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Has the iPhone Lost its Cool?
Washington Post ^ | September 13 | Hayley Tsukayama

Posted on 09/14/2011 1:02:16 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Martin Fitcher, head of HTC’s U.S. operations, said Monday that he thinks the iPhone is losing its cachet among the younger generation. At least, that’s what he hears from his daughter’s classmates at Reed College in Portland, Ore.

“I talked to a few of the kids on her floor,” Fitcher told a crowd at the Mobile Future Forward conference in downtown Seattle, GeekWire reported. “And none of them has an iPhone because they told me: ‘My dad has an iPhone.’ There’s an interesting thing that’s going on in the market. The iPhone becomes a little less cool than it was.” He went on to say that while other Apple products like the MacBook Air were popular on campus, student phones tended to be made by Samsung, HTC or other manufacturers.

Now, it’s important to consider the source here — HTC is the largest Android maker in the United States and Europe, and it would be an understatement to say it’s not on great terms with Apple. But it is true that Android phones are more popular with younger users than the iPhone, according to research from Pew’s Internet and American Life Project.

That’s most likely because there’s a wider range of price options and models to choose from; iPhones (and BlackBerrys) were more popular with wealthier consumers and college graduates.

What’s not clear is whether younger people are shying away from the iPhone because it’s the phone their parents use or because they can’t afford it.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet; Society
KEYWORDS: iphone; smartphones; technology
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1 posted on 09/14/2011 1:02:24 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
Or, impatient young people with short attention spans have become bored with the iPhone, since it has been 18 months or so since the last release.
2 posted on 09/14/2011 1:06:13 PM PDT by 5thGenTexan
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To: nickcarraway

The new Droi-based Bionic and Thunderbolt 2 are incredibly cool.

The droid phone makers are battling against each other in creating cooler for cheaper. The time to market is amazing (my Droid Pro is so 2010!).

The iPhone will have the same problem — with a closed OS and a few suppliers it will fall further and further behind.


3 posted on 09/14/2011 1:07:24 PM PDT by freedumb2003 (California: Making Texas more Conservative one voter at a time)
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To: nickcarraway

The iPhone??? It’s like, SOOOOO yesterday. I mean, like 2009. EVERYONE that is ANYONE is like, whoa. You, like, old... people are like, it’s so cool and it isn’t. It’s like, yesterday. You know?

(How’s my impression?)


4 posted on 09/14/2011 1:08:03 PM PDT by PastorBooks
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To: nickcarraway

I didn’t get a phone to be cool (that ship has sailed anyway). I got it to do stuff. And my phone does enough stuff.


5 posted on 09/14/2011 1:09:01 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: nickcarraway

Apple disallows certain types of apps and in-app incentivization; some games will permit u2 open the next level if you view a movie trailer, or download other apps —Apple won’t permit that.

If you look at the trend lines, it’s true —Droid will soon be killing Apple, even though I love and respect that company.

Nowhere more than in China will this be true —how many poor Chinese can afford an iPhone? FEW.

But some Droid smartphones are just $30 to buy.


6 posted on 09/14/2011 1:09:58 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: Larry Lucido

Rotary?


7 posted on 09/14/2011 1:10:44 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
Has the iPhone Lost its Cool?

LOL! There's no such thing as "cool". It's just a made-up generic word that means nothing in particular.

8 posted on 09/14/2011 1:11:11 PM PDT by Isabel C.
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To: Larry Lucido
I got it to do stuff. And my phone does enough stuff.

But, can you use it to kill Zombies?

9 posted on 09/14/2011 1:11:39 PM PDT by Hodar ( Who needs laws; when this FEELS so right?)
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To: nickcarraway

The iPhone is no longer hot?


10 posted on 09/14/2011 1:12:43 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Let us prey!)
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To: gaijin

4 out of 5 Droid phones will permit you to watch Netflix movies —ever get stuck on a long bus ride or flight, and the movies are completely stupid?

B4 you board, you download a couple of your favorite movies, and you’re SET —and very, very cheaply.

In 2 years maybe MOST netflix movie views will be from OLED droid phones.


11 posted on 09/14/2011 1:13:21 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: nickcarraway

Poor Martin - he has market-share envy.

And it’s going to get worse in a few weeks when iOS5 comes out, followed by the next version of the iPhone.

Android... meh.


12 posted on 09/14/2011 1:16:15 PM PDT by Keith in Iowa (Hope & Change - I'm out of hope, and change is all I have left every week | FR Class of 1998 |)
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To: PastorBooks
The iPhone??? It’s like, SOOOOO yesterday. I mean, like
2009. EVERYONE that is ANYONE is like, whoa. You, like,
old... people are like, it’s so cool and it isn’t. It’s
like, yesterday. You know?

(How’s my impression?)

Well, if your goal was to imitate how a moron would talk, you were successful!

13 posted on 09/14/2011 1:17:56 PM PDT by Isabel C.
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To: nickcarraway

case in point.

I carry an iPhone.

My daughter opted for an Infuse, after trying the iPhone.

Just sayin’


14 posted on 09/14/2011 1:18:35 PM PDT by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur: non vehere est inermus)
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To: nickcarraway

The iPhone is designed for those who want simple and easy.

Android is designed to be used as-is, or radically customized. This caters to younger consumers naturally.


15 posted on 09/14/2011 1:19:15 PM PDT by Erik Latranyi
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To: Blueflag

But if you want TRULY cool, get the Thrill with 3D camera and screen. It’s amazing.

Not an enterprise machine, but way cool.


16 posted on 09/14/2011 1:21:13 PM PDT by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur: non vehere est inermus)
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To: Hodar
But, can you use it to kill Zombies?

Oh come on now. You know...
 
...There's an app for that.


17 posted on 09/14/2011 1:22:14 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
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To: nickcarraway
“And none of them has an iPhone because they told me: ‘My dad has an iPhone.’ There’s an interesting thing that’s going on in the market. The iPhone becomes a little less cool than it was.”

you wonder how many of these "uncool" dads are paying the phone bills for these kids

18 posted on 09/14/2011 1:22:32 PM PDT by BookmanTheJanitor
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To: nickcarraway

Economy. No iPone, iPoor.


19 posted on 09/14/2011 1:26:37 PM PDT by Palter (Even liberals need jobs.)
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To: Isabel C.

>> There’s no such thing as “cool”. It’s just a made-up generic word that means nothing in particular.<<

Cachet, then. Either way it is quite real to marketers and influences billions of dollars in transactions.

If you don’t believe me, think about Crocs. They were cool for a while, the company ramped up to meet demand. Then they weren’t cool anymore and the company went BK.

Cool is quite real.


20 posted on 09/14/2011 1:26:43 PM PDT by freedumb2003 (California: Making Texas more Conservative one voter at a time)
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