Is Mapsgate quickly becoming Apple’s iPhone Waterloo? No. It’s preposterous to think so despite the raging maniac headlines of tech media pundits calling for Apple to fire a few executives. I read a report last week of an iPhone user who returned his iPhone 5 and switched to an Android smartphone (Galaxy S III).
Why would anyone switch from an iPhone to an Android smartphone?
Maps is but one app among many available for all iPhone users running iOS 6, and certainly not a valid reason for anyone but the most jaded user to switch to an inferior platform. That brings up an interesting difference between Apple and the iPhone vs. Android and competing smartphones. A recent report says iOS 6 already accounts for almost 60-percent of iPhone traffic, and over 40-percent of iPad traffic. That’s an incredible adoption rate.
How long does it take Android’s latest OS version to achieve that kind of adoption rate? How about never?
Nobody does OS upgrades better than Apple. Nobody. In fact, to get the latest Android OS, most users are better off getting a new phone. In many cases they’ll have to repeat that process by getting another phone in a few months or a year just to get the latest Android version.
That’s not the case with Apple and iOS. Apple’s update process is one good reason why the best applications, and a larger, richer variety of apps are available for iPhone and iPad. The adoption rate. Darrell Etherington in TechCrunch has a nice chart which outlines what Apple does that Android, Windows, and friends cannot.
Upgrade the user base to the latest and greatest. And Apple does it with ease.
That makes app developers happy, too. They have fewer hardware versions to account for, a larger user base that actually buys and uses their apps, and a thriving ecosystem that works for everyone– user, developer, Apple.
Why would anyone switch from an iPhone to an Android smartphone?
Aside from a crazy hit-whoring, link-bait blog post here and there, there isn’t much evidence that iPhone customers are moving anywhere except up to the next iPhone. Even iPhone 3GS users get most of the benefits of using iOS 6, including Apple Maps, which, as far as I can tell, is notably faster than Google Maps on the iPhone, and can be used offline (thanks to superior caching, and vector tiles).
Think about that. The iPhone 3GS was launched in 2009. Is there an Android OS smartphone from 2009 that comfortably runs the latest version of Android (I believe it’s Gummy Bear)? When you read a headline about why someone switched from iPhone to Android, take it with a grain of salt. It’s a fluke, not a trend.
hirandy says
Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 11:06 pmHi Kate,
My iPhone 3gs had a noticeable improvement when upgraded to iOS 6. First it installed correctly the first time ( not a pleasant experience with iOS 5 ) with great new features like notification and improved graphics. The only reason to upgrade is for the larger screen, face time and my battery is shot after three years. Will be passing on my working perfectly phone to family when I can get my hands on iPhone 5. Android is not even under consideration
janey says
Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 7:49 pmThere’s a few people claiming that they are going to switch because Android is “open” and they don’t like the “walled garden.” they also claim they feel Apple is bullying Samsung, which recent news shows to be completely false. (Apple tried to work out licensing deals with Samsung, who came back with some way overpriced terms)
Then again, a couple people might actually switch, but probably because “a friend that knows computers” convinced them that an Android device was “just like an iPhone.” Or, an Android device was what they could get as the “free” phone. Sadly, that’s why a lot of people choose their devices. How else does “Pantec” stay in business? They make garbage, but it’s free.