I Am Very Surprised How Many PC Users Are Buying iPhone ?

[WHM]

I am very happy to find this forum for the iPhone. Have been an AppleInsider and MacRumor reader for years. Since I am only a Mac user and have been since the 80's am blown away by how many PC users purchased the iPhone. When the rumor started over a year ago about Apple again releasing a new phone I was willing to wait until January MacWorld to see if it would happen. My last phone was the Razor and up until iPhone, my best yet. My sons both purchased new phones in December and I was willing to wait and see. My comment was if I could sync my calendars and contacts along with my office and home laptop Macs that would be the greatest ever. While traveling I used my large screen ipod for my complete contacts list because I did not want hundreds of businesss contact information on my phone. Now I have eliminated another piece of equipment to keep up with. iPhone is over and above what I expected and believe it to be the leader for others to follow. .Mac allows my computers to sync with any information added to my office machine and my Mac-Book Pro. I am just curious as to why so many PC users have not converted. Over the last 5 years I have converted at least 15 family or friends to jump from their PS's to Apple. Almost all of them have told me this is so much easier than what I expected. We own a businesss and use Apple computers both in the office and our production facilities. This is not a post to bash PC's just wondering why so many are buying into the iPhone?

 

[Sleeper]

Possibly because they see it as just a phone and not an extension of Apple? Seriously, brand loyalty isn't an issue for most people - we just buy things we like.

As for Macs vs PCs, that's a long and tedious argument that there's no point getting into as they both have their strengths and weaknesses.

 

[iFun Girl]

Seriously, brand loyalty isn't an issue for most people

It was for me. If it was a glorified Zune, instead of an iPod, I wouldn't have given it a second thought.

 

[Sleeper]

Fair enough. Most people are sensible enough to look at the features and quality rather than a badge though.

 

[Skipper]

I (a PC user) have tried converting to a mac several times, but I find that the mac doesn't offer anything that my PC cant do (for what I need it for). BUT, I don't see this device as an alternative to a windows phone, I see is as a phone that blows every other phone out of the water. I mean, it has just about EVERYTHING.... hah. I think that was said before, I guess I am just confirming... but yeah, as far as handheld devices go, there arent any windows based products that come close to the functionality of the iPhone.

 

[HDS]

If it was a Linux base phone?

 

[Bshotty]

I happen to be a mac and pc user for laptops theres no substuite, Apple just seems to make a better product but im also a gamer of sorts so i need my powerful gaming pc to keep me happy i like Apple for there there amazing products but i grew up on a pc so ill probably never make the switch to just one platform

 

[tfg]

Honestly my decision to buy it has almost nothing to do with what company makes it. It is just a really cool device. I got it for a number of reasons; the order is pretty close to the order of importance.
1) My old phone was a piece of crap and was going to get a new one anyway.
2) I wanted one that played MP3's and maybe had some kind of internet access. When I saw this it looked perfect.
3) The touch screen really sucked me in.
4) The idea of having a phone, mp3 player, and internet access all in one phone was really cool.
5) I already had AT&T and didn't have an ipod.
6) The thought of using it on plane rides and vacations really sold me.

It was kind of like a perfect storm for me, seeing how everything just fell into place. I had been thinking about getting a new phone for almost a year before this came out. My old phone was dropping calls like crazy. I was already on AT&T so I didn't have to pay activation or termination fees.

 

[Skipper]

"If it was a Linux base phone? "

In a perfect world........ haha

 

[WHM]

Honestly my decision to buy it has almost nothing to do with what company makes it. It is just a really cool device. I got it for a number of reasons; the order is pretty close to the order of importance.
1) My old phone was a piece of crap and was going to get a new one anyway.
2) I wanted one that played MP3's and maybe had some kind of internet access. When I saw this it looked perfect.
3) The touch screen really sucked me in.
4) The idea of having a phone, mp3 player, and internet access all in one phone was really cool.
5) I already had AT&T and didn't have an ipod.
6) The thought of using it on plane rides and vacations really sold me.

It was kind of like a perfect storm for me, seeing how everything just fell into place. I had been thinking about getting a new phone for almost a year before this came out. My old phone was dropping calls like crazy. I was already on AT&T so I didn't have to pay activation or termination fees.

Good answer... as my post said the phone is MUCH more than I expected. Both my sons for awhile went the Blackberry route but at my age I could never e-mail with those very tiny keys. Some have complained about the keyboard but I have had NO problem at all. This is the first time for me to receive and send e-mails while not in office or home and now feel that you can teach an old dog new tricks.. haha

 

[up10ad]

I've been a PC user since 1982, and have been a developer in the BBS/email software industry since its inception. I have never owned an Apple product but have admired Apple's innovations & company management from afar. After owning scores of fancy phones and handheld devices, I finally changed from my Treo 650 to an iPhone, mostly because of the ad hype.

I couldn't be happier with my choice. The best thing about it is the UI which I understand is typical Apple. It does what it is supposed to do without all the minute configuration, and all the features are interlinked perfectly. If this is what drives folks to Apple computer products then I'm going to have to get me a MacBook Pro. I think I am ready to bleed in 7 colors .

 

[Too Many Secrets]

I use many PCs, Linux/win, ipods and now iPhone. I have no brand loyalty for computers, I buy what I like and think is most logical. I sold my iPod video and cell to justify spending 600. No regrets.

 

[dstrauss]

The premise of this thread surprises me. Aren't there more PC/iPod owners than there are Mac/iPod owners (just by sheer number)? The iPhone is hans down the best looking smartphone out there, and although I haven't made the jump yet, my daughter has, and it outclasses my Blackjack in all but three issues (which are critical to my businesss): Exchange OTA Sync, HSDPA, and Docs to Go. My money is on all three of those being there with V2, and I'll be there for that awesome screen and UI.

Please hurry...

 

[Velodog2]

The iPhone represents the very first penny that I have to my knowledge given to Apple in my 46 years of life. It seemed so far and beyond anything else out there that I had to have it. I was also already an ATT customer and close to getting a new phone anyway.

Whether it is 'revolutionary' or even significantly more (or less) functional than other phones is not an issue for me. I am constantly delighted at the GUI. I am always smiling even if it's just at the beauty of the graphics when a text message comes through, or the animation when moving around the functions. This has nothing to do with functionality - it would have exactly the same functionality without the animation or 3d graphics - but it has everything to do with pleasing my inner child and that's what we really want.

I am also delighted with the thoughfulness that was put into the functions that are there. Everytime it seems I think oh I want to do this now, there is the option sitting there in a way that is cleverly and easily accessible without, as was mentioned before, having to spend 3 days to configure the damned thing. (ok, so the sense of accomplishment that you got when you finally achieved your goal is missing here, oh well) There are obvious glaring exceptions such as MMS, etc that have been talked to death, but these seem unique to me because they were obviously intentionally left out, for whatever reason, and not simply forgotten I don't think. It's the thoughtful thoroughness of what is there that is wonderful.

The follow on to the observation of so many from MicrosoftLand entering iWorld for the first time is how many will eventually convert to iMacs, etc over time as a result?
Mike

 

[dstrauss]

...
The follow on to the observation of so many from MicrosoftLand entering iWorld for the first time is how many will eventually convert to iMacs, etc over time as a result?
Mike

My thoughts exactly. With all the problems I've had with my high end Sony Vista Business notebook, and the "slickness" of the iPhone, should it be referred to as Steve's Trojan horse?

 

[UFGator]

That's like asking why so many PC owners have bought into the iPod. What does an iPhone have to do with a Mac? Nothing.

 

[dstrauss]

That's like asking why so many PC owners have bought into the iPod. What does an iPhone have to do with a Mac? Nothing.

I disagree with your disagreement.

From watching my daughter's use of the iPhone, it is so far superior to the Treo/Balckjack/HTC experience I've had, it starts to turn your head towards other possibilities. No differnet than getting a good mail order or online purchase experience, you start favoring that vendor. iPod's are one dimensional, so I don't see them as Mac converters, but iPhones (especially Safari and email) come much closer to a computer-like experience, thus th potential for turning heads.

 

[asuandy]

My laptop with all of my music, photos, and contacts is a macbook, so not having an iPhone really doesn't make any sense to me. Everything I do for school is on my laptop, so it goes with me everywhere and having a phone that syncs with it flawlessly is awesome

 

[Tinman]

I am a PC user who hasn't owned an Apple product since a Newton back in the late '90s (third one--I started out as an early adopter, buying the first Newton a week after its release). Wait, I take that back: I owned an Airport when it originally came out, sometime around 2000. Also owned a Mac around 1995, but that was primarily for systems integration with certain software I was developing at the time. And I'm not counting the iPod I bought for my daughter.

Anyway, I have been impressed with the iPhone so much that I nearly did buy a Mac the other day while in an Apple store. I figured if the iPhone was so great I might as well add a Mac to my computer stable.

But reality set in after I started looking at them. Would it totally change the way I felt about browsing the Web compared to PCs, the way the iPhone did compared to other mobile devices I'd owned? No, not really. Blow me away with the screen? Nope. Make if easier to work with my Office docs, RDP'ing, email, and other work stuff? Nope again. Would running Windows on any Mac I bought be required (for work, at the very least)? You bet.

So in the end, aside from the slick magnetic power cord attachment, there was no compelling reason for me to buy a Mac. I am not closing the door on the possibility, naturally. But for me the iPhone was something totally new, which put it in a totally different category. Mac Vs. PC just ain't that different. IMHO, YMMV, etc., etc.


--
Mike

 

[Wangmaster]

Well this thread went sorta off topic! To answer the question about sync, I've synced photos from iphoto on my laptop and synced music and address book from my imac with no problems. Just make sure you check and uncheck the right things to sync in iTunes for each computer.