Matt Alexander is the owner and editor of ONE37.net, a writer, a technology enthusiast and a contributing writer for The Loop.
Last week, I bought an iPhone 4S. I hadn’t planned on buying one, but my upgrade became available eight months ahead of schedule, and I couldn’t help myself.
When I learned that my upgrade was available, my mind didn’t stop for a moment to consider an Android or Windows Phone device, I simply went straight to the Apple Store and bought a 4S.
Nothing out of the ordinary, right? The iPhone 4S is the successor of one of my favorite devices of all time, the iPhone 4. I write a great deal about Apple, and am highly invested in the iTunes ecosystem. On a personal level, my decision makes perfect sense.
And yet, what has caused me to take pause, is that the aforementioned “decision” lacked any of the characteristics typical of a decision. Rather than cognitively weighing options, my decision was more instinctual and basic. There was not a moment that I pondered the purchase, or contemplated an iPhone competitor, I just took the new information regarding my upgrade, and went directly to an Apple Store.
You might suggest that it’s because I’m some sort of “fanboy” (or “fanboi” depending on how skewed your vocabulary is), but if you have read what I have had to say for the past two months on ONE37 and The Loop, you’ll know that’s not the case.
I went out and bought the best product for me. I instinctively picked what I know to be best, and I’m happy for it. Yes, I could’ve gone out and bought a Windows Phone or the Galaxy Nexus, but what would I have gained?
That’s not to say I don’t want those platforms to have any sort of success — I find Windows Phone to be a very compelling platform — but for the modern Apple smartphone user, there’s simply no current, defining reason to switch.
Knowledge is a difficult thing to fight, and it is being fought incorrectly by just about everyone out there. Once a user has experienced a seamless environment, regardless of the manufacturer, do you really think they will willingly stick with or switch over to something more clunky and difficult to work with?
Rather than building something seamless and easy, manufacturers are keen to slap on a UI skin, copy a hardware feature or two, and put out twelve oddly named phones per year.
Sure, those phones are selling, and of course Android marketshare is growing, but do you really think the users are dedicated? Is there really anything about Android that makes users averse to switching to something else? When reaching an upgrade, does the average user know precisely what they’re going to get next and why?
In building the iOS platform, Apple has removed the need for much of what I used to be cognizant of. With AirPlay, I no longer concern myself with how I can play a video on my television from one of my devices. With iCloud, as long as my phone is connected, I have backups, seamless contacts, and calendars. With iMessage I can text internationally for free without thinking about it. As such, as the market stands, I have no compelling reason to seriously consider switching to another platform.
That might sound like my life has been dumbed down, but that’s incorrect assertion. My life has just been made easier. There’s that much less in my digital life for me to be considerate of. No longer must I verse myself with codecs and conversion techniques in order to enjoy my media, or with firmware hacks and overclocking to get the best features and performance out of my hardware. My technology just works, and it does so in the background. I enjoy applications that help me work and live, and I no longer have to focus on the underlying mechanics that facilitate that.
Other manufacturers can tack on a similar feature set — be it cosmetic or software-based — but no matter how good any one of their individual products is, there is quite literally no compelling reason for me to take pause when driving to the Apple Store until the ecosystem matches up. The Galaxy Nexus may well be a fantastic phone, but what can Android bring to the table that my Apple devices cannot? What would make my life easier in having a Galaxy Nexus?
Until manufacturers can answer these questions, and I can do something appreciably different and better using their products and ecosystems, then there is no reason for me to take pause when shopping.
That is not fanboyism — that is being a reasonable, informed consumer.
what would making MY life easier by having an iPhone instead of an Android phone? It’s just preference, that’s all.
Great essay, Matt! I’m in accord with you all the way!
But since I don’t yet have an iPad, and since my 3GS and early 2008 iMac are still both working well, I have the option of waiting a bit more to see which rumors of new products pan out during 2012.
It brings you laughter?
How is this
Yep, and all the shitty Android apps to go with it. 🙂
Hmmm. The whole article seems to be an attempt to shed your guilt about not buying a Galaxy Nexus! Why else would you mention that particular Android handset several times in the article? Android friends been teasing you about it? There’s really nothing to be ashamed about for being a fanboy. Just go ahead and admit it! Sticks and stones…
i don’t understand. the apps are the same. if it makes you feel better to call android app shitty, well then go ahead I guess.
Actually, yes. Matt mentioned what using iOS devices brings to the table for him. You may want to take this opportunity to present reasonable alternatives and why, specifically, moving to Android would improve his life.
Besides widgets. Man, hearing about widgets is just tiresome.
He probably mentioned the Galaxy Nexus because that’s the latest and greatest handset to come down the pike? And despite how awesome it is, it wasn’t enough to make him switch?
It’s okay, if he updates this article in a month, he’ll mention some other handset.
How is what?
Umm yes, I think you really do need to give an answer to that…
This is what i call CHOICE and nothing special or new on it, i switch from iphone4 to samsung galaxy s way back on 15 dec 2010 , and the iphone4s comes out sometime ago but never even thing getting one , and my contract still remains with 6 months to go but i just march to my local vodafone shop and buy the Galaxy nexus , and i didn’t consider it as the best out there but as the best for my choice and usage….
Any Android app that has the equivalent on the iPhone has a worse interface and is clunkier to use. Android is the world of beta.
I am sure he’s missing out on all the Android malware, clunky scrolling, and lack of security updates.
“highly invested in the ecosystem” is all you needed to say. Outside of the ecosystem, we call that “locked in”.
I do not understand why being a blinded consumer not even considering the alternatives is something to be proud of.
Yes, it’s just preference. But he’s exercising his preference. Not that this is pointed at Derek, just that his comment is the launching pad for these thoughts.
“Everyone’s got their own preferences” is a cop-out. Matt is putting his opinion out there, and expressing a stance. Anything can be spun from fact to opinion and back to fact, but all we ever own and all for which we’re ever truly the be-all, end-all source is how we feel.
Specs can have a number put next to them; design can even be quantified by some. Those facts can be spun into opinion easily enough: how should we prioritize all these “facts” in making a purchasing decision? And are these really “facts” at all? It says, “4G” but do I really get significant speeds? It says it’s rated for 8 hours of battery but is that what I really get? It adheres to Fitts’ Law and whatever other hard-and-fast rules are out there for user interface, but do I find it pleasing or efficient to use?
In the end it’s all debatable except how we feel. That’s the only “fact”. Labeling it “YMMV” or “everyone has a different set of needs” or even “IMHO” is just being chicken.
The fact is, if you’re not using an iPhone; if you’re using some other brand of smartphone, then your experience is less satisfying than mine.
Love the column! I understand exactly your point. Once you’ve been well satisfied, there’s little point in switching. What’s amazing about the iOS is that the magic is there; the novelty remain there even if one has used it for years!
Plus, there’s little point in learning a new OS, if you’re pleased with the current one. There’d also be the difficulty of transferring basic contact, calendar, to do, ebooks, astronomy app settings, etc. to a new environment–even if you could find correspondingly as good apps!
Sure, it’s a preference, but a rational one based on real advantages of Apple’s iOS world from fully automatic real time sync’ing via iCloud to legal access to the world’s largest electronic media and application libraries to intelligent interactive assistance to voice queries.
Those and many other advantages may indeed make your life easier.
Yes, it’s much better to be invested in a small ecosystem populated with stuff you find undesirable. That way that you won’t get to feeling “locked in.” That’s the benefit of the Android world.
Oh come-on guys, some of my best friends are die-hard fanboys, but I still love ’em! No kidding! I was at the bar with one the other night, and he was watching me run a speed test with my new Samsung Galaxy Nexus. After it showed my usual test results of 23.6 down and 11.6 up, he looked me straight in the eyes and said, “That’s OK. A slow iPhone is better than a fast any other kind of phone!” I broke out in a big grin, and then bought him another beer… 🙂
That’s an opinion, not a fact.
Hmm when did iCloud come out? When did Gmail and Google Calendar come out? Both sync automatically with Android and have for years. So that is not really and advantage when the competitor has had it for years. Electronic media access? OK Apple nailed that. But Amazon mp3 & Google Music are not slouches either. Voice assistance? IMO that is a gimmick, but I may be one of the few who doesn’t like talking to my devices.
So really the only real rational reason people stick with Apple is because they had a large investment in itunes and later the app store. That’s understandable. And that was a good move by Apple. If you could use and access itunes on other devices you think everyone would stick with Apple?
I don’t buy this clunky scrolling thing, seems fine to me. But then again I’ve not used any Apple product for any length of time. Maybe it’s true. Lack of security updates? Blame the carriers, not Google.
That’s the real reason. And Apple was good at locking people in, starting with the ipod.
Hear, hear.
Defenders of a smartphone platform that accommodates carrier restrictions before user experience are making lots of the same excuses they made about their choice of desktop.
Those same defenders take justifiable pride in having learned how to jailbreak, apply workarounds, fiddle with task managers, run anti-malware utilities, and carry around a bandolier full of spare battery packs. Awesome.
Yes, you finally made it all work. Enjoy your latter-day-steampunk hobby keeping it that way. Enjoy having to find a new phone sooner because your current one won’t update with the new features you’ll want next year. Enjoy being an IT department of one.
Knock yourselves out. You’re a minority that often sounds as though you believe you speak for everyone. You don’t.
Lots of consumers are tired of all that. Very tired. Especially after having learned it’s no longer necessary.
I wish you well, and I hope your platform has a long and distinguished presence in the marketplace. Really. Just don’t act resentful or surprised when someone in your family switches as soon as they can from the gear you recommended.
Please.
Google’s cloud implementation is not comparable to iCloud. Unlike iCloud, Google’s cloud implementation requires user involvement and a full time Internet connection.
LOL! If you truly believe “the apps are the same”, you’ve never touched an iPhone.
It’s like cliques in High School. You find what group you fit best with and you feel comfortable and secure.
I bought my first smartphone about 6 months ago. It’s a Verizon WP7 with the Mango update. So far I can do everything my friends with iPhones and Androids can, SkyDrive syncing, media center remote control, etc. From my experience so far, this article could have said WP7 and all would have been relevant except maybe phone form factors.
Since I bought it as my first, I’m very comfortable with it. I believe I would have felt the same if I’d bought an iPhone or Android.
Does it matter who you blame? Fact is, you get an Android phone, you’re probably not going to get more than one OS update, if that. What incentive do carriers and manufacturers have to give you one? They want you to buy another phone!
——RM
My iPhone and iPad are just too enjoyable to think of switching.
Full time? If you mean to sync yes. I’m pretty sure everything needs an Internet connection to sync to the cloud. User interaction? Like sticking in your Google login once? Hardly a turn off.
“Decision making” is the process of wasting hours to justify a instinctive choice that has already been made. Humans are just animals who need longer to make the same “choice”. You just saved hours of lifetime by following your good instincts, and then spent them writing about it. Argh.
Probably mentioned because it’s one of the latest android-based phones and the one droidies seem to fawn over. There is nothing meaningful a droidie can tease about.
My ultimate goal has always been attaining the best “pc in a pocket” scenario. Unfortunately, until apple and wp give me the ability to save and download any file, of any filetype, in any location I desire, organized how I want it to be, I have no choice but to use Android. I have owned iPhones, and even a Windows phone too, but always get frustrated by being told I have to store this here or there, or have to email an office document to myself and then off to the original person just so they can see who its come off, and similar problems. Just seems overcomplicated to me. I agree that the Android experience varies greatly from device to device but for me functionality has to prevail over how smooth a particular animation is.
iPhones and iPads are not pcs and have never been sold as such.
You are complaining about something that was never relevant within your own terms of merit, rendering comparisons futile.
You make it sound like being an Apple fanboy is an affliction. To be fair it definately feels lime it sometimes. I take pride in that I research my purchases to find out whats best for me rather than assuming adverts have my best interests at heart.
While its percieved as cool and heavily marketed a section of society will seek identity from a technology company. While everything they produce is overpriced, propritory and behind the curve, these people will use words like luxery, integrated and experiance to justify their purchases.
We just have to accept that there will always hipsters in every aspect of life.
No quite the contrary. It’s the only fact we can possibly know: that my experience is either better or worse than yours. And it’s better.
Hmm I’ve gotten several updates for my phone. Not sure how it applies to other phones, but I definitely get more updates than the iPhone. Even Apple wants you to upgrade phones.
I had iPhones for 3 years, ok at 1st but SO BORING after the 3rd.
I purchased a Nexus S, however I was worried about leaving the safety & comfort of Apple. Wow, what a difference, so much more fun, I now have an Asus Transformer, HP Touchpad with Android (for work) & Android TV. OK Android was slightly clunkier but it was worth it.
P.S. I now have ICS on the Nexus, it is a fantastic platform as smooth as iPhone.
Informed? Sounds more like lazy, close minded biased research to me.
” ICS on the Nexus …
is a fantastic platform ” Really? As opposed to the rollout they aborted over a fortnight ago. http://tinyurl.com/c5dlgcp
” I now have an … Android TV “Wow, now I know you are just talking crap.
You’ve got problems if you think that’s a fact. It’s an opinion. And it doesn’t even sound like an original opinion, you sound like you’re quoting a twisted version of the Apple commercial.
Again, an opinion.
We can only state as fact that which is definitively knowable. As everything is in its own context in the universe and we cannot account for all contexts, all that we can know is what is inside us and contained within us. Therefore the only fact is that my experience is maximized and thus definitively is better than yours. QED.
No, that is a definitive fact, In speaking to my level of satisfaction and experience, mine is the knowledge that trumps everyone else’s. Unless you’re using an iPhone, mine is better than yours.
I use gmail and have used google calendar in the past but am by no means an expert on google’s services. That being said…doesn’t icloud offer more than the services you have noted here? iCloud does include mail, calendar and contact syncing but it also backs up your iOS devices and gives you access to your music, apps, photos across all your devices. Does google offer the same service?
Apple iPhones usually get a major OS upgrade every year. Even the ones that are a year or two old. That cannot be said for most Android based phones. Every week you can read about yet another android phone that will not be getting the next major update. Not good for customer loyalty and trust.
Great post, Moeskido. You nailed it.
If I had any major gripes with Apple or my iPhone a windows phone 7 product (Nokia Lumia) would be my only option to switch to. Looks like great software and the Nokia hardware also look quite nice. I have only used 4 android phones (belonging to family and co-workers) and none of them have been satisfactory compared to my iPhone.
Very kind. I know good guys who believe they speak for the entire market when they brag about this sort of thing. They’re object lessons for me to try to never make the same mistake about whatever it is I’m enamored with at the moment.
It all depends on what you’re used to. As a long-time Android user who occasionally uses iPhones for work I find iOS apps to be weirdly claustrophobic feeling with too much stuff crammed too close together on the screen. The touch targets also feel weirdly off and the scrolling feels stunted and slow. That doesn’t mean the apps are shitty, it just means I’m used to something else so they feel sloppy to me even though a long-time iOS user would think they’re well-polished and great.
You bought an iPhone 4s without doing any research because you were being lazy.
That’s who Apple caters for, they don’t cater for people who want the most freedom, or the most elegant, or the most technically capable solution, they cater for people who just can’t be bothered thinking for themselves, just let Apple do the thinking for you.