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Apple has captured Gen Z in America so thoroughly that younger consumers fear being socially ostracized for being “green bubbles,” not having an iPhone, a trend that will allow the tech giant to gain market share not only in smartphones, but in personal computers (Mac), tablets (iPad), smartwatches (Apple Watch), and multiple other markets.

Patrick McGee for Financial Times:

Gen Z users — those born after 1996 — make up 34 per cent of all iPhone owners in the US, versus 10 per cent for Samsung, according to new data from Attain, an adtech data platform.

The tech giant’s hold on younger consumers marks a significant change as market research has shown that, for older generations of Americans, there is a relatively even split between owners of devices running Android, Google’s software for mobiles, and iOS.

Shannon Cross, analyst at Credit Suisse, said the ramifications of these shifting tastes extended well beyond smartphones, as iPhone users were more likely to purchase MacBooks, Apple Watches and AirPods.

“The strength of the Apple ecosystem creates a moat that is fairly impenetrable by the competition,” Cross said. “It really makes it hard to change the trajectory. Apple is just going to continue to gain share over time.”

One oft-mentioned issue is that Android phones can’t send texts through Apple’s iMessage system, meaning that a single Android user participating in a group chat of iPhone owners turns the outbound messages of all users green, rather than blue.

“A green message — anyone with an Android — throws off the entire chat, because now the whole thing has to be SMS,” said Annelise Hillman, the 24-year-old chief executive of Frontman, a men’s grooming business. “So the social pressure to get an iPhone is pretty insane.”

On TikTok, a trend called “He’s a 10 but…” went viral when random women were asked what a perfect guy’s new rating would be once they found out he uses Android. Numerous respondents re-rate the guy at less than 5, or simply call it a deal-breaker. “If that bubble pops up green, I’m not responding,” said one.

MacDailyNews Take: A 5 is far too generous.

From a U.S. teen we just briefly interviewed: “There was this one kid in music theory who had an Android and I was like (makes face, rolls eyes). Because it’s a type; it’s a red flag.” – MacDailyNews, July 2, 2019

This is why we continually assert that Apple is woefully undervalued.

From two kids brought up with Android phones who switched to iPhone once they hit high school this past autumn: “We couldn’t have Android phones. No way. It was awful. Then, once we got the iPhones, everything about them was so much better and faster — not just Messages — we told our parents they needed to switch, too!”

It’s simple, really: Get a real iPhone.

We don’t have a ton, thankfully, but we do have a few poor souls who text us with their ugly, dysfunctional green bubbles and it’s a awful experience. They can’t do much of anything. They can’t execute or experience any of the cool stuff we Messages users can. It’s just plain sad.

Our Message for them is always the same: “Get a real iPhone!”

Several of them have and they’ve thanked us profusely for the advice. — MacDailyNews, October 19, 2018

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