back to article Punters rate Apple, Samsung more highly than ever

Are we all becoming fanboys? If you broaden the term beyond those who favour Apple products to encompass folk keen on Samsung kit, the answer appears to be yes. At least that's what data from Strategy Analytics, a market watcher, suggests. It polled 6500 Europeans and Americans in October 2012, asking them all to name and rate …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's not surprising

    That the French and Germans don't particularly like Pommes.

    1. N13L5

      Re: It's not surprising

      Its not surprising, cause Apple phones are kinda feature limited.

      I'm certainly no Samsung fanboi, but if you are interested in certain freedoms not offered by Apple or Microsoft, you can't get around Android.

      And if you are interested in more options than Apple's one-size-fits-all concept, but still want the highest quality and latest hardware, you just can't get around Samsung.

      Of all the other makers, Sony, HTC, Moto etc, only HTC comes close to matching Samsung's specs, Sony is usually more than a year behind, though they just vowed to up their game, which they must, if they want to get anywhere.

      Then there's Microcruft with the garishly colored tiles for the color blind. And the whole thing locked down worse than Apple. You might as well voluntarily check into a FEMA camp now.

  2. Buzzword

    HTC?

    Curious that there is no sign of HTC on that list. I'd have thought they were making quite a splash in the mobile space.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: HTC?

      Maybe that's the problem. A lot of the others are either older more established brands, or spread over many markets (or both) while HTC are mobile only and seem to come and go in popularity.

      I'm honestly surprised HP is so high on the list though.

      1. Dave 126 Silver badge

        Re: HTC?

        >I'm honestly surprised HP is so high on the list though.

        Yeah... though we don't know the questions that were asked of the people being polled. Maybe when many people are asked about 'technology', they think 'printers', though the HP Touchpad gained a lot of attention last year (for the wrong reasons), the HP Microserver has been on sale forever it seems, and they are a brand that have been around for a while. They might also have entered the popular conciousness through news stories- once was a time that HP Labs Bristol were in the press every other week with something odd such as robotic DJs.

        I met a young 'un the other week who was doing work towards her PhD at HP, using lasers to measure the angular momentum of gas molecules... she'd used her phone's camera to align a target to a laser (better than her eyeball, I guess) which now only produces images in shades of magenta.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: HTC?

      They make ugly poorly designed phones. The insides are fine, but the outsides have some issues, light leaks, dust and so on.

      They need a decent name (HTC is a crap brand) and decent designers (one's who don't style snowboards).

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Advertising budget

      HTC's money woes have hurt them here, I suspect. At least in the UK, Samsung have absolutely thrown money at marketing the GSIII, Note and Note 2-I see more of them than iPhone 5s in London. I've barely seen anyone with HTC One phones, even though to me they look miles better than Samsung's latests, even than the latest iPhone in some ways.

      Then again, HTC's slogan is 'quietly brilliant'...

      1. David Paul Morgan
        Happy

        Re: Advertising budget

        Samsung are most definitely NOT being quiet about their brilliance!

        They have a great little roadshow in our St Davids shopping Arcade in Cardiff where you can try out a lot of their Slabs - SIII, Note, Tablet without being pressured to buy. The flat-panel advertising screens are heavily promoting Samsung, sony and nokia/windows handsets.

        I quite like the HTC design and at least they have their own 'style', but, yes, their (lack of) advertising/promotion has let them down.

        We went to their HTC roadshow about 18months ago and ended up getting a Flyer (ahead of the curve, so it seems). Perhaps they'll just go back to OEM'ing?

  3. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

    Proves

    That there is no such thing as bad publicity. All these law suits flying about, injunctions here, appeals there.

    These two names are now dominant in the public mind and they also offer an opportunity to take sides and support the "good" side over the "evil" one.

  4. dougal83
    Megaphone

    I'm a Samsung fanboy! TV, phone, oven hob... £600 CAD monitor. Well in fairness I did read reviews at the time and Samsung came in on value for money(ignoring the monitor). On the other company, I've never really liked Apple products as they seem like more style over substance for a lot more money. I'm not bitter about my iPod having unhappy face after a month at all, binned. That new mac looks horrible too :/

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Are we all becoming fanboys? If you broaden the term beyond those who favour Apple products to encompass folk keen on Samsung kit, the answer appears to be yes."

    RETARDS! The lot of them!

    Now just shut your face and purchase my products NOW!

    NO, not ALL of us are fanboys, only the feeble!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Really?

      You are amongst the biggest fanboys out there.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      And lo, Obviously! stood tall and noble, he alone had the mental strength to resist the shiny Siren song which had poisoned his people. Though wretched doubters denied his message and said he was a prat, his conviction has remained unbroken and he will rise to save them from the errors of their ways. Truly, a great leader of men! Such resolute vision, such indomitable fortitude!

  6. Wize

    Maybe people are looking at quality of product?

    Nokia went down hill, IMHO, with the N97 and a little too reluctant to go back to them just yet.

    Blackberrys are great with their instant messenger that only instant messages other people with Blackberrys.

    Though that's the same problem with Apple's Facetime. Video calls exist on many other smart phones and can make them to other makes of smartphone, as long as they aren't Apple.

    1. t.est
      Mushroom

      Re: Maybe people are looking at quality of product?

      "Video calls exist on many other smart phones and can make them to other makes of smartphone, as long as they aren't Apple."

      Yeah so the supposed to do, I had a few phones that was to be video phone capable before I got my first iphone, which was the iphone4.

      It's only with the iPhone I've been able to have a video call in an inappropriate place, hint put the icon upside down :p

  7. Field Marshal Von Krakenfart
    Holmes

    There's no such thing as bad publicity

    Or... out of sight, out of mind.

    BTW, who paid Strategy Analytics for the survey??

  8. Arctic fox
    Headmaster

    "Are we all becoming fanboys? If you broaden the term...................

    ...................beyond those who favour Apple products".

    Err.. as far as I can recall the term "fanboi" or "fanboy" referred to any and all who were psychopathically obsessed with excessively keen on something. It has only been relatively recently that I have seen the word used to specifically refer to the keenest amongst Apple's customers. There are "fanboys" everywhere - you only have to look at any thread involving a product from one of the majors and you will see plenty of examples of slanging matches between the various denominations. "Fanboi is as fanboi does" if I may be permitted to paraphrase my dear old gran in this context.

    1. John Halewood
      Happy

      Re: "Are we all becoming fanboys? If you broaden the term...................

      Guy I used to work with was a classic example of a (wandering) fanboy, going back well before I'd ever heard of the term. When he first joined (late 90s) he was a complete Sony obsessive. After a few years he turned to Microsoft - even got a faeces coloured Zune imported from the US and a Microsoft SPOT watch. These days he's well confused - loves Apple hardware but still besotted with Microsoft software. If you come across a strange individual with a MacBook running Windows 8, it's probably him...

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Samsung just got it right...

    ...with the S3.

    I am completely plaatform and brand agnostic but the S3 is the phone I've been waiting for for years.

    The screen is large enough that full touch with no keyboard makes sense and it's powerfull enough to be a proper replacement for a laptop for most tasks.

    With a double size battery and a good bumper it is rugged enough to take a solid beating and can last all day with the screen on.

    Since I got mine, my laptop has not left the house.

    That said, in 12 months, when my contract is up, Samsung have no guarantee of repeat business from me unless they have something else that is best in class to offer as a successor...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Samsung just got it right...

      @ AC 12:52

      Sammie got it right with the S2. The S3 is too large for my pocket and I turned my nose up at it because of that. If my phone died today I would get another S2.

    2. Jason Hindle

      Re: Samsung just got it right...

      And not just with mobiles either. Their smart TVs pretty much dominate the mid-high end market for new tellies.

      1. t.est

        Re: Samsung just got it right...

        I read pretty much complaint about them. Smart tv's that people consider stupid.

        A whole bunch of people want's apple to smart up the TV experience. I doubt Apple will be able to really do it. But if Apple can't there's little hope for any other to do it.

        What TV needs is a revolution, not an incremental update. Samsung etc are good on incremental updating. Apple are good on revolutionise the business.

        And it's that what people who want Apple TV expect of Apple. They don't expect an other smart TV. I rather have a dumb screen than to days smart TV. With current techs and business models ( this is what Apple should change with a TV). I prefer a dumb screen with one hdmi input, 50-60", "retina" classed 2-3m viewing distance, handles sRGB fully with proper viewing angels. It does not even need speakers.

        Then I use a receiver to handle all the rest, not the screen.

        But what i really want is a screen that work in a home theatre ecosystem over wifi. So skip that hdmi connection. Same with the sound system, and forget the receiver I don't want it.

        This is what I want: http://www.unmonday.com/ with a screen that follows the very same concept.

        All i want to watch I should be able to get from my other internet devices.

    3. Philip Lewis
      FAIL

      Re: Samsung just got it right...

      And people claim that it is only Apple fanbois that buy a new phone every year?!?!?

      Are you expecting your SIII to stop working when you piece of paper expires?

      I have never understood why people buy contract phones. There is rarely a business case for it. Replacing stuff based on the same broken economic analysis as that used when acquiring it is equally retarded.

      1. Jason Hindle

        Re: Samsung just got it right...

        "I have never understood why people buy contract phones. There is rarely a business case for it. Replacing stuff based on the same broken economic analysis as that used when acquiring it is equally retarded."

        Really? Last time I checked (today), the total cost of my 24 month contract + phone is still less than buying the phone outright, and that's before you even put a SIM in it. There is always a network subsidy. It's just a matter of shopping around and checking the total cost of ownership of what's available (oh, and unless you really are a very heavy user, avoiding the ridiculous £36+ per month contracts that give you more of everything than you could ever possibly use).

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I did a LOT of research before buying my HTC Incredible S. It has all the features I wanted and then some. It is eighteen months old and still competes with modern releases from the listed "major" companies. The HTC Sense interface does not thrill me, but it works. The phone is running 4.0.4 Android and if I root it I can go higher.

    Decent phone at a decent price.

  11. Richard 120
    Happy

    My favourites

    Panasonic (TV's)

    Logitech (PC peripherals)

    Asus (PC components & Tablets)

    1. Tom 38

      Re: My favourites

      Panasonic (TV's)

      Logitech (PC peripherals)

      Asus (PC components & Tablets)

      Yep, this exactly. Although I was disappointed with my last replacement logitech, which feels like a nasty plasticy piece of shit - the box said it was the successor to the MX 518 :/

  12. h3

    I don't know why anyone would buy Sony. (Only company to treat customers with such utter contempt).

    Panasonic stuff has always been good for me (Technics or Panasonic branded).

    PC components I go for Supermicro or Tyan. (Kingston or Hynix memory).

    Tablets I think all are garbage. (My Xoom is fairly well made and not crippled for the sake of it could do without it though).

    Work laptops - Thinkpad's.

    Don't like Logitech you cannot get spare parts from them. (I had to repair the existing cable on my G5 mouse instead of buying a replacement. Panasonic you can get spares easily (I got a spare lead for my headphones that I bought 10 years ago no problems).

  13. ratfox
    WTF?

    Sony rated higher than Apple?

    Who would've thunk?

    1. tirk
      Unhappy

      Re: Sony rated higher than Apple?

      I'm guessing it's an "aspirational" rating then. No-one who has actually experienced Sony kit in the last few years could possibly rate it above toxic waste IMHO.

  14. Dana W
    FAIL

    Despite the fact that Sony has been grinding out trash and trading on its name for years.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    People in "behave like sheep mentality" shocker.

    Most people are mindless morons that's why. Hence the popularity of X-Factor and other pap on the TV.

  16. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    What is the use of this "survey" ?

    Could we stop being subject to useless, baseless factoids please ?

    Where companies are concerned, there is only one important fact : market share. All the rest is hoopla and shenanigans.

    People "like" HP less ? From what I've read over the past five years, nobody likes HP anymore, yet it is still in the top five and, more importantly, it still has market share.

    People think that public image is important. It should be, but is it really ? How exactly ? Which "celebrity" got blackballed from magazines for drug use, or spouse abuse ? Which company got boycotted for slave wages, environmental disasters, or simply disrespecting the consumer ?

    Sony is still around, and it has single-handedly found just about every possible way to antagonize and insult its user base (DRM fiascoes one after another, Java on set tops and Blu-Ray . . no, I won't even go there).

    The only image that is important is our own, and almost only towards our employers. I've known a few people blackballed in my line of work because of attitude and behavioral mistakes. One or two were a-holes, okay, but none of them spilled millions of gallons of crude in pristine ecological environments, yet they had to move to find a job, whereas BP and all the rest are sitting pretty on billions in profits.

    So I'm finding it difficult to grant any sort of importance to this "survey". Feels like paparazzi material to me.

    (Disclaimer : I'm not a treehugger or greenie or environutjob in any way, I'd just like to see irresponsible companies actually foot the bill for once)

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    HP?

    I simply don't understand why any consumer would rate HP.

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like