Do I mean to start a big debate? No. I have build up a fairly good list of reasons why I believe the iPhone is superior over any other phone. But my reasons don't mean absolute fact, so don't worry, I'm not an Apple fanboy. I would have easily joined Android if it was a superior product in my eyes.
I have used many high end Android phones over the past year: Galaxy Note II, Galaxy IV, HTC One and the Moto X to name a few. I did like their "style" and presentation, but there were always some things that made me realize the iPhone is superior.
To name a few:
Security
Have there been a couple security problems with iOS lately? Yes, but Apple patched them up soon after. I'm not saying iOS is perfect. Far from it. But really, Android's OS security should be compared to Windows on a PC. I believe one of the main problems is the ability for any low-end developer to make an "app" for Android and publish it to the Play Store when it's really spyware, malware, or worse. I know people that use anti-virus software for their Android. Huh? It's sad. Those programs only drain the battery of the phone, and again, it's very similar to Windows on a PC. To make matters worse for Android, since all these different Android phones can hardly ever update to the latest OS, they're even more vulnerable.
iOS, on the other hand, has quite a stringent app process (highly publicized at times, especially at first), but in the end, it's benefited all iOS users. I don't have to worry if an app on the App Store is going to give me a virus, etc. There's no need for AV software for the iPhone. Big peace of mind.
Software Upgradability
It's well known that Android phones can't upgrade to the latest OS with any easy at all. And yet when some do, there's already a newer version released. That creates big security problems (as mentioned above), a fractured OS ecosystem that makes it a nightmare for developers to work with, and people don't get the new features when an upgrade comes out, yet they just shelled out $650 for this new phone seven months ago. And by the time a company makes a new version of the phone, they're even more sluggish and reluctant to care enough to update the previous phone that was touted new some months back.
On the other hand, a relative of mine is still using an iPhone 4. Running iOS 7. This is a phone that was made almost four years ago, summer 2010. A similar phone released around that time, the Galaxy S, still can only run 2.3 Gingerbread! Yikes. That's just a sample. Apple even cared enough for iPhone 4 owners to make 7.1, which made the phone OS work faster for that phone, as I can attest with testing my relative's iPhone 4.
File/Music Management
First off, I understand that a lot of people like the ability to manage a file/folder structure. I like the ability on my computer, of course. I see the benefits. But I don't really see it for a phone. Android has a Windows-like folder system--one that has so many folders, including ones that seemingly users should never be allowed to access. You can't neglect the fact that a strong majority of Android users are people that have NO IDEA how to manage files, where to put things, etc. Android makes it very difficult for them. And each maker of Android phones has their own little transfer program to manage files, and some even try to sync your iTunes content. For those that do the latter, they do just an absolutely horrible job. After so much messing around with it for an hour, I still found no use for it at all.
And for music and other files, the majority of users want to use a third party app. I have tried a lot of them, and I never used one that made sense or was well designed. And many of them have ads nagging at you constantly.
The iPhone is way more streamlined. It doesn't show you the entire file structure of the phone that would confuse many people. It's build in music app is very well done. The use of iTunes makes syncing is incredibly easy. Some people don't like iTunes, but for those that appreciate it, it's extremely valuable and a perfect compliment for the iPhone. And for users that want file management, there's an option to enable that. You could even download a third party app also.
PDF / ePub Readability, Speed
This one is a big one for me. I do a lot of studying and reading with PDF and ePub files. If Android could do it better, or just do it fairly well, I might have given them stronger consideration. Here's the main problem: Android just does a terrible, terrible job with managing and reading these files. The third party apps are atrocious-looking, way too confusing, and can't even format ePub files well. And naturally, ads are always a click away. I've tried almost all the popular reading apps, and none were even half way decent. You would think that Google's built in app, Google Play Books, could do a decent job? It reads PDF's, and now ePub, I believe also. Has anyone else noticed that PDF's always render so slow, that it's it virtually unusable?? It's beyond words to me. Every app for Android is like that!
Apple does a KILLER job with iBooks. PDF's load extremely quick, and it's very fluid. Studying with ePub files is a DREAM with iBooks. Annotating is amazing. And the app is free. And there's no ads, etc. Managing the files are easy and well thought out. Thank you, Apple, for this necessary and valuable app.
Those are my main reasons. I do have more, but not as big as the ones above. Again, I do not wish to incite a riotous debate. Just expressing my thoughts in a respectful manner.
I have used many high end Android phones over the past year: Galaxy Note II, Galaxy IV, HTC One and the Moto X to name a few. I did like their "style" and presentation, but there were always some things that made me realize the iPhone is superior.
To name a few:
Security
Have there been a couple security problems with iOS lately? Yes, but Apple patched them up soon after. I'm not saying iOS is perfect. Far from it. But really, Android's OS security should be compared to Windows on a PC. I believe one of the main problems is the ability for any low-end developer to make an "app" for Android and publish it to the Play Store when it's really spyware, malware, or worse. I know people that use anti-virus software for their Android. Huh? It's sad. Those programs only drain the battery of the phone, and again, it's very similar to Windows on a PC. To make matters worse for Android, since all these different Android phones can hardly ever update to the latest OS, they're even more vulnerable.
iOS, on the other hand, has quite a stringent app process (highly publicized at times, especially at first), but in the end, it's benefited all iOS users. I don't have to worry if an app on the App Store is going to give me a virus, etc. There's no need for AV software for the iPhone. Big peace of mind.
Software Upgradability
It's well known that Android phones can't upgrade to the latest OS with any easy at all. And yet when some do, there's already a newer version released. That creates big security problems (as mentioned above), a fractured OS ecosystem that makes it a nightmare for developers to work with, and people don't get the new features when an upgrade comes out, yet they just shelled out $650 for this new phone seven months ago. And by the time a company makes a new version of the phone, they're even more sluggish and reluctant to care enough to update the previous phone that was touted new some months back.
On the other hand, a relative of mine is still using an iPhone 4. Running iOS 7. This is a phone that was made almost four years ago, summer 2010. A similar phone released around that time, the Galaxy S, still can only run 2.3 Gingerbread! Yikes. That's just a sample. Apple even cared enough for iPhone 4 owners to make 7.1, which made the phone OS work faster for that phone, as I can attest with testing my relative's iPhone 4.
File/Music Management
First off, I understand that a lot of people like the ability to manage a file/folder structure. I like the ability on my computer, of course. I see the benefits. But I don't really see it for a phone. Android has a Windows-like folder system--one that has so many folders, including ones that seemingly users should never be allowed to access. You can't neglect the fact that a strong majority of Android users are people that have NO IDEA how to manage files, where to put things, etc. Android makes it very difficult for them. And each maker of Android phones has their own little transfer program to manage files, and some even try to sync your iTunes content. For those that do the latter, they do just an absolutely horrible job. After so much messing around with it for an hour, I still found no use for it at all.
And for music and other files, the majority of users want to use a third party app. I have tried a lot of them, and I never used one that made sense or was well designed. And many of them have ads nagging at you constantly.
The iPhone is way more streamlined. It doesn't show you the entire file structure of the phone that would confuse many people. It's build in music app is very well done. The use of iTunes makes syncing is incredibly easy. Some people don't like iTunes, but for those that appreciate it, it's extremely valuable and a perfect compliment for the iPhone. And for users that want file management, there's an option to enable that. You could even download a third party app also.
PDF / ePub Readability, Speed
This one is a big one for me. I do a lot of studying and reading with PDF and ePub files. If Android could do it better, or just do it fairly well, I might have given them stronger consideration. Here's the main problem: Android just does a terrible, terrible job with managing and reading these files. The third party apps are atrocious-looking, way too confusing, and can't even format ePub files well. And naturally, ads are always a click away. I've tried almost all the popular reading apps, and none were even half way decent. You would think that Google's built in app, Google Play Books, could do a decent job? It reads PDF's, and now ePub, I believe also. Has anyone else noticed that PDF's always render so slow, that it's it virtually unusable?? It's beyond words to me. Every app for Android is like that!
Apple does a KILLER job with iBooks. PDF's load extremely quick, and it's very fluid. Studying with ePub files is a DREAM with iBooks. Annotating is amazing. And the app is free. And there's no ads, etc. Managing the files are easy and well thought out. Thank you, Apple, for this necessary and valuable app.
Those are my main reasons. I do have more, but not as big as the ones above. Again, I do not wish to incite a riotous debate. Just expressing my thoughts in a respectful manner.
