I wanted to consider GrapheneOS, but I’m not sending my perfectly capable, lithium-battery-less, doesn’t-need-firmeware-update IEMs to convert to earbuds Google happens to sell branded and bundled to replace the port they dropped (just one model after teasing competing brands with their 5a).
Doesn't seem to be an issue for loyalty to iPhones. Ergo, I'd say that likely isn't what the problem is.
However, if you could get iOS on hardware from different manufacturers, loyalty to Apple for hardware would inevitably be lessened. If that was the case, I would consider an iOS device in some capacity.
Poor analysis of the market. iOS is unique to Apple and includes iMessage... iPhone is a status symbol. Tons of people are committed to Apple and aren't changing no matter what.
> However, if you could get iOS on hardware from different manufacturers, loyalty to Apple for hardware would inevitably be lessened
The word "if" is doing a lot of heavy-lifting in this sentence because we both know that isn't the case and isn't happening (though the usage of Hackintosh supports this idea), but the counterpoint is that this is exactly the case with Android, ergo, you will see less loyalty if your apps and data carries on without fuss, regardless of which manufacturer you choose for your next device.
People switching away from Apple isn't the topic at hand, why people don't stick with the Pixel in terms of "loyalty" is. The bigger picture is that they're likely still "loyal" to Android as that's what they're invested in when it comes to apps purchased, accessories et al.
Anecdote: I use a Pixel. I don't give a shit what manufacturer makes my next device and seldom stick to one brand, but I will be sticking to Android for the foreseeable just to avoid being subjected to the whims of a single manufacturer, which has felt bad in the past when I was an Apple user.
Brand loyalty is for suckers because it eschews objectivity.
Is brand loyalty the same as vendor lock-in if the end result is the same?
Sony, unfortunately, has no partnerships with any carriers, no place to go to repair a phone, no marketing on the US, all making it nearly impossible to sell any phones. Their pricing strategy is quite bizarre as well.
Samsung is the dominant Android player, for a variety of reasons. Pixel and OnePlus (and Samsung and Apple) make a lot of extra money by charging $100/$200 to boost from 128gb to 256 or 512 but that strategy doesn't differentiate them and definitely doesn't make Samsung loyalists switch.
You cannot state that adding an SD slot wouldn't improve market share, because there are no premium competitors who do, the hypothesis is untested.
I wanted to consider GrapheneOS, but I’m not sending my perfectly capable, lithium-battery-less, doesn’t-need-firmeware-update IEMs to convert to earbuds Google happens to sell branded and bundled to replace the port they dropped (just one model after teasing competing brands with their 5a).