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Opinion: Five reasons Apple fanboys are right (and wrong) about Android

androidios

Last week, I wrote an article called The Top 10 Android Features Apple’s iOS 10 Should Steal, and — surprise — it turned out to be somewhat controversial. Over 120 comments reflected a wide range of opinions on the future direction of Apple’s mobile operating system, with most commenters agreeing that iOS should take some inspiration from Android, but only for the specific features they personally liked. Unfortunately, in keeping with our increasingly polarized society, a few particularly caustic Apple fanboys decided to go crazy, personally attacking fellow commenters who liked the ideas, the author who dared to suggest them (“poor old me“), and the very concept of taking any ideas whatsoever from Android.

On one hand, I understand where the fanboys are coming from. Some people just love whatever Apple releases and does, no matter what. Others are so emotionally or financially invested in Apple that any suggestion of potential improvement is perceived as an attack on the company’s well-being. But it’s hard to sympathize with people who freak out when Apple’s described as anything less than perfect. Walt Mossberg called out “cultists” for this behavior in his article, “It’s Not a Church, It’s Just an Apple Store,” naming it the Doctrine of Insufficient Adulation. Demanding unyielding praise is nonsensical, and ultimately unhealthy for the Apple community as a whole. Simple statistics suggest that under 0.05% of our readers fall into cultist territory, but they’re abrasive enough to turn off the other 99.95% of readers we care about.

It’s important to understand that these hard-core fanboys aren’t just a tiny minority of all iOS users — they also have fringe views relative to the general population. Reasonable people can debate the precise numbers, but Android currently powers roughly 4/5 of the smartphones out there. It’s easy to credit aggressive Android device prices, but it’s clear that Android has features that appeal to people, too. From my perspective, it’s perfectly reasonable for iOS users to want some of Android’s features — especially if they don’t want to switch to Android devices. Yes, Apple’s a great company, and yes, iOS is a great platform, but they’re not perfect. Even if you don’t like Google, there’s room to learn (and borrow) from Android…

1. It’s OK To Like Parts Of Android Even If You Don’t Like Google. Apple has framed its competition against Google in a “good versus evil” context, and although I don’t think that’s fair to either company, believe what you want. Just try to separate the company from the product, or alternately, good pieces of the product from bad ones. Some of Google’s innovations, such as Google Maps, OK Google (Voice Search), and Google Now cards are so clearly highly useful and well-developed that Apple either embraced them, copied them, or both. Google took good ideas from Apple to build Android, so there’s nothing wrong with Apple grabbing ideas from Google to improve iOS.

2. Whichever Android UI You Hate Isn’t Android’s Only UI. One gripe from the anti-Android crowd is that the Android user interface is visually cluttered or messy — no surprise, given that Android lets users customize their home screens almost as much as OS X lets you clutter your Mac’s desktop. But that’s your choice, and when it comes to a home screen (or desktop) for a device you use every day, choice is good. Right now, a stock Android phone lets you pick the UI elements, layout, and icon designs you personally like. Then, using apps, you can tweak the top-of-screen status bar, the transitions between home screens, and the size/number of icons you prefer to see at once. Android can look just like iOS, or substantially different. Done right, that’s a strength, not a weakness. And if you say you hate the ideas on Android, remember, most of the same customizations are built into OS X.

iphone6splussizecompare

3. Android Has Served As A Testbed For Bold Ideas. Remember when Apple openly suggested that human hands weren’t large enough to comfortably hold phones bigger than the iPhone 5? Ah, memories. Well, you can thank Android — specifically, Google’s licensing of the OS to multiple manufacturers that were willing to experiment with different form factors — for freeing the iPhone from that set of shackles. Yes, it’s true that there were too many options out there at one point, but they helped smartphones establish a more popular set of screen size options than the “3.5-inch” and “4-inch” sizes Apple portrayed as perfect. Apple fanboys used to mock “phablets;” now they sing the praises of Plus-sized iPhones.

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4. Android Is (Somewhat) Helping To Keep Apple’s Pricing In Check. If 2015 has taught us anything, it’s that Apple isn’t shy about pricing its products above market norms — it’s only in the context of $10,000-$17,000 gold Apple Watches that $99 Pencils$129 “Magic Trackpads” and $169 “Smart Keyboards” sound like bargains. But $40 Android-powered media streamers, $50 Android-powered tablets, and $99 Android-powered phones are pushing Apple to keep $69 Apple TVs, cheap iPad minis, and “free” iPhone 5ses available to customers. That Apple products aren’t solely available to the rich is undeniably a good thing for everyone’s pocketbooks (and even, ultimately, Apple’s shareholders).

Beats Pill+ Android iPhone

5. Android’s Embrace Of Open Wired/Wireless Standards Helps iOS Users, Too. Apple loves proprietary connectors — the Dock Connector and Lightning gave Apple all but complete control over iOS accessories, to the point that it repeatedly had problems supplying connectors to developers who wanted them. AirPlay, Apple’s proprietary wireless audio streaming standard, similarly turned out to be a trainwreck for developers who tried to support it. These issues, combined with high prices for Lightning connectors and AirPlay components, led developers to switch their accessories to Bluetooth and micro-USB, instead. Try to imagine what iPhones and iPads would have been like without Bluetooth, or how third-party accessories would have recharged for the last few years, since Apple didn’t let companies use female Lightning connectors until 2015. Competition, primarily from Android devices, made these alternatives available to iOS users. And in a twist of fate, Apple now owns Beats, arguably the most popular Bluetooth audio accessory maker in the world, which sells products to Android and iOS users alike.

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One of the commenters on my prior article scoffed derisively at the idea that Apple could treat Google as a respectable competitor, much the way Microsoft has recently tried to make peace with Apple after decades of enmity. Given that Apple portrays itself as a white knight fighting for good, it wouldn’t be a terrible thing to see the company act like a magnanimous market leader, acknowledging at least some of its chief rivals’ value. While I understand the marketing value of a cold war between platforms, whipping iOS and Android users up into truly opposing and unwavering camps, the reality is that Apple and Android users get significant benefits from the existence of each others’ platforms. If the fanboys on both sides could acknowledge that, our discourse would be a lot better off, and we could focus on enjoying our devices rather than wasting time fighting over them.

More From This Author

Check out more of my reviews, How-To guides and editorials for 9to5Mac here! I’ve published a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users, as well as a great holiday gift guide for iPhone users, a detailed holiday gift guide for Mac users, and a separate holiday gift guide for Apple photographers.

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Comments

  1. Abraham Song - 8 years ago

    Well said. So many Apple extremist fanboys seriously remind me of Trump fans. Apple can do no wrong and any comment that says contrary to that these Apple extremist fanboys go on the attack.

    Folks. Apple is just a company that we all like. They make mistakes and they have many successes. Stop treating Apple like a church. /rant off.

    • RedHotFuzz (@RedHotFuzz) - 8 years ago

      You think Apple extremist fanboys are bad? Try Android extremist fanboys. Those guys are downright enraged 24/7.

      • srgmac - 8 years ago

        Reminds me of Bill Maher’s movie — those scientologists that believe in Xenu, they’re the crazy ones! Me personally, I just believe in talking snakes and virgin births. :D

      • Aunty T (@AuntyTroll) - 8 years ago

        We aren’t talking about Android Extremist Fanboys, we are on about Apple extremist fanboys. The fact you had to bring them up to completely deflect what this whole article is about it’s quite, erm, fanboyish.

    • shareef777 - 8 years ago

      I couldn’t care less about Apple, I just like some of the products they make.

    • Scott - 8 years ago

      I think the belief that apple fans do this is grossly overstated: a fanboy unicorn, if you will. http://www.saw66.com/fanicorn/

  2. RedHotFuzz (@RedHotFuzz) - 8 years ago

    “Remember when Apple openly suggested that human hands weren’t large enough to comfortably hold phones bigger than the iPhone 5?”

    Turns out Apple was right. I just upgraded from my 5S to the 6S and I have to say it’s clunky to use compared to my old phone. My thumb simply doesn’t reach corner-to-corner like it used to. The added screen size to me doesn’t offset the more cumbersome single-handed operation. So I guess I can think Samsung et al for pushing larger screens and forcing Apple to follow. :(

    • chrisl84 - 8 years ago

      Once you get used to Reachability you wont even think about that anyone.

      • chrisl84 - 8 years ago

        anymore

      • Julien (@FLKone) - 8 years ago

        How could one get used to do THREE actions instead of one ?

        We need more gestures, or smaller screen. I hope the rumors about iPhone 5-ish new phone are true.

      • chrisl84 - 8 years ago

        Try it and see……like a grandpa asking who can get used to a touch screen when my flip phone works just fine.

      • Ivan - 8 years ago

        Yes, this. Reachability is like a second nature gesture at this point.

      • vertsub2015 - 8 years ago

        I just learned to adjust my grip on the phone

    • Jake Becker - 8 years ago

      huh, I guess there’s only one size of human hands.

      • sulfen - 8 years ago

        The average human doesn’t have large enough hands to feel comfortable holding a larger screen. I’m sure that the small percentage of people on earth with larger than average hands are happy with the larger screens.

      • Jeremy Horwitz - 8 years ago

        If that’s so, why have sales of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus eclipsed sales of their predecessors? Millions of people using the screens uncomfortably?

      • Kyle Bavender - 8 years ago

        @Jeremy — Hi Jeremy, long time reader, I’m on board with your previous article and this article as well. But a response to your comment: “why have sales of the new ones eclipsed the old ones” — this argument doesn’t hold water. To my knowledge, every single generation of iPhone has eclipsed the sales of its predecessor. At this point, attributing growth to a single, specific feature such as screen size is not looking at the full data. Growth is on the up because of myriad reasons, including hardware features — size, camera, touchID, Apple Pay NFC, Bluetooth hardware, etc. — but also customer satisfaction, word of mouth, family & friends using iPhones, apps, software integrations…we can go on.

        I hop in to comment because I personally like my 6S but wish it had the same hardware with a smaller screen. I’d even prefer the old 3.5″ form factor over this one. My iPad is great for larger screen interactions, movies on the couch/in bed etc. I miss the ease of reaching across the screen on my always-in-pocket device. And I don’t even have small hands. :)

        Reachability is handy but it is not the same as the smaller form factor. And yeah I could go for say an iPhone 5C or something but I’m a hardware nut, especially a camera nut, so at the end of the day I pick up the newest generation every 2 years.

        Thanks for your thoughtful articles J.

    • jiggerslovesthemapples - 8 years ago

      Agreed. It was easier to type on a 5; the larger size of the 6 makes it more awkward. But the larger screen is nice. Pick the lesser evil. I chose to keep the larger screen.

  3. Forgetting about the extreme fanboy idiots I do think 9to5 mac is more negative about apple than it should be. Now why I say should be is because the amount of Apple hate, dislike and criticism is enormous on the internet. And it would be nice to have a site who is a little more forgiving to Apple and not to harsh. I don’t think 9to5mac is that site, it used to be, but not anymore. The last couple of months there has been a real negativism on 9to5. If I want to see criticism and dislike it is very easy to find, not so much the other way around.

    • vandiced - 8 years ago

      Oh god, are you serious?

      • Very. I don’t think serious journalism would be in jeopardy if we have a little happy place on 9to5mac :)

    • Doug Aalseth - 8 years ago

      FWIW I left MacRumors a couple of months ago because its been overrun with people who think Apple can do nothing right and is run by idiots only slightly less intelligent that the people who buy Apple products (which are made by actual slaves of course). 9to5 is an Apple theme park in comparison.

    • Jeremy Horwitz - 8 years ago

      Yeah, this is exactly what the article was about. Apple has a page where you can read everything great about Apple. It’s called Hot News (http://www.apple.com/hotnews/).

      • jmiko2015 - 8 years ago

        I have to agree that some apple fanbois just act like… jihadists. But the same applies for some hardcore Android fans as well, we seen that in reviews of Apple’s Android apps. However I think that these people should stop being blind and see that Apple is still just another company out there and it may.. or actually, will fall in future, just like Nokia or Blackberry did (if Apple chooses to stick to iPhone’s profits and it looks that it’s already happening).

    • Aunty T (@AuntyTroll) - 8 years ago

      The amount of Apple hate, dislike and criticism is indeed enormous on the internet you are right. Yet, oddly, the ONLY people it effects are people like yourself – sensitive souls who can’t handle that others MIGHT have a different opinion to themselves.

      Do you think Tim Cook is sat in his office, head in his hands, because people may be criticising the company? No, no he won’t. He’ll be looking at the sales figures, the enormous profit margins they make from each and every iPhone sold, the fact that sales figures are increasing, the fact that they are stomping all over practically every other phone manufacturer, and be laughing his arse off.

      Tim Cook, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Google and everyone else cares not one bit about you or I, or what we think. If they could see you at sat there sobbing into your cornflakes because someone has criticised what you have bought, do you think they are there wringing their hands with tears in their eyes thinking “oh no, how can we make it ALL better”? No they aren’t. What they do see sat at that breakfast table in the morning is a huge, big, fat wallet full of money, and how they can cook up ways to take it from you. That’s reality. Faux affinities to massive corporations isn’t.

      You have Apple stuff. You love it. That’s what matters. Most other people love Apple too, which is why they top customer service charts and rake in the cash more than any other tech company in the world and will for DECADES to come. Take the criticisms as a pinch of salt, recognise that you don’t have to justify what you have bought and more importantly understand that other people’s opinions are just as valid. Understand that and your stress levels will hit negative levels.

      • jmiko2015 - 8 years ago

        They won’t for “DECADES” if they will stick to iPhone which Tim does now. Remember what happened to traditional cell phones, VHS tapes and other stuff? Dead. Smartphone is the technology of today, but it’s not a technology of tomorrow. So if Apple wants to dominate the market for decades, Tim should not stick to phones and profits from them. It’s either going the path of Nokia (est 1865) or the path of Nintendo (est 1889).

      • Aunty T (@AuntyTroll) - 8 years ago

        jmiki2015

        Good points fella.

  4. Scott (@ScooterComputer) - 8 years ago

    It might should also be noted, just by sheer numbers, that it is more than likely that a VAST NUMBER of these “cultists” WERE NOT die-hard Apple fans from the “old days”. By numbers, it cannot be a phenomenon of old guard Apple folks; this fanboi stuff has been a New Jobs Era/Post Jobs Era thing.

    What is especially interesting to me, having experienced the 9/10 Windows/Mac years (and worse, since we’re 95/5, or somewhere there-a-bouts now), is that EVEN with the shoe on the other proverbial foot, the fanatical behavior is the same! Back then it was pro-Windows. Now it is just pro-Apple. No one–NO ONE–should consider this illogical “fervent” behavior a good thing…it is NOT conducive to long term Apple health, no more than the fawning adulation of Apple in the late ’80s and early ’90s was good for them by ’97.

    As Mossberg and others have pointed out, this is nothing more than naked tribal extremism at its worst.

    • srgmac - 8 years ago

      Great fucking point. I remember when I got my first TiBook (G4 laptop, super thin, super good looking, but the case cracked a few yrs later, damn you Apple…It’s so thin, ooo, ahhh….yeah it’s so thin it’s weak and cracks, lol) back in the day, first day in college, used some of my scholarship money to buy it…I hardly saw the amount of fanboys back then as I do today.

    • Aunty T (@AuntyTroll) - 8 years ago

      It’s the rise of the Internet. That’s the reason why everyone hates everyone else. Back in ’94 when I first got dialup, it was all new and amazing. Now, all it does is spread fear, paranoia and cause groups of previously sensible adults to go into frenzies about technologies, operating systems and even worse, games. Look at the amount of disharmony the Internet has caused in just 20 years and imagine what it is going to be like in another 20.

  5. chrisl84 - 8 years ago

    The opinion pieces on 9to5 have been fantastic lately….keep them coming.

    Its always been my view that Apple can use some of the Android style features but implement them in an Apple manner that is a much more sophisticated style than they way Google delivers them. Apple fanboys forget Apple can take some Android ideas and make them better, not just copy them 1 to 1.

  6. JBDragon - 8 years ago

    There’s nothing wrong with seeing something, taking that idea, and making it your own to fit the iPhone. It’s the flat out direct Copy that company’s like Samesung do! I don’t have a issue with Google. Or Android really in general. My issue is with Samesung!!! They just flat out directly copy Apple over and over and over again. Here’s 3 pages of some examples of this!!! you have to be blind not to see it.

    http://samsungcopiesapple.tumblr.com/

    Some of the things Apple added wasn’t even copied from Android like many say, but from 3rd party App developers. Adding capabilities on jailbroken iPhones even before Android had such a feature. Taking Inspiration on someone else’s idea and going beyond is a NEW idea. iOS has widgets these days, it’s NOT like Android. I like how it is on the iPhone better. Quicker easier access at any time. it makes more sense to me. Before with Widgets, Who care’s. No one did when Microsoft added it to Windows. It’s pretty much a dead thing.

    Again, I have no real issues with Google! My home Desktop is my custom built Windows 10 PC. I own no Mac’s. I have my iPhone’s, iPad and Apple TV’s including a 4, and now even a Apple Watch. But I also have ROKU’s, a Amazon Fire Stick, Xbox 360’s, a Xbox One, a PS3 and a Wii among other things. If anything I’m far, far more a Microsoft fanboy. Hell I’ve own far, far more Microsoft products over the years then Apple. My first Apple product was a iPhone 4. I buy what I like. If iOS and the iPhone was made by Sony, I’d be buying it. Apple really doesn’t mean much to me in that if it’s Apple, I’ll rush out and buy it. I like iOS better then Android for a number of reasons. There is zero reason why a iPhone and a Android phone should look and work the same. I know Samesung has been trying to do that with TouchWiz, but you might as well buy a iPhone then a their fake phones.

    • Aunty T (@AuntyTroll) - 8 years ago

      I don’t know what’s sadder – you, as presumably a grown adult, using “Samesung” to try make a point, or me (as a grown adult), counting that you used it three times (to try and make a point) ;)

  7. Marc Orcutt - 8 years ago

    So…. You’re back for more huh? No, seriously, I commented on the other article you referenced and, while I think that I was tame in comparison to others, my point then is as it is now: there are features from Android that would be nice to see in iOS, but I stop it there. The aestheticsGUI items that you identified I believe are deliberately not in iOS for a reason. iOS has a completely different look & feel (love it or hate it) and there is specific reason by Apple to not make it look like Android. Apple and Google have very different visions for how people use technology, how people integrate and interface with technology-based products, and even what is aesthetically pleasing. I don’t think that the highly-customizable Android GUI will ever make it into iOS as a core focus of iOS is both intuitive ease-of-use and ease-of-support. While many people have no problem with the Android GUI, the learning curve is higher and that is something that Apple is looking to minimize. Apple’s vision is that you need to be able to pick up an Apple product and automatically know how to use it; it needs to be intuitive.

    As for concepts like Android serving as a test bed for ideas, I don’t think that is surprising whatsoever. Apple isn’t about being first – in fact, I’d argue that Apple isn’t even a technology company. Their focus is more on how people can use technology-based products to enhance their lifestyle. NFC based payments is an excellent example: Apple could have put that on phones years ago, but they didn’t. It simply would have been a feature that people couldn’t use, would result in frustration, customer service calls/complaints, etc. Instead Apple waited, worked with banks and merchants, and then rolled out something that could actually be used. Soon after, the Apple Watch rolled out making it even easier.

    I’m not saying that Apple’s approach is better or worse than Google – just the the focus is different. Google is bring new technologies out all of the time for people to experiment with and they show some incredible vision with it. Apple is more about how those technologies, or similar technologies, etc., can be used by the masses easily to make their lives better.

  8. w00lyb00ger - 8 years ago

    Fanboys can be a bit much but that’s how it goes. There are slews of Android fanboys that are no different. Go look at any iPhone review on YouTube and you’ll see a plethora of them leaving some of the dumbest comments you’ve ever seen.

    I did read some of the comments you speak of and some were pretty dumb. But I also think you’ve fallen into that trap of “anyone that doesn’t agree with me…”.

    Personally, I started on Android. I’ve owned a few Android handsets. Also had Windows Phone and Blackberries before ever owning an iPhone. I’d say I’m pretty objective. Having said that I found most of what you considered worthy of duplicating to be useless. I would like to see a little more ability to customize things like icon sizes. Maybe a slider or something that allows you to make them the perfect size for your fingers. Of course Android doesn’t do that either.

    Overall, like probably 99% of iOS users, I’m pretty content with the operating system as it is. I think Apple should focus in tweaking performance for the next couple of cycles. Ever since the last major revamp iOS has lost a little bit of it’s stability. I’d like to see that fine tuned.

    • Leopoldo Pereira - 8 years ago

      You’re so right W00ly! Bryan Tong with his Apple Byte show on CNET. Always with his sarcasm with Apple. Googlelicious? No Sarcasms.

  9. yoitssenghy - 8 years ago

    Very well said! I am an Apple diehard myself, and even a year ago when there was a greater performance gap between iOS and Android platforms I would have been on the verge of being a fanboy. Recently, the platforms have converged more so and my biggest reason for switching from Android to iOS was for reliability and stability, not to mention the added workflow benefits as a long time Windows user who converted to OS X in 2011. There was a time when the difference was night and day, but it isn’t so much now and the benefits of adding features, while making tradeoffs in stability for the platform isn’t such a bad idea (stability issues have plagued me on iOS 9.x anyways). I would say the majority of consumers don’t care all that much, but they would benefit from borrowing some non-trivial (and non-gimmicky) enhancements from Android.

  10. Daryl A (@Darylal) - 8 years ago

    I liked my iPhone (from the first to the 5th) but, I found it too restrictive for my need and there are just too many holdovers from the beginning that seem to slow it down. Android is not perfect in several ways, but the general usability for me is just better. I’ll watch Apple still but until I see a rewrite of the OS and interface I won’t be going back.

  11. Drew (@gettysburg11s) - 8 years ago

    Wow, its clear there are lots of people with not enough to do. I enjoy my iPhone, but I’ve also owned Android based devices and they are pretty darn good. Besides, how do you actually hate a company or operating system. Its easy to dislike features of an OS, but hate? Come on. All the problems in this world and people waste hate on this crap?

  12. Look like this was writen by and angry android fanboy lol

  13. srgmac - 8 years ago

    Good article — a few points well driven home. UI customization is a good thing #1. Don’t like stock? CHANGE IT! It’s not hard! Open wireless standards are a good thing #2. Need any proof of this? How about putting an NFC chip in phones yet allowing ZERO apps to actually use it besides the built-in Apple Pay app? That makes a hell of a lot of sense, I dun tell ya ha-wut. Phablets are what some people want #3. Remember when Apple said making a larger phone would be stupid? Yeah. It took the REST of the industry to make stuff for THEM to copy, and voila — the iPhone 6 Plus was born.

  14. My problem with Android and specifically the Material Design of Google is that they do not care about accessibility for the visually impaired the same way that Apple does, and it’s not even close. Even though it may be a fragment of the user base it is still sad that they choose to ignore users with visual impairment.

    • Jeremy Horwitz - 8 years ago

      Entirely true, and a great reason to stick with iOS. Accessibility on Android pales by comparison.

  15. rnc - 8 years ago

    Speaking as an Apple “fanboy” if you will.

    1. Don’t have double standards for Apple and everything else. Before the iPhone 6, Apple had a lot of criticism for not including NFC, now the iPhone has the successful Apple Pay that showed how much a failure Google Wallet was, y t nobody in the tech industry DARES to mention, e.g. That the Apple Watch has it, while no Android Wear watches lack it, not a single mention.

    2. Don’t pretend “Android” is a phone. Android is just a materilal-less piece of software, that can be used to make a phone. People don’t buy “Android” phones, people buy Samsungs and LGs and what not. All those have Pro’s and Cons. Remember that Android isn’t cheap, but companies like Asus and Huawei have to cut their margins, people have to work for less for not the good of their brand, but for the collective image of Android. But when things go sour, like the lack of updates, it’s always OEM’s fault, and not Android’s or Google.

    3. A lie repeated a million times, doesn’t make it true. For example, last week, news about new quantum computer, made by a company called D-Wave, which Google owns one and studies it, in conjunction with other universities and NASA and what not, was presented everywhere with titles like “Google’s new quantum computer is X times faster than your PC”. Owning a computer, doesn’t make you the creator of it.

    • chrisl84 - 8 years ago

      Apple Pay is successful? Define successful, I use it…..at about 3 stores. I’d venture about 0.0001% of all transactions are Apple Pay (actually probably less). If Apple Pay is the benchmark of success that stock price is going to be ugly in 2016. Just because Google Wallet is awful doesn’t make Apple Pay a success. Apple Pay is still very much a baby in practice.

      • rnc - 8 years ago

        “I use it…..at about 3 stores.”

        Yes, Apple Pay is availiable in just 3 stores…

        Dude, you can’t use Apple Pay on your Android device, that must be the reason.

      • chrisl84 - 8 years ago

        Nice one….a pointless reply like that proves just how little Apple Pay availability is. Enjoy gettin your McDonalds and Groceries on Apple Pay and not jack crap else.

      • funknap - 8 years ago

        Apple Pay is available at over 1 million locations. Secondly, analysts estimate the transaction volume is 1% of all retail transactions, and while that sounds extremely small, it represents over $40 billion–in just one year. That number will grow leaps and bounds once Apple Pay is embedded in Safari and more businesses begin to accept it.

      • chrisl84 - 8 years ago

        Thats all of “retail” transactions….I said all transactions, unless you are a weirdo you spend more of you money not in retail locations but enjoying life…. The service availability is a joke, 1 million locations is good? Thats pathetic! This is a country with hundreds of millions of places to shop/eat&drink/recreation/entertainment. 1 million locations is practically nowhere in context of how many places DONT ACCEPT IT.

      • chrisl84 - 8 years ago

        Like I said to the OP, tell me how many locations YOU use Apple Pay at, you can’t sop at 1 million locations personally, so tell me YOUR story….I’d be shocked as hell if the average user uses Apple Pay at more than 3 different businesses a month.

      • Marc Orcutt - 8 years ago

        Well, that still makes it about 10 times more useful than Google Wallet when Apple Pay was rolled out. I use it at several stores, but there are several places I’d like to use it that still don’t have it. Some of them have announced it is coming, others (like Walmart where I don’t shop anyway) are still trying to drive their own QR code based solutions that will see limited adoption.

    • rnc - 8 years ago

      Oh, and one more thing:

      4. Apple “fanboys” are not “boys”. Wording like “Apple has to”… please…

  16. rogifan - 8 years ago

    Am I the only one who hates the term fanboy? I had no interest in reading the article just because that word was in the headline. Seems like a word to incite trolling more than anything else.

    • Doug Aalseth - 8 years ago

      YES!!
      Fanboy, Fandroid, Windork, they Are all ugly words that shut off dialogue. Using them is saying “I’m right and I have no respect for anyone who disagrees”.
      The worst though is Sheeple. I despise that word. It’s saying the same thing but not about a particular subculture. It’s applying the same patronizing, elitist BS to all of humanity.

      • Jeremy Horwitz - 8 years ago

        We’ve discussed internally the right terminology for this, and there really isn’t anything I personally have found more accurate than “cultist,” as Walt Mossberg put it.

        The problem is definitely not the average Apple user or average Apple fan. Maybe the word “fanboy,” typically a self-applied, confessional term, is a little too broad. It’s not even that relatively small portion of the fanboy population that takes the time to reply reasonably whenever someone suggests that Apple’s not perfect. What I’m speaking about is the sliver-thin group that goes beyond just defending Apple and starts slinging ad hominem attacks, conspiracy theories, and/or non-sequitur nonsense at anyone who dares to question Apple. Only “cultist” really captures the craziness this sort of behavior requires, and the disdain with which Mossberg and many other writers view such people.

      • Doug Aalseth - 8 years ago

        “What I’m speaking about is the sliver-thin group that goes beyond just defending Apple and starts slinging ad hominem attacks, conspiracy theories, and/or non-sequitur nonsense at anyone who dares to question Apple.”
        How about A**h***s. But maybe that’s too generic.
        :P:

  17. stalfos (@stalfos_) - 8 years ago

    I think it should be said that neutrality for the sake of neutrality or writing a “balanced take” purely for the sake of appearing “balanced” is necessary as valid a viewpoint or one that has value at all in the first place. Certainly everyone is entitled to their opinions, but that doesn’t mean every opinion is just as just worthy or meaningful as another.

  18. Stephan Kippe - 8 years ago

    Click bait. First, write a calculated ‘controversial’ post praising Android on an Apple-related blog. Second show mock surprise over the inevitable appearance of a few crazies in the comments (a reaction that would have happened the same on any single-platform blog on a wide variety of topics like cars, games consoles etc.). Third, milk the stale controversy again with an additional post with the additional tired trope of ‘can’t we all get along?’, thereby continuing the circle jerk in the comments. 4. rinse. 5. repeat.

    Hope your happy with your hit count.

    • Jeremy Horwitz - 8 years ago

      1) I don’t care about “hit count.”

      2) I didn’t write the original article, or this one, to be “controversial.” If saying that there are a few good things about Android is “controversial,” we are officially living in a very sad world.

      3) You’re part of the problem. Pointless cynicism; everything’s a conspiracy to get attention (because that should matter… why?). Of course, no one would just write an article to share an opinion and have an intelligent discussion with readers, without devolving into finger pointing and ad hominem attacks. That would be too much to ask, I guess.

  19. usmansaghir - 8 years ago

    Apple and Google both have hardcore fans. Yes you are right Apple could take a few ideas from Apple but thats the same for Google. The reason why i have been an Apple fan since iPhone is because of Apple design on products. Samsung and Apple being the two top sellers in smartphone and Apple has always been on top for me but that all changed when samsung released galaxy s6 edge. Amazing phone and built is like no other galaxy phone thats been made! OS has never been an issue for me. iOS and googles OS are both good in they own way! But 1 thing Apple takes the lead in the OS race has to be for its yearly updates on iOS that can come to all compatible iOS product without any obstacles.

  20. Robert - 8 years ago

    There have been some Apple products and services that did not deliver the quality I expected but for the most part Apple delivers and provides major advantages. For example the OS update on many Android devices leaves a lot to be desired. It is much easier to keep an iOS device up to date with the latest security and features. Apple also genuinely takes privacy seriously and has software-hardware optimization that is impossible for Android. If you value privacy and security the choice is very easy.

  21. Jake Becker - 8 years ago

    Reading the comments on this one, it seems there’s a plethora of different ideas about what constitutes “fanboying” exactly….

  22. Scott - 8 years ago

    This is an article about why it’s good that Android exists, not why we would or should enjoy using it. The worst phone I’ve ever used is my employer’s Samsung Galaxy. The OS is a mess.

  23. George Pollen - 8 years ago

    Credit the popularity of Android devices to aggressive pricing, plus heavy advertising from a myriad of Android partners (employing far more people than Apple), plus HW+SW designs intended to convey the message to consumers that Android offers everything iOS has… and more… often for less money. The trouble is: Android is nowhere near as good as iOS for privacy, security, integration and support, not to mention the robust operation of iOS device features.
    How do you convince a generally ignorant public of these *facts*, though? Lower income consumers might recognize the superiority of Apple’s products but still can’t afford them and will resort to buying Android devices instead.

  24. George Pollen - 8 years ago

    Apple Pay is an example where all of the hooping and hollering of Fandroids about the presence of NFC in their devices–and the lack thereof in Apple devices–amounted to just a hill of beans. Apple Pay stunned every manufacturer with its end-to-end security model and robust biometrics system… just as full 64-bit hardware and software support did to them with the iPhone 5s in 2013, and the original iPhone did in 2007.

  25. freediverx - 8 years ago

    “a few particularly caustic Apple fanboys decided to go crazy… attacking fellow commenters who liked the ideas, … and the very concept of taking any ideas whatsoever from Android.”

    As others have commented, the use of the term “fanboy” is an offensive copout. While granted, there are Apple fans out there who will defend anything and everything that Apple does, there are a great many more who defend the things they feel Apple does right without holding back their disapproval when Apple does something they don’t. I count myself among the latter, and I certainly don’t appreciate the “fanboy” ad hominem attack.

    For instance, I thought Android’s introduction of a notification center was a good idea and I was happy to see a version implemented on iOS. But that doesn’t stop me from preferring Apple’s simpler and more streamlined version over Android’s customary “everything but the kitchen sink” approach. And I admire Apple for improving on those ideas that they borrow from others, whereas the opposite is usually the case when Android or an Android OEM copies a feature from Apple (TouchID comes to mind.).

    Similarly, I will not mock someone for owning an Android device or preferring it over iOS. However it is all too common for certain Android fans to mock anything and everything relating to Apple, and to make a great show every time Apple implements a feature they feel was copied from Android. This is particularly intriguing when the offending parties are invading a discussion forum dedicated to Apple products. You don’t often see Apple fans trolling Android forums, now do you? I certainly don’t spend my spare time commenting articles on 9to5Google. Among the most amusing of these are those who herald Android’s earlier focus on larger screens as an example of innovation. The same goes for examples like customizable wallpaper, as if the concept hasn’t been around for over a decade. It’s hard to remain silent when confronted with the irony of Apple being called a copy-cat.

    It should be noted that part of the defensiveness on the part of Apple fans comes from a very long history of Apple being dismissed by followers of inferior yet more dominant platforms, like Windows. It was frankly grueling to endure the wasteland of quality and innovation that symbolized Microsoft’s decade long hegemony of the PC market. When Google essentially stole the concept for iOS and attempted to kill the iPhone market’s by giving away a “free” mobile operating system it’s only natural that Apple fans stood up to defend their platform against an attempted repeat of the 90s.

    • Jake Becker - 8 years ago

      This guy knows.

      • Jeremy Horwitz - 8 years ago

        First, an ad hominem attack is one that’s directed against a particular person rather than the position they are maintaining. The use of the word “fanboy,” unless it was specifically directed at you as an individual, is not an ad hominem attack. And even if I had instead used the word “cultist,” referring to a group with a specific set of beliefs while not specifically referring to you, it still wouldn’t be an ad hominem attack.

        Second, you say: “While granted, there are Apple fans out there who will defend anything and everything that Apple does, there are a great many more who defend the things they feel Apple does right without holding back their disapproval when Apple does something they don’t.” This article wasn’t about the “great many” Apple users in the mainstream. It was specifically about the fringe group that (a) “will defend anything and everything that Apple does” and (b) engages in ad hominem and other attacks to achieve that end. I can understand why you would prefer to distance yourself from the cultists, and rebuke their tactics.

  26. Paul Douglas - 8 years ago

    In your previous article, one of the things you were pushing for was Widgets on the iOS home screen. I’m assuming you believe your point 2 above is rebuttal to the derision with which I and others dismissed the suggestion. Allow me to offer a counterpoint which you are overlooking. Android and iOS are only superficially similar. The iOS paradigm is actually significantly different from the Android paradigm, enough that treating the one like the other simply will not work. The iOS paradigm is App-oriented. You simply are not meant to spend time on the Homescreen. You’re supposed to be in an App. Android’s paradigm is OS-oriented – that’s why it was native multitasking long before iOS was. The Android interface is designed around Apps being simple components of the whole system, so it makes sense for users to live on the home screen and perform tasks there, because the Apps live on top of the OS. In iOS, the Homescreen is just the doorway to the Apps, and tasks are performed in Apps. That’s why iOS Widgets are on the Notification shade – the Widgets are an OS level concept, and in iOS the OS lives above the Apps instead of the other way around. Once you start messing around making the Homescreen a destination instead of an entrance point, you’re fundamentally mucking around the whole paradigm. This also plays into the problems with adding global system soft-buttons to iOS. They’re not part of the App, they shouldn’t be butting into the App’s space at all times. Global gestures, and the limited “Back to Previous!App” button in the info bar, make more sense with the iOS paradigm.

    • Paul Douglas - 8 years ago

      Just to add, it would make sense for them to add Widgets to the Lock Screen within the iOS Paradigm. The Lock Screen is analogous to the Notification Shade, and it is actually the iOS system level screen which benefits most from Glanceable information.

  27. jamkor - 8 years ago

    Funny. I’ve always found Mossberg to be an acolyte, if not a preist, in the Church of Apple.

  28. mrrvdio - 8 years ago

    I feel that it’s good that there is negative and good stuff to be said about Apple. I think the problem I have is how certain things are phrased. There is good commentary and then there bad commentary. Sometime I feel there are bad articles that the raw idea is great to discuss but how the playing pieces are laid down to start the discussion may be a problem. For example using the title Top Ten android Features Apple iOS 10 should STEAL feels loaded and almost like an attack on Apple Fans. If changing the word steal for say a word like barrow or have it say Top Ten Android Features Apple should consider for iOS 10 seem more professional and middle ground for a discussion that and this piece obviously are. Something to think about when creating more do these discussion posts.

    • freediverx - 8 years ago

      Moreover, your typical Apple hater criticizes all the wrong things about Apple, while overlooking the valid criticisms. In other words, what’s annoying isn’t that they “dare” to criticize Apple but that they criticize all the wrong things because they don’t “get” what makes Apple, Apple.

    • Jeremy Horwitz - 8 years ago

      This is called being oversensitive about titles. The very idea that the word “steal” might feel like “an attack on Apple fans” is exactly the problem this article was written to address. There’s absolutely no intent to attack there, and 99.95% of the population wouldn’t think of that word as an attack on Apple fans.

      So to make this clear: we are not going to change our titles to protect your feelings against maybe/possibly/kinda being hurt by perceived slights. Similarly, we don’t want or need to change our content to match whatever might be in your head. If this seriously bothers you, please find another, more delicate site to read, or start a blog so that you can publish your own content in whatever way you prefer to present it.

  29. cdm283813 - 8 years ago

    After switching from Android to iPhone 6s since release I find that Android Marshmallow is the better operating system ($200 Black Friday Nexus 6 deal). If you could slap Android in the iPhone 6s body I would be in heaven. 2 reasons why I don’t go back is because I just don’t want to carry a huge Nexus 6 in my pockets and I don’t want this iPhone 6s collecting dust. I still find that my iPhone is the best phone you can own under 5″ but when it comes to the phablets I would easily pick the Nexus 6P over the iPhone 6S plus. Not having Google lock down the phone and with community developer support a unlocked Nexus just rocks from the software side. I still give Apple the upper hand in hardware quality.

  30. Author: “Some people just love whatever Apple releases and does, no matter what”
    I disagree. Nobody, never could like the iPhone battery case from Apple. I´m an Apple fan but this disgrace is a shame. ; )

  31. Jake Becker - 8 years ago

    Something everybody has kind of missed here is the fact that the more intense Apple fans are not fans because iOS or anodized aluminum is shiny or Steve is an icon; they know and relate to the general ethos behind the company (I’m one of those people) and find it an exciting thing to be behind since, truthfully, it’s still refreshing in the broader, broader marketplace where cash truly is king. Yes, some of them go overboard both in praise and criticism, but on my end, I would never say I just like the company, there’s no personal connection, et al, in fact the opposite… I wouldn’t be so involved in computing and see it as such a valid and worthy part of my life if not for that ethos. I don’t believe certain technologies even have a place in the present and the future unless they keep progressing in the direction that Apple catapulted into the mainstream.

  32. Some very good points from bother articles jeremy. People are sometimes very precious about their allegiances. Companies are sometimes pretty precious about their allegiances.

    Use what you want, use what works for you. And, borrow the best parts of many great ideas. It’s called cross-pollination.

  33. Christopher Carroll - 8 years ago

    Dope. Awesome article, also loved your previous article about what Apple could learn from Google. I’ve walked both sides of the fence, and even though I’m using all Apple devices, I still reminisce about Android and Android wear.

    Both companies have contributed immensely to the tech industry. So everybody just love everybody, and embrace the cool tech.

  34. confluxnz - 8 years ago

    What is with all these people complaining that 9to5 has become ‘too negative’ or ‘Apple bashers’ in the last ~3 months? Are you such sheep that you can’t stand (largely valid) critique of your precious Apple? This site would be boring as f**k – not to mention largely irrelevant – if all it did was sing Apple’s praises 24/7.

    I’ve always enjoyed, and will continue to enjoy, the opinion pieces on this site. They provide honest, interesting discussion points and food for thought on the products & services produced by Apple. So to all the authors – please keep doing what you’re doing :)

  35. jiggerslovesthemapples - 8 years ago

    The reason I jailbreak is to customize my phone somewhat. The very first thing I do is turn off those damned labels… ;-) and then I go from there…

    But, if I wanted to switch to Android, which phone would you recommend? What is the best mix of quality materials, battery life and performance? There must be something good out there, no?

  36. primematrix - 8 years ago

    “under 0.05% of our readers fall into cultist territory, but they’re abrasive enough to turn off the other 99.95% of readers we care about”. Very well said.