Iphone X vs Android - I know I know..

[nviz22]

Hey All,

So obviously there are plenty of threads on Iphone vs Android. I have both the Iphone X and the Galaxy S8 Plus. I work as a virtualization engineer in the IT space, so I like to think I know what I am talking about, granted it is just an opinion.

I will say the new Samsung commercial hits home. Quite frankly it is true, Apple has been late to the game with technological advancements. This goes for Camera, water proofing, screen panels, wireless charging, the list goes on and on.

I hear a lot about Ecosystem, and I've been thinking is this a fair argument. Are there replacements using Google's ecosystem? For Apple TV you have Chromecast Ultra, which not only plays 4K TV and HDR, but supports Youtube Content at 4K. Is the Apple TV 4K a bad design, no but they do have the mode switching issue. What about music? Same thing here, Chromecast Audio. What about Apps, Google Play store. I think the Ecosystem thing is a tough sell. I will say the Apple watch is better than the offerings Third party and or via Samsung's offerings.

Here is why I would personally go Iphone over Android, and it's probably the only reason but a big one. The texting experience. Sending pics and videos over traditional MMS is a horrible experience. This is the only reason I would choose Iphone over Android. I think every other category I would give to Samsung/Android. People like to claim Android is slow, or behaves poorly. I've had just as many hickups with IOS as I have Android in my experience.

Android is a better professional user experience while Iphone is better suited for Grandma.. I will say though, the texting experience is a deal breaker for some, including me. If Samsung perfects this somehow, I would never go back to Iphone.

iMessage is a huge difference and I like using it much more for texting. Still use it on my laptop despite not owning an iPhone right now. The Apple Watch is much better since it doesn't run Tizen or Android Wear. Both aren't supported as much as Watch OS is. My Gear 360 first gen is collecting dust. I need to get a Series 1 AW and actually use it this time.

 

[KingslayerG5]

Being multi-platform is like being multilingual. You can help more people if you know more. Never limit yourself from gaining knowledge.

^ DoorDash numbers.

 

[convergent]

Hey All,

So obviously there are plenty of threads on Iphone vs Android. I have both the Iphone X and the Galaxy S8 Plus. I work as a virtualization engineer in the IT space, so I like to think I know what I am talking about, granted it is just an opinion.

I will say the new Samsung commercial hits home. Quite frankly it is true, Apple has been late to the game with technological advancements. This goes for Camera, water proofing, screen panels, wireless charging, the list goes on and on.

I hear a lot about Ecosystem, and I've been thinking is this a fair argument. Are there replacements using Google's ecosystem? For Apple TV you have Chromecast Ultra, which not only plays 4K TV and HDR, but supports Youtube Content at 4K. Is the Apple TV 4K a bad design, no but they do have the mode switching issue. What about music? Same thing here, Chromecast Audio. What about Apps, Google Play store. I think the Ecosystem thing is a tough sell. I will say the Apple watch is better than the offerings Third party and or via Samsung's offerings.

Here is why I would personally go Iphone over Android, and it's probably the only reason but a big one. The texting experience. Sending pics and videos over traditional MMS is a horrible experience. This is the only reason I would choose Iphone over Android. I think every other category I would give to Samsung/Android. People like to claim Android is slow, or behaves poorly. I've had just as many hickups with IOS as I have Android in my experience.

Android is a better professional user experience while Iphone is better suited for Grandma.. I will say though, the texting experience is a deal breaker for some, including me. If Samsung perfects this somehow, I would never go back to Iphone.

You say there are already plenty of threads that cover this, but then start another one. Not sure what you are hoping to accomplish.

Messaging is really the only point of real friction, and only then with other iPhone users. Calling it "horrible" is a bit of a dramatic stretch. So as others have said, Apple's whole deal is riding on continuing to sell $1000+ devices to send text messages.

I disagree on your view of Apple Watch. The Gear S3 is far more intuitive and the UI is way better than AW. But it matters not because currently Apple Watch won't work without an iPhone so a small percentage of people with smartphones can even use it.

 

[decafjava]

You say there are already plenty of threads that cover this, but then start another one. Not sure what you are hoping to accomplish.

Messaging is really the only point of real friction, and only then with other iPhone users. Calling it "horrible" is a bit of a dramatic stretch. So as others have said, Apple's whole deal is riding on continuing to sell $1000+ devices to send text messages.

I disagree on your view of Apple Watch. The Gear S3 is far more intuitive and the UI is way better than AW. But it matters not because currently Apple Watch won't work without an iPhone so a small percentage of people with smartphones can even use it.

Hahaha seriously??

 

[widgeteer]

then start another one. Not sure what you are hoping to accomplish

He accomplished telling everyone that as a professional in the IT space it is his learned opinion that Android is a more versitile, polished, and effective platform than iOS. iPhones are for old dumb people.

But he can’t leave iOS because text messages.

Thank god for this thread.

 

[Allyance]

Ya pays yer money and takes your choice, as long as there are competing products in any field, phones, cars, motorcycles there are going to be strong opinions about which is better. Me, I ride sports bikes, many of you may be Harley Dudes, I am not going knock your choice, but they are not my choice. Apple has done well for me this year, stocks up $70 per share, I like their ecosystem, had never tried an Android phone, but glad their is an alternative. I sold, setup and installed 1000's of PCs and Windows server over the years, even had a Windows phone for awhile, now I am quite happy with my iMac while my Dell Windows 7 laptop sits idly by.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I don't even use iMessage when I use my iPhone 7+. I turned it off across all my Apple devices. I use Whatsapp and Telegram. I also rarely used Handover to begin with and mainly used it with the browser, but using Chrome fulfills my tab syncing across devices and platforms.

 

[macher]

I don't even use iMessage when I use my iPhone 7+. I turned it off across all my Apple devices. I use Whatsapp and Telegram. I also rarely used Handover to begin with and mainly used it with the browser, but using Chrome fulfills my tab syncing across devices and platforms.

I like Chrome on my Mac but hate it on iOS.

 

[Regime2008]

Hey All,

So obviously there are plenty of threads on Iphone vs Android. I have both the Iphone X and the Galaxy S8 Plus. I work as a virtualization engineer in the IT space, so I like to think I know what I am talking about, granted it is just an opinion.

I will say the new Samsung commercial hits home. Quite frankly it is true, Apple has been late to the game with technological advancements. This goes for Camera, water proofing, screen panels, wireless charging, the list goes on and on.

I hear a lot about Ecosystem, and I've been thinking is this a fair argument. Are there replacements using Google's ecosystem? For Apple TV you have Chromecast Ultra, which not only plays 4K TV and HDR, but supports Youtube Content at 4K. Is the Apple TV 4K a bad design, no but they do have the mode switching issue. What about music? Same thing here, Chromecast Audio. What about Apps, Google Play store. I think the Ecosystem thing is a tough sell. I will say the Apple watch is better than the offerings Third party and or via Samsung's offerings.

Here is why I would personally go Iphone over Android, and it's probably the only reason but a big one. The texting experience. Sending pics and videos over traditional MMS is a horrible experience. This is the only reason I would choose Iphone over Android. I think every other category I would give to Samsung/Android. People like to claim Android is slow, or behaves poorly. I've had just as many hickups with IOS as I have Android in my experience.

Android is a better professional user experience while Iphone is better suited for Grandma.. I will say though, the texting experience is a deal breaker for some, including me. If Samsung perfects this somehow, I would never go back to Iphone.

I agree with everything, except for the watch and messaging. Android Wear offers more functionality than Apple Wear. iMessage seems to be meh, as most people I know use Fb messenger, discord, etc.

The ecosystem thing is definitely true. There is an Android version for every app, that usually works very similar, if not better on Android.

 

[michael9891]

I've been taking great photos with iPhones since I got my first one, the 4. So they're not "late" as you put it.

iMessage is great and I loved being able to send pics/videos with the default messaging app. Especially as nearly everyone I know is on iOS. And I'm pretty sure without compressing, compared to WhatsApp? I don't miss iMessage though.

And while I know everyone is different, it's a bit lame to say Android is better in every way, but you stick to iOS which is more suited to your grandma as you put it because of MMS. It's 2017 with a ton of ways to get media from one person to another.

 

[slu]

Like for example take Google Photos vs Photo Library/Icloud Photos. One is free, and vastly superior. I am surprised Apple can't make this amazing, it's been garbage for 5 years.
[doublepost=1510589481][/doublepost]

The truth hurts I guess?

I use the Google ecosystem on an all Apple setup right now. Google Photos, Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Notes, Calendar, contacts, Music...

This started when I was on Android for a few years, but when I switched back to iPhone about a year ago, I realized I could keep this same setup and then make a transition back to Android very easy, if I choose to do that. I feel like I have the most options one can have. In fact, the new Moto X has me interested. I used two versions of the X when I used Android.

 

[Technarchy]

Seems like they let messaging go or don’t care about it.

Oh they care. That’s why they release a new messaging app every year

 

[macher]

Oh they care. That’s why they release a new messaging app every year

Yea but they shouldn’t have to release a new one every year if it was as solid as iMessage.

 

[convergent]

Yea but they shouldn’t have to release a new one every year if it was as solid as iMessage.

But Google releasing a new app isn't going to solve the problem. The problem is a common way to message that isn't proprietary. Apple has chosen to make their solution a closed garden. The best thing the others could do would be to work with carriers to adopt a more modern and inter-operable messaging platform to replace MMS. And that would require cooperation from the carriers, OEMs, etc.. They would need a substantial alliance and some disruption of MMS in the future to force Apple to open up and support anything that threatens Apple's Messages. It might also happen if some govt. around the world sued Apple to open it up.

 

[comper]

But Google releasing a new app isn't going to solve the problem. The problem is a common way to message that isn't proprietary. Apple has chosen to make their solution a closed garden. The best thing the others could do would be to work with carriers to adopt a more modern and inter-operable messaging platform to replace MMS. And that would require cooperation from the carriers, OEMs, etc.. They would need a substantial alliance and some disruption of MMS in the future to force Apple to open up and support anything that threatens Apple's Messages. It might also happen if some govt. around the world sued Apple to open it up.

There are already several cross-platform apps that are widely available and also widely adopted outside of the US. I don't think any "alliance" from the carriers and OEMs are going to do anything about creating another competitor to those apps. They also have no reason to want to spend the time, R&D, and other resources to fix a problem that doesn't exist to them, and more importantly, does nothing to benefit themselves in the end - especially the carriers.

You really think the government would attempt to sue a private company to open up their privately developed services? Good luck with that one.

 

[AustinIllini]

I like Chrome on my Mac but hate it on iOS.

It's not really a browser on iOS. It's basically a glorified skin.

 

[convergent]

There are already several cross-platform apps that are widely available and also widely adopted outside of the US. I don't think any "alliance" from the carriers and OEMs are going to do anything about creating another competitor to those apps. They also have no reason to want to spend the time, R&D, and other resources to fix a problem that doesn't exist to them, and more importantly, does nothing to benefit themselves in the end - especially the carriers.

You really think the government would attempt to sue a private company to open up their privately developed services? Good luck with that one.

I didn't say a new app. I said a new transport to modernize and replace MMS. Apple has bypassed the whole thing because MMS is outdated.

And yes, the EU has sued many tech companies for "monopolistic" type things. So yes, I do believe a government might step in if there were a new MMS type transport mechanism and Apple refused to support it.

 

[comper]

I didn't say a new app. I said a new transport to modernize and replace MMS. Apple has bypassed the whole thing because MMS is outdated.

And yes, the EU has sued many tech companies for "monopolistic" type things. So yes, I do believe a government might step in if there were a new MMS type transport mechanism and Apple refused to support it.

But there are already several available if that is important to you. The carriers don't care - you are on their network whether you are using SMS/MMS/iMessage/or another messaging app. They have no reason to want to get involved in something like that because it doesn't do anything to benefit their bottom line or marketability.

Apple and iOS would have to adopt any messaging standard so that their users can still reach people who aren't on iOS, just like how it is now. You don't even have to have iMessage enabled if you don't want to. iOS users already have the option to use any of those other apps, including standard SMS/MMS, so there's no sort of "monopoly" going on in the slightest. I misread your original post thinking you meant the government would sue Apple to force them to open up iMessage itself, so I do apologize for that point, but the rest stands.

 

[convergent]

But there are already several available if that is important to you. The carriers don't care - you are on their network whether you are using SMS/MMS/iMessage/or another messaging app. They have no reason to want to get involved in something like that because it doesn't do anything to benefit their bottom line or marketability.

Apple and iOS would have to adopt any messaging standard so that their users can still reach people who aren't on iOS, just like how it is now. You don't even have to have iMessage enabled if you don't want to. iOS users already have the option to use any of those other apps, including standard SMS/MMS, so there's no sort of "monopoly" going on in the slightest. I misread your original post thinking you meant the government would sue Apple to force them to open up iMessage itself, so I do apologize for that point, but the rest stands.

Still don't think we are connecting. SMS and MMS are standard carrier mechanisms. Everything else is proprietary and just uses data. Apple Messages will drop back to MMS if the other device isn't an Apple device. That drop back is the important part here. Its not capable of handling modern pictures/videos as it was designed before smartphones. It would take a consortium of companies to create a replacement for MMS. Without that, everyone of these apps is never going to be able to interoperate with pictures/videos that are crappy. What would be best is a world where you can use whichever app you want, but when it drops back to MMS+ to interoperate, it can support modern needs.

 

[comper]

Still don't think we are connecting. SMS and MMS are standard carrier mechanisms. Everything else is proprietary and just uses data. Apple Messages will drop back to MMS if the other device isn't an Apple device. That drop back is the important part here. Its not capable of handling modern pictures/videos as it was designed before smartphones. It would take a consortium of companies to create a replacement for MMS. Without that, everyone of these apps is never going to be able to interoperate with pictures/videos that are crappy. What would be best is a world where you can use whichever app you want, but when it drops back to MMS+ to interoperate, it can support modern needs.

I get what you are saying 100% but that use-case is very limited unless they did go all out and create a unified, feature-rich app on every phone as well. Even then there would always be fragmentation do to iMessage and other popular message services that are way more feature rich. I wouldn't mind an improved fallback system - but that's what it will always be - and doesn't do anything to dent iMessage or other messaging services as a whole. And again, the carriers have no interest in "fixing" a problem that isn't there for them, and these other services are already in place and readily available to accommodate the modern use of phones and all forms of messaging.

 

[convergent]

I get what you are saying 100% but that use-case is very limited unless they did go all out and create a unified, feature-rich app on every phone as well. Even then there would always be fragmentation do to iMessage and other popular message services that are way more feature rich. I wouldn't mind an improved fallback system - but that's what it will always be - and doesn't do anything to dent iMessage or other messaging services as a whole. And again, the carriers have no interest in "fixing" a problem that isn't there for them, and these other services are already in place and readily available to accommodate the modern use of phones and all forms of messaging.

I disagree, I think there is great value in them fixing the problem. It creates tremendous friction in switching devices, which gives Apple tremendous market power. The problem right now is everyone is trying to create their own proprietary solutions, including the carriers. The longer that goes on, the more power Apple gets.

 

[comper]

I disagree, I think there is great value in them fixing the problem. It creates tremendous friction in switching devices, which gives Apple tremendous market power. The problem right now is everyone is trying to create their own proprietary solutions, including the carriers. The longer that goes on, the more power Apple gets.

I still am not seeing how this would ever persuade the casual user from leaving iMessage even if the fallback system is vastly improved. It would just make it easier for your non-iPhone users to share pictures/videos with iPhone users, but the iPhone users would still leave iMessage on for all of their friends and family on iOS along with its exclusive features.

 

[convergent]

I still am not seeing how this would ever persuade the casual user from leaving iMessage even if the fallback system is vastly improved. It would just make it easier for your non-iPhone users to share pictures/videos with iPhone users, but the iPhone users would still leave iMessage on for all of their friends and family on iOS along with its exclusive features.

That is precisely the point. Now, people try to leave the iPhone, but then they have to get their iPhone friends to use a different app such as WhatsApp, FB Messenger, etc. to communicate with them and send pictures/videos. If what I described was in place, then you could use any messaging app to communicate with iPhone users and be able to exchange pictures/videos. The could keep using iMessage and you could use whatever you wanted on another platform. Or, if you wanted to use something else on the iPhone you could do that too.

 

[5105973]

iMessage is a huge difference and I like using it much more for texting. Still use it on my laptop despite not owning an iPhone right now. The Apple Watch is much better since it doesn't run Tizen or Android Wear. Both aren't supported as much as Watch OS is. My Gear 360 first gen is collecting dust. I need to get a Series 1 AW and actually use it this time.

I really liked my Samsung watches. But they were big on me. In the end I just preferred the fit and features and ease of watchband switching on the Apple Watches. Once Apple Watch got LTE, that was it, I was content!

As for phones I’m kind of like @KingslayerG5 in that I make kind of an Android and iOS team out of my phones. At one time it was an IPhone SE and an HTC 10 combo. I did do HTC 10 with Galaxy S7 for a little over a month but it’s rare for me to put aside iOS entirely due to reliance on iMessages. Now the watch keeps me on iOS, too.

I like media consumption and ebooks on Android but lately have tended to use my iPhone out of better comfort with a flat display. I find Android fascinating. There’s more “breathing room” on it. Sometimes I just want my phone to look and perform a certain way and I can poke and prod an Android phone to be what I want it to be. It can be very unique to me and very off putting and confusing to someone else who picks up my Android phone and tries to make their way around it. That’s pretty cool.

iOS is awesome when I don’t want to think or worry about it too much. Rows of icons, some in folders, a few settings to configure and away we go. I can make the wallpaper different but otherwise my iPhone is going to be pretty much what my sister in law’s or my husband’s is. And that’s a good thing, too.

I love iOS and Android dearly. I think I would have enjoyed a Windows phone, too. Lol, I once made my HTC look just like a windows phone. Yep, there was an app for that. It was a custom launcher.

 

[comper]

That is precisely the point. Now, people try to leave the iPhone, but then they have to get their iPhone friends to use a different app such as WhatsApp, FB Messenger, etc. to communicate with them and send pictures/videos. If what I described was in place, then you could use any messaging app to communicate with iPhone users and be able to exchange pictures/videos. The could keep using iMessage and you could use whatever you wanted on another platform. Or, if you wanted to use something else on the iPhone you could do that too.

Yeah I get what you are saying. As someone who uses both platforms it would be more convenient for picture/video sharing. But I still don’t think that’s enough to really dent the use overall.

There are still numerous benefits to iMessage, whether it’s visual stuff (to me not really important but I’ve seen others mention it) like the blue messages and Animoji/emojis, or more useful things like delivery and read receipts, iMessage group chats with the ability to name groups, add or delete others or yourself from the conversation, and now things like ApplePay built in. It’s the inclusion factor that people don’t like to get away from.

I do understand what you’re getting at though and I personally would like it but I still don’t believe carriers care enough as again, it’s not something that draws people to their service since iMessage and so many other feature rich messaging apps are readily available. I guess we will see what happens, though, even just higher data limits for MMS would be nice. I’m not against the idea by any means I just don’t know where the motivation comes from on the carrier side.