IOS or Android, what's your choice?

[coffee]

My Girlfriend and I both have the Galaxy II android phone. I really like it. I also do not like having to run itunes. That program sucks eggs as far as Im concerned.

I like being able to just plug the GII into my usb port and have it come up as a mass storage device and just transfer whatever I want. I dont need itunes.

Couple of things I dont care about though:

1. The screen blanks out after about a minute. Annoying when on a phone call I have to hit the button on the right side to wake the screen up so I can hang up. Can not seem to fix that.

2. Connecting to my computer via usb sometimes it doesnt give a notification that it connected and I cannot figure out how to mount it. Normally it shows a usb connect notification and I click on the "mount" button and then I can transfer files. This just happens now and again though and a reboot solves it.

I really like Android though.

coffee

 

[Peaceful]

I don't do contracts, so paying 5 or 6 hundred for a iphone is outta the question. Android all the way here. Just recently made the switch to Republic Wireless Motorola Defy XT, $19.95 a month for all I can eat, unlimited everything. I was on Boost mobile, but as I live in a black hole far as cell service goes, I was having to use grooveip with google voice for wifi calling, and it was sort of hit or miss. I'll bet the whole 2 years I was on Boost I didn't use more than 100 mins. of cell service. Republic uses wifi calling, but without all the jumping thru hoops I had to do with Boost. It uses Sprint towers when not on wifi, and does everything I need which is mainly phone and gps.

 

[YOCS]

You would have to pry my Android phone from my cold dead hands. I have a Galaxy Note 2. It shouldn't even be called a "phone" anymore it's much more than that. I've rooted/ROM'd every phone I've ever had so that I could tweak the most out of it but I don't see the need with the Note2 it just works and works very well. It's like a mini tablet. The battery lasts all day. I do have a spare battery to swap out if it does get low though. After getting this phone I noticed that I don't use my tablet or PC as much. I also have a docking station with an HDMI port and a couple of USB ports. I can stream HULU and Netflix right to my 52" plasma or I can download a movie to an external drive and plug it into one of the USB ports and run it from there.

 

[BuRaK]

I have always used iPhones and currently really enjoy my iPhone 5.

I know I'm limited with iOS and pay more for apps and etc. but afraid to get my hands dirty with Android being afraid of the following:
-Learning curve (time is money, I never have enough time to do anything let alone figure out how to do everything my iPhone is setup to do on an Android, from having an app to query networks to setting calendar notifications. Gotta learn it all.
-Reliability. Some friends say their Galaxy sucks the battery dry, some say programs crash (no good app over sight), some say they regularly fiddle with the phone to sort trough issues from too many open programs to new mail not coming until a phone reboot. My day job requires troubleshooting and I'm not interested in fixing my own crap on top.
-Updates. Apple releases an update, we get it the same time regardless of carrier. Carriers do not modify iOS. It is always what it's suppose to be. We don't see a different GUI from one carrier / device to the next and we don't need to wait for carrier to decide when we can update.
-Apps and Books. Bought a ton and love the way I can sync it all between my iPad and iPhone. Plus I own MACs so everything plays nicely. Switch to Android phone then lose access to what I paid for, maybe buy the same thing again then have issues such as syncing 1password dB between devices.
-Staying up to date with iOS know-how. About 90% of my clients use iPhones. Regularly spending time with my iPhone insures learning new apps and tools I can recommend and finding new things my iPhone can do which makes me better at helping my clients. (I offer a lot of consulting)
-Warranty. I had couple problems with iPhones I owned in the best. I hate to admit Apple store offers excellent service. At times I even refer some clients to them. In fact I have taken a client laptop or two for repairs. They have flat rates with fast service and warranty. I got them to repair a water damaged laptop with all internal parts shot on a MacBook Pro recently for $260. Parts alone would have been more if I were to fix it myself. As far as my iphone problems in the past, they simply ask you to try few things and you can come back the next day after you try them all and swap your iphone with another.
-Build. I use cases on all my phones and devices but have dropped my iPhone a few times in the past. I saw friends S3 (all plastic) and watch the drop test on YouTube. iPhone and S3 dropped from same height. S3 simply disintegrates while iPhone survives with some scratches.

There are few other things I can't think of right now but would love to hear how Android users feel. I also would like to understand why I sense some negative feelings towards iPhone and iPhone users? I love all technology and everyone immersed in it. Sometimes I feel like Android users give themselves excuses for not using an iPhone and put down those who do use iPhones so they can feel better about their purchase of Android phones.

Cheers,

 

[codegreen]

I use an Android phone. It's an HTC Desire Z -- pretty old by smartphone standards, but I really like the physical keyboard. I've been resisting upgrading, since there are almost no new Android phones with a good keyboard. I realize I'm in the minority on the keyboard preference, but I do wish there were a couple more options besides Blackberry.

Aren't you required to use Linux, grow a neck beard and worship the god Stallman to use Android properly?

I know you're just messing around, but Stallman isn't exactly a huge fan of Android. For that matter, he kind of hates smartphones in general.

 

[codegreen]

-Learning curve (time is money, I never have enough time to do anything let alone figure out how to do everything my iPhone is setup to do on an Android, from having an app to query networks to setting calendar notifications. Gotta learn it all.

It's mostly the same. You just take a few minutes to learn the basics of navigation. I've had clients switch from iOS to Android easily, and vice-versa.

-Reliability. Some friends say their Galaxy sucks the battery dry, some say programs crash (no good app over sight), some say they regularly fiddle with the phone to sort trough issues from too many open programs to new mail not coming until a phone reboot. My day job requires troubleshooting and I'm not interested in fixing my own crap on top.

Experiences vary. Keep in mind that, unlike Apple, there are many different models of hardware running Android. This is both a strength and a weakness.

That said, I don't have to fiddle with my phone, and I find the ranking system in Google Play to be reasonably accurate for picking quality apps.

-Updates. Apple releases an update, we get it the same time regardless of carrier. Carriers do not modify iOS. It is always what it's suppose to be. We don't see a different GUI from one carrier / device to the next and we don't need to wait for carrier to decide when we can update.

Point for Apple, here. Carriers and phone makers have been notoriously spotty with Android updates. Best bet to avoid this problem on the Android side is to go with a Nexus phone. Stock Android, updates direct from Google.

-Apps and Books. Bought a ton and love the way I can sync it all between my iPad and iPhone. Plus I own MACs so everything plays nicely. Switch to Android phone then lose access to what I paid for, maybe buy the same thing again then have issues such as syncing 1password dB between devices.

That's an issue for anyone switching platforms, but especially so for Apple users. Apple intentionally keeps the switching cost high, and they've been very successful at doing it. If you're heavily invested in Apple's platform (especially iTunes purchases), it doesn't make much sense to switch. If you're not, Android has similar syncing ability for purchased content.

-Staying up to date with iOS know-how. About 90% of my clients use iPhones.

Knowing your clients is key. Most of my clients use Android for personal use, Blackberry for business (old habits die hard!).

-Warranty. I had couple problems with iPhones I owned in the best. I hate to admit Apple store offers excellent service. At times I even refer some clients to them.

There aren't any Apple Stores in my area, so that's not a factor for me.

-Build. I use cases on all my phones and devices but have dropped my iPhone a few times in the past. I saw friends S3 (all plastic) and watch the drop test on YouTube. iPhone and S3 dropped from same height. S3 simply disintegrates while iPhone survives with some scratches.

Because "Android" isn't a single line of phone, the build quality is going to vary. Some are well-built, others are not. Personally, I think Samsung's phones are overrated. For a flagship phone, the Galaxy S3 always seemed a bit flimsy to me. I've dropped my old Desire Z multiple times o) with only a little cosmetic damage.

Sometimes I feel like Android users give themselves excuses for not using an iPhone and put down those who do use iPhones so they can feel better about their purchase of Android phones.

Fanboy-ism is irritating no matter what side it comes from. However, do keep in mind that different people genuinely like different things.

 

[aphan]

I've always been more of an Android guy, however, it also depends on the phone manufacturer. I despise Motorola for their UI. I've played with Droid 3, 4, Bionic, and Razr/MAXX. I started with the HTC G1 (loved that thing until I couldn't keep up with the OS upgrades), Than the Samsung Galaxy S and now the Galaxy Nexus. Next week I'm getting my hands on Galaxy S III. Oh and I also got the iPhone 4...

Reason I don't like iOS products:
-Total cost of ownership is extremely high and after you buy so much, you can't switch away because you have invested so much in the app store and accessories.
-iTunes (enough said)
-for a while, you were stuck with ATT which I hate
-for a while, I couldn't view flash
-apple maps is horrible
-proprietary chargers

Things I like about iOS products:
-it fits in my hand and can easily get access to everything with just one hand.
-all metal
-they got higher quality apps or apps that aren't available to Android like Freshbooks
-accessories up the wazoo
-battery life
-better for business use

Android devices:
Why I stick to Androids
-universal mini/micro USB
-I've never spent a dime on apps
-my phone book is tied to my contacts (my iphone isn't because my apple id is tied to a business email...)
-Swipe keyboard
-Teamviewer can do remote support on Samsungs
-device encryption

 

[ComputerRepairTech]

*holds up his new samsung galaxy s4*

MUHAHA BOW MORTALS!

*remembers how much it cost him*

*cries*

Edit: and to make things worse...i picked white I should have looked at them in person first.

 

[DCGPX]

I have an iPhone 5, which I am beginning to regret buying.

Also, with my degenerating eyesight (too many graphic magazines at a young age ), I find the screen too small.

I'd love to go back to an iPhone , I have the HTC one x plus which as Bertie I have same affliction so the slighter larger screen helps!!

Not rooted as yet as done what I need out of the box

 

[gunslinger]

Things I like about iPhone:

1. Stable. I have had my iPhone freeze up twice in two years. When I used to use Android phones it was at least once or twice per week.

2. High quality. I have only seen one or two Android devices that even come close on build quality and the both failed in looks.

3. Simple and easy to use UI. Nothing about Android is consistant. Every app looks different and no two apps work the same. Things are scattered haphazardly all over the place.

4. Quality control over the apps. There seems to be no quality control at all over Android apps.

5. Although technically there are more vulnerabilities in iOS then in the android platform there have been far more exploits to the android platform.

6. I can use the iPhone with one hand the way God intended a phone to be used. I have small hands and I like being able to reach all points of my screen with my thumb. Unless you have huge hands there is no way you can comfortably use a phone with a 5 inch plus screen.

 

[16k_zx81]

I got an ipad earlier this year, for the usual reasons - mainly that it was time to learn the ins and outs of them, and secondly because I wanted a tablet for home.

Being a total typing retard, I got the irrits with the stock keyboard after about 10 mins use, and went to the app store to get a replacement.

Those of you familiar with iOS will know the rest of the story.

Specifically, Apple will not let you change the keyboard in iOS.

From there it just went from bad to worse. Things I could easily modify or change on Android were totally locked down in iOS.

And that when I remembered why I hate Apple stuff so much.

That said,

My wife has an ipad. Loves it.

My son has an ipad. Loves it.

Im not knocking iOS. I think Apple stuff is great! - as long as its not me using it

Android all day long for me, thanks.

 

[Rosco]

android all the way. There are way to many restrictions on iphone. I use HTC and only HTC. I have the one s right now love it

 

[moss]

Android, currently have a Galaxy S3, Nexus 7 and prior to that had an S1 and G1. All are running custom ROMs.
I'm not really a fan of Apple products, they work great together but seem to restrictive every time I've used one.

 

[Bryce W]

iOS user here with my iPhone 5. Have owned an iPhone since the 3G (which I think was 2009).
I also own an iPad 3 and a Macbook Pro Retina 13' which is my main machine currently.

As for why? Multiple reasons why. Please keep in mind I am not trying to convert you, I believe in "Use what works for you". Im just telling you why *I* choose it:

The ecosystem surrounding the iPhones/iPad:
The ecosystem surrounding a device is a huge factor in my purchasing decisions. I have had people brag to me about their other device, it has higher specifications whatever. The thing is, if any company is going to make anything, whether it be a simple cover, a specialised app, an embedded system like a car stereo, a tablet mount etc. You KNOW they are going to make it for the iDevices first.

Warranty/Replacements:
If you havent noticed my profile, I am currently living in Tokyo Japan. If I have an issue with any of my iDevices that are currently with me (iPhone, iPad or Macbook), I walk in to the local Apple store here and I walk out with a new one, even without a receipt and in a different country. I can even get the US keyboard (as they carry them as well) on my Mac instead of being forced into accepting the Japanese keyboard. Zero downtime. Same thing applies if I lose one of the accessories (not so much a problem with modern Android chargers now days since its all MicroUSB, but with the laptop, chargers can be a problem. Any apple store here has my charger).

Why I choose iOS/OSX apps:
iOS apps have a certain level of polish expected of them. While there are plenty of polished apps in the Microsoft and Linux world, it is not expected of them. iOS/OSX app developers believe that simplicity is the ultimate of sophistication and less is more. Sure, many iOS/OSX apps are paid and there are many free alternatives on Linux/Windows/Android, but again, being paid, there is a certain level of polish expected which tends to make them "just work" (to use that ol cliché). I find many Linux/Android apps tend to be a University students pet project and they'll fix the bugs when they arent busy studying (I know there are plenty of solid apps, but much of is very 'hacky').

When I first went 100% OSX (As my main Windows machine is back in Australia), It irked me slightly that the majority of the apps were paid whereas the Windows app might have been free. But after learning the apps were so damn polished that let me just use them and not fight them/fix them, I 'got it'. Ive probably spent about $100 on software to get the machine exactly where I want it and all of it works beautifully. So much time saved not messing around with the software and just using it. As a tech, I have the skills to fix Windows things, I have the skills to fix Linux things, I just dont want to. I want to USE them, my time is worth too much to mess around.

App Reliability/Walled Garden:
I find the iPhones tend to be more reliable than their Android counterparts. When a developer creates an app for an iPhone, they need to to test it on the 2, 3G, 3GS, 4G, 4GS and the 5. These all have expected specifications, the screen sizes are known, the software they are running is known. You make the app work on these devices and you have pretty much got it covered.
With Android, there are a HUGE amount different devices, many different specifications, many different screen sizes to mess up the layout etc.. Of course the developer will test on the main ones like the Samsung Galaxy's, but its very difficult to test on all variations. This guy here is an app developer for both platforms and has pictures of all his Android test devices vs a few iOS ones. Not only that, but people such as us techs mess with the core parts of the OS resulting in things the App didnt expect and sometimes crashing.

The dreaded "walled garden" of Apple doesnt allow you to get into the core system stuff. Kind of annoying for people like us who like to get in there and get all hacky, but it does help ensure the apps and OS is going to be really stable because again, the code knows what to expect and will always play nice with eachother.

While iOS has a walled garden, the OSX world is not. Even less-so than Windows. Dont forget that OSX is essentially Unix, if there is something I dont like about the operating system, chances are I can get into the code and change something with terminal or a text editor (and I have already).

I dont expect many techs here to understand or even like this way of thinking as getting into things and messing with them is what we do. Its how our minds work and I am like that as well. However, other times I just want to get work done and be effective. I want things to work exactly like they are supposed to when I need them. Thats why I like the iOS/OSX environment.

Its not perfect, there are a few things that irk me, but its pretty damn good for someone wants to just use it and not mess with it.

 

[gunslinger]

iOS user here with my iPhone 5. Have owned an iPhone since the 3G (which I think was 2009).
I also own an iPad 3 and a Macbook Pro Retina 13' which is my main machine currently.

As for why? Multiple reasons why. Please keep in mind I am not trying to convert you, I believe in "Use what works for you". Im just telling you why *I* choose it:

The ecosystem surrounding the iPhones/iPad:
The ecosystem surrounding a device is a huge factor in my purchasing decisions. I have had people brag to me about their other device, it has higher specifications whatever. The thing is, if any company is going to make anything, whether it be a simple cover, a specialised app, an embedded system like a car stereo, a tablet mount etc. You KNOW they are going to make it for the iDevices first.

Warranty/Replacements:
If you havent noticed my profile, I am currently living in Tokyo Japan. If I have an issue with any of my iDevices that are currently with me (iPhone, iPad or Macbook), I walk in to the local Apple store here and I walk out with a new one, even without a receipt and in a different country. I can even get the US keyboard (as they carry them as well) on my Mac instead of being forced into accepting the Japanese keyboard. Zero downtime. Same thing applies if I lose one of the accessories (not so much a problem with modern Android chargers now days since its all MicroUSB, but with the laptop, chargers can be a problem. Any apple store here has my charger).

Why I choose iOS/OSX apps:
iOS apps have a certain level of polish expected of them. While there are plenty of polished apps in the Microsoft and Linux world, it is not expected of them. iOS/OSX app developers believe that simplicity is the ultimate of sophistication and less is more. Sure, many iOS/OSX apps are paid and there are many free alternatives on Linux/Windows/Android, but again, being paid, there is a certain level of polish expected which tends to make them "just work" (to use that ol cliché). I find many Linux/Android apps tend to be a University students pet project and they'll fix the bugs when they arent busy studying (I know there are plenty of solid apps, but much of is very 'hacky').

When I first went 100% OSX (As my main Windows machine is back in Australia), It irked me slightly that the majority of the apps were paid whereas the Windows app might have been free. But after learning the apps were so damn polished that let me just use them and not fight them/fix them, I 'got it'. Ive probably spent about $100 on software to get the machine exactly where I want it and all of it works beautifully. So much time saved not messing around with the software and just using it. As a tech, I have the skills to fix Windows things, I have the skills to fix Linux things, I just dont want to. I want to USE them, my time is worth too much to mess around.

App Reliability/Walled Garden:
I find the iPhones tend to be more reliable than their Android counterparts. When a developer creates an app for an iPhone, they need to to test it on the 2, 3G, 3GS, 4G, 4GS and the 5. These all have expected specifications, the screen sizes are known, the software they are running is known. You make the app work on these devices and you have pretty much got it covered.
With Android, there are a HUGE amount different devices, many different specifications, many different screen sizes to mess up the layout etc.. Of course the developer will test on the main ones like the Samsung Galaxy's, but its very difficult to test on all variations. This guy here is an app developer for both platforms and has pictures of all his Android test devices vs a few iOS ones. Not only that, but people such as us techs mess with the core parts of the OS resulting in things the App didnt expect and sometimes crashing.

The dreaded "walled garden" of Apple doesnt allow you to get into the core system stuff. Kind of annoying for people like us who like to get in there and get all hacky, but it does help ensure the apps and OS is going to be really stable because again, the code knows what to expect and will always play nice with eachother.

While iOS has a walled garden, the OSX world is not. Even less-so than Windows. Dont forget that OSX is essentially Unix, if there is something I dont like about the operating system, chances are I can get into the code and change something with terminal or a text editor (and I have already).

I dont expect many techs here to understand or even like this way of thinking as getting into things and messing with them is what we do. Its how our minds work and I am like that as well. However, other times I just want to get work done and be effective. I want things to work exactly like they are supposed to when I need them. Thats why I like the iOS/OSX environment.

Its not perfect, there are a few things that irk me, but its pretty damn good for someone wants to just use it and not mess with it.

FANBOY!!! Lets ban the noob! He owns not one, not two, but 3 Apple products. This has to mean he has no idea how to work on computers.

 

[brandonkick]

I've used both (one of each) and I can say that so far the experience has been better with the iPhone 4S BUT I think my motorola droid X never had a fair shot.

I figured I'd be all frugal and bought two extra batteries on ebay. They made the phone go all sorts of crazy and I blamed the phone for it. It was months later that I discovered the problem was the battery, and after discovering that I mistakenly ran the original battery through the washing machine after a drunken weekend bar tour.

So I might have had a lot less issues with my droid X.

I like my iPhone 4S but I really don't like the bill. I pay $210 a month for an iPhone 4S, a Motorola Droid 4 and some cheap flipper phone. Which I think is nuts. My father has the cheap flipper and he uses literally nothing in minuets, texts or data. My mother uses about 300MB of data on average and most of her calls are verizon to verizon. I use about 100-200MB of data and again almost all of my calls are verizon to verizon.

Even still, I'm on my cell very little. Mainly I use it to talk to my fiancee and when her I and move in together later I won't use it pretty much at all. Maybe ten odd min throughout the day and a dozen or two of text messages. My mother is pretty much the same way.

I'm trying to figure out a way to transfer my iPhone to straight talk or page plus, net 10 or similar. I'd be willing to pay $50 a month for unlimited everything (and that is pushing it) but would be worth it to me. Cell phone plans are just too expensive anymore. $1200-$1600 a year for a phone is crazy.

 

[gunslinger]

I'm trying to figure out a way to transfer my iPhone to straight talk or page plus, net 10 or similar. I'd be willing to pay $50 a month for unlimited everything (and that is pushing it) but would be worth it to me. Cell phone plans are just too expensive anymore. $1200-$1600 a year for a phone is crazy.

It would be a great deal if it were "truly unlimited" data. The problem with any of these straight talk type plans is that after a certain data usage ( usually 2-4 gigs ) your bandwidth gets throttle down to where it is almost unusable. I guess its unlimited if you want to have speeds slower than 56k dialup. Read the fine print on these plans. If it were all rainbows and unicorns I would have switched a long time ago. So would everyone else.

 

[angry_geek]

Hehe, $200/month. Must be nice. My Verizon bill runs around $600.

 

[brandonkick]

It would be a great deal if it were "truly unlimited" data. The problem with any of these straight talk type plans is that after a certain data usage ( usually 2-4 gigs ) your bandwidth gets throttle down to where it is almost unusable. I guess its unlimited if you want to have speeds slower than 56k dialup. Read the fine print on these plans. If it were all rainbows and unicorns I would have switched a long time ago. So would everyone else.

I don't need 2GB of data, I really don't even need 1GB of data each month. I've never come close to using even 500MB.

 

[gunslinger]

I don't need 2GB of data, I really don't even need 1GB of data each month. I've never come close to using even 500MB.

Must be nice. Between me, my wife and daughter we eat up around 30 gigs per month.