Why I switched to the iPhone

I really like the Android OS and it’s come a long way since I was first introduced to it. But, multiple device failures have moved me to try the iPhone for the first time.

It started with the death of my first tablet, an Acer A500 Iconia. It was an amazing tablet at the time with usb port, HDMI out, and a metal back. It was very snappy up until it received it’s first OS update. At that point things started to get a bit buggy. I don’t believe the tablet actually had the specs for the upgrade and as such, performance suffered on the device. Near the end of it’s life, it would frequently reboot on it’s own and stop responding to touch. One day, it just wouldn’t turn on at all. No amount of instructions online could reset it to factory and boot back up. That was device failure #1.

Device failure number 2 was on the short-lived Galaxy Nexus. A month or two of owning this device I began having to toggle airplane mode on and off to be able to have any data connectivity. It received an OTA update from Sprint, which I believe was the only update it ever got. As you can imagine, I was hesitant to perform any updates after the experience with the A500. However, the update was fine, but failed to resolve my data connectivity issues. Over the course of about 12-18months, the device began to have issues with the digitizer. Screen sensitivity seemed to vary with each use of the device (literally you could press the power button, unlock, and it could be better or worse). Sometimes use of the device would require more than just a simple tap, you would have to press and hold for any links/apps to activate.

My experience with Android has basically been that the OS is great, but the hardware tends to leave a lot to be desired. Particularly since devices seem to have a limited shelf life of 18 months. I had hoped that the acquiring of Motorola would have changed that. But, it’s subsequent sale to Lenovo extinguished that hope.

So with my contract with Sprint expired, I switched to an iPhone 6 on the Verizon network. So far I’ve been very pleased with phone and network connectivity. There are some features I’ve missed greatly from Android, namely I’d like to be able to go back to the webpage I was on after viewing a video with a single press. But, the iPhone has a number of features that have eased my life and work.

• Corporate Email – The integration with exchange is fantastic. Calendar events and VIP email events show up directly in the notifications without having to open a specific app.
• Touch Sensor – This was a major selling point for me, with work I’m required to keep my phone password protected. That means a few seconds delay with each use, but with the touch sensor it’s almost as simple as having no password at all.
• iTunes Podcasts – There is nothing equivalent for Android like iTunes handling of podcasts. They make it so simple and easy to use.
• Apple Pay – I really hope this catches on. I attempted to adopt Google Wallet for purchases via phone, but it was unfortunately disabled for my device. So, hopefully Apple will have better luck.
• Camera – I’ve never had good luck with the cameras on my Android devices. The iPhone seems to take very crisp and quick photos.
• UX – The user experience is also top notch. Not many Androids devices come with an aluminum case, and none with a Sapphire infused screen.