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Comment by supernes | Hacker News Reader

Developer goodwill is not really that essential to a lifestyle accessories brand.

Right because 50% of the US mobile market only buys a phone because it’s an “accessory”.

Not sure if it is a sarcasm or not.

Of course it’s sarcasm. It’s just like people who sat that the iPhone is a “status symbol”. How can something be a status symbol when 50% of smart phone users have it in the US and that anyone on any of the four major carriers can buy one an interest free 24 month loan.

Geeks can’t stand to face the fact that people who can afford to have a choice, overwhelmingly shy away from Android.

How can something be a status symbol when 50% of smart phone users have it in the US

It's more that Apple has gotten people to view anything other than the iPhone as low status, e.g. green bubbles.

So Apple has brainwasheded people for 20 years? Geeks have been saying that Apple was a status symbol since the iPod. As far as iMessage, it couldn't possibly be that Google has had four or five failed attempts at a messaging platform?

Cheaper, less beautiful, less premium objects are inherently lower status.

What's your point?

That's how it's always been for any objects. Cars, cheese, wine, etc.

Humans are inherently status-seeking creatures and they display their status in a myriad of ways.

Apple just happens to make premium products for a premium segment of customers - and there's nothing wrong with that.

>...interest free 24 month loan

Getting a loan to buy a friggin phone? It does look like a status symbol to me.

They were called “contracts with free phones” before. Why wouldn’t you break them up into payments if you can interest free? They don’t even show up on your credit report as a loan.

They offer “loans” on $100 Android phones.

I'v always paid in full for my phones. No contract. Granted my phones are cheap as the only thing I care about them doing anything other then phone calls is off-line GPS software and cycling computer. My current $200 Canadian Redmi Note 5 does this just fine and has quite decent camera as well. Do not even have data plan on a friggin thing.

Well, you are in the minority. When discussing things in a public forum, isn’t it better to use longitudinal trends when we have them instead of anecdotes?

I was just expressing my own opinion about "status symbol". Why would I care about being in line with whatever "longitudinal trends" there are

Well. An opinion about something “being a status symbol” should be able to come up with some basis in fact.

By definition, a “status symbol” is something that you buy to show that you have more “status” than the majority of people because you can buy something that most people can’t. If the majority of people can get a product, how can it be a status symbol?

>If the majority of people can get a product, how can it be a status symbol?

Simple. If you have it you're ok. if not you are a marginal

But seeing that the other 50% don’t have iOS devices, how can they feel marginal?

Well I can't know all intricate details but I've heard and not once from my friend's kids something in line of: but dad everyone has an iPhone and I must have one too. Maybe it is not representative but that's what I've heard.

On top of that I got customers for my software and ones that own Mac/iOS are are shall I say very vocal. Here is the literal quote: when are you guys going to have your product for Mac? You should know that Windows sucks and no one will take your product seriously. All my friends have Mac and iPhone.

It does sound like they feel being belong to some higher level

Well I can't know all intricate details

Finding marketshare for mobile in various markets isn’t that hard....

But why base an opinion on anecdotes when their is widely available data?

Surely you’re not basing your opinion on Mac marketshare (which hovers around 10%) based on “your friends”.?

Sometimes Dougal, you can be status signalling simply by explaining how you’re more insightful and above all that normal person stuff, and look down upon it.

People would still buy iPhones even if Apple decided to purge 99% of apps from their store.

Which would make sense since 99% of apps probably have fewer than 100 downloads each.

(Yes I know this is not your point, just a little joke)

I continue using iPhones only because Android seems so much worse. Text messages in various character sets work fine on my iPhone, but Android users still get garbage if I include a Cyrillic snippet. блять!

Same as design. Good design don't prevent design logic bugs.

https://imgur.com/gallery/LFw2Ob2

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