It’s no secret… in a world of several OS choices, all of which tickle my fancy, Android tickles it the most. Customization, administrative privileges and the second best ecosystem in all of mobility are easy to fall in love with. I am quite comfortable using any of the major four, and to be fair, when it’s all said and done, I still believe it’s the ecosystem that makes or breaks the OS.
With regards to Apple’s iOS, my initial derision has mostly shifted to grudging respect and onto straight admiration. A lot of the gripes I have had in the past continue to get sidelined with every update to the OS, and the inherent smoothness of the OS matches the beauty of the hardware. Even iTunes doesn’t annoy as much as it used to.
Apple’s Ecosystem
And the ecosystem… swoon
As I have shifted career and begun to depend more on writing as a form of income, I sorta backed into more of a focus on iOS. This past Christmas, my wife (who had knew I was going to take more writing jobs pertaining to iOS) surprised me with an iOS Mini 2. Perfect: relatively cheap, current enough to receive the latest build of iOS, and infinitely portable. It allowed me to retire the old iPhone 4 I used to play around with.
I promptly loaded all my Google Apps on it.
So, it’s been interestingly busy. More writing opportunities is a blessing. And how do I feel about iOS now, after being somewhat submerged?
- The retina thing is pretty accurate. Yes, y’all, the screen is magnificent.
- An app gap still exists. Android does get some apps sooner, and simultaneous iOS-Android launches are commonplace, but make no mistake: iOS is still the go-to place for most developers.
- What iTunes? I don’t like iTunes, and haven’t had to use it since getting my new device. YES!
- There’s an accessory for that. Think about an accessory. Any accessory. Bet your bottom dollar it’s available for iOS devices.
- The “closed” ecosystem thingie is true, but not completely. Apple works fairly well with other peripherals (if one is patient to figure out how), and this is because everybody bends over backwards to be iOS-compatible.
If there are some things that drive me batty, there are these:
- Yo, customization? C’mon. I am tired of icons. Don’t tell me to jailbreak, either. I love the concept, but would like more stock options.
- Lightning what? I am all for standing out; really, I am. I even love the design of the lightning connectors. The deviation from what has mostly become the industry standard (micro-USB) is infuriating.
- Internal memory. Where on earth did it go? Seriously?! Dare I say “bloatware?”
- Multiple accounts on one device is painful. Mine is a work tool, so signing out of my personal login and signing back in with work (and vice versa) is rough on my gentle fingers.
In a nutshell, I like iOS. A lot. Not enough to switch my daily driver platform, but enough to readily suggest it as an option to someone considering options.
Viva la choice!
What’s your experience been like?
[Image courtesy of Tsahi Levent-Levi]
Eric Dye says
Interesting perspective. I LOVE the lightning plug, though. It’s easy to plug in and out, no need to align the plug. Just plug and go! That’s a ‘pro’ in my book.
Tre Lawrence says
Oh, the mechanics are beyond compare IMHO. I have never allowed my kids to plug in microUSB cable because I am concerned they’ll damage the ports. No such fear with lightning cable. It just makes sense.
Eric Dye says
Amen.
Chris Wilson says
Hey Tre, I moved from Android only to Apple + Android last year and I can certainly relate to some of your feelings here. I both love and hate the lightning cable. It’s so easy to attach and nice and small, but it’s unique only to iOS devices! The ecosystem is great and there are a lot of great apps only for iOS (Have you tried workflow yet?) but the customisation of Android is great as well as how integrated Google now is. I’m not sure about the internal memory point! I’m fairly sure iOS takes up less space than every OEM version of Android even if it isn’t smaller than stock android on a nexus (but I’m fairly sure it is).
Tre Lawrence says
Chris: as always, thanks for the insight!
Off to check Workflow.
You might be right about iOS vs Android spacing issues; I am looking at it from the perspective of someone who roots and removes bloatware, so I am sure to be a bit off.
The lightning cable? Fantastically simple. My main gripe comes from a cheap person who has accumulated TONS of microSD cables and resents having to pick up a couple certified lightning cables for the go bag LOL.
Brodie says
I made the jump from Windows 8.1 laptop to 15″ MacBook Pro w/ Retina just a few weeks ago, and I’ve been quite pleased with the platform. It has me questioning if I ought to ditch my Note 4 for a iPhone 6+, and my Nexus 7 for an iPad. My 2 biggest hurdles have been 1, size (which Apple took care of last year) and 2, I am heavily invested in Android Apps. I’ve spent a lot of money on apps that wouldn’t necessarily transit over to iOS. That being said, I’m finding my reliance on those paid apps to be less and less a thing, so perhaps I just might make the switch!
Tre Lawrence says
Brodie,
I hear ya. If I had to, I think I could manage with an iPhone just fine. There are some Android-centric specialty (root) apps I would really miss though.