Seriously, that's where you want to go with this? Let's start by getting our facts straight.
First, the iPhone wasn't first, Windows Mobile and Blackberry were first by several years. The iPhone was the third smartphone ecosystem to arrive, followed by Android. Second, Android hasn't passed Apple in number of Apps. There are over 425,000 apps in the Apple App store while the Android App Market has just over 200,000. Third, Android hasn't passed Apple in price. Look at either Verizon or AT&T web site. The up-to-date Android phones run from $199 to $299. The iPhone runs from $199 to $299. Yeah, you can get an older droid for $49, but then you can also get an iPhone 3GS for $49. That's a wash. Fourth, since Sprint is about to introduce the iPhone, that will soon be a wash too, though admittedly right now you can only get the iPhone at AT&T and Verizon. So let's think about the real characteristics of the two platforms and their respective strengths and weaknesses. You are correct that you cannot remove the iPhone battery, but that's a pretty minor issue. When I travel, I simply take an external battery that charges the iPhone on the rare occasions that I cannot get to electricity. The last time I actually used it (as opposed to carrying it just in case) was over a year ago when I was deep in the Amazon rainforest for ten days. I haven't needed it since, even though my travels have taken me around the US and the world. Even in rural Africa, I found enough electricity to recharge my phone and iPad without needing an extra battery. BTW, the advantages of the external battery system over your spare battery are 1) I get 3-4 charges from my one product and 2) I can charge anything that needs it... laptop, GPS, etc. Try putting your Android battery in your laptop when it runs out of juice. The advantage of your system is that the spare battery is smaller. The bottom line is, for the vast majority of times, the battery life of Apple products is good enough that few people need a spare battery of any kind. End of life battery exchange is simply not an issue. Few iOS users ever need a new batter and, if you buy AppleCare, it's free if you do. This is especially a non-issue for someone like Leon who travels in a motor home. He wouldn't need an extra battery for any phone he bought because he can just plug it in any time he wants. Let's move on. What really defines the two products in my mind is the tradeoff in benefits between a highly-structured ecosystem and a highly-unstructured one. With Apple, you know what you are getting and you know that pretty much every app you buy works with your phone and will do no harm. With Android, the experience varies widely from very good to very poor, because each company starts with the base OS, then puts their own UI and apps on it. Also, the carriers add a ton of junky proprietary apps to Android phones (they are often on ROM where they cannot be removed), where Apple doesn't let them do that to the iPhone. Control versus open-structured makes a difference in apps too. Android apps have no review process and have been known to screw up phones, and to do even more nefarious things like sending data back to unscrupulous developers. Apple tests every app before they allow it in the store, so you know it meets certain standards. If something does slip through, they just pull it, where that doesn't happen with Android. iOS apps are unquestionably safer than Android apps, but the advantage to Android is that no one is telling you what you might want to do with your apps. Apple is very controlling in not allowing apps that may be used for copyright violations, pornography, etc. People can decide for themselves which approach is better. I'd choose something in between, but I don't have that option. There's a lot to like about Android. It is what Windows Mobile used to be. It's an open product that's best suited for people who want to tinker with their phones and apps, and to customize every aspect of what they see on the screen. As a tinkerer myself, that's appealing to me and I miss being able to do that. With iOS, you have less control, but the tradeoff is that everything just works. The system is stable and every app behaves consistently. You don't have any trouble figuring out how to use anything and it just flows when you use it. It's better for people who just want it to work and aren't worried about redesigning the UI to suit their particular tastes. (For me, that's a weakness of iOS, but I suspect for Leon, it would be a benefit.) Further, all the cutting edge developers seem to work on iOS first, and iPhone people seem to usually get any new 'next big thing' app before it comes to Android. (The exception is anything Google develops. Those are often significant and Android-only.) iOS programs are creative, clever and visually brilliant. I've seen the same apps side-by-side several times on an iPhone and an Android phone and neither the overall look and feel, nor the interfaces and means of operation are as nice on Android. There are Youtube videos showing iOS and Android apps side-by-side if anyone wants to see what I mean for themselves. If the person asking was into computer hacking, rooting phones, or stuff like that, I would probably recommend Android for the ability to customize to your heart's content. But given that Leon asked the question, I would suggest that the iPhone would be a much, much better choice. No offense Leon, but the computer issues that we've all helped with over the years make clear that you're no hacker. You need a phone that is powerful, easy to use and, most importantly, that just works. That's the iPhone and it's not even a close call in your case. I suggest you wait a couple of weeks until the iPhone 5 comes out and then go with that. I'll add one more thing, lest anyone think I'm some fanboy just trying to justify his favorite company. I've been doing PDA's, then smartphones since Windows CE 1.0 came out back in the early 1990's. I have been a Windows fan since Win 2.0 and I have pretty much hated Apple and everything it stood for most of my life. When the iPad came out about a year and a half ago, I reluctantly agreed to participate in a trial at my college to see what educational opportunities the new form factor brought. I thought the trial needed a skeptic. While disappointing as a teaching tool (so far), the iPad was brilliant as a personal media consumption device. I would never have bought the first one (the college did), but now I wouldn't be without one. It's a fantastic device that has changed many things about the way I compute. When Verizon finally got the iPhone, I traded in my old phone for an iPhone 4 and haven't looked back. I still pretty much hate the personality of Apple as a company, and I really dislike Jobs and his uber-controlling decisions for their products, but the simple truth is that the iPhone and iPad are simply the best products in their class out there right now. Don't believe me? Listen to owners collectively on how satisfied they are with what they're using. A recent survey found that 89% of iPhone owners say their next phone will be another iPhone. Second place goes to HTC, of whose owners 39% will buy another from them. Across all brands of Android, 55% say they will buy another Android and 31% say they will move to the iPhone. At the end of the day, there's a reason why iPhone owners are happy and I am evidence myself that it's not because they are enamored of Apple or mesmerized by the logo. For most people, the iPhone is simply a better choice right now. For Leon, it's no contest. Rob On Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 6:57 AM, Randy Lyons <[email protected]>wrote: > Android. J**** > > ** ** > > Yes, iPhone was first, but Android has passed iPhone up in applications, > cost, availability, and ease of customer experience. For example, if you’re > going to be remote and want to carry a spare battery to swap when it begins > to die – no problem with Android, but only an Apple service center can open > the back of an iPhone. **** > > ** ** > > Your battery in an iPhone dies or won’t hold a charge? You have to send it > to an Apple service center.**** > > ** ** > > I like my Blackberry, but the only reason I’m carrying it is because when I > left Sprint, they wanted their Evo back. I LOVED my Evo and I will be > getting another one soon.**** > > ** ** > > Randy**** > > ** ** > > *From:* Arthur Polhill [mailto:[email protected]] > *Sent:* Sunday, September 25, 2011 11:25 PM > > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: [gatortalk] iPhone Mail App Help?**** > > ** ** > > I'm due for a new phone upgrade from AT&T next month. I've been using a > Blackberry Bold. Should I stay with Blackberry, go Iphone, or Android? > **** > > A. Leon Polhill, Gator > "I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. > I said I didn't know." - Mark Twain **** > > ** ** > > ** ** > ------------------------------ > > *From:* Randy Lyons <[email protected]> > *To:* [email protected] > *Sent:* Sun, September 25, 2011 2:11:14 PM > *Subject:* RE: [gatortalk] iPhone Mail App Help?**** > > Android RULES! J**** > > **** > > Randy (although I am currently carrying a Blackberry)**** > > **** > > *From:* [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] *On > Behalf Of *Woody Bass > *Sent:* Sunday, September 25, 2011 2:07 PM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: [gatortalk] iPhone Mail App Help?**** > > **** > > Hater. :) > > Woody (via iPhone)**** > > > On Sep 25, 2011, at 2:03 PM, "Randy Lyons" <[email protected]> wrote:* > *** > > LOL! The first sentence tipped me off to your problem. J**** > > **** > > Randy**** > > **** > > *From:* [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] *On > Behalf Of *Shane Ford > *Sent:* Sunday, September 25, 2011 1:00 PM > *To:* Gatortalk > *Subject:* [gatortalk] iPhone Mail App Help?**** > > **** > > *I have an iPhone 4*. I was using the Mail app that comes with your phone. > On Thursday night, I was putting together an email of that day's Gainesville > Sun articles. I had at least 7 articles in the single email, when all of a > sudden the mail app crashed and shut down. I have restarted my phone several > times and each time I try to open the Mail app it trys to open to that email > and then immediately crashes. I have gone through Safari to my email account > and deleted that email out if my drafts folder, but I think this may be an > issue locally on my phone and not a network issue. Does any one have any > advice on how to fix this. I'm still in the road coming home from my > vacation, so I haven't had a chance to sync it using iTunes to my computer. > > Thanks, > > Shane Ford**** > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us**** > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us**** > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us**** > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us**** > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
