For as long as I can remember I have always thought of Apple being the superior technology in relation to mobile phones, computers and basically every appliance in my home. However, is this only because I enjoy the comfort of being told how to consume, how to use and how to buy into apple products?
The battle between the comfort of walled gardens being our protectors from digital baddies and horrifying content and the freedom of open source appliances allowing for unlimited creativity allows for the great debate of:
“Are you Apple or Android?”
Sure, by using Apple you have access to every “i” product in the world. Being a closed source walled garden with only branched products, it tames its users to only consume. But with Android, as an open source technology, there are so many more possibilities for creation, data aggregation and therefore consuming of content.
Another example would be the use of regional barriers in an open source and closed source context. What do region locks on websites such as CBS do for the users of the content? Nothing. The fact that I need to download a program such as ‘hola‘ to access the content that I want to see from America just shows how much freedom media corporations give us in regard to their content. Hola can therefore be described as a hammer which is smashing against the walled garden of the region locked barriers of media transnationally.
Myself, I can see both sides of the coin.
On one hand I have an apple laptop, iPhone, iTunes, iBooks, iMovie and iNoLife.
On the other hand I own a Windows PC.
By this you could assume that closed source products (such as Apple products) are superior to that of open source. However, the past few years of market share graphs would not agree.
On mobile devices, android has actually become more so popular then Apple. Are people wanting more freedom? Are they thirsting to become the aggregators of content instead of a submissive user?
“Networked organisations outcompete all other forms of organisation, particularly the vertical, rigid, command-and-control bureaucracies… companies that do not or cannot follow this logic are outperformed and ultimately phased out by leaner, more flexible competitors.” –Manuel Castells (Why networks matter)
In any case, the notion of proprietary islands versus a generative net will never cease to exists. While Apple exists, so will Android. But slowly but surely there will be a shift in the walled garden paradigm which we all live in today.
krisesandchrosses 
So you said
“Are you Apple or Android?”
Then proceeded to say
“Myself, I can see both sides of the coin.
On one hand I have an apple laptop, iPhone, iTunes, iBooks, iMovie and iNoLife.
On the other hand I own a Windows PC.”
I’m very confused. Microsoft is a different company with a different OS. So how exactly are you on both sides of the coin? Do you even own an Android device?
I think people are slowly moving away from Apple because they realise that when Apple releases a new phone not much has changed from the last one. For example NFC was introduced to Android around 2012, and Apple only introduced to recently.
little rant on the latest iphone 7
Just look at the recently reveal of the Iphone 7, they removed the headphone jack and decided to sell wireless headphones for around $160 however you can purchase a Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter for $9. WHY would Apple do this, What’s the point of removing something that everyone uses
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What I was trying to allude to was more the aspect of open source vs closed source 😂 I own all these closed source apple products, yet I’ve gone out of my way to buy an open source product (such as a PC) to get more freedom with how I interact with the Internet. If that makes any sense 😂 I also previously owned an android phone as well so I can see the pros and cons of both sides.
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Great remediation on this weeks topic! I do believe that people choose Android because of its freedom however, people also opt for Apple because of what other people think. So, IOS uses deem Andorid users as ‘poor’. This is because it is a cheaper phone and the majority of people who earn a lower income have this phone. The graph on this site demonstrates this: http://www.businessinsider.com.au/android-iphone-market-share-by-price-2014-8?r=US&IR=T However, Android has pretty much caught up to Apple in quality where some phones actually exceed it in quality. But this doesn’t stop people from looking down upon Android users.
I am an avid android user and people always try to convince me to jump the fence and get an iPhone. They use reasons like “oh you can join our iMessage, you can get Tweetbot” but all of their reasons regard the closed wall of apps that they are entangled in. But people still go out and buy an iPhone because of the opinion of others rather than choosing a phone that is suitable for them.
However, android users are fighting back at Apple users by calling them “dumb people with smart phones” Check out this site: (http://www.computerworld.com/article/2500069/smartphones/what-android-fans-think-of-iphone-users.html) for more ways that Android users think that they are better than Apple users.
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The battle between Apple and Android will be a timeless one, and now with Apple releasing the Iphone 7 without an input to connect your earphones, it seems they are becoming more and more closed off. I like how you delved into the success of Android, as well as talk about your own experience with both products.
Great post!
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I think simply because Android phones have become more popular does not necessarily mean they are the superior technology. You also have to take into account that more brands use Android software (HTC, Huawei, Sony etc) while iOS is limited to Apple products. On top of that, for those who are only looking for a basic phone to call and text, there are far more brand new Android phones at a lower price compared to Apple devices. It’s Android’s ability to find those niches and market towards the long tail that allows for its exponential growth. Here’s an article that details the differences between the way Apple and Android market for profit: http://gizmodo.com/5977625/android-is-popular-because-its-cheap-not-because-its-good
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I agree with Jess that though Android marketshare skyrockets, it doesn’t mean it is superior. Besides, do you think that figure means there are fewer people using Apple device? A person can have more than 1 phone and have 2 tablets. Just like you, we can use both Android and iOS at the same time. Furthermore, Apple customers are pretty loyal (just my personal observation) so I don’t really think Android is shadowing Apple and the era of “walled garden” is not over yet. Overall, your post is nice and easy to read and I love your memes. They are very entertaining.
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What you say is very true, people like being told how to consume and that is exactly what Apple wants. Its operating system is a ‘safe’ walled garden, which makes for easier use within the population. The release of the iPhone 7 shows just how confident Apple are in selling a new product even it if doesn’t have entirely new developments from the last iPhone, apart from the disappearance of the headphone jack. According to this article and lots of chatter on the internet, most of the ‘new’ iPhone features are just being recycled from Android phones, yet Apple insist on calling them new improvements. http://www.androidheadlines.com/2016/09/tech-talk-apples-new-iphone-top-7-borrowed-features.html
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Every week I love seeing what you come up with next! This memes made me laugh so much.
Over the last two years I have struggled more and more with apple issues. Maybe this is due to starting uni and being pointed to android by Ted.
Your posts are very concise, easy to read and personal which is really engaging.
As spoken about in class, and similar to you, all my devices are apple. This is hard in the sense of syncing all my work together in order to create a environment I can access at any time. Hence I have been using google as a source just because it provides me with more freedom than what apple provides, such as the calendar etc.
How do you find having apple products but having a PC?
I don’t know whether to take the switch now that I’m using google as my main source of sharing all my content between my phone and laptop?
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Haha! One of the rare digc202 memes that actually got a laugh out of me, For that alone you should be praised, but the rest of your post was pretty good as well. I liked that you wrote on your own choices and why you went for them. Nice link to regional barriers as a form of open/closed content.
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Good memes in this post. Your perspectives are good in which you can argue both sides of the open/closed platform debate with personalised experience.
However I think the graph that you provided can be questioned, considering there are so many more devices with Android software available, the results are going to be warped when simply comparing which consumers like better. Androids are also cheaper generally, I’m sure many consumers opt for the cheaper alternative to an iPhone, despite wanting to own one. Despite this, Apple’s market share is still decreasing- as seen in this article here; http://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2015/04/06/apples-worldwide-iphone-market-share-declining-except-in-china/#6c63c6353165 You introduced the idea that perhaps consumers are becoming more aware of the affordances of both platforms and are now making more informed choices about their devices instead of following trends, as they want a product that allows much more freedom- which Steve Jobs and Apple are triggered by.
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Hello, very nice blog, you touched on some good points re iPhone vs Android.
You’re definitely right in that comfort is a big factor in this debate, not only are there so many iOS devices but it’s all so integrated you want and need something accessible.
The graph you displayed was showing that there are more androids than iPhones and while it’s a fact I don’t think the matter’s so black and white. An iPhone is always just an iPhone but there are millions of different android variations and they’re definitely playing into the ‘long tail’ effect and picking up a lot of consumers in that sense. And while I do agree that people are wanting to move away from the iOS closed garden I think pricing is the biggest factor in that you can pick up a quality android for $350 while iPhones are $1000+.
Pretty crazy how the market works but it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the future.
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Kris, you made a good point about how if Apple exists so will Android but since the total recall of all the new Samsung Galaxy phones, currently Apple will be superior. But who knows? Maybe other forms of Android phones will rise up to the same levels of success as Samsung, like the ‘Google Pixel’. With Apple closing itself off from headphones with aux connections, it is cutting itself off from another large market.
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Sometimes I love my apple products, and sometimes I want to throw them out a window then run over them. Mostly the latter. I hate how I get a message on mac every few months my start up disk is full, I back my shit up, delete some stuff then BAM the evil message comes just as I need to download something, if I had a pc I could buy more space and my problem is solved. Now I have to buy a whole new computer. I always see computer geeks/tech smart people go for android and PC over Apple because you can do so much with it.
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It’s worth questioning whether Apple’s complete despotism, inhibits progression and control – not just for themselves, but for their users as well. The complexities inherent with Android devices and open source platforms no doubt shines iOS in a favourable light; however complexity provides opportunity to learn and develop
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