I just recently switched from Android to a full suite of apple stuff.
I originally was an iPhone user for the 2g and 3g devices. I switched to IOS from windows mobile with the first two apple devices and then from there went over to Android and haven't really looked back until now. I've been mostly happy on the android platform which has seen massive improvement since the early days but I've been looking more and more at iPhones over the last year and Google has finally driven the final nails in the coffin.
I'd say the biggest factors in making me want to switch is the general feeling in Android that you really feel the device age as time goes on as compared to the iPhone which remains pretty damn functional, fast and updated for longer. Now this is ironic because I generally don't keep my devices long but my wife does and she has been annoyed by her Pixel 4a more and more lately, despite it being a relatively new purchase (1 year). The hardware can be premium but there seems to be some nagging things that never seem to go away and the fragmentation in the devices is only getting worse. Especially with android tv coming out and there being a pretty wide gap in capabilities, app availablity as well as speed and performance depending on device.
Another factor is Google has been very...lets say half ass in their direction at times. I was a hangouts user that got burned, google voice has languished as a result since it doesn't integrate with messages like it did for Hangouts and there are other things. My Nexus 6p had 3 replacements all with the dreaded 40% batter to shut off because of crappy components. My wife's pixel 4a gps doesn't work anymore. My 4a5g has issues as well where it will lag behind where I actually am until I reset the device and while my batter has been fine the device does feel it age a bit when scrolling. All persist through wipes and clean installs. Android 12 hasn't been that great of an update, changing the notification pulldown for commonly used things and while non of these are deal breakers they and other things all add up.
I also had google chromecast with google tv devices. Also slowing down over time because google keeps stuffing more and more crap on the home screens all updating at the same time. They have issues with HLG which causes 4k broadcasts from Fox to suck and have color issues. Yet another in a long line of google products that is half assed in execution.
The Pixel 6 pro was on my radar and when I went to Best Buy to check them out pre release (I had an order in) they felt cheap and I wasn't impressed.
Then I got screwed on 2 google play gift cards from Sam's, the codes literally disintegrated as they were carefully scratched off. Google had me sign affidavits that they could view my location history to help try and verify purchase and rectify the issue, had me go to Sam's to get paper work verified as well as receipts all sent to them. After a week they got back to me saying that I was basically screwed and that while it was very likely I was the purchaser they were not able to do anything for me. I expected this but was still pretty pissed, even more so since they made me do legwork as if they could actually help.
Enough being irritated, time to try something new.
So my first apple product in a long time was an Apple TV 4K. I was impressed from first boot with the speed and how well it worked. Very happy. Yes, expensive. However it just works and the shield which is almost as expensive has had a long run of issues, hacks and other work arounds over its lifetime to do the things people have wanted.
If my TV experience was so good why not the phone? So we ordered 13 mini for my wife and I ordered a 13 pm. While waiting I got an auto update from Microsoft that broke a few things so I went out and bought a MBA m1 to check out. Why not? Having a blast with my MBA m1 so now I'm looking at getting a mini to replace my windows desktop running plex and storage.
Wife's mini came in, she loves it and I got to play with it a bunch setting it up for her. Made me really want mine but it was 2 to 3 weeks behind. Luckily I managed to score a 13pm from a store so canceled my online order. Now we are both very happy.
The transition hasn't been difficult. There are a few quirks but for the most part IOS is very smooth, fast and works incredibly well. I've had no issues learning and quite honestly IOS and android share much more in common than they have differences. The integration between apple products is amazing and I feel the apps / games are either on par or better than the android counterparts much less the added apps and games which aren't available on android at all. I appreciate the added privacy controls and love seeing how the changes are screwing over companies like Facebook and I hope that sort of digital cancer continues to get blocked.
My biggest complain is probably the IOS keyboard and lack of punctuation or ability to add a number row. With these massive phones that seems ridiculous you can't have a number row and not having punctuation is simply super idiotic. The swipe controls work ok for punctuation but still, pretty stupid. One other odd item is having app settings separated out in settings. This is a little disjointed but it works once you get used to it.
Very pleased overall, we'll see how things go. I might even divorce google further and start moving off gmail if things keep going the way they are.
I just had the complete reverse of your experiences as by chance my sister asked me to help upgrade her iPhone 8 to 13 while I am in the UK and also her Ipad 4 to latest mini, plus her friend who had a IP6 took the 8 so I also did that upgraded for her.
I thought what better time to see how far Apple had come since I last owned an Iphone as this should be a breeze as literally Apple to Apple
Well quite frankly I was shocked and contra to what we read on MR there is no way my sister who's not a complete numpty on technology could of done this and her friend with the IP6 would of been worse off.
From the start the IP8 would not scan the Apple QR code but the IPad 4 would, the transfer screwed up account passwords and other accounts whilst you waited for all apps to be downloaded from the store that never questioned you on revised permissions etc we read so much about
Endless 2 step verifications that bizarrely goes to iPad and not the iPhone or both and the extent of menu scrolling is almost exhaustive. Of course the new Apple swiping through me and my sister for days as she lost her back button
Transferred VPN settings and Apps locked up as one prevented the other from upgrading and downloading
Her bank apps were screwed up and we could get one resolved but the other needed a visit to local branch to sort, so her Apple pay and wallet was locked up for several days
Laggy apps especially on screen rotations and even though she only has few apps several these were not optimised for Ipad and no landscape mode, I did not expect this at all
I also got all her photos sorted and other files by using Onedrive so she has access to all, as her surface laptop is infrequently used now she does not run her charity
The amount of Ads and extent of subscription requests really hit me even from a simple calculator app she uses to Apple TV with add placements etc
As she had a 3 months free trial on Apple TV that was good as I OD'd on 8 episodes catch up of the foundation
but even that was buggy and often would not resume after a small break to the toilet etc
I can't say I was impressed and the whole processes was certainly no better if not worse on some counts over an Android upgrade
Still my sisters happy despite we could not get an IW7 as they are like hens teeth in UK and the IPad that comes with a charger suits her other than having to swap cables as IP13 is not USB-C like the new Ipad mini.
