The (average) iPhone user

[FredericL]

Hi everyone!

I’m a student Communication & Multimedia Design from Holland and I’m doing a research about smartphone users. From the information I’ll collect I want to make personas, which are descriptions about the average user of a type of smartphone. I make distinction between providers of operating systems which are used by smartphones.

The providers are:
- RIM (BlackBerry)
- Apple (iPhone)
- Google Android (like HTC and Samsung)
- Symbian (like Nokia)
- Windows Mobile / Windows Phone (like Sony Ericsson)

The question:
From you I would like to know why you have chosen the smartphone you are using now, or want to buy. Which function, specification or other reason is, or was decisive; and why not a smartphone from one of the other providers I mentioned above. I’m not interested in answers like “I chose my iPhone because it looks beautiful” or “I chose the HTC Desire because of the many apps I can download”. Don’t be afraid to give a big description, the bigger the better (for me at least). What I also like to know is when and where you use your smartphone, at school/work? Or when traveling by train or other public transport, etc.

I’m curious if you make your choices based on function or design, or maybe both. I hope to find out which functions are decisive. Like the HD recordings of the Symbian or the mail function of the BlackBerry.

When I finished my research and made up the results I definitly want to share these with you, if you are interested.

Many thanks for the onces who will help me with my research!


Greetings,
Fréderic Luksemburg
Student Communication & Multimedia Design @ Avans Hogeschool - Holland

 

[bab2010]

I'm using iPhone4 and i chose this smartphone because it's the only one that meet my needs in the domian of handy communication. The most decisif point for me was the speed at wich the idevice can respond, and it reliability to not let me down by catching viruses via bluetooth like nokia phones or freezing for no reasons. I will not forget to mention it shape as well which is unique and simple.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FredericL]

I'm using iPhone4 and i chose this smartphone because it's the only one that meet my needs in the domian of handy communication. The most decisif point for me was the speed at wich the idevice can respond, and it reliability to not let me down by catching viruses via bluetooth like nokia phones or freezing for no reasons. I will not forget to mention it shape as well which is unique and simple.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for your quick response.

What functions do you use for communication? And do you use it for personal case or work/study or both?

 

[DaveM]

My iPhone is used as a replacement for a laptop in many situations I encounter in my daily computer service business. I can keep all my Outlook contacts and customer notes, calendar, access the Internet, e-mail, and store tech information on it. I can use the camera to take quick pictures of error messages on a client's screen, or document other issues as they arise. I use a great GPS app for those client destinations that I'm not familiar with. I can even use my Amazon and Newegg apps to give clients an idea of what a particular item is costing at the moment.

As an "older generation" user I've just begun using texting, but it's a natural extension of daily iPhone use. The one thing that I really don't care about at all is gaming. For me the iPhone is a tool rather than a toy.

 

[Gregoris]

Hello!

I am using the iphone. easy to use and nice interface, it has a nice os and has a tone of apps in the app store i can use and really customise it when i jailbreak. its probably not the best phone but it has everything i need, 5mp camera that takes very good pics and HD video and the feel and look of it as well. works nicely with my mpb

 

[FredericL]

Hello!

I am using the iphone. easy to use and nice interface, it has a nice os and has a tone of apps in the app store i can use and really customise it when i jailbreak. its probably not the best phone but it has everything i need, 5mp camera that takes very good pics and HD video and the feel and look of it as well. works nicely with my mpb

Thank you for your response

There are more smartphones that fulfil the needs you describe, why have you chosen the iPhone? I would like to hear from you what the main features are that you decide to go for the iPhone.

I.e. I really wanted to synchronize with my iPod or I definitly wanted a smartphone with a compass and the BB doesn't have one and Symbian has a slow compass.

Edit: I want to ask the same question to DaveM

What I also like to know is if you use the iPhone for personal or for business? And if its the last, what function do you use. I.e. Sms to quickly reach colleagues on another floor, or the calendar, etc)

 

[bab2010]

Thank you for your quick response.

What functions do you use for communication? And do you use it for personal case or work/study or both?

Well i use many functions to communicate starting by the inbuild functions phone calls sms safari and ending up with many 3rd party apps designed for voice/video communication or social networks. I use my phone for personal use only, but some few times yes i will use my phone to edit work docs.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Colt]

I bought the iPhone 4 because many of my colleagues and friends use it and recommended it to me. Compared to other smarts I find it quite easy to handle but there are so many apps I didn't discover yet and it's so much fun to discover what it is capable of.

 

[Gregoris]

Hello!

I am using the iphone. easy to use and nice interface, it has a nice os and has a tone of apps in the app store i can use and really customise it when i jailbreak. its probably not the best phone but it has everything i need, 5mp camera that takes very good pics and HD video and the feel and look of it as well. works nicely with my mpb

Thank you for your response

There are more smartphones that fulfil the needs you describe, why have you chosen the iPhone? I would like to hear from you what the main features are that you decide to go for the iPhone.

I.e. I really wanted to synchronize with my iPod or I definitly wanted a smartphone with a compass and the BB doesn't have one and Symbian has a slow compass.

Edit: I want to ask the same question to DaveM

What I also like to know is if you use the iPhone for personal or for business? And if its the last, what function do you use. I.e. Sms to quickly reach colleagues on another floor, or the calendar, etc)

well to be honest other smart phones i have found do not meet those needs, like the nokia or blackberry and have a maze of options, plus most smart phones only come with very little space where as the iphone is 32GB, other smart phones like bb or sony and other makes come with very little memory.

also firmware updates come at the same time to all phones worldwide unlike nokia where each firmware gets released depending on what country/carrier and even what colour the phone is. just small things like that really..

person an business use, personal mainly for games and browsing the net and movies and work for emails and pdf files in ibooks. for me using an iphone is easier then other smart phones out there.

i mean other smart phones have more then the iphone but when apple eventually add it they do a better job then other phones, the iphone 3g even had a better camera then a nokias 5mp one and the 3g had a 2mp camera.

other smart phones have everything i look for in a phone but i dont like the os or i dont like the little mouse on the front of the screen or the bulky ness the phone brings, so its never really about what features the phone has because iphone is most the time playing catch up with other phones features its all about the user experience and the ease of use and everything i mentioned before. the nokia did not even have kinetic scorlling until many firmwares later, htc every one tells me they are un reliable

 

[FredericL]

I bought the iPhone 4 because many of my colleagues and friends use it and recommended it to me. Compared to other smarts I find it quite easy to handle but there are so many apps I didn't discover yet and it's so much fun to discover what it is capable of.

Were those recommendations enough for you to decide to go for the iPhone? What exactly do you find easy? Switching between menu's? Messaging? I would like to know from you what the main things are have chosen for iPhone and not another phone. (see my response to Unleashed for more details about my question)

 

[Colt]

I bought the iPhone 4 because many of my colleagues and friends use it and recommended it to me. Compared to other smarts I find it quite easy to handle but there are so many apps I didn't discover yet and it's so much fun to discover what it is capable of.

Were those recommendations enough for you to decide to go for the iPhone? What exactly do you find easy? Switching between menu's? Messaging? I would like to know from you what the main things are have chosen for iPhone and not another phone. (see my response to Unleashed for more details about my question)

My friends, who are very much into smartphones recommended it to me and also showed me the basics what it is capable of. That's what made me buy it.

The menue is structured straight forward and it's easy to control with the touchpad, although I needed some training, but it's fun to see how fast you improve with it.

And why did I choose an iPhone? Well, I think the fact that most of my friends sport one made sure that if I experienced any problems or technical difficulties I would have 2 or 3 people available who could help me immediately. I had some bad experience with customer care in the past (but not Apple), you know.

 

[Gregoris]

I was given my first iphone as a present and i did not care about them at that time in 2007 and the more i used it the more i loved it.. but in 2007 i did not like it with out jb because the lack of features was just terrible.. you could not mms or copy paste or do anything.. even to record videos you had to be jailbroken... but slowly they started to add things and when they did it 500 years later they did an amazing job of it

 

[Dreamo84]

I use the iPhone 4 with Verizon. I chose it, because after using a couple different BlackBerries and some more basic media phones before that. I realized that what I really wanted was a phone that just does a lot of stuff and works.

Blackberries are nice for their features and customizability, but once that wears off I was left with issue after issue. Gotta restart it 12 times a day, it locks up, my 1 year old phone can't get the latest OS update.

I did extensive research before making this purchase, and while I very nearly ended up with an HTC thunderbolt. I realized, I didn't care if I could customize my wigets and download apps from "freeapps4urphone.com" or whatever. I just wanted a cool touch screen phone that i could use email, web browse, play games, text, call, and enjoy.

My iphone 4 has replaced my psp as a portable gaming device (hell I don't even play my ps3 anymore since I got it, I sit on my couch playing games on my phone now). I web browse laying in my bed when i'm trying to fall asleep and enjoy it more than browsing on my desktop PC with a 22" widescreen monitor.

Basically, I respect what the competition has to offer, but the iPhone is a fun device/phone that does a lot of stuff and works. I use it at home, on breaks at work, doctors office etc etc. In fact I like it so much i'm considering purchasing an iPad 2 in the future since I figure that will be even more enjoyable to use at home.

When I had my BlackBerry the customizing was fun for a while, but after that I had very few apps/games I actually enjoyed using. Web browsing was a chore on both my Curve and my storm 2. I'm not trying to make this a bash blackberry post but it was a huge factor in my decision to get an iphone 4. I wanted a phone that would work and be smooth to use.

Sorry for the scatterbrain nature of the post but I just kept typing as stuff popped into my head.

 

[FredericL]

I use the iPhone 4 with Verizon. I chose it, because after using a couple different BlackBerries and some more basic media phones before that. I realized that what I really wanted was a phone that just does a lot of stuff and works.

Blackberries are nice for their features and customizability, but once that wears off I was left with issue after issue. Gotta restart it 12 times a day, it locks up, my 1 year old phone can't get the latest OS update.

I did extensive research before making this purchase, and while I very nearly ended up with an HTC thunderbolt. I realized, I didn't care if I could customize my wigets and download apps from "freeapps4urphone.com" or whatever. I just wanted a cool touch screen phone that i could use email, web browse, play games, text, call, and enjoy.

My iphone 4 has replaced my psp as a portable gaming device (hell I don't even play my ps3 anymore since I got it, I sit on my couch playing games on my phone now). I web browse laying in my bed when i'm trying to fall asleep and enjoy it more than browsing on my desktop PC with a 22" widescreen monitor.

Basically, I respect what the competition has to offer, but the iPhone is a fun device/phone that does a lot of stuff and works. I use it at home, on breaks at work, doctors office etc etc. In fact I like it so much i'm considering purchasing an iPad 2 in the future since I figure that will be even more enjoyable to use at home.

When I had my BlackBerry the customizing was fun for a while, but after that I had very few apps/games I actually enjoyed using. Web browsing was a chore on both my Curve and my storm 2. I'm not trying to make this a bash blackberry post but it was a huge factor in my decision to get an iphone 4. I wanted a phone that would work and be smooth to use.

Sorry for the scatterbrain nature of the post but I just kept typing as stuff popped into my head.

Don't feel sorry, the more the better
Clear reasons what you expect from your smartphone, but doesn't Android and Symbian phones also has the options you mentioned? And maybe even WM? I would like to hear from you why you didn't choose one of those platforms? "I just wanted a cool touch screen phone that i could use email, web browse, play games, text, call, and enjoy." is what you said. But it's not only the iPhone which fulfil this features.

 

[Dreamo84]

I use the iPhone 4 with Verizon. I chose it, because after using a couple different BlackBerries and some more basic media phones before that. I realized that what I really wanted was a phone that just does a lot of stuff and works.

Blackberries are nice for their features and customizability, but once that wears off I was left with issue after issue. Gotta restart it 12 times a day, it locks up, my 1 year old phone can't get the latest OS update.

I did extensive research before making this purchase, and while I very nearly ended up with an HTC thunderbolt. I realized, I didn't care if I could customize my wigets and download apps from "freeapps4urphone.com" or whatever. I just wanted a cool touch screen phone that i could use email, web browse, play games, text, call, and enjoy.

My iphone 4 has replaced my psp as a portable gaming device (hell I don't even play my ps3 anymore since I got it, I sit on my couch playing games on my phone now). I web browse laying in my bed when i'm trying to fall asleep and enjoy it more than browsing on my desktop PC with a 22" widescreen monitor.

Basically, I respect what the competition has to offer, but the iPhone is a fun device/phone that does a lot of stuff and works. I use it at home, on breaks at work, doctors office etc etc. In fact I like it so much i'm considering purchasing an iPad 2 in the future since I figure that will be even more enjoyable to use at home.

When I had my BlackBerry the customizing was fun for a while, but after that I had very few apps/games I actually enjoyed using. Web browsing was a chore on both my Curve and my storm 2. I'm not trying to make this a bash blackberry post but it was a huge factor in my decision to get an iphone 4. I wanted a phone that would work and be smooth to use.

Sorry for the scatterbrain nature of the post but I just kept typing as stuff popped into my head.

Don't feel sorry, the more the better
Clear reasons what you expect from your smartphone, but doesn't Android and Symbian phones also has the options you mentioned? And maybe even WM? I would like to hear from you why you didn't choose one of those platforms? "I just wanted a cool touch screen phone that i could use email, web browse, play games, text, call, and enjoy." is what you said. But it's not only the iPhone which fulfil this features.

But from everything I had read, it does it the "smoothest". Ive seen android phones in action, they are nice but their web browsing is not quite as smooth, their menus gitter, I have read about android phones crashing. With iPhones you know you don't have flash, less customization, no free apps from "freeapps4u.com" but you get the smoothest experience in exchange.

In the past I wanted to be able to customize and play with my phone that way. But I realized that wore off fast, iPhone does everything I want the best and I know it always will.

It also has more/better games than any other OS too.