I bought a 2012 N7 last year, intending it to be an Android test run before I bought an Android phone. I hated it, so I ended up getting the iPhone 5 at the end of last year.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone / Android switchers - Did you love it or hate it?
- Thread starter thekb
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I went from iPhone, to Android, to iPhone.
There's a handful of things I miss from Android. Like the SD card slot, which is compounded by the ripoff prices Apple charges for more storage. But with iCloud, and AirVideo, I can get by fine with the internal memory.
Widgets were more a novelty to me, eye candy. I always disabled them because cpu, ram, and battery life were more valuable to me.
Screen size is great, but the sleekness of the iPhone 5 is something I appreciate, as I always have it on me when I cycle, run, and hike. I've slept with it in my jeans pocket a bunch of times and barely notice it's even there. With my Android, I always took it out of my pocket and left it on the table at bars, restaurants, friends houses. Plus the iPhone's screen was brighter.
I do miss the customizations like setting default programs. And that's one thing I think Apple has nothing to lose by offering. It's annoying clicking a url link in an email and have it not open in my preferred browser.
But I had a handful of technical issues. Phone would pause out of the blue. Apps would freeze. I'd be typing an email and the keyboard would stop, then suddenly start catching up. I did factory resets, and firmware updates and changes, but most of them persisted, which leads me to my other complaint, the virus scans. It got annoying how they would run every time I restarted the phone, or inserted the SD card. It was brief, but just too often. I never removed it because running virus scans was a troubleshooting step I needed to take when I was working on resolving other issues.
Another thing is the warranty. The retail location has a ridiculous return policy, in my case, 14 days, one exchange only. After that you're stuck with dealing with the manufacturer, and the possibility of having to RMA, ship, and wait through bad downtime. But if you're lucky, only a call to a call center in India.
I also found the hardware back button annoying, due to the fact that it's contextual, meaning how it's function is dictated by the app. If you press it will it take you back a step? Will it close the app? Will it undo an action? Press it to find out! Poor design. Also the fact that certain settings or options can exist in more than one place. Android definitely had more redundancy.
I also had issues with T-Mobile's service and billing, which has nothing to do with the phone or platform, but those issues influenced me to go back to iPhone.
I got the iPhone 5, and it was nice being able to load up all the universal apps I had on iPad, and got to try for the iPhone for the first time, and not have to double dip, like I did when I had my Android. Also since making the switch back, many friends and family had gotten iDevices, and I could FaceTime with my friends and family. When I had the Android, I tried to get as many of them as I could to make Skype accounts and run the app, but hardly any of them did.
I also missed having the integration with the iMac. I would jot down notes with important information on my desktop, and it would automatically be on the iPhone, and vice versa. Same with pictures. And cloud enabled saves were good to have. Playing Vice City on my iPad, and continuing off the same save on the iPhone. A big plus was iMessages, and having all my texts and pictures shared within one universal program with everyone in my social circle. I could have a conversation on any device, and see all the previous text and photos on any other device. Same thing with my reminders, contacts, and calendar entries.
After I get my 2 year rebate, I get a new phone, so the fact that iPhones have the best resale value is definitely a plus. I've sold lots of electronics on Craigslist, Apple stuff, and other brands, and the Apple products always sell the fastest. I have a buyer show up the same day I list it.
Ecosystem was probably one of the biggest reasons why I went back. I couldn't find anything that was like iTunes U. Or app that worked as well as iMovie. I play guitar, bass, and piano, and there are a lot of recording and effects apps I use on iPhone for practice or sketching ideas. You can't plug in instruments to an Android phone because of latency inherit in the platform. So apps like GarageBand, Amplitube, Ampkit, along with the whole world of recording apps are unavailable.
Of course the games were a big factor too. Its been almost 3 years, and still no SF Volt for Android. Most of my favorite games I found weren't on Android. Way too many to list. When I switched back to iPhone, there were no games I had on Android that weren't on iOS. Not only games, but apps for art, photography, education, etc... Very similar to what macs offer.
A big problem with Android is how fragmented the user base is. Both hardware, and software. There's many different models, and many different firmwares that divide them. This is why Google Play is inferior to the app store. The fragmentation is a major hurdle for a lot of developers, and that's why a lot of the best apps don't come to Android, and why that the ones that do often are delayed by weeks or months. They have to code, and test the app to work with a myriad of hardware configuration and firmware combinations. Also, some apps on Android are actually iOS ports, so they don't utilize the latest Android phone processors. And I think the criticisms you hear about people complaining about lag on newer phones are also the result of their processors not being utilized.
The conciseness of iOS's user base is what makes the ecosystem great.
Also this sounds trivial, but I love how smooth iOS devices screen scrolling is. It's way more slick, regardless of what app or menu. But it's not too trivial when you consider how often you are doing it. Also what may be trivial, the casing. I prefer the look and feel of the aluminum case over plastic. Not a big deal though.
Since I use the iPhone when i'm doing outdoor activities and there's a good chance I could easily break it, I got AppleCare, and I like knowing that i'm covered for 2 years, up until I get a new phone, and that for the first year, i'm also covered for accidents, which isn't the case with other phones. I also like the Apple Store, and being able to get help in person, or get a phone swapped out on the spot if something goes bad, and not have to ship it or wait.
Of course, it ain't perfect. I have complaints with some of iOS 7 designs. I get frustrated with the keyboard when in portrait mode. I feel some of the buttons in some menu's are way too close together. And I really wish they could find a way to put the speakers in front while maintaining their aesthetic. I am always blocking the sound when I hold it in landscape mode.
But for me, the iPhone still has more pro's and less cons. If an Android phone comes along that can offer all the things I mentioned, which are mainly on the software front, i'll gladly consider giving Android another try. But my experience with iOS has been one with fewer distractions, hiccups, and technical issues. I can do what I need to do quick and easy. "It just works." When you've spent 12 years in IT, troubleshooting issues 8 hours a day, you begin to value those things.
There's a handful of things I miss from Android. Like the SD card slot, which is compounded by the ripoff prices Apple charges for more storage. But with iCloud, and AirVideo, I can get by fine with the internal memory.
Widgets were more a novelty to me, eye candy. I always disabled them because cpu, ram, and battery life were more valuable to me.
Screen size is great, but the sleekness of the iPhone 5 is something I appreciate, as I always have it on me when I cycle, run, and hike. I've slept with it in my jeans pocket a bunch of times and barely notice it's even there. With my Android, I always took it out of my pocket and left it on the table at bars, restaurants, friends houses. Plus the iPhone's screen was brighter.
I do miss the customizations like setting default programs. And that's one thing I think Apple has nothing to lose by offering. It's annoying clicking a url link in an email and have it not open in my preferred browser.
But I had a handful of technical issues. Phone would pause out of the blue. Apps would freeze. I'd be typing an email and the keyboard would stop, then suddenly start catching up. I did factory resets, and firmware updates and changes, but most of them persisted, which leads me to my other complaint, the virus scans. It got annoying how they would run every time I restarted the phone, or inserted the SD card. It was brief, but just too often. I never removed it because running virus scans was a troubleshooting step I needed to take when I was working on resolving other issues.
Another thing is the warranty. The retail location has a ridiculous return policy, in my case, 14 days, one exchange only. After that you're stuck with dealing with the manufacturer, and the possibility of having to RMA, ship, and wait through bad downtime. But if you're lucky, only a call to a call center in India.
I also found the hardware back button annoying, due to the fact that it's contextual, meaning how it's function is dictated by the app. If you press it will it take you back a step? Will it close the app? Will it undo an action? Press it to find out! Poor design. Also the fact that certain settings or options can exist in more than one place. Android definitely had more redundancy.
I also had issues with T-Mobile's service and billing, which has nothing to do with the phone or platform, but those issues influenced me to go back to iPhone.
I got the iPhone 5, and it was nice being able to load up all the universal apps I had on iPad, and got to try for the iPhone for the first time, and not have to double dip, like I did when I had my Android. Also since making the switch back, many friends and family had gotten iDevices, and I could FaceTime with my friends and family. When I had the Android, I tried to get as many of them as I could to make Skype accounts and run the app, but hardly any of them did.
I also missed having the integration with the iMac. I would jot down notes with important information on my desktop, and it would automatically be on the iPhone, and vice versa. Same with pictures. And cloud enabled saves were good to have. Playing Vice City on my iPad, and continuing off the same save on the iPhone. A big plus was iMessages, and having all my texts and pictures shared within one universal program with everyone in my social circle. I could have a conversation on any device, and see all the previous text and photos on any other device. Same thing with my reminders, contacts, and calendar entries.
After I get my 2 year rebate, I get a new phone, so the fact that iPhones have the best resale value is definitely a plus. I've sold lots of electronics on Craigslist, Apple stuff, and other brands, and the Apple products always sell the fastest. I have a buyer show up the same day I list it.
Ecosystem was probably one of the biggest reasons why I went back. I couldn't find anything that was like iTunes U. Or app that worked as well as iMovie. I play guitar, bass, and piano, and there are a lot of recording and effects apps I use on iPhone for practice or sketching ideas. You can't plug in instruments to an Android phone because of latency inherit in the platform. So apps like GarageBand, Amplitube, Ampkit, along with the whole world of recording apps are unavailable.
Of course the games were a big factor too. Its been almost 3 years, and still no SF Volt for Android. Most of my favorite games I found weren't on Android. Way too many to list. When I switched back to iPhone, there were no games I had on Android that weren't on iOS. Not only games, but apps for art, photography, education, etc... Very similar to what macs offer.
A big problem with Android is how fragmented the user base is. Both hardware, and software. There's many different models, and many different firmwares that divide them. This is why Google Play is inferior to the app store. The fragmentation is a major hurdle for a lot of developers, and that's why a lot of the best apps don't come to Android, and why that the ones that do often are delayed by weeks or months. They have to code, and test the app to work with a myriad of hardware configuration and firmware combinations. Also, some apps on Android are actually iOS ports, so they don't utilize the latest Android phone processors. And I think the criticisms you hear about people complaining about lag on newer phones are also the result of their processors not being utilized.
The conciseness of iOS's user base is what makes the ecosystem great.
Also this sounds trivial, but I love how smooth iOS devices screen scrolling is. It's way more slick, regardless of what app or menu. But it's not too trivial when you consider how often you are doing it. Also what may be trivial, the casing. I prefer the look and feel of the aluminum case over plastic. Not a big deal though.
Since I use the iPhone when i'm doing outdoor activities and there's a good chance I could easily break it, I got AppleCare, and I like knowing that i'm covered for 2 years, up until I get a new phone, and that for the first year, i'm also covered for accidents, which isn't the case with other phones. I also like the Apple Store, and being able to get help in person, or get a phone swapped out on the spot if something goes bad, and not have to ship it or wait.
Of course, it ain't perfect. I have complaints with some of iOS 7 designs. I get frustrated with the keyboard when in portrait mode. I feel some of the buttons in some menu's are way too close together. And I really wish they could find a way to put the speakers in front while maintaining their aesthetic. I am always blocking the sound when I hold it in landscape mode.
But for me, the iPhone still has more pro's and less cons. If an Android phone comes along that can offer all the things I mentioned, which are mainly on the software front, i'll gladly consider giving Android another try. But my experience with iOS has been one with fewer distractions, hiccups, and technical issues. I can do what I need to do quick and easy. "It just works." When you've spent 12 years in IT, troubleshooting issues 8 hours a day, you begin to value those things.