What kind of mobile fanboy are you?

In the tech industry we have all kinds of stereotypes. There are the casual users, the gamers, the workaholics and more. But one thing is for sure – we can all fall under the “fanboy” category if we aren’t careful.

What is a fanboy? Are you one? You very well may be. A fanboy, in short, is a brand loyalist of sorts. They are known for vigorously (and sometimes blindly) following specific brands, platforms or trends. Let’s look through some of the most popular fanboy kinds and see if you fit in.

Before we get started, we’d like to bring your attention to our first mobile fanboy post from November 2014. Be sure to take a look at that poll to see where you folks stood two years ago!

The Google fanboy

Google is a very important company nowadays. In fact, it is the 3rd most valuable company in the world, according to Forbes, with a value of about $65.6 billion. Not only that, but they happen to be all over the place. To some people Google IS the internet.

The tech company has the most popular browser, search engine and email service; not to mention the plethora of services that run our daily lives. There’s also Android, of course, as well as their many ongoing projects.

It’s only natural for people to be all about Google. But are you a fanboy? Are you going a bit overboard? Oh, and keep in mind Google fanboys are not to be mistaken by Android fanboys. Here are a few signs you may be a Google fanboy!

• You will never even consider using OneDrive, Apple Music or any service that competes with Google. Bing? Screw that! You live by Google Drive, Photos, Chrome, Play Music, Android, etc. And it’s not only because these apps tend to already be on your devices (which also come from Google) – sometimes they are not and you still stick to them! You need live and breathe Google. I mean, come on. Very few of your friends give a darn about Hangouts, and you likely continue trying to get them to love it… or at least use it to talk to you.
• In fact, even if you do happen to buy an iPhone, Windows Phone or whatever, you still try to stick to nothing but Google apps and services.
• Do you have any Google swag? Oh boy. You are getting close to fanboy territory! These goodies may include branded mugs, shirts, hats, figurines, stickers, etc.
• You get excited over everything Google. Like, you go and check what Google I/O attendees will get for free and you won’t.
• You love all of Google’s projects. This makes sense when you consider most Google products are affordable, convenient and accessible, but sometimes you also support Google’s crazy ideas. You were probably into the Google Glass developer version, which many actually disliked. Google Cardboard? Got it! Hell, you probably even went for the Nexus Q and got it for free after the project was dropped! You may even have a Chromebook, as well as an Android Wear Watch and a Chromecast. You get the point.

Extreme cases:

• Talking about Chromebooks: did you spend $1500 on a Chromebook Pixel? Umm… yeah. Gorgeous laptop!
• Any tattoos? If you have any Google-related tattoos, things are getting a bit out of hand.
• You may be considering naming your kids under Google personalities. Larry? Maybe Matias?
• Your home/office/anything are decorated under Material Design standards… somehow.
• You defend Google with all your might and can never accept they do anything wrong.
• Under religion, on forms, you mark “other” and pencil Google in.

The Android fanboy

Android fanboys are more common than the others; at least around here, for obvious reasons. Android is the most popular mobile OS in the world, with over 1.4 billion users as of  September 2015. They are bound to have some followers, including many of us.

But what makes an Android user a fanboy? Let’s take a look at the signs.

• You love Android, particularly for its open nature. You consider it the best mobile OS in the world.
• “What are the specs?” – Yes, we are obsessed with specs. Even if you do nothing but write emails and check social networks, you definitely want the biggest, baddest specs.
• “Is the bootloader unlocked?” – Seriously? OK, so this is a justified question if you are into tinkering with your phone. But then there are those users who never really take advantage of the unlocked bootloader! It’s like they just want to know it’s unlocked to make sure everything is right with the world.
• 16 GB? Are you crazy? Hell no, just spend the extra money for a “better phone”! (Then you never use more than 16 GB).
• As Android fans, you likely love the platform, but aren’t scared to try apps and services from non-Google companies.
• As Android fans, we all love to talk about how diverse the operating system is. Yes, you can make it look however you want, and manufacturers make great skins (sometimes), but you will always prefer vanilla/stock Android, as Google intends it to be. If you can’t have the stock version of Android, you will download the Google Now Launcher.
• By the way, you likely own a Nexus device. But you also try to be a smart shopper and will go with another manufacturer if you find something that is worth your cash.
• If you don’t own a Nexus phone, you can’t go a week, or sometimes a day, without wondering where the heck the latest update is. It doesn’t matter if it’s some minor update with no noticeable changes, you want it NOW!
• Just like the Google fanboy, you probably own some Android related goodies. I mean, we have cases with the Android robot, Andy figurines, cookie jars, clothing and more. You name it – Android is everywhere.
• You are making awesome-looking home screens all the time. This is cool, but it can get a bit annoying at times, especially if you are showing off a different one every single day.
• You tend to get in arguments with carrier store representatives when they try to sell you or anyone an iPhone over an Android device.

Extreme cases:

• Do you have a tattoo of the Android robot anywhere in your body? I won’t deny it, those are cool and I love seeing them, but yeah… just a bit overboard.
• No one can dare disagree with you, or they will be called “Apple fanboys”.
• You are also always talking about how much you dislike Apple, as well as its fans. You may even resort to insults.
• You can name every ROM, Android version and root app — but you can’t remember your birthday.
• You believe Android is perfect as is, and that no other mobile operating system has any positive features or attributes. They all suck and there’s absolutely nothing Google could learn from its competition. Android is king. Long live the king!
• Oh, and the one that happens to be the most annoying to me, especially: “The guy who reviewed this phone is a total Apple fanboy!”. How could I be an Apple fanboy and work for an Android-focused website? Remember our reviews are subjective, and not everything related to Android is awesome. Some things do suck, and just because we call things out it doesn’t me we are against the platform or suddenly become enemies. We just have to disagree sometimes.
• An extreme Android fanboy will always hate iOS, or anything related to Apple. Apple is the devil.

The Apple fanboy

Oh, the Apple fanboys. Everyone seems to have a special place in their hearts for them. It’s not a very nice spot, but it’s there. We told you earlier that Google was the 3rd most valuable company in the world; well, Apple is #1, so it’s bound to have some avid (or rabid) followers.

This one is all but guaranteed to cause some stir. We are talking about real Apple fanboys, not just mobile enthusiasts that get called Apple fanboys because they happen to have bought an iPhone. Let’s look into the symptoms.

• You won’t touch Android or anything else. Apple is supreme and nothing beats it. End of discussion.
• And if you do happen to play around with an Android device, there is no way you will ever accept Google’s OS has some cool things. Nope, it’s all dumb and cluttered.
• You continue talking about Android fragmentation, years after the topic has been put to rest.
• You don’t mind the restrictions placed on iOS. Apple knows best, after all.
• You think Samsung is but a cheap copycat that took Apple’s ideas.
• You find yourself saying things like: “I choose Apple because it just works. I want something simple, not just an OS for nerds”.
• You have those Apple stickers all over your things. You know, the ones you get for free every time you buy a new Apple product.
• You own a MacBook, an iPad, an iPhone, an Apple TV, an Apple Watch and are probably even looking into Apple’s rumored car.
• You love Steve Jobs and often bring up the great things he did for this industry. In extreme cases, you may think he is some kind of deity. Hell, you may even start walking barefoot and eating nothing but carrots, just like he did at some point.
• Oh, and you keep saying: “This would have never happened if Steve Jobs was still around!”.

Extreme cases:

• You keep calling other people fanboys, without realizing you are probably one too.
• You think Android is but a cheap copy of iOS… somehow. And then you ignore Apple has taken many features from Android.
• Oh, and when Apple releases features Android has had for years, you do nothing but praise them!
• You think Android is for poor people, without considering plenty of Android devices cost as much as Apple products, if not more. These people think Apple products are not just tools, but also some kind of status symbol.
• You seriously think Apple invented everything.
• Do you have an Apple tattoo? Yeah….

The Samsung fanboy

Out of every Android manufacturer out there, Samsung is the biggest and baddest. It’s Apple’s biggest competitor, so it also has some very fierce followers.

Have you ever heard of the Samsung Knights? I don’t now if they are still around, but they used to defend Samsung with sword and shield, facing any opponent that would dare question the company’s greatness and honor.

Are you a Samsung fanboy? Let’s look at the signs.

• Plastic was fantastic. No one could convince you there was an issue with Samsung’s design when everyone kept saying it felt cheap. But you also welcomed their change to metal and glass, and couldn’t stop glorifying it.
• You only buy Samsung phones. Anything else is second rate. Other Android devices may be cool and all, but Samsung is king.
• You actually like TouchWiz. You liked it before, when everyone was complaining about it, and you like it now that it has improved. At the very least you really enjoy all the added features it comes with.
• You keep using Samsung’s apps. Even the ones no one cares about!
• You keep talking about how Samsung is one of the main players in Android and the tech industry. It’s also a main reason why Android continues to stay alive.
• There is no way you will ever actually believe Samsung copied anything from Apple!

Extreme cases: 

• You think Samsung IS Android. All other manufacturers just suck, right?
• You have a tendency to call people Apple fanboys just because they disagree with you in some ways.
• Samsung can do no wrong. Period.
• To you, Samsung is more important than Android. This means that if Samsung does make a switch to Tizen, you will definitely go with them. In fact, you probably already own a Tizen-powered wearable or something.
• You seem to hate Apple fanboys more than any other group. They are your enemies, your rivals, your nemeses.

The wearable and IoT fanboy

This is a new breed of fanboys. Wearables, smart products and IoT devices boomed recently, and people are going nuts over them. Some more than others, but we definitely have some fanboys here.

• These guys own a smartwatch. And they love it. They can’t stop using it.
• In fact, some refuse to use their phone even if it’s easy to reach. And they keep going out of their way to show off the cool stuff they can do with them.
• Some will go as far as playing games and typing with their smart watches. That’s not the way these things work, guys.
• You probably have smart lights somewhere around your home.
• You may never even drink coffee, but the idea of a smart coffee machine that automatically starts every morning sounds amazing. Now you are considering taking up a new coffee habit.
• You own one of those cool speakers you can interact with, like the Amazon Echo.
• You own an odd type of wearable. Like one of those pendants, or Google Glass.
• Do you have a smart lock? One that you can operate with an app? I will accept those are dope, though.

Extreme cases:

• You use more than one wearable at a time. It could be a smartwatch and an activity tracker. Maybe even two smartwatches (or more). I have seen it, guys. This is not something I am making up.
• You will do everything with your smart products. Even when it’s not necessary. If you are standing next to the light switch, you will pull out your phone and use that to turn the lights one.
• NFC payments? Of course! You may even use your watch or tablet for that.
• You keep considering buying a new car just to get Android Auto, if you didn’t already. At the very least you will go for one of those standalone units.
• And you are also thinking about how to justify spending massive amounts of money on making your house smart.
• How about self-driving cars? I am actually guilty of this one. I am dreaming of a future when I will never have to actually operate a car. I want to be able to go to a bar and have my car go park itself, then tell it to come pick me up when I am ready to sleep. Which, by the way, I could also do on my way home.

Don’t be a fanboy!

There is nothing wrong with being a fan of Android, Google, Apple, Samsung, Microsoft or anything else. Yes, you can even love BlackBerry! The trick here is that you don’t want to be a stereotypical fanboy. You can have a preference, but blindly following is not good. We must recognize competition is good.

Hopefully the reason why you prefer a brand or platform over another is because they have proven to be the best choice for your specific needs. Maybe another brand or OS will be better suited for you in the future, and there is nothing wrong with that (even if you leave Android, our beloved mobile OS).

At the end of the day, we all use our devices to improve our lives. It’s a matter of preference, and diversity is a beautiful thing. But if you had to choose, which fanboy group would you rather be identified with? Where do you feel you belong more? I would say I would fall somewhere between the Google and Android fanboy groups. And I am also getting close to being a wearable/IoT fanboy.