Speaking with mister Frank Meehan, INQ’s CEO and big bossman, Mashable found that apparently Google wasn’t keeping its doors open to the right crowd, instead tending to only a small cross-section of adult males. What Meehan said exactly was: “If you go to a nightclub in any city in the world, the pretty girl has an iPhone or a BlackBerry, she doesn’t have an Android phone. She has no emotional attachment to an Android phone. It’s too complicated. It’s a geek device, it’s all wrong.” Google! How could you have been so foolish, not tending to the pretty girls!
In fact, we think he’s got a point. In tending only to the public that includes early adopters, Android has only accessed a relatively small cross-section of people where if they just tweaked a little bit, they could have the whole pie. How? Bring on the love. Meehan continued “Android manufacturers are all just focused utterly on the tech, because they’re all hardware guys. They don’t get software. They’ve tried to outdo Apple with hardware, but the problem is the customer doesn’t care.” Doesn’t care about specs? That’s crazy! Who would be so heartless?
Of course this isn’t the easiest thing to do in the world, or everyone would have an iPhone-like device that’s selling as well as Apple’s phone has. But what is it? Meehan believes it’s quite simple, and that Samsung is a good place to start explaining his position specifically: “The Samsung Galaxy has done pretty well, but it’s just price-driven. It’s not desire-driven. There are no lines out the door to get a Galaxy. They’ve done all this work on branding, but the name doesn’t mean anything to consumers. It’s like calling a phone ‘Alpha Centauri’ or ‘Uranus’.” We like the last one in particular, and think it’d get everyone lining up real quick.
We recommend naming a new phone “Pretty Puppy Cupcake” in order to appeal to the crowd Meehan is speaking about. On the other hand, the new phones coming out from INQ are called Cloud Q and Cloud Touch – are these the names that will attract women seeking to enhance their love for their devices? Will pretty women all over the earth want to speak and type on an INQ Cloud? — thanks for the tip, AC!
[via crave]
In other words, Google should start catering to the stupid and mediocre like Apple has done?
you saying pretty girls are stupid?
im not saying that, someone else is
apple hardly makes mediocre products. just because this is an android blog doesnt mean everyone thinks apple is the devil
Actually, Chris, that would depend on where you are coming from. I do believe that Apple makes mediocre products *for me*. In the event of conflict, it’s always form over function. The Macs are always a generation or two behind in hardware. The same is true of the iPhones now compared to the high end Android phones. IMO, the Android UX is far superior to the iPhone UX. The lack of multitasking, the back button, the menu button, folders, notification systems, widgets, exposure of the file system all contribute to that. iOS4 narrowed the gap, but it’s widening again. The iPad is a seriously crippled device. I finally sold mine after 3 months.
Apple has done a few things well with the iPhone. Touch Screen smart phones are now the standard. The user interface is extremely fluid and they pay attention to making it look very very good. But I think the most useful thing they did (and Google undid all the progress), was trying to reduce carrier influence in the US.
“was trying to reduce carrier influence in the US.”…are you on drugs? Seriously?
Apple is evil. It’s a fact.
Wow, i guess i am stupid and mediocre? Ignorance
My wife is pretty. She has a Droid X. And what is INQ anyway?
But I have seen this phenomenon. I went out one time with friends of a friend that weren’t like my normal friends. They were less educated and all about fashion. Nothing but iPhones. All my friends which have degrees and are professionals and excelling in careers have Androids. Android is built to help you do what you need to do and not to help you look cute. Google got the software just right. Leave the iPhone for the slow and shallow folks.
Why do people associate phones with intelligence? It’s pathetic
In reality, to do EVERYTHING that Apple really doesn’t want you do with their “IPHONE” you have to be alot more computer & technology literate. I’ve seen this analogy used with rich people before who have the best of everything and yet are clueless as to any more than 10% of the products they own’s true potential. Overclocking ( and rooting?) your tablet meets 1987’s programming the VCR. Making the gender argument is a stereotypical argument. Sure, you could make a few “HELLO KITTY” silk screened android tablets for the Japan market, & colors other than black, beige (computer neutral) and white to make them more appealing to females. IMO, when android 3.0 gets the final google blessing.. I’m betting it will appear more to all people.. even former Apple customers.
In reality, to do EVERYTHING that Apple really doesn’t want you do with their “IPHONE” you have to be alot more computer & technology literate. I’ve seen this analogy used with rich people before who have the best of everything and yet are clueless as to any more than 10% of the products they own’s true potential. Overclocking ( and rooting?) your tablet meets 1987’s programming the VCR. Making the gender argument is a stereotypical argument. Sure, you could make a few “HELLO KITTY” silk screened android tablets for the Japan market, & colors other than black, beige (computer neutral) and white to make them more appealing to females. IMO, when android 3.0 gets the final google blessing.. I’m betting it will appear more to all people.. even former Apple customers.
My wife is a model. She is as good looking as they get. And she loves her Samsung Vibrant. It sounds to me that INQ asked all the wrong girls.
Ive been an Android owner since Verizon first started selling the original Droid. Now I have the Droid Incredible and love everything about it. I usually enjoy reading the different articles and forums to learn and hear what others are saying about Android… But not only is this article stereotyping and offensive to women (myself included), it’s trash that any author shoud be ashamed of… And quite honestly makes me question if the author is even intelligent enough to know how to use an Android smartphone. Chris – you may have chosen the wrong occupation! I am a self-proclaimed “geek” and the reason that is suprising to people i meet is because, well, I’m pretty darn hot and have a great body at 5’11, 130 pounds. If Android built phones targeted at “pretty women” they’d be just as stupid an unsuccessful as the author of this article. Did you forget we are living in 2011???
“Shallow girl is shallow.” ’nuff said