When will the media and public's love affair with the iPhone end?

[bigoldthor]

Yeah, it's a good device, well-made, and easy to use. And it has the largest app ecosystem and user base. Their OS is more intuitive and new-user-friendly than Android.

That said, Google, Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola, and others are doing more innovating and advancing. Android in many (some would argue most) ways is superior to IOS, at least as far as what you can do with it. I'm not trying to bash Apple, because I recognize they have a good thing going. But come on...there are so many people out there who are unwilling or unable to recognize that Apple is playing a game. Releasing "new" features every year that other devices have had for a long time, holding back on others so they can include it in the next "revolutionary" generation. Oh, and playing their ridiculous patents games

It's so obvious, and yet people just act like it's the greatest thing ever. It's almost comical at this point, sort of like that Samsung commercial where all the fanbois and fangoils are in line waiting for the iPhone 5, while the GS3 users are doing stuff that the iPhone can't do.

Again, I'm not trying to hate, because Apple makes a very nice product. I just don't understand the over-the-top love affair so many seem to have with them.

 

[smartiekins]

I agree. I don't have a smartphone as stunning as some, but even so, I don't quote understand the fascination. Especially when the price of contracts on iPhones are often far higher than an Android phone too!
Sadly, for all too many people its a status thing. They don't have a clue what they are talking about, but a favourite celebrity or such has an iPhone...

 

[MrMLK]

I think you are living with blinkers on. If you think its just a status thing, or just fanboi-ism, you really don't understand the difference between the platforms.

I recently switched from an iPhone to a Galaxy Note 2, and I would not consider going back. I love both the Android customizability and the large screen. For me, its a far better solution. I love it so much, I haven't touched my iPad in three weeks.

Having said that, I wouldn't recommend an Android phone to most of my friends/family. There are too many things that the Apple platform has done that just make it so much easier to use.

I'll just point out three to show what I mean.

1) For all the complaining that people do about iTunes, there is nothing for the android platform that works nearly as well. I still haven't found an Android app that will read metadata, and for transferring audio/video to the device, iTunes is far better then file manager. I am currently using Airdroid to transfer content via Wifi because of some incompatibility between the Note and the Apple platform. In four years on the iPhone, I never ran into anything like that.

2) If you buy a new iPhone, you sync with your computer, plug your new phone in, sync again, and wait 10 minutes. On an Android phone, you manually sync each app you used to have, manually enter your account information/passwords and then start recreating all your app data. In theory, app data syncs to google, but so far, I have not found a single app that I use that manually syncs. Don't tell me I can root the phone, because while that might work for me, it wouldn't work for my 77 year old father or most of the people I work with.

3) I use exchange for my contact/appointments. So far, I have entered my exchange account information once for email/calendar, once for tasks, and once for the lock screen widgets so I can turn on my phone and see my recent emails. I also use google for personal email and I have my account information stored twice for google for the same reason.

All of these things are things that make the iPhone a better platform for non-technical users. Its not fanboi-ism or doing it because so celebrity does. The Apple just makes thing easier for many people. Android gives people a lot more control, but it does make some things much more complicated. People complain that iOS is a walled-in garden, but most people can do everything they want in that garden.

You are kidding yourself if you believe that there are no real advantages to the iPhone for many people.

 

[whiteshadow001]

I think you are living with blinkers on. If you think its just a status thing, or just fanboi-ism, you really don't understand the difference between the platforms.

I recently switched from an iPhone to a Galaxy Note 2, and I would not consider going back. I love both the Android customizability and the large screen. For me, its a far better solution. I love it so much, I haven't touched my iPad in three weeks.

Having said that, I wouldn't recommend an Android phone to most of my friends/family. There are too many things that the Apple platform has done that just make it so much easier to use.

I'll just point out three to show what I mean.

1) For all the complaining that people do about iTunes, there is nothing for the android platform that works nearly as well. I still haven't found an Android app that will read metadata, and for transferring audio/video to the device, iTunes is far better then file manager. I am currently using Airdroid to transfer content via Wifi because of some incompatibility between the Note and the Apple platform. In four years on the iPhone, I never ran into anything like that.

2) If you buy a new iPhone, you sync with your computer, plug your new phone in, sync again, and wait 10 minutes. On an Android phone, you manually sync each app you used to have, manually enter your account information/passwords and then start recreating all your app data. In theory, app data syncs to google, but so far, I have not found a single app that I use that manually syncs. Don't tell me I can root the phone, because while that might work for me, it wouldn't work for my 77 year old father or most of the people I work with.

3) I use exchange for my contact/appointments. So far, I have entered my exchange account information once for email/calendar, once for tasks, and once for the lock screen widgets so I can turn on my phone and see my recent emails. I also use google for personal email and I have my account information stored twice for google for the same reason.

All of these things are things that make the iPhone a better platform for non-technical users. Its not fanboi-ism or doing it because so celebrity does. The Apple just makes thing easier for many people. Android gives people a lot more control, but it does make some things much more complicated. People complain that iOS is a walled-in garden, but most people can do everything they want in that garden.

You are kidding yourself if you believe that there are no real advantages to the iPhone for many people.

I agree with you, but its really not that hard to use android. You cant really say android is harder to use anymore because of how its laid out. The customizations that Samsung HTC Motorola and so have done to the os make it simple to use. There was a lady in my ups store talking about how much she loved her sgs3 over her iPhone 5 because of how versatile it was compared to the iPhone. The iPhone is easy to use yes, but it doesn't have the same feature set and versatility as the top tier android phones. IOS isn't all that great anymore and some people I've talked to think android is actually easier to use than iOS and they've had iphones since the beginning.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

1) For all the complaining that people do about iTunes, there is nothing for the android platform that works nearly as well. I still haven't found an Android app that will read metadata, and for transferring audio/video to the device, iTunes is far better then file manager. I am currently using Airdroid to transfer content via Wifi because of some incompatibility between the Note and the Apple platform. In four years on the iPhone, I never ran into anything like that.

Now you know how the huge majority of computer users feel about iTunes.

If you put 100 people and their computers in a room, 1 will be running Linux, 4 will be running Mac OS of some sort and the rest will be running (you guessed it) Windows. All of those people can just plug in their Android phone and copy to and from with no issue, and without having to install a program (iTunes) purposely designed not to work well on other platforms.

I'm currently not using anything to transfer content from my iPhone because I use Linux and it's not possible. Before iOS 6, Linux users were not even able to activate and use an iPhone because of iTunes. In my long history of using smartphones, I've never ran into that issue until I got an iPhone.

 

[bigoldthor]

I think you are living with blinkers on. If you think its just a status thing, or just fanboi-ism, you really don't understand the difference between the platforms.
...
...
All of these things are things that make the iPhone a better platform for non-technical users. Its not fanboi-ism or doing it because so celebrity does. The Apple just makes thing easier for many people. Android gives people a lot more control, but it does make some things much more complicated. People complain that iOS is a walled-in garden, but most people can do everything they want in that garden.

You are kidding yourself if you believe that there are no real advantages to the iPhone for many people.

No blinders here (I don't think you meant blinkers). On the contrary, I stated quite clearly that there are real advantages for many people, especially non-technical and new users. My point was about the obsessiveness with which the media and general public ooh and ahh over every new Apple feature, when Android (and even BlackBerry) has been doing some of those things for a long time.

Yes, Apple does it nicely and slickly in its controlled environment and ecosystem. There are a number of things that Apple does better. But many people pretend like Apple is the *only* thing out there and the idea of using anything else is repulsive. And you, my friend, have the blinders on if you don't think that a lot of it is indeed fanboyism and status. Not all of it, but a lot of it.

 

[scorpiodsu]

Who cares? Just use the device you like and that's it. Who cares what the media does. For all the good that Apple does they are under more scrutiny then everyone else because they have to maintain that reputation. A lot of pressure. Again, who cares?

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Android Central Forums

 

[sudbury78]

Apple's IOS works plain and simple and as stated for the average user its easy to "get" and yes its somewhat of a status. I love my ipad and would never buy another tablet and am a 10 day android owner and would never use an iphone again, unless there is a major overhaul with the OS and the phone screen becomes 4.5"+

 

[MrMLK]

If you put 100 people and their computers in a room, 1 will be running Linux, 4 will be running Mac OS of some sort and the rest will be running (you guessed it) Windows. All of those people can just plug in their Android phone and copy to and from with no issue, and without having to install a program

And yet, Google has come out with an app (AndroidFileTransfer) specifically designed for people who can't "just plug in their Android phone and copy to and from with no issue".

And even then, searching for "problems syncing my phone with android file transfer" comes up with 3 and a half million hits on google.

Airdroid wasn't released because people preferred to sync over Wifi, Airdroid was released because people couldn't find another way to get it to work.

 

[MrMLK]

No blinders here (I don't think you meant blinkers).

Correct, I did mean blinders.

On the contrary, I stated quite clearly that there are real advantages for many people, especially non-technical and new users.

I was responding to smartiekins, not to you. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

And you, my friend, have the blinders on if you don't think that a lot of it is indeed fanboyism and status. Not all of it, but a lot of it.

While that may be true for people upgrading from one iphone to the next, I don't think its true for new customers. And even for people upgrading iPhones, I don't think its a strong point. They wouldn't be getting a new iphone if they weren't happy with the platform.

 

[MrMLK]

I agree with you, but its really not that hard to use android.

Where I think its harder it in three specific areas.

1) Setting up the phone for the first time (If you arn't exclusively using gmail for mail/calendar/tasks)
2) Transferring and organizing content on the device
3) Moving from one device to the next.

I live in fear of the day I have to upgrade my phone.

 

[wyndslash]

I agree that ios is pretty simple to use. I think my biggest complaint with it is that for all its simplicity, they sure charge a heck of a price for it

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[MrMLK]

I think my biggest complaint with it is that for all its simplicity, they sure charge a heck of a price for it

THey charge what the market will pay. Wouldn't they be silly to charge less then people were willing to pay?

 

[sr2012]

At the end of the day, iPhone has great ease of use and it has established itself over many years.

Android started off quite clunky and only with ICS is it now a really great experience.

So you have to give it a bit of time.

I am switching to Android now because I don't like the new Apple without Steve Jobs and this Apple plays the game now yet without any really groundbreaking stuff.

Sent from my LT26i using Android Central Forums

 

[wyndslash]

THey charge what the market will pay. Wouldn't they be silly to charge less then people were willing to pay?

Thus why it's called an opinion

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

And yet, Google has come out with an app (AndroidFileTransfer) specifically designed for people who can't "just plug in their Android phone and copy to and from with no issue".

And even then, searching for "problems syncing my phone with android file transfer" comes up with 3 and a half million hits on google.

Airdroid wasn't released because people preferred to sync over Wifi, Airdroid was released because people couldn't find another way to get it to work.

You don't get it. It's Apple, by not adhering to recognized standards, that has forced everyone (Google included) to have to write a special app so people can transfer files. Google will update the program so it works well with Mountain Lion, then Apple will break it again when they update OS X.

You can use Wifi to transfer is because Apple has not blocked the FTP or HTTP download protocol from OSX. Unfortunately, I can't because Apple does not allow it on the iPhone.

Your frustrations are exactly why most people hate iTunes. It's an extra program that works very poorly on 95% of all computers.

 

[MrMLK]

You don't get it. It's Apple, by not adhering to recognized standards, that has forced everyone (Google included) to have to write a special app so people can transfer files. Google will update the program so it works well with Mountain Lion, then Apple will break it again when they update OS X.

Interesting. Today, I can connect my son's Galaxy Player and it shows up as a drive, and I can connect my Nexus 7 with AndroidFileTransfer, but I cannot connect my Galaxy Note 2 at all. That certainly does not sound like an Apple issue to me. That sounds like Google has made some changes since Gingerbread and removed support for having their devices show up as drives, and Samsung has removed something from JB to make even AFT stop working.

It seems to me that Samsung and/or Google should write a device driver for Android that will allow the devices to appear as a drive. Just like they used to do in Gingerbread. Apple hasn't changed anything to break Gingerbread support, so I don't know why you are blaming them now. If Apple was going to intentionally break Android support, wouldn't they have started with the version that's on half the Android devices out there?

Your frustrations are exactly why most people hate iTunes. It's an extra program that works very poorly on 95% of all computers.

No, my frustrations are why I wouldn't recommend Android to anyone I know who is not technical or motivated enough to put up with not having a program like iTunes do all the heavy lifting for them. I'm willing to deal with manually transferring files and Wifi syncing, but I don't know many other people who are.

 

[TheOtherBill]

When will the media and public's love affair with the iPhone end?

It has.
Apple has peaked, right now they're like Wiley Coyote running off the top of the cliff. Take a look at all the reviews out there comparing i5 vs S III or Note 2. Look at sales trends the last 2 months. Check out how many people on this forum have switched over from iphones. Apple will hang on but unless they improve greatly with the i6 even the general non-tech population will begin abandoning them. IMO, their old reputation - and all the people stuck on iTunes - is what's saving them.

Ease of use for non-tech folks? Keep your eye on Microsoft stealing those customers.

There will always be fanbois both in the general public and in the media. Then again, Betamax still has fans too ...

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

Apple refuses to support the MTP standard. This is nothing new. Android moved to MTP when it became an industry standard. Your old Galaxy Player is not updated to support it. Your Nexus 7 is, and needs to use the Android File Transfer utility. Your Galaxy Note is also updated, and will need Samsung's file transfer utility. If Apple would just support the industry standard, neither would be needed. Apple will end up using the standard eventually if history repeats itself, but until then their users suffer.

The 1.5 million Android devices sold per day and 500+ million current users says that quite a few people don't mind. Interestingly enough, 95% of those people will also be using Windows and have no need for any program to copy pictures or music to their phone. They will just plug it in, and it will appear -- ready to use.

I would suggest you install Windows, then you'll have no issues copying files. This is the advice given to me by Apple when I asked how to copy files from my iPhone to my computer.

 

[LegalAmerican]

I think you are living with blinkers on. If you think its just a status thing, or just fanboi-ism, you really don't understand the difference between the platforms.<br />
<br />
I recently switched from an iPhone to a Galaxy Note 2, and I would not consider going back. I love both the Android customizability and the large screen. For me, its a far better solution. I love it so much, I haven't touched my iPad in three weeks. <br />
<br />
Having said that, I wouldn't recommend an Android phone to most of my friends/family. There are too many things that the Apple platform has done that just make it so much easier to use.<br />
<br />
I'll just point out three to show what I mean.<br />
<br />
1) For all the complaining that people do about iTunes, there is nothing for the android platform that works nearly as well. I still haven't found an Android app that will read metadata, and for transferring audio/video to the device, iTunes is far better then file manager. I am currently using Airdroid to transfer content via Wifi because of some incompatibility between the Note and the Apple platform. In four years on the iPhone, I never ran into anything like that. <br />
<br />
2) If you buy a new iPhone, you sync with your computer, plug your new phone in, sync again, and wait 10 minutes. On an Android phone, you manually sync each app you used to have, manually enter your account information/passwords and then start recreating all your app data. In theory, app data syncs to google, but so far, I have not found a single app that I use that manually syncs. Don't tell me I can root the phone, because while that might work for me, it wouldn't work for my 77 year old father or most of the people I work with.<br />
<br />
3) I use exchange for my contact/appointments. So far, I have entered my exchange account information once for email/calendar, once for tasks, and once for the lock screen widgets so I can turn on my phone and see my recent emails. I also use google for personal email and I have my account information stored twice for google for the same reason.<br />
<br />
All of these things are things that make the iPhone a better platform for non-technical users. Its not fanboi-ism or doing it because so celebrity does. The Apple just makes thing easier for many people. Android gives people a lot more control, but it does make some things much more complicated. People complain that iOS is a walled-in garden, but most people can do everything they want in that garden.<br />
<br />
You are kidding yourself if you believe that there are no real advantages to the iPhone for many people.

There's definite advantages. But they aren't big enough to justify the freaky weird obsession that exists. Every OS has its pro's and con's but only Apple has the creepy over the top disciples.

Sent from my Galaxy S3