There appears to be an ongoing battle the Apple vs Android battle. Each user believe the product they use is superior.Tell us which side you are on and why in the comments section below!
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iPhone Dominance
By: Ryan Egan
My introduction to iPhone fanboyism began back in the year 2009. I purchase the iPhone 3g and my world was changed forever. I couldn’t believe what could be done by combining the power of a computer, with internet on the go, and a GPS. I’ll never forget the first time I looked at the stars through my iPhone and it identified all of the constellations using the variety of tech inside of the phone. That was only the beginning.
Technology rapidly improved with higher speed internet with the advent of 4g LTE, higher quality cameras, improved sensors, and a rapidly changing OS that continued to bring innovative features to the masses. The iPhone was coined both a status and a sex symbol. The tech was and continues to be one of the sexiest and most coveted pieces of tech in the industry.
Then Google decided to enter the market with Android and had many people yelling from the hills,” iPhone killer.” The biggest difference between the iPhone and Android is rather subtle, but it is the reason that is has appealed to the masses more than Android, and I don’t believe it’s just because they were first to the market. The biggest difference between the two devices is attention to detail.
Android coming to the market enabled Apple a new test bed for features. The model that Apple consistently followed was: Google would innovate and bring new features to smart phones and
Apple stands back and watches to see what sticks to the consumers. Once identified, Apple brings those features to the iPhone, only they perfect it for the every day consumer.
Take multi-tasking for example. This was the Android fanboy’s longstanding argument against Apple, because they took so long to bring it to the market. Steve Jobs was determined to not let it impact the user friendly experience that Apple is known for. Once it was brought to the market, they found more effective ways to multitask and still maintain optimal battery life. Plus, closing apps was an intuitive double click away.
Android on the other hand, struggles with multi-tasking to this day. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left an app open in the morning, just to find my phone nearly dead by lunch time. Not to mention, fully closing out apps on Android requires going into a secret menu to look at all running processes. You can hold down the home button and swipe those apps off the screen, but oft-times many of those apps continue to run. Google is excellent at innovating and bringing new ideas to the table. They struggle to convert those ideas into a user friendly experience.
Now, I’ll admit I have since switched over to Android, and love the phone for it’s innovative features, but I’m a tech guy, also known as an early adopter. I enjoy spending intimate time with my phone digging through menus and figuring out the intricacies of the phone. However, I know I’m a minority in the world. It is for that reason alone that I think Apple has maintained dominance in US market share. If I could give Apple one piece of advice, it would be to innovate faster, but not at the expense of impacting the smooth and friendly user experience.
My Android experience started with the HTC EVO 4G in 2011. When I purchased this phone, I was in awe of its display and speed. As time when on, I discovered Samsung, and quickly became a fanatic, as I realized Samsung was lightyears ahead of other Android phones.
My first Samsung phone was the Galaxy S3. Going from the HTC EVO to the Galaxy S3 I quickly found my second love (the first is my wife). The Galaxy S3 was packed with hardware and great software.
The same year I purchased the Samsung Galaxy S3 my wife got the iPhone 4S. I thought she would love this phone because of its simplicity but after 6 months I found her using my phone more than hers. I asked her why and I would then start he hear complaining about how slow it was and how often it would bug out on her. I had the opportunity really give the iPhone a good look and that’s when I determined that Apple was not right for me.
I first noticed that I was not able to customize anything with stock IOS for iPhone. Simple things like adding widgets was not even possible. I also love what Android does with shortcut options I use shortcuts almost every day to change different settings depending on what I need to do. Again iPhone does not have this ability.
Android is King
By: Curtis Wallen
Storage and battery upgrades was probably one of the biggest turnoffs of Apple products. Most Android phones allow the ability to add additional storage to your phone by using a micro SD card. With these possible upgrades I did not have to worry about the amount of pictures, videos, or music I had on my phone since it would not be taking the internal storage of my phone. Android phones also provide the ability to get a larger battery or to purchase a second battery for replacement. Although it is possible to change out your battery with Apple I would not recommend basic users to try and do it.
Most Apple users love FaceTime. However, the problem with FaceTime is that you can only do this with other Apple devices. This seriously restricts the ability for iPhone users to video chat with Android users. With Android having 51.2% (Apple 43.5% and others far behind with 5.3%) of the smartphone market in the US, this leaves a large amount of Apple users not being able to use FaceTime to chat with their friends and family, according to Time.com (2013).
When it comes down to it, I am simply an Android guy. I love the open sourced ability, customization, and the plethora of devices Android has to choose from. Yes there are also some things that you give up when choosing Android (such as a sleek design and a more user-friendly interface), but I am more than willing to give up some small things to get a superior product.