I have been quite vocal about my switch from the iPhone to the Droid in my immediate circles, but I haven’t really been detailed about it. I promised a writeup to The Floating Frog, but I just haven’t been able to get around to it. There has been some unknown block keeping me from really getting into the nitty gritty of a phone vs. phone comparison.
I think I’m finally able to address that. I was frustrated with the iPhone experience and I really wanted to change. So I did. It was as simple as that. There was no lengthy montage of me comparing the two phones over the course of two weeks. There was no dramatic music that played when I finally walked into the Verizon store to pick up the Droid. It just happened, and in retrospect, I should have done it earlier.
The iPhone has a massive catalog of apps. The Android OS doesn’t tell you the best way to use your phone. It’s as simple as that. There are many more subtle pros and cons to each device, but that is really all you need to know about each phone. They are both capable of almost the same things, it’s just a matter of how easy it is for you do them, or if you need to do anything at all.
The iPhone has some fantastic app standards in place and has really made it easy for developers to craft a quality app. Tweetie 2 is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of modern app development. The problem with the iPhone platform is the platform itself. The ridiculous app approval process stifles creativity, and the lack of background processes severely limits the potential of apps in our always-connected lifestyle. This is never going to change.
Android is the antithesis of the iPhone platform in that it is completely open and they put the responsibility of the user experience on the user. Yes, there are some standards in place and a “google experience” that the devices attempt to deliver, but, outside of that, you can put whatever developers can cook up on your phone the minute they are done with it. I like that freedom. That is why I have decided to switch to the Droid. It’s my phone, not Googles’.
I did not come to this decision easily, for the sole reason that I felt it shouldn’t have been an easy decision to come to. I waffled for way too long about things that just didn’t really affect me. So here’s my advice if this kind of decision has fallen into your lap: don’t stress out over it. Just pick a device and learn to love it, because it’s going to be with you wherever you go. After all, it is just a phone…
December 13th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
iPhone all the way here I’m afraid. As Apple say, it gets better the more apps you add.
December 14th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Gary, please tell me more; I think I am doing something wrong.
There are things that I dislike about my iPhone, so I’ve installed more apps to compensate. I’m up to about 1,200 applications, and it still won’t let me use custom audio alerts.
The phone barely turns on, booting takes like 45 minutes. Is this an Apple safeguard? Should I ignore it an push forward, installing another 100 or so apps? How do I know when I have enough apps for the best user experience?
That said, Good article Eric.
People do seem to spend a lot of time obsessing over which is the “right” phone based solely on the features being marketed, yet always fail to choose the phone based on the features needed.
December 14th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Hi Hanzo, thanks for the comments.
1,200 apps is a lot, you must have close to the entire apps library on your phone
The beauty about phones like these are that they are platforms that can be developered on. If you need something specific then an app can be created. That said, having 1,200 apps on one small device is asking for trouble, this could be the reason the iphone takes along time to boot?
December 14th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Gary,
I was really just taking the piss out of you. Truth is, I have less than a dozen apps on my iPhone.
But this is the crux, as mentioned in the article; Apple has a draconian application approval process that turns a lot of people off of the platform.
I think I should note that I have no intention of moving away from my iPhone, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things I would love to see change. Backgrounding an app (battery life be damned!) for example.
Or just customizing the phone a little more. Sure, jailbreaking the iPhone allows you to do these things, but I meant a genuine supported way to make my phone my own. There are three iPhone users within earshot of my desk. When one of us gets email, we all check.
“You can change the tone though!” you may cry. True, but of the six (or whatever) Steve has deigned appropriate, the default happens to be the most pleasant. Which is to say, given the option between a punch in the face or a kick in the crotch, I’ll choose face every day. But if the platform were a little more open, I could choose a hug instead. Steve hates hugs.
But none of this matters on whit, because ultimately the phone does everything I *need* it to do, and a bunch of things I *want* it to do.
The droid does *most* of what I need it to do, and a lot of the things I *want* it to do. Thus, iPhone wins.
I think a lot of people are turning the iPhone vs. (whatever) into a Mac vs. PC rehash, when in reality it’s more like arguing over the best color in the rainbow. It’s totally subjective.
Cripes, I’m rambling now.
March 26th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
[...] been a while since I made the mobile phone switch from the iPhone to the Droid, and while I’m generally happy with the decision, I have an entire library of apps I paid for [...]