Is Apple a cult?

[The Doctor]

^ No one is saying that software development is free (trial or limited functionality usually is, and is more widely offered on Android). However, saying that iOS users have shown willingness begs to question how much of that is due to perceived value or lack of choice.

There are plenty of good quality free apps for Android. And yes, there are paid versions as well that provide additional features. I've seen the free apps on iOS and from my experience most are extremely limited; you've got to pay to get anything decent. And yes, it's good quality, but you have to pay for it. And... the fact that iOS has been around longer than Android is part of the reason why app sales have reached into the billions. Couple that will higher app price on average and that helps keep the revenue differences further apart.

None of that really squares with the data available. With Android surging to twice the sales of iOS, their developer interest has gone down year-over-year and their payouts have shrunk relative to platform size. The reality is that there is a ton of shovel-ware on both platforms but iOS appears to be the only place where developers who make quality products for a living have a hope of making a go of it.

What appears to be happening is that Android devices are being used as phones and Internet browsers whereas iPhones are being used as pocket computers that also make phone calls. This is reflected in the number of apps downloaded per user (free and otherwise) that show iPhone way ahead of Android despite being a distant second in sales world-wide.

As for the question in the OP: Apple may have been cult-like in the not-too-distant past, but their customer base has exploded so quickly and to such a degree that the small rump of 'true believers' has long since been overwhelmed by mainstream consumers who have chosen iPhones, iPads and even Macs because those products fit their needs and not due to any kind of allegiance towards Apple. I only started using Apple products when the iPhone came out and was not a fan of the pre-OS X Mac.

 

[beamMe]

iOS appears to be the only place where developers who make quality products for a living have a hope of making a go of it.

In other words (mine and probably totally unfair and untrue): Apple users gobble up everything approved by Apple.

 

[The Doctor]

iOS appears to be the only place where developers who make quality products for a living have a hope of making a go of it.

In other words (mine and probably totally unfair and untrue): Apple users gobble up everything approved by Apple.

If you know it's unfair and untrue, why say it?

There is no Apple cult. There are no 'faithful.' Apple has long since moved mainstream and is subject to the fickle whims of the public. Statements like those only blind people to the massive business and design success that has put Apple where it is. It's an amazing story of supply-chain acumen and a remarkably resilient corporate culture that values disruption above all else.

 

[arch101]

A guy on a business radio show I listen to mentioned that once people go into Apple products, they almost never go back to Windows or whatever they were using before. So true.

 

[farmkid]

^I don't know about that. I know a number of people who had iPhones but have moved on to some Android phone or other. When I got into the lab where I did my graduate work, most of the computers there were Macs, other than the one on the microscope because it had to be PC. When I left, there wasn't a Mac in sight. I used them, but I never could get used to the way the OS worked and I hated it. To be fair, though, they were pre-OSX machines, as OSX was first released while I was in grad school, so perhaps it would have been different if that were to happen today.

 

[Amaris]

I've had a Mac, and while I loved it, I am very happy with my Windows 7 machine. I also use Ubuntu. Slaving yourself to only one OS or one type of hardware isn't very wise in the world of computers.

 

[Unicron]

I find there are aspects of both systems that I like. I enjoy my current Macbook and have been very satisfied with it, and before that I had a WXP Dell that lasted a good 5-6 years before it finally became too run down to operate properly.

 

[FPAlpha]

A guy on a business radio show I listen to mentioned that once people go into Apple products, they almost never go back to Windows or whatever they were using before. So true.

It was never the question that Apple makes bad products.. they make great products which are easy to use and they anticipate user needs better than others but the question here is about the cult aspect of Apple and to me, when i see even technologically moderate people bring out the pitchforks when you dare criticize Apple is what puts it in vicinity to cult status.

 

[arch101]

OK, it's a cult. And I'm member #C57D

 

[Yminale]

http://www.wired.com/business/2012/07/ff_stevejobs

Is Steve Jobs a prophet?

 

[JarodRussell]

A guy on a business radio show I listen to mentioned that once people go into Apple products, they almost never go back to Windows or whatever they were using before. So true.

It was never the question that Apple makes bad products.. they make great products which are easy to use and they anticipate user needs better than others but the question here is about the cult aspect of Apple and to me, when i see even technologically moderate people bring out the pitchforks when you dare criticize Apple is what puts it in vicinity to cult status.

I still favor Windows desktops and notebooks over Apple any time. And for the other stuff, Android smartphones and tablets are much cheaper than Apple products.