Are android user stereotypes true?

[Rule9]

I'm sure many of you have seen this funny comic, read on after the image as to why I think it's quite true. I would in the case of this post replace the Blackberry user with a WP user.

I frequent quite a few tech forums and newsfeeds, including iOS and Windows Phone along with android and at the risk of sounding immodest I have a pretty good grasp on the ins and outs of how other OS's work besides just Android. What has always stood out to me is when I visit WP or iOS forums there seems to be a lot less awareness of Android compared to the awareness I see on Android forums about those other OS's. I often see statements that seem to be based on how Android was regarded 2-3 years ago, and it appears to be to be made by people who continue to parrot what they've heard or read years ago rather than current knowledge they would be in possession of if they themselves were keeping track. Frequent erroneous staments like,

"Android has a malware problem"

Untrue. The vast majority of those reports are skewed because their source is often Security software sellers with a vested interest in their own sales, and are taken from older android phones in geographical regions that get their apps mostly from unsecured 3rd party app stores that aren't tied to official Google Play services. That causes a skewed representation.

"Android phones are laggy and buggy"

Again untrue. For every modern android device that may have issues, there are just as many Nokia windows phones and yes, even iPhones that suffer from the same problems all electronics do. As for lag, WP users often tout that WP8 is faster than any other OS. While that may be true in some cases, I've found plenty of lag complaints on WP models, and whatever gains in speed or stability a WP may achieve, they're overshadowed by numerous deficits in features and functions that Android and iOS users have enjoyed for years.

"Widgets are buggy/messy/ugly/not useful"

Another example of outdated knowledge. The look and feel of widgets nowadays, not to mention functionality is vastly improved from the 'old' days.

"Google spies on you with Android to sell ads"

MS and Apple are no better at privacy than Android. Furthermore I hope that none of the people making these statements uses a computer web browser with cookies enabled and no adblocker because you've been subjected to ad tracking for decades already.

Some of the statements actually come from the administrators of those sites! You would think they of all people would be more tech savvy than their users. After all, they are administrating a mobile tech website, and you'd expect them to be more rational and knowledgeable and less prone to statements made in ignorance right...? Wrong. Here's a couple of real gems I found:

"Maybe its Android you would recommend? Then watch as your friends reset their devices 2-3 times a day just to make a phone call"

I don't even know how to respond to that. That one wasn't just from a site admin, it was from their top admin. SMH.

"After the evo, android will never be an option for me no matter what the phone"

So one single phone that was from an experience you had in 2010 (?!?) has decided your outlook on modern Android devices no matter what?? WOW. Seriously?

What makes matters worse is that unlike Android Central, Phandroid, XDA forums, all places where you can openly criticize Android without the moderators and administrators of those sites climbing down your neck as long as your post isn't flaming/trolling/baiting etc, here's the kind of behavior I've seen on WP and iOS sites - Someone make a post with some honest and sincere criticisms of the OS, and halfway through the post the site admin basically calls the OP a troll, followed by a hearty round of backslapping in the form of "likes" and "thanks" by his moderator team. Needless to say I was both speechless and disgusted.

 

[Haalcyon]

Android Central is, of course, the Android site by which all others are judged. We're a friendly group and while the moderators here can be the darkest of Ninja when it comes to swiftly neutralizing nonsense they're also quite tolerant. Our community is great, as you'll see if you haven't already and we don't fit the Android mold as presented above. Heck, we even have a moderator that could easily be a model when she's not keeping things straight 'round these parts (she knows who she is).

So stick around and enjoy the comradery . We're a friendly bunch, and we help when we can.

 

[jaggerreng]

=) Android is cool, but I tend to enjoy other platforms. One thing is for sure - Android is smart not just as a platform, but from a business strategy as well.

 

[Fr0gburp3r]

You must've recently found the internet. LOL

 

[Haalcyon]

You must've recently found the internet. LOL

Come on, its almost the holidays. Play nice.

G2

 

[Chanlion]

The picture does have a lot of truth in it. At least that's how I see it exactly.
As for the points you're making:
Android has a malware problem.
It's not really a problem. But compared to the other system just because it's a open source and relatively open ecosystem, it is less secure and does have more malware. But it's not a problem. There's almost no Play malware and most of the malware comes from pirated apps and such. But when you do that on any system, you're taking a risk. Android pirating is simply super easy.
A less regulated system will always have more vulnerabilities than a open one.
Android phones are laggy and buggy.
Buggy, I won't speak on but lag isn't really there or unnoticeable. But it does have a shutter lag problem because of how Android is based.This goes back to the pre development stages.
Widgets are buggy/messy/ugly/not useful
You can't really say that, just go find a widget that's not buggy. But I have had huge problems with widgets personally. Probably haven't found the right one yet.

Overall, Android's a great system but like everything, it does have flaws.