[forgettableuser]

This author has a pretty cynical view that the only reason people use iPhone is because of vendor lock-in, like from iMessage.

This disregards the fact that many iPhone customers are still first time buyers with no lock in hanging over their head. And also Apple has an extremely high customer satisfaction rate keeping customers coming back. Customers buy iPhones because they like the experience and ecosystem, not solely due to some service lock-in.

[hammock]

I never thought of iMessage as vendor lock-in before, but the blue vs green texts is the #1 reason I hear from my peers why they disparage Android users

[ocdtrekkie]

For a while there was actually an issue with iMessage where even after you switched to an Android, iMessage would continue to direct your friends' iPhones to contact you via iMessage instead of SMS. So if you left the iPhone platform, all of your iPhone-owning friends would be unable to text you.

Google Hangouts seemed to be a step in this direction as well, with SMS integration, it pushes users to use their proprietary protocol instead where possible. But it looks like Google has backed off of it since then.

[justusthane]

This is still an issue, as far as I know. If you switch from iOS to another mobile OS, you have to deregister your phone number from iMessage here: https://selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage

[SeanDav]

First time buyers generally base their choices on the opinions and views of more experienced people, often within their circle of friends, family and acquaintances. It is quite conceivable that a first time buyer is making their choice because of the vendor lock-in of their peers.

[forgettableuser]

That's called a recommendation, not a lock-in.

The author also argued that Apple's lock-in like iMessage isn't really working. Thus, this is how Android gets to 100%.

[SeanDav]

It is a recommendation based on lock-in. Of course it is not an absolute, but also of course it is highly likely that if there is vendor lock-in, it will greatly impact decisions of first time buyers.

To put it another way, if everyone you know is using ACME OS, then it is highly likely you will start off by using ACME OS.

[JoeAltmaier]

I don't think there are any more first-time buyers of phones left in the world. Really. Its not a thing any more. Also no first-time shoe buyers, or food buyers. Except maybe the very young trickling into the market.

[chimeracoder]

> I don't think there are any more first-time buyers of phones left in the world

I might believe you if you said the US, but given how low iPhone penetration is outside the US, combined with how many new people use the Internet for the first time each day in India alone (100,000,000 per year, most of that being accessed over a mobile device), it's clear that smartphones haven't hit 100% potential market penetration the way "food" has.

[forgettableuser]

I meant first time Apple buyers which includes both people who've never had phones and people who've switched. Apple's first time customer base is still significant.

[PKop]

First time iPhone buyers, coming from Android, for example.