The Real Truth Behind Android Sales?
So, if you're like me, you probably see the tug of war between the iPhone and the Android. In the world of telecommunications where I work, this tug of war plays out constantly.
But one thing always gets me - the headlines week after week, month after month, it seems that the market appears fickle, and that sales of this droid or another always seem to surge and release, and then an article comes out about how great iPhones are or how dedicated iPhone users are, or Apple posts their quarterly numbers and people see the real sales totals that result ing the "oh shit" reaction in the press, gushing about how great Apple is.
I think however, there's a factor behind those high droid sales - it's something I've seen at the office with numerous coworkers, and it's something that the Apple world doesn't experience that often. Simply put, it's the phone replacement/upgrade/repair cycle. An extension of the old adage, the grass is always greener in your neighbors yard.
Now in my case, this is really true - my neighbors to water more than I do - I mean, after all, we live in the high plains and Kentucky bluegrass is hardly anything close to native here, so I water the absolute minimum amount - not one iota more than needed. Sure, if it didn't rain for most of July, my yard would already be a brown dustbowl, but even now, my neighbors are probably watering as I edit this, or planning their next foray into yard fixer-upping. But I digress.
A good friend of mine has the Star Wars "R2" Motorola droid - definitely a cool droid phone, but this particular phone doesn't seem to be that mainstream as droids go, but there's plenty of other models to go around. This friend has had some issues with his phone, and I think he got it replaced without issue - a fairly standard expectation given what he paid for it, and it's particular special niche being a specific model of sci-fi fan phone and all. My friend is the sole exception to my theory in this droid sales matter - he's that "static" kind of customer, who's not going to change phones, unless he can retire his R2D2 phone in favor of something cooler - like a pit droid phone, or perhaps a C3PO gold phone - but I seriously doubt that people would want a phone that embodies Sheldon Cooper on their hip. Oh, the humanities!
So what I now theorize is the reason for the droid sales is based on the observation of other folks n my office. Large numbers of them have changed from one droid to another, seemingly often. Now I'll admit, there's some bias in my observation here - I'm an iPhone user - I had a 3GS and enjoy my iPhone 4 now. I also happen to work for a fairly large cellular carrier too - one that carries droid phones too.
What I have noted is that a good number of other folks in my office appear to replace their droids when as often as the opportunity presents itself. One coworker moved away from his iPhone 3GS over battery issues, and has since had a Motorola Palm-clone, the Palm phone, and 3 different droid models, each one moving forward to a different degree, first from a big screen to a bigger screen, and now he's got the 3D phone. Note that I've not even worked 3 years at this job, but this guy's been through more cell phones than anyone should ever consume - and he's the only person I know who's actually cut away from Apple's iPhone. He still loves his Mac though.
Another coworker went through a number of Motorola droids before he finally lowered the boom on Verizon with the quiet ultimatum "Guys, I've been a customer for ages and you can't seem to get me into a reliable phone - we've send this droid model (their best one at the time) back for repair/replacement 3 times, what's next?" only to be awarded with an iPhone and a "Please Be Happy". Funny thing is, he's been through a few phones in the last couple of years too - but he's no longer looking at alternatives because he's realized what other iPhone owners (like myself) have realized. Sometimes it's not the gadget that we seek, but rather, it's the reliability of a portable safe haven that just does the job and doesn't die.
So my realization is a relatively simple one - I think that Droid sales as an overall statistic are generally overstated by the industry that supplies them - if their product was snappier, and it perhaps wasn't so poorly integrated at times, then it's possible that some folks could pick their droids just once, and run with them until they wear out. I think that Droid owners aren't all satisfied, though, some are - and others are just in it to play. With iPhone's, the play is in the device - you don't change them out often, only when the upgrade is out and you're ready (and can afford it - always an Apple factor.)
So that's my rant - droid sales are driven by blind consumers who keep changing phones looking for a good fit, while they avoid the iPhone on principal, not realizing what they're missing.
My R2D2 droid friend finally bought a iPad - he says it's for managing his VMware servers are work, and I believe him. I bet he uses that app twice a week to justify having the iPad, and I'm sure he loves his iPad, though he won't admit it. I'd bet money he's got Angry Birds on it now...
But one thing always gets me - the headlines week after week, month after month, it seems that the market appears fickle, and that sales of this droid or another always seem to surge and release, and then an article comes out about how great iPhones are or how dedicated iPhone users are, or Apple posts their quarterly numbers and people see the real sales totals that result ing the "oh shit" reaction in the press, gushing about how great Apple is.
I think however, there's a factor behind those high droid sales - it's something I've seen at the office with numerous coworkers, and it's something that the Apple world doesn't experience that often. Simply put, it's the phone replacement/upgrade/repair cycle. An extension of the old adage, the grass is always greener in your neighbors yard.
Now in my case, this is really true - my neighbors to water more than I do - I mean, after all, we live in the high plains and Kentucky bluegrass is hardly anything close to native here, so I water the absolute minimum amount - not one iota more than needed. Sure, if it didn't rain for most of July, my yard would already be a brown dustbowl, but even now, my neighbors are probably watering as I edit this, or planning their next foray into yard fixer-upping. But I digress.
A good friend of mine has the Star Wars "R2" Motorola droid - definitely a cool droid phone, but this particular phone doesn't seem to be that mainstream as droids go, but there's plenty of other models to go around. This friend has had some issues with his phone, and I think he got it replaced without issue - a fairly standard expectation given what he paid for it, and it's particular special niche being a specific model of sci-fi fan phone and all. My friend is the sole exception to my theory in this droid sales matter - he's that "static" kind of customer, who's not going to change phones, unless he can retire his R2D2 phone in favor of something cooler - like a pit droid phone, or perhaps a C3PO gold phone - but I seriously doubt that people would want a phone that embodies Sheldon Cooper on their hip. Oh, the humanities!
So what I now theorize is the reason for the droid sales is based on the observation of other folks n my office. Large numbers of them have changed from one droid to another, seemingly often. Now I'll admit, there's some bias in my observation here - I'm an iPhone user - I had a 3GS and enjoy my iPhone 4 now. I also happen to work for a fairly large cellular carrier too - one that carries droid phones too.
What I have noted is that a good number of other folks in my office appear to replace their droids when as often as the opportunity presents itself. One coworker moved away from his iPhone 3GS over battery issues, and has since had a Motorola Palm-clone, the Palm phone, and 3 different droid models, each one moving forward to a different degree, first from a big screen to a bigger screen, and now he's got the 3D phone. Note that I've not even worked 3 years at this job, but this guy's been through more cell phones than anyone should ever consume - and he's the only person I know who's actually cut away from Apple's iPhone. He still loves his Mac though.
Another coworker went through a number of Motorola droids before he finally lowered the boom on Verizon with the quiet ultimatum "Guys, I've been a customer for ages and you can't seem to get me into a reliable phone - we've send this droid model (their best one at the time) back for repair/replacement 3 times, what's next?" only to be awarded with an iPhone and a "Please Be Happy". Funny thing is, he's been through a few phones in the last couple of years too - but he's no longer looking at alternatives because he's realized what other iPhone owners (like myself) have realized. Sometimes it's not the gadget that we seek, but rather, it's the reliability of a portable safe haven that just does the job and doesn't die.
So my realization is a relatively simple one - I think that Droid sales as an overall statistic are generally overstated by the industry that supplies them - if their product was snappier, and it perhaps wasn't so poorly integrated at times, then it's possible that some folks could pick their droids just once, and run with them until they wear out. I think that Droid owners aren't all satisfied, though, some are - and others are just in it to play. With iPhone's, the play is in the device - you don't change them out often, only when the upgrade is out and you're ready (and can afford it - always an Apple factor.)
So that's my rant - droid sales are driven by blind consumers who keep changing phones looking for a good fit, while they avoid the iPhone on principal, not realizing what they're missing.
My R2D2 droid friend finally bought a iPad - he says it's for managing his VMware servers are work, and I believe him. I bet he uses that app twice a week to justify having the iPad, and I'm sure he loves his iPad, though he won't admit it. I'd bet money he's got Angry Birds on it now...
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