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Has anyone switched from Android to iPhone?
- Thread starter MrCrispy
- Start date
I think it could be using a smartphone mostly as a phone and getting a tablet to use as a larger device. That's how my iOS friends call it.
Honestly, I think big ass phones such as the HTC One Max and the Notes are just way too big. I find a 4.5" phone to be optimally sized for my hands. Now, if they make a really good companion device such as a watch, a headset with a notification screen, or a tiny miny phone with notifications screen too, I could see a large phone as being more useful. I just wouldn't want it in my pockets.
Honestly, I think big ass phones such as the HTC One Max and the Notes are just way too big. I find a 4.5" phone to be optimally sized for my hands. Now, if they make a really good companion device such as a watch, a headset with a notification screen, or a tiny miny phone with notifications screen too, I could see a large phone as being more useful. I just wouldn't want it in my pockets.
Well, as far as the experience, yes iOS is a lot more closed as compare to the Android system unless you are willing to JB the phone. But with the JB, there seem to be a few other issues, like lower battery life as well. Stick to stock and one thing I can promise you is that it will work and work wonderfully well. No hanging, no sudden resets no apps not working etc etc. I was an Android fanboy but then decided to go iOS once and since then I have not bothered to come back to Android, though the new Nexus 5 seems to be nice. The screen size is a bit smaller on the Iphone, but something I think they will remedy next year some time.
Overall a great experience with something that works well out of the box, with minimal tweaking.
Overall a great experience with something that works well out of the box, with minimal tweaking.
Same, plus I get bored with the iPhone, sure it's great at what it does but with android you have options to keep your interest alive.
I've switched back and forth over the years. My last two devices were HTC One S and now a 5s. I maintain all the Windows Phone and Samsung Android devices for my grandparents, dad, and his girlfriend.
There really aren't *that* many options for Android. It basically boils down to stock (and cooked ROMs based on stock), Cyanogenmod, AOSP, or MIUI. You can't really put a Sense ROM on a TouchWiz device, or vice versa, so the options are more limited than first appears.
Things like customizing the launch screen are nice but after the novelty of widgets wears off (and usually fairly quickly) and you get settled on how you like your phone layout those considerations become rather low on the priority list.
In order to get close to my iPhone's battery life I have to turn most everything off that makes android remotely appealing (widgets, multi tasking, flash, for example).
The real consideration is what you want out of your phone. If you want it to tie neatly into your system then you should prioritize ecosystem. If you're using apple devices stick with apple devices. If you're using Windows 8 devices it's not a bad idea to take a good look at a Windows phone.
But if you want to use a phone as a phone as your first and main concern then an iPhone has so far proven to me to be the reliable, goto choice. I finally moved my partner from an old blackberry curve to an iPhone 5 (her first smartphone) and she's in love with it. She considers it a work of art as well as a useful piece of technology. She has a macbook air, which I also turned her on to a couple years ago, and she's never going back to a PC again.
When I got my 5s I couldn't stop using it. I feel the same way about my macbook pro retina. there is just something about them that tends to tickle both the left and right sides of my brain in a way that other devices don't quite manage.
a lot of it probably has to do with age. for those of us in our late 30's/early 40's we grew up alongside of computers as they grew. so our parents are kind of out of the loop because technology as we experience it is more foreign. a lot of people on this board, who tend to be in their 20's, aren't particularly impressed by the same things. they've always had a computer, a laptop, and a smartphone. there was never a time in their lives that those things didn't exist.
so it doesn't surprise me when they think my wonderment at my iPhone is because I'm an idiot who is impressed by magical pixie dust or whatever pejorative term they can conjure up. but the reality is that, to anyone who grew up playing with marbles in a dirt side lot, all of this tech is amazing.
so go into a store and just hold them all and close your eyes and just feel the devices. play around with the apps and see if they've got what you want to use.
you should know there isn't a way to transfer your texts to an iPhone from an android device. things like texts and phone logs will be lost but your other data (pictures and contacts) can be transferred from google back to your device.
There really aren't *that* many options for Android. It basically boils down to stock (and cooked ROMs based on stock), Cyanogenmod, AOSP, or MIUI. You can't really put a Sense ROM on a TouchWiz device, or vice versa, so the options are more limited than first appears.
Things like customizing the launch screen are nice but after the novelty of widgets wears off (and usually fairly quickly) and you get settled on how you like your phone layout those considerations become rather low on the priority list.
In order to get close to my iPhone's battery life I have to turn most everything off that makes android remotely appealing (widgets, multi tasking, flash, for example).
The real consideration is what you want out of your phone. If you want it to tie neatly into your system then you should prioritize ecosystem. If you're using apple devices stick with apple devices. If you're using Windows 8 devices it's not a bad idea to take a good look at a Windows phone.
But if you want to use a phone as a phone as your first and main concern then an iPhone has so far proven to me to be the reliable, goto choice. I finally moved my partner from an old blackberry curve to an iPhone 5 (her first smartphone) and she's in love with it. She considers it a work of art as well as a useful piece of technology. She has a macbook air, which I also turned her on to a couple years ago, and she's never going back to a PC again.
When I got my 5s I couldn't stop using it. I feel the same way about my macbook pro retina. there is just something about them that tends to tickle both the left and right sides of my brain in a way that other devices don't quite manage.
a lot of it probably has to do with age. for those of us in our late 30's/early 40's we grew up alongside of computers as they grew. so our parents are kind of out of the loop because technology as we experience it is more foreign. a lot of people on this board, who tend to be in their 20's, aren't particularly impressed by the same things. they've always had a computer, a laptop, and a smartphone. there was never a time in their lives that those things didn't exist.
so it doesn't surprise me when they think my wonderment at my iPhone is because I'm an idiot who is impressed by magical pixie dust or whatever pejorative term they can conjure up. but the reality is that, to anyone who grew up playing with marbles in a dirt side lot, all of this tech is amazing.
so go into a store and just hold them all and close your eyes and just feel the devices. play around with the apps and see if they've got what you want to use.
you should know there isn't a way to transfer your texts to an iPhone from an android device. things like texts and phone logs will be lost but your other data (pictures and contacts) can be transferred from google back to your device.
I'm a multi-platform user, and I see the whole Android/iOS debate as a matter of taste. As someone once explained:
Android is for those who like to do something to their phones, iOS is for those who like to do something with their phones.
Not that you can't tinker with an iPhone or get things done with Android, but you can see the different philosophies based on what users talk about. A lot of Android fans I know talk about the latest widget, when they're getting KitKat or what custom ROM they'll try next. That's awesome. And what do the iPhone users talk about? How great Tweetbot is, how they've just posted their vacation video or how good that carefully edited photo looks. You're giving up customizability on iOS, but you're getting a launchpad for accomplishing cool things.
Android is for those who like to do something to their phones, iOS is for those who like to do something with their phones.
Not that you can't tinker with an iPhone or get things done with Android, but you can see the different philosophies based on what users talk about. A lot of Android fans I know talk about the latest widget, when they're getting KitKat or what custom ROM they'll try next. That's awesome. And what do the iPhone users talk about? How great Tweetbot is, how they've just posted their vacation video or how good that carefully edited photo looks. You're giving up customizability on iOS, but you're getting a launchpad for accomplishing cool things.
I have a GS3 now and have done it all - multiple custom rom's, recoveries, all kinds of XDA apps etc. I love that aspect of Android, but it does add some instability and you have to be ready for random reboots.
Honestly 99% of Android rom's are the same, the big reason to get custom roms is to get updates, and that's gone with iOS. CM/AOKP of course add their own special features, but that's minor in comparison.
I never owned an iPhone but have used it, and I think what I would miss most is the the open nature - not being able to share anything with any other app. And lack of true multitasking, I've seen too many reloads and downloads stopping because you switch away from an app. And of course the much smaller screen.
Is the ecosystem better? Keep hearing about how iOS apps are better designed, any examples compared to the Android versions?
Honestly 99% of Android rom's are the same, the big reason to get custom roms is to get updates, and that's gone with iOS. CM/AOKP of course add their own special features, but that's minor in comparison.
I never owned an iPhone but have used it, and I think what I would miss most is the the open nature - not being able to share anything with any other app. And lack of true multitasking, I've seen too many reloads and downloads stopping because you switch away from an app. And of course the much smaller screen.
Is the ecosystem better? Keep hearing about how iOS apps are better designed, any examples compared to the Android versions?
1. You can share stuffs across app if the app supports it, but not mass data though.
2. There is really no such thing as Multi-tasking so far on phone. Downloading stuffs on background, sure. It also works on iOS 7 if the App supports it. Android on the other hand lags and stutter while having another app doing other task in the background (I have used S4, One, New Padfone Infinity, Note 2...all have the same problem).
3. The reload problem also exist on Android a lot. The activity keeps dismiss regardless of RAM usage. iPhone 5S so far haven't seen much of this issues, unless it's an app that you haven't turn on for awhile.
The ecosystem on iOS definitely far superior, not just App quality it self but also the design.
Overall, Android itself is a huge fragment, it's pretty bad to a point that there is no way to fix it. Another downside that push me aside is that in order to achieve the same performance on Android, they need a crazy CPU that requires a lot bigger battery, but can still barely keep up. This is due to the VM environment, which is a big culprit on mobile device.
You might not miss the sharing as much as you think you would. There's certainly greater convenience in Android, but a lot of the time you're just doing basics like opening a photo in Instagram or opening a link in Chrome (a lot of iOS apps can now go directly to Google's browser).
On the app ecosystem, the general rule is that iOS gets (most) of the nice apps first, and they filter over to Android some time later. The developer tools and hardware support are just that much healthier. One example: many wearable device makers (think Nike) couldn't realistically consider Android apps until 4.3 arrived, because Google's Bluetooth 4.0 LE support was a mess before then. Gaming is certainly more viable on iOS, since some better-known titles come out either first or exclusively (the Infinity Blade series and Letterpress are exclusives; PvZ 2 came out months before Android).
The iPhone's screen size is getting to me, though. I'm fine to use a 4-inch display, but there's no question that I'd rather have something closer to 4.7-5 inches, like the Moto X or Nexus 5. I don't think Apple needs to venture into phablet territory, because that's likely to remain a small (if significant) market. However, it should accept that phones no longer have to be super-compact, since they're closer to pocketable computers than calling devices.
I think you have laid out most of my issues very well. I'm not really sure how many apps implement sharing in iOS vs Intents in Android. e.g. just now I was browsing and shared the page url via Hangouts. I could also have sent it to Dropbox, email, Evernote, Bluetooth, FB, messaging, Google voice etc etc.
As I understand it, for this to work on iOS, Safari (or any other app) would have to be written to know about the specific apps it can work with in advance. I share things via email/chat a lot, often just as a reminder to myself.
I've also seen Google update its iOS apps earlier and have newer designs. But of course, Navigation is missing. And not sure if full Google Voice integration is present.
Yeah, the current need to hard-code sharing support in many cases is an issue. iOS users aren't exactly writhing in pain, but it'd be nice if there was a simple API for it. At least now you're much more likely to see third-party apps popping up in sharing dialogs.
As for Google apps: Maps on iOS does have turn-by-turn navigation. You don't have full Google Voice integration, but then Google seems to be backing away from that itself. I know iPhone owners on Sprint were getting quite a bit of Google Voice integration through the carrier's deeper support... no idea if that's still going on, however.
guitarguy6
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I've switched between android and ios. Iphone 3g > Galaxy S > Iphone 4 > HTC One I always liked my iphones for the simple fact that battery life worked and since all apps are scrutinized by Apple they generally all worked as well. What I liked about my android vs the iphone was the fact that it's not locked down. Customize it however you want, add widgets, home screen, customize lock screens and the biggest for me was the ability to add files to it without having to use something like itunes. Being able to access all the files and folders on the phone is also a necessity IMO. Now that I have the HTC One I get the best of both worlds. This phone is rock solid, 0 issues runs like a dream and sense 5 is amazing. Comparing the One to my previous Iphone 4 or my wifes Iphone 5 I could never go back to IOS unless they finally reinvent the wheel and come out with something amazing. If you have an older Android phone I'd stick with Android and get a Nexus 5, Galaxy S4 or HTC One.
I switched from android to the Iphone 5. I love my Iphone but I have two big issues with it. One being the fact that you can't extend the storage with an external device such as a micro SD card. The apple products also try to make it where you have to use their programs and apps such as itunes (which I hate) and I liked playing emulators and roms on my droids. Apple pretty much has that stuff blocked from their app store. But as far as a bug free good working reliable phone, the Iphone 5 is hands down the best option. Also I hate the fact that the battery is sealed on the iphone but I think pretty much all companies are doing this now.
D
Deleted member 238539
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I have dont this once, but I feel I was tainted when I did it because I left android when I had my HTC Nexus One. I felt Android was really buggy, so I moved to an iPhone 4. I really liked it, but then came iOS5. I felt that was super buggy then too, so I moved back to android and I have to admit I love KitKat.
This is the best way I have heard it put honestly. I sadly call the iPhone, "The smart phone for dumb people". If you want to take a good phone out of the box, use it, and you do not really care about what you can use on it. iPhone is the phone you should have. When I had my G1 i really liked customizing the phone. But I haven't modded a phone since then. I have just made sure I bought phones with ROMs I liked and didn't have to change them. I currently have a Nexus 4, and I am thinking about changing carriers. When I do, I will probably get an iPhone, only because I think it is time to give Apple another shit.
This is the best way I have heard it put honestly. I sadly call the iPhone, "The smart phone for dumb people". If you want to take a good phone out of the box, use it, and you do not really care about what you can use on it. iPhone is the phone you should have. When I had my G1 i really liked customizing the phone. But I haven't modded a phone since then. I have just made sure I bought phones with ROMs I liked and didn't have to change them. I currently have a Nexus 4, and I am thinking about changing carriers. When I do, I will probably get an iPhone, only because I think it is time to give Apple another shit.
I'd be careful about that phrasing, since it's entirely possible to be an intelligent iPhone owner. It's just that the interface is easier to understand for newcomers or those who simply don't want to spend time learning every nuance of their device. We techies have to get over the notion that an OS must be complicated to be useful, like some kind of geek masochism ("oh, make it harder to use! Less intuitive! It feels so good!").
Not that Android is all that complicated, but it really appeals most to the kind of person who'd... well, post on HardForum.
NickJames
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1. What?
2. S3, S4, Nexus 5, all multi-task just fine. I can browse the web while watching a youtube video in the corner. I have read texts or watch a video while talking to someone on the phone. No issues from what I have experienced.
3. What?
All these problems you mention have been the complete opposite for me and my friends. 6 of my close friends have iphones (5,5s,5c) and 3 of them have nothing but constant complaints. Poor battery life, sudden reboots, freezing, unexpected crashes. My favorite thing about the iphone is it literally doesn't tell you what's wrong with it. App freeze? Oh it terminated instantly to solve the problem. Phone freeze? Oh it rebooted to solve the problem.
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Oh yeah, I don't walk around the street spewing that at people, I cannot stand people who actually stand there arguing that Android is THE MASTER RACE FOR PHONES YOU NEED TO BE AS AWESOME AS ME WITH MY ROMS AND HACKING STUFF AND THINGS. I actually bought my iPhone to see what it was about, sadly I am not a doctor, but consider myself a decently educated college grad, who sits in a cubicle like the rest of the world slamming his face into a desk. Android was not really functioning for me so I made the jump, it was expensive but I wanted to see what it was like. I have to say that iPhone is great because it easy to use. How many people now do you see who are not that computer literate operate something with iOS installed without a problem. I think it has helped people who were not connected with technology and information bridge that gap. Which makes me a techy guy really happy.
I even got my mom an iPhone 5 as her first phone, because I wanted her to have something easy to learn on.
An iPhone is a well engineered device. Good build quality, speaker quality, camera, display, noise cancellation, iOS performance, etc. Everything its pretty much refined. You cannot say that about all Android devices. It will not offer the same experience if you don't own the latest device. The Samsung S3 is still a freakin clutter shit out of the box. The Android started to look good from the Nexus 4 and so on. The Moto X is another example. Its a well refined device and works smoothly out of the box.
I use both. Droid Maxx for my personal phone and an Iphone for my work phone. I can't stand the iphone. I hate that I can't customize it like I can my Android. It doesn't have widgets and the experience is just very plain. But the iphone does have a good camera. But there is no way in hell I would ever buy one for myself.
Dreamerbydesign
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Exactly. I dumped my iPhone for android when the iPhone 4 was popular. Never looked back.
AltTabbins
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I have used both but prefer ios. It's just personal preference and there's no "best phone". The thing I hated most about android was how fast new phones would come out and how little of a step they generally make. When I bought my galaxy s4, the moto x, note 3, and lg g2 came out a few weeks after. None of these were huge steps up in performance, but my phones value took a huge hit. iPhones generally come out once a year and the old ones hold value really well.
Smoothness was an issue for me too. Sure there are ways to make your android faster but why should I have to do that to get the most out of my phone. Even menial tasks jerked and stuttered around on every android phone I have used. Even phones "optimized" by their users still didn't have that fluidity that I liked on ios.
Again, all personal preference.
Smoothness was an issue for me too. Sure there are ways to make your android faster but why should I have to do that to get the most out of my phone. Even menial tasks jerked and stuttered around on every android phone I have used. Even phones "optimized" by their users still didn't have that fluidity that I liked on ios.
Again, all personal preference.
Tyler-Durden
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I've gone back and forth between the two since 2009, though I've tended to favor iOS. Now that the iOS 7 jailbreak is out, I'll be sticking with my iPhone for the foreseeable future.
I find the 4" screen on my 5s to be pretty optimal. I do hope the next iPhone has a slightly bigger screen. I wouldn't want it to be any bigger than 4.7".
I find the 4" screen on my 5s to be pretty optimal. I do hope the next iPhone has a slightly bigger screen. I wouldn't want it to be any bigger than 4.7".
Erebus
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**/personal preference alert / rant/**
I've never owned an iPhone, but I have owned an iPad and an iPod touch. I've owned exclusively Android devices when it comes to phones starting with an OG Droid, Droid II, Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx, and Galaxy Note 2. I am 100% PC, I have never owned an Apple computer. My current tablet lineup: Dell Venue 8 Pro and a Surface Pro 2. Certainly not an "Apple fanboy" is what I'm trying to get across.
This is what I think is BS about Android:
The carriers / manufacturers control when you get OS updates unless you root / custom roll roms. With an iWhatever, as long as it is within a year or two old you get the latest updates the day they come out. Android fragmentation is a real problem imho.
Heavy customization = pain in the ass to switch phones without losing all that time and effort. After working with Titanium backup and a few other backup apps, its just frankly a pain in the ass to pour that much time into your phone customization to then lose it, or update and lose it, or get a phone replacement and lose it because you didn't make a recent backup, etc. Maybe I'm just getting older, but I feel the same way more or less about customizing the look and feel of Windows. I used to be super into that when I had 11 hours a day free on the computer when I was younger, but now that I am working and have little time for it I just want it to work. Same with phones. Know what I don't feel like doing after 10 hours at work? Dinking around with my phone's UI to make it look different or trying to get XXXX working with the latest and greatest rom build. I'd rather spend that time with my family or other hobbies. That being said, when left alone the stock Android experience isn't too bad at all. It certainly does everything I need it to and tons more.
"Android has just as many apps as iWhatever, and they are free" ...BS, using free ad-supported apps is a shitty experience. I'd rather use an iOS app 95% of the time for reasons people in this thread have already stated. They are just higher quality because of Apple's locked down approach, and to me that's worth $.99 when I like the app.
Widgets....widgets are lame...There I said it. I'd rather use the full app to view whatever in almost all cases. They seem gimmicky to me. The main exception is music player apps like Spotify, however the native player on an iDevice is better.
"Multitasking is easier / better in Android"...I feel both operating systems are equally good / bad / horrible in this regard. I don't think its any faster to switch apps in Android vs iOS or vice versa. I also find that Android does a shitty job managing system resources (imho). I hate having to go to task manager to end tasks like I'm sitting at a Windows machine. The iOS task manager does suck when it comes to ending mass tasks when the need arises however.
What keeps me coming back to Android? Honestly the only reason I can think of that has locked me into Android's ecosystem is the damn keyboard customization. I loathe onscreen keyboards, and Swype / SwiftKey keep the experience pleasant. That and maybe FoxFi for tethering.
How is any of this relevant to the topic at hand? I have had my Note 2 for a year now and I want something new. The two choices I'm tossing around for a replacement are the Note 3 and the iPhone 5s. I've been thinking about going with the iPhone mainly because I just want to try something different. On the other hand, the Note 3 seems to do everything the Note 2 does, better. If I go that route I might give the Galaxy Gear watch a try to keep things fresh.
Anyways, these are just my opinions...Take them as such.
TLDR: Neither OS / ecosystem is better IMHO
I've never owned an iPhone, but I have owned an iPad and an iPod touch. I've owned exclusively Android devices when it comes to phones starting with an OG Droid, Droid II, Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx, and Galaxy Note 2. I am 100% PC, I have never owned an Apple computer. My current tablet lineup: Dell Venue 8 Pro and a Surface Pro 2. Certainly not an "Apple fanboy" is what I'm trying to get across.
This is what I think is BS about Android:
The carriers / manufacturers control when you get OS updates unless you root / custom roll roms. With an iWhatever, as long as it is within a year or two old you get the latest updates the day they come out. Android fragmentation is a real problem imho.
Heavy customization = pain in the ass to switch phones without losing all that time and effort. After working with Titanium backup and a few other backup apps, its just frankly a pain in the ass to pour that much time into your phone customization to then lose it, or update and lose it, or get a phone replacement and lose it because you didn't make a recent backup, etc. Maybe I'm just getting older, but I feel the same way more or less about customizing the look and feel of Windows. I used to be super into that when I had 11 hours a day free on the computer when I was younger, but now that I am working and have little time for it I just want it to work. Same with phones. Know what I don't feel like doing after 10 hours at work? Dinking around with my phone's UI to make it look different or trying to get XXXX working with the latest and greatest rom build. I'd rather spend that time with my family or other hobbies. That being said, when left alone the stock Android experience isn't too bad at all. It certainly does everything I need it to and tons more.
"Android has just as many apps as iWhatever, and they are free" ...BS, using free ad-supported apps is a shitty experience. I'd rather use an iOS app 95% of the time for reasons people in this thread have already stated. They are just higher quality because of Apple's locked down approach, and to me that's worth $.99 when I like the app.
Widgets....widgets are lame...There I said it. I'd rather use the full app to view whatever in almost all cases. They seem gimmicky to me. The main exception is music player apps like Spotify, however the native player on an iDevice is better.
"Multitasking is easier / better in Android"...I feel both operating systems are equally good / bad / horrible in this regard. I don't think its any faster to switch apps in Android vs iOS or vice versa. I also find that Android does a shitty job managing system resources (imho). I hate having to go to task manager to end tasks like I'm sitting at a Windows machine. The iOS task manager does suck when it comes to ending mass tasks when the need arises however.
What keeps me coming back to Android? Honestly the only reason I can think of that has locked me into Android's ecosystem is the damn keyboard customization. I loathe onscreen keyboards, and Swype / SwiftKey keep the experience pleasant. That and maybe FoxFi for tethering.
How is any of this relevant to the topic at hand? I have had my Note 2 for a year now and I want something new. The two choices I'm tossing around for a replacement are the Note 3 and the iPhone 5s. I've been thinking about going with the iPhone mainly because I just want to try something different. On the other hand, the Note 3 seems to do everything the Note 2 does, better. If I go that route I might give the Galaxy Gear watch a try to keep things fresh.
Anyways, these are just my opinions...Take them as such.
TLDR: Neither OS / ecosystem is better IMHO
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I echo this sentiment. Well said rant/opinion.
T4rd
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Have you got the 4.3 update for your Note 2 yet? I have the stock/unKnoxed ROM on my (Verizon) Note 2 and it made the phone significantly faster for me. My previous 4.1 ROM that I was on for several months was getting seriously bogged down and lagging like crazy whenever I did anything for the last month or two I was on it. I'm thinking it was due to no Trim support because that seemed like the case to me with all previous Android phones/ROMs; they would always slow down considerably after using the phone for a while or after installing/uninstalling a lot of apps on the phone.
Anyways, after getting 4.3, I no longer feel the need to upgrade my phone and have very pleased with it again. I just hope it stays this way now.
Erebus
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I did, and honestly like you it lessened my motivation to get a Note 3 since it also runs 4.3. Not sure the new Note 3 would be worth the price of admission now (I have been buying my phones outright to keep unlimited data on Verizon). TouchWiz isn't too bad in 4.3 from what I can see, and it wasn't too bad before either.
Damn upgrade-itis...
I had an iPhone and thought about switching back but when I made the switch to Nexus phones that ended those thoughts. I read about a lot of people with freezing, force reboots, and all sorts of other problems on Samsung and HTC phones and I can't help but think that it's a brand/carrier problem. After using nexus phones I can't see myself going back to the iPhone.
Dave mentioned apps and I have to disagree. The free apps on Android aren't nearly as bad as people let on and most of the apps I use have the option of paying the same price as they are on iOS to get rid of ads. At the end of the day they get the job done. They might not be as pretty but they work and that's all that matters.
I agree with backing up being a pain. It's gotten better recently though. My N5 automatically loaded all of my apps and passwords into the new phone. It was painless. Titanium backup is garbage IMO. I've had rock solid, perfectly working phones and the moment I run Titanium I experience all sorts of problems. I use Helium and only back up a few select apps, the rest either have cloud based backups or are a simple username and password away from running again.
The things I dislike about the iPhone:
iTunes
Plug and play support sucks in comparison
No widgets and customization
No Keyboard options
No tethering
Proprietary connector
Small screen
Exporting mass pictures sucks. The easiest way to get pictures from my fiance's iPhone is to, ironically, hook it up to my N5 via usb otg.
The list goes on. My list of complaints about my Nexus is short and my list of complaints about the iPhone is a mile long. I don't see myself switching back unless Apple makes massive changes.
Dave mentioned apps and I have to disagree. The free apps on Android aren't nearly as bad as people let on and most of the apps I use have the option of paying the same price as they are on iOS to get rid of ads. At the end of the day they get the job done. They might not be as pretty but they work and that's all that matters.
I agree with backing up being a pain. It's gotten better recently though. My N5 automatically loaded all of my apps and passwords into the new phone. It was painless. Titanium backup is garbage IMO. I've had rock solid, perfectly working phones and the moment I run Titanium I experience all sorts of problems. I use Helium and only back up a few select apps, the rest either have cloud based backups or are a simple username and password away from running again.
The things I dislike about the iPhone:
iTunes
Plug and play support sucks in comparison
No widgets and customization
No Keyboard options
No tethering
Proprietary connector
Small screen
Exporting mass pictures sucks. The easiest way to get pictures from my fiance's iPhone is to, ironically, hook it up to my N5 via usb otg.
The list goes on. My list of complaints about my Nexus is short and my list of complaints about the iPhone is a mile long. I don't see myself switching back unless Apple makes massive changes.
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Apple's iCloud sync is painless too, and it doesn't sync over the junk like what Google backup do sometime. It also does the password sync if you let it, which I highly recommend not to.
1. iTunes on computer for music sync is WAY BETTER than just drag and drop like Android. The music file organization is far superior than any other solution on Android. Starbucks app also gives free stuff like every other day through iTunes too.
2. Plug and play is bad? I find Android plug and play is crap when you plugin to a Mac or none windows platform. Most of the time you need the Android File Transfer app to do it. It's definitely not plug and play for normal usage. iPhone on the other hand is way easier. I can just plug and play the photos out of box on nearly all platform. If you having trouble taking out photo on Windows, then I can guarantee you that you have never used iPhone before.
3. Oh yes, widgets.... I find most widgets to be crap and having some wakelock issues. The only one I really like is the weather, music, and calender. All the others are pretty much gimmick or useless.
4. keyboard options are for security purposes. This is the reason why Apple never allow this type of customization. I do like Swype keyboard, but this is only good if I can use my phone with one finger.....
5. Android also have tethering problem, unless you get unlock phones. Also, for the latest 4.4 you will need root, just like iPhone jailbreak. So in the end, Android also got the same exact shit problem.
6. I rather have proprietary cable that I don't need to keep checking which side of cable I I am plugging. (Samsung loves putting their cable the opposite way)
7. Because Android required larger body to hold up more battery to get the battery life close to iPhone with slower performance. Obviously screen will be bigger, but at the same time you are sacrificing the one hand usage. We already starting to see almost all the OEM manufactures are making the "mini" size now. Hence, Sony Xperia Z1f, HTC One mini, Samsung GS4 Mini, Asus Padfone Mini...etc
Just to add to the earlier response:
- Don't need iTunes to sync unless you have a lot of local media.
- You can tether; that's determined by your carrier, not the OS. I've been tethering iPhones (USB, Bluetooth and hotspot) for years.
- I'm a bit spoiled as a Mac user: photo syncing goes through iPhoto, which is a pretty solid app.
You don't have to drag-and-drop if you don't want to. There are tons of programs you could use, running the gamut from drag-n-drop to folder syncing to iTunes-style hand-holding. I don't see how having options is a bad thing.
Personally, using iTunes would cost me a lot of time compared to my current setup. I have a large, complex music collection with files coming and going frequently. iTunes takes about 20 minutes every time you need to re-scan, and even then doesn't remove files that no longer exist from your library. foobar2000 for managing my music on the PC + a sync tool for getting it onto my phone works best for me.
I don't know what you mean regarding 4.4. I'm running CM11 and the tethering works exactly the same as it has for years. Most carrier ROMs in the U.S. have never supported free tethering anyway, so I don't see how KitKat changes anything.
If that's truly worth paying $30 a pop instead of $3, be my guest. I'm guessing a lot of the general public would disagree if they were completely educated on their options.
Outside of phablets, the current 4.7-5" Android flagships are in no way sacrificing one-hand usage. With due respect, it sounds like you haven't used these phones much. I have smaller-than-average hands for a guy and use my S3 one-handed all the time, including typing and such. Like, I don't think I've ever used both hands for anything other than gaming. Let's face it: something in the 5" range is pretty much the sweet spot in terms of readability, pocketability, and usability. Apple is playing catchup, and will continue to do so.
Not to disagree on a fundamental level, but I'd say that whether or not a phone in that size range is one-hand friendly depends heavily on the design. The Moto X? Amazing one-handed. It's the basic template for what Apple should do. Not every phone is so comfortable, though. I love the Nexus 5, but it is a bit awkward to use one-handed for someone like me (I tend to hit the screen edge with my palm, and I can't reach the corners that well). The HTC One's speakers also make it pretty tall, so it's not for everyone.
Google music does a fine job syncing if I want as do dozens of other programs. The best part is that I don't need them on my computer causing problems and I don't need them on any other computer I chose to plug my phone into.
Plug and play works flawlessly on every Windows, mac, ubuntu, or OpenElec computer I have. It also syncs (using the same cable I might add with my cameras, tablets, video cameras, and even my racing datalogger. As far as photos, it's getting the photos off without using a computer that is troublesome.
I was just at a New Year's party this afternoon and the Apple contigency nearly shit themselves when I pulled out a minuscule microsdhc reader and grabbed the event's photos from everyone's cameras straight from my phone. Plug and play is superior on Android devices, I'm shocked someone is even arguing this.
The typical Apple response. You'll love it when Apple implements it....every time Android has something that Apple doesn't it's crap, useless, and doesn't work bu the moment Apple releases it everyone's tune changes and all of the sudden they love this thing they thought was stupid before. I love widgets, they work great and never cause issues.
The security response is garbage and Apple and everyone else knows it. If security was really their major concern they wouldn't be using iCloud for backup syncs. Security on the iPhone is complete garbage. Between locally stored folders on computers and iCloud which Elcomsoft has more or less let every crook tea bag unsuspecting iPhone users for years now I can't believe anyone has the gall to bring up security on an iPhone. The best part is that Apple has known about the vulnerabilities for years now and refuses to do anything about it.
You clearly don't know how tethering works then. I've had it on every Android phone I've had since I switched from the iPhone. No unlocking or root needed.
I have no problem outsmarting a cable so this isn't an issue for me. I like that my phones, headsets, tablets, cameras, and dang near every electronic device I own uses the same cable to transfer, sync, or charge.
You don't seriously believe that do you?
Ocellaris
Fully [H]
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- Jan 1, 2008
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Apple's flagship phone has a 14xx capacity battery and gets pretty good battery life. I would say they can do more for the capacity.
For a long time it was 14xx mAh.
Also tethering legally works just fine he was quoting the other guy that wanted to tether w/o paying for the service. That's a carrier issue and most android phones don't enable tethering for free unless sanctioned by the carrier... you get around that with foxfi or some other app (unless you pay your carrier to do it).
Just to clarify, AOSP does support tethering (both USB and WiFi) out of the box. Carriers then go out of their way to disable that functionality in their software and make you pay to unlock it. So apps like FoxFi are only necessary if you're running stock ROM. With AOSP-based ROMs, the built-in tethering is simpler and better.
Also, I'm pretty sure a phone like the Nexus 5 will allow you to tether for free using the stock ROM regardless of carrier.
I know thats why I said "most" phones since nexus phones are such a small % of android sales.