I got to see the iMessage revolution first hand. I was in mobile sales for 7 years and the first year I joined was when the iPhone 4s launched. I sold iPhones from the 4S all the way up to the iPhone X. I was working for Sprint, and they were the first ones to start the “iPhone forever” program with the iPhone 6, people were switching their entire families over from Android to iPhone because the kids wanted the iPhones and yearly upgrades. Most parents would say they wouldn’t take advantage of the annual upgrade themselves, but they would always be back in a year and would typically get new phones for everybody at the same time.
Then I would start seeing people come in every year and I would notice more people wanting to trade their Androids in early to get an iPhone because their kids told them to.
One or more kids would switch to an iPhone, then parents would usually switch as well so they could tell when their kids were reading their messages. I remember that being a big thing for quite a few parents we’re really into when they first released that feature in an update.
It was the yearly iPhone upgrade that cemented most people with apples ecosystem of products. The kids eventually convince the parents because not only was Apple’s product easier to use for most people and was consistent when Android phones were still somewhat complicated and new for first or second generation smartphone users.
It only took like 2 years before people were getting everything Apple. Replacing their computers and their tablets with iOS and Mac devices. Once people committed for a year or two they typically stayed and don’t want to switch back.
We had a butt ton of returns within the 14-day exchange window because people would be Apple people and want to try an Android with maybe three out of ten people actually switching OS. And five to six people switching from Android to iOS and staying.
TLDR, I sold phones for years and when Sprint started doing annual upgrades with iPhones, kids would get their parents to switch over everybody wanted the annual upgrade, parents really liked the delivered and read function in iOS and in about 2 years everybody had picked an operating system and stuck with it
I got to see the iMessage revolution first hand. I was in mobile sales for 7 years and the first year I joined was when the iPhone 4s launched. I sold iPhones from the 4S all the way up to the iPhone X. I was working for Sprint, and they were the first ones to start the “iPhone forever” program with the iPhone 6, people were switching their entire families over from Android to iPhone because the kids wanted the iPhones and yearly upgrades. Most parents would say they wouldn’t take advantage of the annual upgrade themselves, but they would always be back in a year and would typically get new phones for everybody at the same time.
Then I would start seeing people come in every year and I would notice more people wanting to trade their Androids in early to get an iPhone because their kids told them to.
One or more kids would switch to an iPhone, then parents would usually switch as well so they could tell when their kids were reading their messages. I remember that being a big thing for quite a few parents we’re really into when they first released that feature in an update.
It was the yearly iPhone upgrade that cemented most people with apples ecosystem of products. The kids eventually convince the parents because not only was Apple’s product easier to use for most people and was consistent when Android phones were still somewhat complicated and new for first or second generation smartphone users.
It only took like 2 years before people were getting everything Apple. Replacing their computers and their tablets with iOS and Mac devices. Once people committed for a year or two they typically stayed and don’t want to switch back.
We had a butt ton of returns within the 14-day exchange window because people would be Apple people and want to try an Android with maybe three out of ten people actually switching OS. And five to six people switching from Android to iOS and staying.
TLDR, I sold phones for years and when Sprint started doing annual upgrades with iPhones, kids would get their parents to switch over everybody wanted the annual upgrade, parents really liked the delivered and read function in iOS and in about 2 years everybody had picked an operating system and stuck with it