It's hard to read a gadget blog without running into it: Rampant fanboys defending their choice of phone operating system. Fanboyism is apparently so primal that it's hard to turn the reflex off. I'm sure that psychologists would have interesting insights, but I think at some point, it comes down to "I've spent my money on this platform, and therefore I find it superior."
Let's get some things straight. Apple took a lot of ideas from a lot of people when they made the first iPhone (before it was iOS). It didn't send picture messages, and it didn't have what is effectively its most heralded feature: apps. But people bought it by the million. It was sleek and simple. Apple didn't invent the slate-style phone. They'd been around, though at the time, the Blackberry style, with keyboard on the bottom, was most popular. What they did is combine a bunch of other ideas into one. Apple is very good at that.
Google had previously purchased Android to develop it into a phone operating system. They released the first Android phone, the G1, and in fairness, compared to the iPhone of the time, it was comparatively weak. But it was a start-And it included a lot of things that Apple neglected to until close to a year after its release. And not little things, either. Big things. Picture messaging. Copy and paste. Things that Apple told their consumers they didn't need.
Stuff happened. Time went by. Feature sets copied each other. Over and over again. Apparently Steve Jobs wanted to kill Android for copying Apple. Which is funny, because of how much Apple took from Android. Both sides definitely stole a lot of ideas. It happened.
So now, here we are. November 2011. The fanboy machine rages on. Let's look at similarities:
- Pull-down notification tray
- Multitasking (albeit handled a bit differently between the devices)
- Multi-touch gestures
- Slate form factor (generally)
- Hundreds of thousands of apps.
I could go on, but that's not really the point. Some people say that Android is superior due to superior device selection. This is some serious poppycock. The Android phone market is over-saturated with underthought, crappy devices. These devices are rarely up-to-date on the Android version when they're released, and I laugh at you if you believe they're likely to be updated. "But Ryan," I can hear you say, Android fanboy, "Android is better because you can install custom ROMs on your device to make it better." And I say to you, fanboy, that you are WRONG. Devices which have unlocked bootloaders are increasingly uncommon (despite promises from a manufacturer rhyming with 'otorola' that they'd do otherwise), and while hackers are clever, they haven't cracked many of the bootloaders. So, we come back to the fact that there are too many crappy Android phones. These devices damage Android's reputation, and sour customers into looking to the iOS competition for their next phone.
This leads to the Apple fanboys who believe that Apple's "one phone to rule them all" policy is what makes it superior. They point to Android fragmentation and Android's slow or nonexistent updates on some phones, and to some extent, they are right. However, the fact is that the iPhone does not fill all niches. It does not come in a ruggedized variety. No iPhone has a physical keyboard. No iPhone has a screen larger than 3.7". All these are very valid things to want on a phone, but due to Apple's phone strategy, they're not available for iOS. Apple also has interesting update policies. While it's true that they update their older devices for a significant period of time (three years or more!), it's not a fair comparison to look between Android devices and iOS device. If an Android phone has Android 2.3, the phone will always have improved copy-and-paste support. It will always have NFC and barometer support. If an iPhone has iOS 5, for example, Apple conveniently leaves out certain features that are now selling points for the current generation phone (Looking at you, Siri). If Android handsets did this, you'd better believe the version numbers would be higher. But it wouldn't mean anything.
So, where does that leave you, potential phone buyer and/or fanboy? Buy an iPhone if you want a more consistent user experience, a more regulated market and ecosystem, and if the iPhone's restrictions in form factor and features works with what you want from a phone. Buy an Android phone if a more open, configurable device. But for the love of all that is holy, buy a good Android phone, not the $0.99 one. You'll be happier. I promise. If you can, get the latest Nexus phone.
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