Apple is losing me: that's why.

[Max(IT)]

Not everyone knows me, for sure, but I'm a quite active forum member.
And surely I can define myself like a true passion at Apple user.
My first Apple experience are dated 1989, with Macintosh. The complete switch from windows environment dated 2005 when I purchased the iMac Intel powered , followed a few months after by a white MacBook 13". Never had regrets. Never look back.
Quite naturally I bought my first iPhone in 2008, the iPhone 3G (the original iPhone wasn't available in Europe), and since then I owned every iPhone's iteration, including my actual iPhone 5S.
Due to my job I need to have with me a second phone, so I basically tried every other interesting products (I'm a really tech enthusiast), but my primary phone was and is the iPhone. I also have an iPad, actually every single version except for the iPad 3 (when I decided to switch from my previous iPad 2, Apple released the 4). And a MacBook Pro 15". And a Mini. And a MacBook Air 11" (for my wife).
My home is permeated with a strong Apple ecosystem.
Well, for the first time in my recent life, I'm not sure my next flagship will be the iPhone 6.
Why ? I can't give you a direct answer. Am I satisfied by my iPhone 5S ? Yes .... and no.
It's a premium product. It's well designed, well manufactured, it has a top notch technology inside (I truly love how Apple caught all other vendors unprepared with the A7) ..... but it is somewhat "half baked".
The display is too small. Don't get me wrong, I need a compact primary phone (my secondary is a phablet), but this one is too small by any means. The missed the point after iPhone 5. That was the moment to make a change.
And this is related to iOS 7.
It was a new iOS, an innovation compared to every previous iteration, but is was not really innovative .... I don't know how to explain it. It was "more of the same" , just presented in a slightly different form.
Now we are waiting for the iPhone 6. We know it will sports a bigger display. We know there will be a phablet version.
But it will be "more of the same", nevertheless.
I'm not going to judge something without seeing it, but with all the rumors and with the iOS 8 presentation I'm afraid we are not going to have a revolution here.
I'm using Android and windows Phone 8.1 on a daily base (Nexus 7 and Lumia 1520), and while they have several defects (especially Android), they both are satisfying me more than iOS. WP 8.1 in my opinion is absolutely the best os out there (I'm speaking about the os, not the App Store ).
Now I'm debated, and I don't know what to do.
There are strong points in favor of iOS and iPhone (think about the App Store, by far better than any regardless what Android supporters are claiming), and the ecosystem I'm used to. But I'm not going to spend 730€ or more for the iPhone 6 if it won't satisfy my expectations.

How many of you share my feeling ?
What do you think about this ?

 

[sracer]

I'll remind you of this quote and suggest that you take another swig of the kool-aid.

"He is having and he's going to have buyer 's remorse.
This happen to every user accustomed to apple ecosystem. It doesn't matter how good the droid is, it still is a droid. The os is improved (I'm an android user after all, with four device in my home and one I'm using every single day, the nexus 7), it is good ..... but still less polished and refined than iOS.
I like the M8 very much, really, but I couldn't make it my primary smartphone."

 

[jimbo1mcm]

Somewhat like you, I have many, many Apple products in my home. I sold my Iphone 5S to get a LG G2 and couldn't be happier. I plan on getting a G3 as soon as it comes out. Come on in, the waters fine.

 

[Apple blogger]

Not everyone knows me, for sure, but I'm a quite active forum member.
And surely I can define myself like a true passion at Apple user.
My first Apple experience are dated 1989, with Macintosh. The complete switch from windows environment dated 2005 when I purchased the iMac Intel powered , followed a few months after by a white MacBook 13". Never had regrets. Never look back.
Quite naturally I bought my first iPhone in 2008, the iPhone 3G (the original iPhone wasn't available in Europe), and since then I owned every iPhone's iteration, including my actual iPhone 5S.
Due to my job I need to have with me a second phone, so I basically tried every other interesting products (I'm a really tech enthusiast), but my primary phone was and is the iPhone. I also have an iPad, actually every single version except for the iPad 3 (when I decided to switch from my previous iPad 2, Apple released the 4). And a MacBook Pro 15". And a Mini. And a MacBook Air 11" (for my wife).
My home is permeated with a strong Apple ecosystem.
Well, for the first time in my recent life, I'm not sure my next flagship will be the iPhone 6.
Why ? I can't give you a direct answer. Am I satisfied by my iPhone 5S ? Yes .... and no.
It's a premium product. It's well designed, well manufactured, it has a top notch technology inside (I truly love how Apple caught all other vendors unprepared with the A7) ..... but it is somewhat "half baked".
The display is too small. Don't get me wrong, I need a compact primary phone (my secondary is a phablet), but this one is too small by any means. The missed the point after iPhone 5. That was the moment to make a change.
And this is related to iOS 7.
It was a new iOS, an innovation compared to every previous iteration, but is was not really innovative .... I don't know how to explain it. It was "more of the same" , just presented in a slightly different form.
Now we are waiting for the iPhone 6. We know it will sports a bigger display. We know there will be a phablet version.
But it will be "more of the same", nevertheless.
I'm not going to judge something without seeing it, but with all the rumors and with the iOS 8 presentation I'm afraid we are not going to have a revolution here.
I'm using Android and windows Phone 8.1 on a daily base (Nexus 7 and Lumia 1520), and while they have several defects (especially Android), they both are satisfying me more than iOS. WP 8.1 in my opinion is absolutely the best os out there (I'm speaking about the os, not the App Store ).
Now I'm debated, and I don't know what to do.
There are strong points in favor of iOS and iPhone (think about the App Store, by far better than any regardless what Android supporters are claiming), and the ecosystem I'm used to. But I'm not going to spend 730€ or more for the iPhone 6 if it won't satisfy my expectations.

How many of you share my feeling ?
What do you think about this ?

Well you need to wait atleast 1 year before you switch.. See I am a really big apple fan ... But everyone just seems to be talking as of they arnt innovating... Yes, with ios , I think they are little behind, but u need to give it time, great features don't just happen.. Even with android kitkat, no "huge" features have come, just small refinements and some useful features have released.. Samsung is i think the only phone which is just dumping features .. In the next 2 years I don't think.. anyone will know what all they can do with their galaxy S because Samsung believes they can make every app...

My point is.. this is pretty much a somewhat slow moving thing on mobile device.. Things are shifting to the cloud and all.. And bringing "huge" features on a phone in a single year is hard..
With ios 8 apple pretty much brought what it was lacking, and android was having..I think ios 8 was a move to give time to jony ive and his team, because in the keynote, they presented the mostly the exact same features for Mac and iOS and a big developer part...
Ios 9 will be big.. My choice is wait..

 

[SomeGuyDude]

The problem is that Apple needs to innovate because they're so far behind. They're announcing features like "third party keyboards" that Android has done forever. Remember their huge "look, a pulldown notification center!!" announcement?

I have yet to see any iOS announcements that show off features that don't currently exist in some incarnation on Android.

 

[b166er]

I don't think the argument is that iOS is better than Android or vice versa. I think it comes down to the experience. For the most part, they do the same thing. If you have a lot of friends on iOS than using iOS yourself can be more pleasant. If you are a little more techy, you might prefer Android.

They're both great for different reasons. I don't really find either to be lacking too much when compared to each other.

Yesterdays keynote was probably not all that exciting to the average user, and that's exactly why they give those keynotes to a room full of developers. From a dev standpoint, there is some cool stuff coming to iOS which will eventually make the user experience better. When I saw "better" I mean compared to previous versions of iOS.

 

[maflynn]

Apple's closed approach has helped them in some respects and hurt them in others. I think both platforms are good, and offer their own set of advantages/disadvantages. I don't think there's a wrong answer. Pick the platform that best meets your needs.

 

[Technarchy]

Apple is not losing me, but I do rock an S5 because I think it's better than the 5S. It's that simple.

However, for people that own Apple products, it's not going to make sense to own an android, windows Phone or blackberry anymore after iOS8 and Yosemite.

It's like Voltron in a sense. All the parts play a role in something larger, and an outlier like my S5 will wreck the coherence.

Purely for the sake of efficiency and convenience alone a Mac, iPhone and iPad is what people will want.

I was considering a Surface Pro 3, now that's not going to happen. Was really liking my S5, but now there is a 50/50 chance it will get replaced in September.

Ecosystem is about to take on a whole new meaning, and sorry, but the synergy of that ecosystem trumps any android phone even if it is better than the iPhone. There really is no way Apple could lose me in that context.

 

[maflynn]

However, for people that own Apple products, it's not going to make sense to own an android, windows Phone or blackberry anymore after iOS8 and Yosemite.

That's apple's hope, to further lock in iphone users into the ecosystem. With that said, as a windows phone user, I have no plans of going back to the iPhone because of continuity. Its a nice feature for some but its not a mus have for me.

 

[nuckinfutz]

There should be rule here that states "If you claim something is not innovative then the burden of proof lies with you. Explain what is missing"

Apple sells 30-40 million phones in a quarter. Why should should anyone care what a single person chooses?

Odds are ...they don't.

 

[Max(IT)]

I'll remind you of this quote and suggest that you take another swig of the kool-aid.

"He is having and he's going to have buyer 's remorse.
This happen to every user accustomed to apple ecosystem. It doesn't matter how good the droid is, it still is a droid. The os is improved (I'm an android user after all, with four device in my home and one I'm using every single day, the nexus 7), it is good ..... but still less polished and refined than iOS.
I like the M8 very much, really, but I couldn't make it my primary smartphone."

I actually didn't specifically speak about switching to a droid ...
I've not already set up my mind, I don't know what to do and I'm taking my time. My secondary phone now is a Lumia 1520, so not an android device by any means.
I could just keep my current configuration (Lumia + iPhone) and just elect the 1520 as my primary phone (it's just a matter of switching SIMs).

----------

Well you need to wait atleast 1 year before you switch.. See I am a really big apple fan ... But everyone just seems to be talking as of they arnt innovating... Yes, with ios , I think they are little behind, but u need to give it time, great features don't just happen.. Even with android kitkat, no "huge" features have come, just small refinements and some useful features have released.. Samsung is i think the only phone which is just dumping features .. In the next 2 years I don't think.. anyone will know what all they can do with their galaxy S because Samsung believes they can make every app...

My point is.. this is pretty much a somewhat slow moving thing on mobile device.. Things are shifting to the cloud and all.. And bringing "huge" features on a phone in a single year is hard..
With ios 8 apple pretty much brought what it was lacking, and android was having..I think ios 8 was a move to give time to jony ive and his team, because in the keynote, they presented the mostly the exact same features for Mac and iOS and a big developer part...
Ios 9 will be big.. My choice is wait..

Everyone still speaking about Android, but did you see what happen to WP 8.1 ?
They did an huge , and I mean really HUGE, step forward.
Android is fine. At least if you speak about the vanilla KitKat, without crappy customizations full of gimmicks like Samsung is doing. But yet every time I use an android powered device I feel the operative system isn't really optimized.
Windows Phone is fast, modern, evolving quickly ... but it doesn't have the same app store iOS and Android have.

----------

The problem is that Apple needs to innovate because they're so far behind. They're announcing features like "third party keyboards" that Android has done forever. Remember their huge "look, a pulldown notification center!!" announcement?

I have yet to see any iOS announcements that show off features that don't currently exist in some incarnation on Android.

Android still lags behind iOS in many aspects. You miss my point.

 

[sracer]

I actually didn't specifically speak about switching to a droid ...
I've not already set up my mind, I don't know what to do and I'm taking my time. My secondary phone now is a Lumia 1520, so not an android device by any means.
I could just keep my current configuration (Lumia + iPhone) and just elect the 1520 as my primary phone (it's just a matter of switching SIMs).

I know, the quote that I quoted came from... you.

Just as you opined that the person leaving the Apple ecosystem would have regrets, you can expect that you will too.

 

[Max(IT)]

Apple's closed approach has helped them in some respects and hurt them in others. I think both platforms are good, and offer their own set of advantages/disadvantages. I don't think there's a wrong answer. Pick the platform that best meets your needs.

There are THREE platforms, Mike. Three.

iOS has the apps, but lacks the innovation.
Android has some innovation, and most of the apps I need, but lacks coherence and performance.
WP has coherence, performance and innovation, but lacks the apps.

A big dilemma.

I could buy a 4.7" iPhone 6. I'll be within my friendly ecosystem, but would I feel "unsatisfied" like I am now ? And is it right to spend something like 730€, if not more, for an iPhone ?
I could buy a droid, but which one ? There is not a single one that satisfy me completely. Especially due to the customization of the manufacturer (actually my favorite probably is the Lg G3, but I still have to see one, because I have no good experience with Optimus UI). The perfect one could be a new Nexus 5, but I don't know if they are going to make it.
I could buy a WP flagship .... wait, I already have one ! But it is a little to big for every use I need, so I'd have to buy another 5" device. Lumia 930 ? It's a good device, but hardware wise is 6-8 months behind competitors, and I don't like that.

 

[TechGod]

Apple is not losing me, but I do rock an S5 because I think it's better than the 5S. It's that simple.

However, for people that own Apple products, it's not going to make sense to own an android, windows Phone or blackberry anymore after iOS8 and Yosemite.

It's like Voltron in a sense. All the parts play a role in something larger, and an outlier like my S5 will wreck the coherence.

Purely for the sake of efficiency and convenience alone a Mac, iPhone and iPad is what people will want.

I was considering a Surface Pro 3, now that's not going to happen. Was really liking my S5, but now there is a 50/50 chance it will get replaced in September.

Ecosystem is about to take on a whole new meaning, and sorry, but the synergy of that ecosystem trumps any android phone even if it is better than the iPhone. There really is no way Apple could lose me in that context.

This soooooo much. The synergy can and will not be able to be touched by Apple. Apple has made me the cake and given it, the 4.7" iPhone will just be the icing( and candy cherries) on the cake.

 

[TsunamiTheClown]

There are THREE platforms, Mike. Three.

iOS has the apps, but lacks the innovation.
Android has some innovation, and most of the apps I need, but lacks coherence and performance.
WP has coherence, performance and innovation, but lacks the apps.

Yeah I hear the "innovation" point a lot, but i guess I am curious what types of _phone_ innovation you are in need of? Is NFC etc etc really that useful?

Not trying to slam you at all bro, but what specifically does an iSomething really fail in when it comes to innovative features?

Where I stand, most smart phones are very similar when it comes to _major_ feature sets, SMS, web browsing, contacts, voice calling, email clients - that sort of thing.

 

[Max(IT)]

Apple is not losing me, but I do rock an S5 because I think it's better than the 5S. It's that simple.

However, for people that own Apple products, it's not going to make sense to own an android, windows Phone or blackberry anymore after iOS8 and Yosemite.

It's like Voltron in a sense. All the parts play a role in something larger, and an outlier like my S5 will wreck the coherence.

Purely for the sake of efficiency and convenience alone a Mac, iPhone and iPad is what people will want.

I was considering a Surface Pro 3, now that's not going to happen. Was really liking my S5, but now there is a 50/50 chance it will get replaced in September.

Ecosystem is about to take on a whole new meaning, and sorry, but the synergy of that ecosystem trumps any android phone even if it is better than the iPhone. There really is no way Apple could lose me in that context.

That's my major concern.
Ecosystem is more important than tech specs, for sure.
But after a little experience with something like swipe keyboard, live tiles, tap to wake, glance and so on, it's difficult to look at my list of static icons, and even to type this very post on my iPad it's awkward.
I'm wondering why Apple is so reticent to change their mental scheme.
A few days ago I saw a concept video with an "evolution" of iOS, with something like live tiles (in an iOS friendly environment). Well it was fantastic !
Why Apple can't go that way !?
They aren't listen to customers .... They are going to have bigger screen, yes, but when ? At the end of 2014 ! They are AT LEAST one year behind the line.
The iPhone 5S was supposed to be the 4.7" device we are going to have, in my opinion.

----------

There should be rule here that states "If you claim something is not innovative then the burden of proof lies with you. Explain what is missing"

Apple sells 30-40 million phones in a quarter. Why should should anyone care what a single person chooses?

Odds are ...they don't.

Should they care about a single person choice ? No they don't.
But you have to see me like one of their biggest fans, and if I'm having this thoughts, expect a lot of customers to have similar doubts, and we are their hard core base.
Something is wrong here.

----------

I know, the quote that I quoted came from... you.

Just as you opined that the person leaving the Apple ecosystem would have regrets, you can expect that you will too.

I know, I remember my words, and this is the point of this thread

----------

Yeah I hear the "innovation" point a lot, but i guess I am curious what types of _phone_ innovation you are in need of? Is NFC etc etc really that useful?

Not trying to slam you at all bro, but what specifically does an iSomething really fail in when it comes to innovative features?

Where I stand, most smart phones are very similar when it comes to _major_ feature sets, SMS, web browsing, contacts, voice calling, email clients - that sort of thing.

User experience.
For me is all about user experience.
I'm not speaking about gimmicks, nor hardware features (like NFC or QHD screens) used as marketing means.
I'm speaking about the daily use of my phone.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

However, for people that own Apple products, it's not going to make sense to own an android, windows Phone or blackberry anymore after iOS8 and Yosemite.

I haven't had a Mac in over a year, but after the announcement yesterday I'm thinking about selling my PC and getting a Mac after Yosemite and iOS 8 are released.

 

[nuckinfutz]

That's my major concern.
Ecosystem is more important than tech specs, for sure.
But after a little experience with something like swipe keyboard, live tiles, tap to wake, glance and so on, it's difficult to look at my list of static icons, and even to type this very post on my iPad it's awkward.
I'm wondering why Apple is so reticent to change their mental scheme.
A few days ago I saw a concept video with an "evolution" of iOS, with something like live tiles (in an iOS friendly environment). Well it was fantastic !
Why Apple can't go that way !?
They aren't listen to customers .... They are going to have bigger screen, yes, but when ? At the end of 2014 ! They are AT LEAST one year behind the line.
The iPhone 5S was supposed to be the 4.7" device we are going to have, in my opinion.

----------



Should they care about a single person choice ? No they don't.
But you have to see me like one of their biggest fans, and if I'm having this thoughts, expect a lot of customers to have similar doubts, and we are their hard core base.
Something is wrong here.

----------



I know, I remember my words, and this is the point of this thread

----------


User experience.
For me is all about user experience.
I'm not speaking about gimmicks, nor hardware features (like NFC or QHD screens) used as marketing means.
I'm speaking about the daily use of my phone.

I'll be the first to admit that Apple is rarely first many features but I do admire that when they deliver features they tend to be well thought out in their initial incarnation and subsequently improve quickly.

What's happening right now is Apple aligning their two platforms. I think many of us sat back and asked

"Why doesn't Airdrop work across the iOS and OS X?"
"Why do my iWork documents get screwed up on iOS?"
"Why can't my apps talk to each other better than basic import/export?"
"Why are the iPhones stubbornly clinging to smaller form factors?"
"Why is iCloud so frustrating?"

Many of us think Apple should have addressed these a while ago and I believe that's true. I think Apple has shown some maturity that they didn't have before. The ability to swallow their pride and basically state

"Yes Android Notification were done correctly"
"Yes Dropbox did sync'd folders to the Cloud right"
"BiteSMS had it right"

I see Apple as maturing and realizing that the future of computing is heterogenous beyond just Windows/Mac, Application/Web, Desktop/Mobile

It all has to come together and deliver a consistent and powerful experience without sacrificing security or stability.

I don't think they've done anything to tarnish these ideals. Sorry for coming at your more harshly than I should have but even as I stranger to you i'm keen on what things you value in an operating system and seeing if these mirror some of my own.

Cheers

 

[Dontazemebro]

I don't understand these sort of threads. Why don't you just buy what you like irregardless of ecosystem? The need to post these should I jump, should I not jump threads when you get bored is redundant. Eventually you'll go back and the entire process will repeat itself over and again when that love relationship isn't always peachy.

Believe it or not but there are many of us in here that are platform agnostic and guess what, It works. You're only tied down if you want to be tied down. If Apple is where you want to make your bed then lay in it

 

[Technarchy]

I don't understand these sort of threads. Why don't you just buy what you like irregardless of ecosystem? The need to post these should I jump, should I not jump threads when you get bored is redundant. Eventually you'll go back and the entire process will repeat itself over and again when that love relationship isn't always peachy.

Believe it or not but there are many of us in here that are platform agnostic and guess what, It works. You're only tied down if you want to be tied down. If Apple is where you want to make your bed then lay in it

Nothing wrong with being agnostic. I am currently. Though, agnostic now has a penalty that didn't exist 48 hours ago.

For Apple, being uniform brings a level of coherence and synergy that really is new for this industry.

So even if the Note 4 rapes the iPhone 6, it will not provide the same experience as iPhone with iPad and Mac.

I think that's Apple's point to some extent with iOS 8. They basically admit android is pulling ahead in some areas in phones, but going with android doesn't give the total experience of the full brunt of Apple technology and ecosystem.

Becomes tricky for people like me. My S5 is a beast. I doubt the iPhone 6 will be a better phone...but an iPhone 6 + iPad MiniR + MacBook Air is an even greater product experience.

 

[gotluck]

I wish apple made a consumer tower, then I could care about ecosystem synergy

I refuse to settle for an iMac

 

[McCool71]

Is NFC etc etc really that useful?

I am always puzzled by the fact that a lot of people pick NFC as an example of something seemingly useless.

Having used it on a daily basis for around two years now I find it very useful by having a handful (actually 4) NFC tags at different spots - all of them set as toggles that turn on one set of features at first 'bump' and then a second one on the next 'bump'. Here are some examples from the top of my head - there are actually more things going on with each of the tags than this:

Near my door: Switches off wi-fi, increases screen brightness, turns off the main lamp in my living room (I have a couple of WeMo-switches in my home, and the main lamp is always on when I am home). This is when leaving, the opposite happens when returning.

On my desk at work (below my desk pad - can't be seen): Switches to the work wi-fi, disables work-mail checking on the phone so I don't get lots of notifications for stuff that I already get on my computer, turns off sound.

On my night stand: Switches to silent mode and only gives audible notifications from a few selected contacts - and alarms of course. Turns off all WeMo-connected lights.

In my car: Switches different settings to car mode and hooks up bluetooth.

All in all very useful. Of course you could toggle all these settings manually each time, but how uncool is that

Just a quick run down of what NFC can be used for in daily life - things like payment that many think is the main use is just a fraction of what it actually can be used for.

I'm not speaking about gimmicks, nor hardware features (like NFC or QHD screens) used as marketing means.
I'm speaking about the daily use of my phone.

So, how is this for daily use of the phone? NFC surely saves me from lots of switching stuff around during the day.

 

[Max(IT)]

I wish apple made a consumer tower, then I could care about ecosystem synergy

I refuse to settle for an iMac

a tower ? you are living in the past, mate.
BTW we are going off topic here ...

----------

I don't understand these sort of threads. Why don't you just buy what you like irregardless of ecosystem? The need to post these should I jump, should I not jump threads when you get bored is redundant. Eventually you'll go back and the entire process will repeat itself over and again when that love relationship isn't always peachy.

Believe it or not but there are many of us in here that are platform agnostic and guess what, It works. You're only tied down if you want to be tied down. If Apple is where you want to make your bed then lay in it

my "problem" actually is choose what fits my needs/tastes, thus this thread.
You didn't read the thread, if you think this is about jump/not jump the ship.
If you understand what "ecosystem" means, then you'll understand that you can't really be "platform agnostic". And what about the $$$ spent in apps ? It's not an easy decision to leave all behind and just "jump the ship".

----------

I wish apple made a consumer tower, then I could care about ecosystem synergy

I refuse to settle for an iMac

just out of curiosity, what is your interest in this forum ?
You clearly don't love iphone / ipads (I know you very well in this section of the forum), and with this post you clearly don't have an interest in Macs also (they don't even have a tower as workstation anymore).

I'm puzzled ...

 

[Kariya]

So just use WP8.1 and Android. Use what works for you. Theres choice.

Seriously, its really not that big a deal.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Yeah I hear the "innovation" point a lot, but i guess I am curious what types of _phone_ innovation you are in need of? Is NFC etc etc really that useful?

Not trying to slam you at all bro, but what specifically does an iSomething really fail in when it comes to innovative features?

Where I stand, most smart phones are very similar when it comes to _major_ feature sets, SMS, web browsing, contacts, voice calling, email clients - that sort of thing.

This is my opinion too. The innovation demand gets over used and quite often people don't really know what they want, but think every release should be packed with features they haven't even thought of simply to justify the innovation claim. My phone does everything presently I need it to do and more. The iOS 8 preview the other day had some interesting and useful features, some I may use, some I probably won't. I think far too many people see the features race as a competition when in reality most phones are used in pretty much the same way. I got to say I like the look of iOS, its neat, has a uniform theme throughout and is smooth to operate. As long as it does what I need, its doing the job. I don't need to be wow'd by my phone to the extent many here claim, its a daily tool and does the job well.

Just buy what you like and what best suits your needs. There is room in the market for multiple platforms and they will all have their fans.