Maimpok

In the heat of the Apple vs. Samsung lawsuit, a judge in one of the international court cases ruled that Samsung’s Android products were not as cool as the Apple iPad, and hence the Korean company could not have succeeded in copying the iPad’s iconic design. Well, we now have data from consumer research, and it seems that Android, as a platform, is now considered the new cool kid on the block.

Is Apple on its way to becoming the old geezer that everyone will forget in a few years?
BIGinsight holds a monthly survey among American consumers. In its latest survey of about 9,000 individuals, there is a trend that Android lovers might find favorable. Respondents think that Android is the hotter brand at this point. And by brand here, we refer to the likability of the platform as a whole.
In its “Hot or Not? Google Android OS versus Apple iOS” survey, 53% has voted Android to be hot while 51.4% of the respondents say iOS is hot.


If we dig in deeper into demographics, there are indications that consumers think Android is on its way to becoming the hottie among mobile users, while iOS might be on its way to being the nottie. In the all-important Millenials demographic — otherwise known as Generation Y — 64% think Android is cool, while 61.9% say iOS is likewise that interesing.

The disparity is greater among Gen-Xers, 58.6% of whom think Android is hot, compared with iOS’ 53.4%. The older generation, though, may not be in agreement to the younger ones, with baby boomers thinking both platforms are almost equally hot — about 46% each. Interestingly enough, Apple is more of a hit among the “silent generation” or those born prior to 1946. Of this demographic, 46.8% say Apple is “hot” while 41.4 say Android is hot.

Is there a trend here?

Yes there is. Here are a few takeaways from the survey and its results.
Android as the future. It appears that the younger generations are banking on Android to be the future of mobile computing. While surveys like these are only a gauge of consumer opinion and behavior, it does help to consider the market and demographics being counted. The younger generations — millennials and folks that fall under the gen-x category — are usually the ones that will have the spending power in the near future. And so if a platform can be marketed to this group well, then this might very well dictate how well that particular platform performs in terms of market and revenue.
iOS fans getting older. Then there’s the other possible cause of the shift towards Android, especially in the younger demographic. Apple’s iOS may be more appealing to the older generations. Perhaps it’s the supposed ease of use attributed to iOS, and the feeling of security in its tighter ecosystem. To illustrate: I’m not sure of more senior users out there are interested at all in rooting their smartphones or installing custom ROMs — something that Android has an advantage due to its more open nature.
It’s a popularity contest. But popularity contests as these surveys are, results might flip-flop depending on the current trends, too, such as the latest marketing events and product launches. Who knows, Apple might be the hotter brand again in a month or two?
How hot is Android for you?