked to Android OS modifications when you purchase the device.
Why exactly you should be able to do it? Because of an ideology that you hold? It does not make any sense business wise for Samsung to develop ROM that could be smoothly run on random phones, it is their IP which is their revenue.
Google itself does not provide all of the Pixel-only features because that’s their own thing, they want to sell it not just hand it out.
We in theory already have a mechanism for showing dissatisfaction - Do not like something, do not buy it.
Currently the best options if you want to have a phone with newest OS for a long time:
I was referring to freedom in general. It does not have to be this way. For example, Samsung should allow their phones to be unlocked like pixel does. Samsung should provide kernel sources of their devices, so 3rd party developers can continue support their devices when Samsung decides to abandom them. And there should be an ability to install AOSP on any phone.
Think of a laptop - does not matter which device you buy. It could be HP, could be MSI. Thing is - I can install Windows or Linux on it, reinstall as much as I want to. Manufacturer provides drivers and that’s it. Why can’t we have something similar in smartphones ecosystem?
I wish it does. But guess what - 3rd psrty developers managed to port it. For example - Pixel Experience ROMs.
For myself it’s not an issue. I am referring to those people who purchased random shitty android smartphone, then swapped to iphone, then realised how better iphone is and then became lifelong fans of iphones.
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