Why Do People Buy iPhones?

[+sphbecker MVC]

I know a lot of people like to tease the "it just works" slogan, especially when there are problems and it doesn't work.  However, the iPhone is consistent and easy to learn.  It does what most people need it to, the features it has work as expected and are not hard to figure out.  It doesn't change a lot from model to model.  A lot of people (and business too) find that comforting.  There is also a strong brand value.  A lot of people buy Apple for the status symbol.  Most people don't think about this, but I really like how long Apple supports its iPhones (which is funny, because their supper short support cycle of their computers is something I tease a lot).

[Astra.Xtreme]

I know a lot of people like to tease the "it just works" slogan, especially when there are problems and it doesn't work.  However, the iPhone is consistent and easy to learn.  It does what most people need it to, the features it has work as expected and are not hard to figure out.  It doesn't change a lot from model to model.  A lot of people (and business too) find that comforting.  There is also a strong brand value.  A lot of people buy Apple for the status symbol.  Most people don't think about this, but I really like how long Apple supports its iPhones (which is funny, because their supper short support cycle of their computers is something I tease a lot).

Their computers have a short support cycle?  I have a Mini from 2009 that's still supported.

When the transition from PPC to Intel occurred, there were some cutoffs, but that's understandable for obvious reasons.

[+Warwagon MVC]

from a financial standpoint, the iPhone is a great investment compared to other phones.  Android phone and Windows phone usually lose about 80% of their value at the end of two years.  I know people getting over $150 for iPhone 4S's right now.  

 

The iPhone is also easy to use and pretty consistent with it's user experience.  

 

That is because there are stupid people willing to pay that much for a 4 o 4s.

[jamieakers]

My only exposure to the iPhone has been a good friends teenage sons (15 and 19).  The youngest has just bought himself an iPhone 6 (to replace an iPhone 5) and when asked why he had bought it his response was simply "all my friends have one".  I asked what it does over his iPhone 5 and the only response was "it's newer and I need to have one".  From my limited exposure it's all about being seen to have the device, it's a status symbol.  I have to congratulate Apple Marketing on being able to achieve this almost religious status.

 

I was an Android fan myself for many years (even had the G1 on launch day) I found it was great when the device was new but as newer apps came out the device became sluggish and ran out of space.  Some apps (Facebook in particular) seemed to hog resources and take up huge amounts of space and had no obvious option to move to SD card to free up space so in the end I simply had to buy a newer device.  Rinse and repeat this a half dozen times and I wasn't too sad to wave goodbye to the last Android phone (Motorola Milestone 3).

 

Now on the second Windows Phone - Dell Venue Pro and now a Lumia 625.  It doesn't slow down when I put apps on it, it seems to multitask really well and it hooks up with my OneDrive and edits Office documents with ease.  I'm not of the generation that use Snapchat/WhatsApp/etc so I've not found any "missing" apps for the platform neither.

[siah1214]

There is nothing wrong with any phone, if you like it.

That is way too much rationality for a discussion on the internet. Get out of here with that. 

[+InsaneNutter MVC]

I imagine people buy iPhones because the brand has a great reputation and Apple are very good with the warranty / repair side of things. I know people who have purchased second hand iPhones on Ebay then had something go wrong with the phone, they have been to an Apple store and even told the Apple the phone was purchased on Ebay, however despite that Apple have replaced the phone (I presume with a factory refurbished phone) as the original warranty had not yet expired.

 

When people i know have got new iPhone's all they have done is signed in to their iCloud account and the phone has been setup exactly the same as their old phone, complete with save data for the applications they had installed.

 

Personally i do think the iPhone is a rip off, however that doesn't make it a bad device. I can certainly see why people like them, i could just never justify spending so much a phone.

 

My friend spend

[ACTIONpack]

I've own an iPhone to 3G. After that I switch to the Windows Phone from HTC HD7, Nokia Lumia 710 to HTC X8 and now Lumia 925. Personal I find the WP OS quicker to use over the iOS even those the iOS8 is prettier. The hardware from the iPhone 6 is better looking and built better then any phone ivenseen or use.

I have never own but use an Android phone and find that it runs slow from the start. The only reason I buy Android tablet because I can get good spec for $200 which I would need to spend $500 for the Air 2.

Android people will hate on iPhone burn when you have 10 little icons on the status bar but the keyboard icon telling you the keyboard I'd open, you can understand why this is not really design for small devices. P!us the bloatware which you can't get away from unless you get it from google nexus line.

[adrynalyne]

I've own an iPhone to 3G. After that I switch to the Windows Phone from HTC HD7, Nokia Lumia 710 to HTC X8 and now Lumia 925. Personal I find the WP OS quicker to use over the iOS even those the iOS8 is prettier. The hardware from the iPhone 6 is better looking and built better then any phone ivenseen or use.

I have never own but use an Android phone and find that it runs slow from the start. The only reason I buy Android tablet because I can get good spec for $200 which I would need to spend $500 for the Air 2.

Android people will hate on iPhone burn when you have 10 little icons on the status bar but the keyboard icon telling you the keyboard I'd open, you can understand why this is not really design for small devices. P!us the bloatware which you can't get away from unless you get it from google nexus line.

You can hide the bloatware just fine in Android, and even turn it off.  Not an issue, and hasn't been for years.  With lollipop, you can remove them (or so I have heard).  The keyboard switcher is there for convenience, so that you can switch keyboards on the fly.  It isn't a big deal.  As for too many icons in the notification area, I would consider swiping them away more than once every 24-48 hours.  The small devices comment doesn't really make sense.

[Rippleman]

You can hide the bloatware just fine in Android, and even turn it off.  Not an issue, and hasn't been for years.  With lollipop, you can remove them (or so I have heard).  The keyboard switcher is there for convenience, so that you can switch keyboards on the fly.  It isn't a big deal.  As for too many icons in the notification area, I would consider swiping them away more than once every 24-48 hours.  The small devices comment doesn't really make sense.

 

hiding it doesn't mean its not still there. Disabling works, but then, why should you have to? It should be able to be uninstalled if the user wishes. This goes for all ecosystems.

[adrynalyne]

hiding it doesn't mean its not still there. Disabling works, but then, why should you have to? It should be able to be uninstalled if the user wishes. This goes for all ecosystems.

You don't have to do anything if you do not want.  Most users do not care about bloat, and therefore its an non-issue for most. What I call bloat isn't necessarily what another person does.

The fact that you have a choice is something, OR, you can buy international versions of devices and avoid carrier bloat altogether.

[Draconian Guppy]

You can hide the bloatware just fine in Android, and even turn it off.  Not an issue, and hasn't been for years.  With lollipop, you can remove them (or so I have heard).  The keyboard switcher is there for convenience, so that you can switch keyboards on the fly.  It isn't a big deal.  As for too many icons in the notification area, I would consider swiping them away more than once every 24-48 hours.  The small devices comment doesn't really make sense.

Not really, on an LG G3 running lollipop, you cannot remove bloatware without rooting.

[adrynalyne]

Not really, on an LG G3 running lollipop, you cannot remove bloatware without rooting.

Then I guess your carrier disabled the service.

[Draconian Guppy]

Then I guess your carrier disabled the service.

Nope, factory unlocked international no carrier version d855...

 

There was a lot of revolt over at XDA when official factory roms were made available and the promise to be able to uninstall bloatware was not fulfilled unless you own a nexus basically... Because Samsung, LG and HTC all on lollipop  (I can confirm S5 and LG g3, haven't tested M8).

[typu]

I had feature phones in the nokia era. then i bought my first smartphone, the iphone 3gs. i kinda liked it and appreciated all the stuff you could do with it.

after that first apple encounter i switched to android (reason: i was curious of android and the apple os was kinda limited at that times).

 had a lg, 2 nexus, samsung and i think even a htc at some point. not entirely sure.

 

the nexus 4 was my last android device before i switched to a iphone 5s and now the 6.

the reasons are simple:

 

- i dont feel the necessity anymore to tinker around with the android os. i dont have to, but for some reason android wants you to tinker around. switching launchers, skins, etc. i just grew tired of it.

- since its roots android always had issues with either performance or battery. processes killing your battery or heating up your phone. it always happened at some point.

- crashes, restarts, always happened, less on the nexus, much less, very frequent on the lg i had

- update philosophy is just poor. i want frequent fixes and updates, guaranteed at least 2 years. i have that with every apple device, i dont with android

- the devices just grew too big. if i had to buy an android, the sony z3 compact it would be. the rest of the devices are too big for me.

- app store: still beats android store, quality and quantity.

 

all in all: i enjoy the simplicity of the apple device. i miss much less than what i disliked on the android. its that simple.

[Obry]

I used to hate on iPhones (coming from Android and then Windows Phone) until I got one through work. Waiting on my next iPhone (6) to arrive any day. Great devices and they just work. Can't say the same for my old Android but that was during the Android 2.x days up to 4.0. Never got to play with anything newer so I'm sure situation has improved to a certain extent. What I also like with iPhone is that every phone works the same way. With Android it's almost like having a totally different OS based on whether you have an HTC, Samsung, Motorola, etc device. Every time I've had to use my wife's (previous generation) HTC One I've disliked the HTC UI they have on it and just doesn't seem nowhere near as fluid and integrated as my iPhone. She was an Android die hard but wants an iPhone for her next phone after seeing how much I enjoy mine and having used it several times. Overall they are more elegant devices.

 

Also, not sure about the lacking advanced features arguments. I remember back in the day my friends used to ask me to jailbreak their phones all the time to be able to install Cydia and such things. Now with the latest iOS releases I haven't had anyone ask me to do any such thing anymore...

[The_Observer]

Have owned them all, iPhone/Andriods/Windows Phone, but i all ways come back to iPhone. For me the hardware/iOS are second to none, i dont need to root the phone to get better roms, i trust everything i down from the apps store knowing that there is no malware in apps. Andriod is great for power users that want to root the phone install the internet on there phone. WIndows Phone is great for kids.  All family have iPhones and they have used Adoirds before hand, they had nothing but back exp. And lets not forget the Apple Care. So in all im Pro iPhone and will happy keep buying them (to a point). 

 

Update: Forgot about updates, yearly updates and i know the my current model has three years of updates with it.

[fusi0n]

Have owned them all, iPhone/Andriods/Windows Phone, but i all ways come back to iPhone. For me the hardware/iOS are second to none, i dont need to root the phone to get better roms, i trust everything i down from the apps store knowing that there is no malware in apps. Andriod is great for power users that want to root the phone install the internet on there phone. WIndows Phone is great for kids.  All family have iPhones and they have used Adoirds before hand, they had nothing but back exp. And lets not forget the Apple Care. So in all im Pro iPhone and will happy keep buying them (to a point). 

 

Update: Forgot about updates, yearly updates and i know the my current model has three years of updates with it.

Very True. Android is highly fragmented, devices are stilling being shipped with old versions, most flagship android phones are lucky to get major OS upgrade, and having to wait a long time for it.. I have used Android since 2009 (HTC Hero) has has switched back and forth since, using 12+ phones since then, (along with some Blackberry).. iPhone just works, firm no bloatware. No need to root and remove it. Most OEMS have tons of bloat that I don't want, I end up just wanting to flash CM. Custom Roms tend to be not as stable as factory roms until it has matured.. Google needs to tighten up on OEMs IMO.. 

 

I'll usually run out and get the latest Android devices but, end up going back to an iPhone.. I'm done with the revolving door and sticking with Apple.

 

To answer the question why do people by iPhones, that's a pretty less than intelligent question..Not every shoes fits.. The average person doesn't want to mess with Android and just wants to use a phone that's simple and something they can get help with.. The first year you buy an iPhone, you can setup an appointment with Apple and they will walk you through and help you with whatever.. Walk into AT&T or Verizon.. Have fun..  

[Charles_EB]

Apple makes the best integration of hardware and software. The seamless integration in the iPhone makes it a device that is second to none.

 

And about people buying more of these iphones, here is why i think :

Apple has a history of developing systems that have a closed environment. This makes the system far more secure than others. 

[DeadEndAccount]

Have owned them all, iPhone/Andriods/Windows Phone, but i all ways come back to iPhone. For me the hardware/iOS are second to none, i dont need to root the phone to get better roms, i trust everything i down from the apps store knowing that there is no malware in apps. Andriod is great for power users that want to root the phone install the internet on there phone. WIndows Phone is great for kids.  All family have iPhones and they have used Adoirds before hand, they had nothing but back exp. And lets not forget the Apple Care. So in all im Pro iPhone and will happy keep buying them (to a point). 

 

Update: Forgot about updates, yearly updates and i know the my current model has three years of updates with it.

 

 

Very True. Android is highly fragmented, devices are stilling being shipped with old versions, most flagship android phones are lucky to get major OS upgrade, and having to wait a long time for it.. I have used Android since 2009 (HTC Hero) has has switched back and forth since, using 12+ phones since then, (along with some Blackberry).. iPhone just works, firm no bloatware. No need to root and remove it. Most OEMS have tons of bloat that I don't want, I end up just wanting to flash CM. Custom Roms tend to be not as stable as factory roms until it has matured.. Google needs to tighten up on OEMs IMO.. 

 

I'll usually run out and get the latest Android devices but, end up going back to an iPhone.. I'm done with the revolving door and sticking with Apple.

 

To answer the question why do people by iPhones, that's a pretty less than intelligent question..Not every shoes fits.. The average person doesn't want to mess with Android and just wants to use a phone that's simple and something they can get help with.. The first year you buy an iPhone, you can setup an appointment with Apple and they will walk you through and help you with whatever.. Walk into AT&T or Verizon.. Have fun..  

 

Agreed with both posts - for me, I went through the phase of wanting tweak and recompile (PC's running *BSD then stuffing around with Archlinux) along with Android phones but eventually at some point you lose an interest and just want to use your computer with minimum fuss and bother. I know when I purchase the iPhone 6 that I'll get a good 3 years out of it including software updates and upgrades - I'll probably upgrade before then but it is nice to know that when I do upgrade it is on my own terms and not because the handset vendor has abandoned me since their interest in their customer stops the moment that money changes hands. There is also the issue of integration which I guess is a less of an issue if you're a PC user but for a Mac user who has iCloud for email, contacts, calendaring etc. not to mention continuity, being able to answer the phone on my computer etc. these are the icing on a very tasty cake.

[remixedcat]

Dude just get another ROM and OS up[dates are moot.

[Gary2MBz]

I've been self-debating on an Android device back in the iPhone 4s days. My ex-(Girlfriend at the time) had the Samsung Galaxy S #1 on Verizon which was a neat looking lil gadget. I had a gold Motorola KRZR and I waited for the 4S to come out before jumping ship as I was overdue but didn't want a year old device. She had better service than me 90% of the time AND 4G LTE HOWEVER I had a phone that would not constantly lock up or reboot on its own! I was and still am on AT&T with an AMAZING rate which would cost me ~$40 more on Verizon for the same thing. I was considering a Nexus at the time but I am SO GLAD I didn't take it! I got a Black 32GB 4s.

 

My reasons:

1. It was a very sleek looking device, felt worth its weight in money! ~$365 out of pocket and I pre-ordered, got it on release day too via UPS!
2. My dock connector had gotten moisture so suddenly and it thought a car accessory was plugged in 24/7. Apple took care of me and warned me to be careful by moisture surrounding me; no charge and no questions asked!
3. I really try to avoid the carriers' retail stores at all costs possible; I neither have the time or patience for possible con artists. The Apple Store is my go-to place if a restore can't help me. I also spend time at The Grove/Americana @ Brand/Beverly Center while my data restores from iCloud (I keep local iTunes backups since the data is massive for 5GB; don't wanna pay for more.)
4. I get OS updates for 3 years and for signing a 2 year contract (now AT&T Next), I want something that won't be a burden to use in terms of eventually slowing down or missing out on apps because of an out-of-date OS. Unless you are rooted (proves difficult for a while until a device is broken into), you really are tied to the bloat from said Carrier/Manufacturer. An iPhone will keep you satisfied for a 2 year contract term assuming you get nothing lower than the 2nd-latest gen such as an iPhone 5s as of this post.
5. Calling 1-800-My-Apple has always been a pleasure when I have questions and I want to speak to a human without a heavy accent. I speak to someone within the States, not in Bangalore!
6. Should I get bored of iOS, I can jailbreak and manipulate the device as I please. This is a user-choice, not an ecosystem restriction so this rules out the root vs jailbreak points and the "openness" aspect.
7. A LOT of accessories are tailored for this device set as their primary demographic, including said items from premium designers such as Yves Saint Laurent & Louis Vuitton to name a few off the top of my head. Olloclip looks like a great piece of kit! LifeProof only really makes products for the top end Android devices, Windows Phone users more or less may as wellbe in the dust unless they own a Lumia 920 and higher.
8. The Lightning cable! The darn thing is reversable!!!! Micro-USB is not resilient at all in comparison. I've heard dozens of Android, Blackberry, and Windows Phone users complain that Micro-USB eventually wears out on the female end. I see people with shattered, beaten iPhone 5's and they have no issues with the Lightning port. Prices are more or less the same as Micro-USB if you look on Amazon for top-notch cables.
9. As of late, Apple's M-Fi certification! Safety for the device and the user applies here. The cheap, fake crap needs to disappear into the abyss. I bought some Lightning cables for cheap at $10 a pop and in black before the iPhone 5 came out and yeaa they had no certification eventually. The company has since updated their cables but I trashed the cables anyways since they frayed being used as car chargers.
10. Another call on the trade-in value! Its like my Mercedes-Benz C250 (For my Euro crowd, we only have the Petrol version of this. Canada gets 4Matic as an extra option) after a ~2 year lease, it still holds a high residual! My car MSRP was $41k, negotiated was ~$34,600 with Entertainment Pkg and Wood Burl Trim, and residual after 27 months is $27k. My iPhone 5 cost me $365 at the time of purchase. AT&T had a special for $200 trade-in value when I pre-ordered. Prior to the iPhone 6*, my phone could rake in another $50 on top of 200 (almost a 2 year old phone!) My dad's lumia in clean condition was worthless on Amazon, AT&T, Gazelle and other trade-in services.

Some of you Fandroids and Mac Weenies alike need to plow a woman and/or see life beyond the 4+ inch screens. I really get a kick out of how fiercely some people preach their religious amory towards a piece of technology. Sometimes it gets immature, but really its not worth feeding the beast since people will only accept what they want to hear and nothing more.

 

My dad had a Lumia 820 and while he wanted something simple, the fact that the device starts locking up and rebooting on its own even after hard-resets is pretty absurd. It was past the year warranty and I decided to upgrade him straight away to an iPhone 6 in 64GB. He enjoys the thing after initial hesitation! Setting the system language in Russian, it clicks even more for him since English isn't his first language. I pre-ordered a 5s for my mom in Gold & 32GB, not a single complaint on this end! I got it as a birthday gift but had I not ordered it and she opts for the "cheapest option" aka 16GB, she would complain about shortage of space since my mom loves her slot machines (this is the case on her 16GB iPad Air 1).

 

My $0.02.

[BajiRav]

because at the end of the day, iPhones out of the box are still much better than any Android I have personally seen.

[Argi]

Not everyone wants to be spied upon by Google. :-)

[sundayx Veteran]

I think they look beautiful, works well, have excellent and well designed apps (often only available on iOS), and to be honest, I like how it just gives me the right amount of flexibility (and not be overwhelmed with options).

[Rippleman]

Not everyone wants to be spied upon by Google. :-)

 

Apple does the exact same as Google.... and what they DO is not malicious or bad or anything that people have it worked up in their mind to be. (before you say Android fan, let me say i prefer IOS over Android).