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iPhones??

xguy

xguy

Android Enthusiast
Ok so all I've ever owned has been android phones and wonder what is all the talk of iphones- people going crazy over them! I talked to a guy that said he'd never own another android because the ipone is so smooth but didn't elaborate.

I do know that the i5 is now 4G but that's all. I've got my flame suit on so if there are any non bias opinions, I would love to hear them!:D
 
Really? because around here while the iPhone used to be all the rage, i am seeing a sudden explosion of Android phones lately, mostly Samsung and Motorola phones.

iOS 7 is so awful looking and slow that i hope i see more Android phones soon. but honestly, i do not get all worked up over which type of phone someone carries. it'd be a boring world if we all used one type of phone. let the user be free to choose any device he or she wants.
 
I'm seeing the same trends above.

My friends are getting tired of iOS and have been underwhelmed with the last 2 releases.

I'm more than willing to help them find a killer android :cool:
 
I think 9 million units in 2 days is a pretty convincing argument that the iPhone remains fairly popular ;)

The iPhone is a pretty decent phone - pretty fast, pretty good reception, pretty good battery life and plenty of apps - but the fanboyz favourite claim is that it "just works". That's not entirely true as it does have bugs, but for the majority of users it's true enough. I would argue that Android is getting there, too.

What's a little more contentious is the closed garden: Apple control everything that goes on the phone. Basically, it's Apple's way or the highway. The upside is that the controlled environment is a big help with the "just works" stuff, the downside is that if you don't like the way something works then, unlike with Android, you have to change rather than the phone.

You also don't get a whole lot of choice of phones - well, I guess you have 4: a new iPhone, a plastic iPhone, an old iPhone or no iPhone. And all be the last have teeny, tiny screens. At least, whenever I use my missus' phone, that's how it seems to me :D

It's horses for courses: some people love 'em - e.g. my missus - and others are not so struck. The people that love 'em tend to be just a little over-keen (over-compensating? ;)), is all :D
 
TBH I don't think many have gone crazy over the new iPhones. AFAICT most discussion has been around the fingerprint thing, I think, OK big deal, life goes on. :) One thing I've certainly noticed, there hasn't been the excitement here in China, which always happens when a new iPhone is released. It's just not happened this time. Probably because many Chinese have got to liking their large screened phones now. Rather like "We don't want this new iPhone 5S, it's too small and looks just like the older one.".
 
I've seen so many people on my facebook complaining about ios7/new iphone not very exciting etc and wanting to switch to android. A lot of people I know were very underwhelmed with it. I think a lot of it is to do with how much bigger android is now, so people are getting exposure to it, and seeing how customisable and personal android is.
 
Let me add something here, on the screen size argument.

Not everyone likes bigger screens. My Victory has as large a screen as I can personally tolerate (before I resort to bluetooth headset only for calls, and I've never had a BT headset), due to pocket size, palm-size (I have big hands and 5" is just too much for me), all sorts of factors. My personal size limit is the 4" screen size range.
 
xguy said:
said he'd never own another android because the ipone is so smooth but didn't elaborate.
Click to expand...
EXACTLY! They have no facts or opinions to back up their statements.


Overall, apple phones do simple things simply and consistently and quite well. If you want to do anything beyond simple, good luck trying that with an apple device.

For example, if the apple keyboard works for you, congrats. If it doesn't? - shut up and keep using it cause you have no choice.
 
xguy said:
I talked to a guy that said he'd never own another android because the ipone is so smooth but didn't elaborate.
Click to expand...

gtbarry said:
EXACTLY! They have no facts or opinions to back up their statements.
Click to expand...

The above is an opinion rather than a statement - the guy has obviously owned an Android but feels his iPhone is smoother. That's the only "back up" needed.... someone's personal opinion is, by definition, never wrong. :)

I'm sure there was a similar thread on various iOS forums a few months back wondering what all the fuss over the Galaxy S4 was about. Different folks, different strokes....
 
mrsmumbles said:
The iPhone may be slightly more secure.
Click to expand...

That's the virtue of having a locked down walled garden. However it isn't without it's security issues. So far when iOS 6 and iOS 7 came out there were security bugs that allowed people to get through pass codes at the lock screen.
 
jhawkkw said:
That's the virtue of having a locked down walled garden. However it isn't without it's security issues. So far when iOS 6 and iOS 7 came out there were security bugs that allowed people to get through pass codes at the lock screen.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I'm sort of surprised. On iOS can data leak via apps like on Android?
 
I have used an iphone for a while, they have a great amount of apps, and they are really good quality. I dont think ill go back, but they are good.
 
mrsmumbles said:
Hmm, I'm sort of surprised. On iOS can data leak via apps like on Android?
Click to expand...

If I remember correctly there was a bug that someone can remotely access your iPhone via a PC if you have a certain app installed.

Anyway, yes they probably can. Any app that connects to internet and has access to contacts like Viber or WeChat has access to your contact data remotely if they want.
 
Here are some of my observations about the iPhone with some limited experience (being the IT support for my extended family):
  • The iPhone does seem noticeably smoother than Android phones. It doesn't bother me as I've been using Android for 3 years now. I can understand how this may bother users who are used to a smoother phone.
  • iPhone apps are more consistent. Apple seems to have better control over the quality of the apps that are available on the Apple App Store. The apps on Google Play are all over the place. Android apps have different standards in terms of UI elements and look and feel. However, it seems that some apps are simple ports of an iOS version of the app and the developer did the bare minimum to make it work on Android. Some apps I have encountered did nothing when pressing the menu or back buttons or did something you don't expect. You have to press the UI element in the app to get these functions. Banking apps seem to be the worse culprit. The Yahoo Weather app is another example. The latest update made things better.
  • The iPhone has the better brand recognition. My wife wants an iPhone because it's an iPhone. No doubt, the original iPhone was a huge hit. I was impressed with it when I first found out about it. Apple has been able to maintain that brand recognition. Although other phones are more well known, 3 years ago, it seems everyone who is not very knowledgeable about phones thinks that any smartphone with a full touch screen was an iPhone. My first smartphone was a Nokia N97 and it had a full touch screen (and slider keyboard). So many people called it an iPhone. That hasn't happened for I would say about 2 years now.
  • The iPhone has a wider range of hardware accessories. My wife's favourite feature of the iPhone is that she can swap different cases. Accessories like car mount for the iPhone fit perfectly because they were made specifically for the one device. My car mount for my SGS3 was a universal one and I needed to make some modifications to it because my phone kept slipping out. For most other devices, accessory manufacturers need to make a universal mount that can adjust to many different sizes of phones. An issue I encountered with my HTC Desire Z was that the USB port was on the side and the holder would get a little in the way to make it cumbersome to attach the USB cable. There are not as many or no such accessories for specific models of Android phones because they don't (except perhaps the Galaxy line) has a large enough market share to be worth making an accessory specifically for that one model.
  • The iPhone seems to do basic functions well and easily. I would classify basic functions as those that Apple feels you would do most of the time. You try to do something that is more complex or perhaps not every day and it is cumbersome. The classic example I have seen is setting a sound file as a ring tone. It is possible, but the process may be very convoluted and feel like a big workaround. Exchange of data between apps in general is not allowed on the iPhone. Only data exchange between certain specific apps that Apple endorses is allowed. Everything else is either not possible or may require convoluted workarounds to do.
I do think that for many people, they will be happy with an iPhone. For people used to an iPhone, changing to a different phone is not going to be a trivial matter. It depends on the individual if they would really like Android or something else over an iPhone.
 
Stuntman said:
The iPhone has a wider range of hardware accessories
Click to expand...

That is a good point: try buying an Android dock or a headset with controls that actually work.

I'm sure there are such things but it's not like buying for an iPhone where you can walk into pretty much any electronics store - or even a supermarket - and pick up something that will work.

Doubtless there are many people who don't want the hassle of having to do masses of research before they can buy something as simple as a headset.

Google's failure to specify standards for headset controls and their failure to add audio to USB (recently addressed?) really annoys me: such ridiculously small oversights that basically mean there is no real after market for Android add-ons. Sure, there are one or two products out there that are compatible with some Android devices, but that hardly counts.
 
SiempreTuna said:
That is a good point: try buying an Android dock or a headset with controls that actually work.

I'm sure there are such things but it's not like buying for an iPhone where you can walk into pretty much any electronics store - or even a supermarket - and pick up something that will work.

Doubtless there are many people who don't want the hassle of having to do masses of research before they can buy something as simple as a headset.

Google's failure to specify standards for headset controls and their failure to add audio to USB (recently addressed?) really annoys me: such ridiculously small oversights that basically mean there is no real after market for Android add-ons. Sure, there are one or two products out there that are compatible with some Android devices, but that hardly counts.
Click to expand...

Well, Philips O'Neill headset controls work.
 
Stuntman said:
The iPhone has a wider range of hardware accessories.
Click to expand...

That's true. Sony always makes me laugh. There's one division making portable Walkman products, the Xperia division making smart-phones, and then there's the audio products division making their products compatible with Apple and not Sony....like "Designed for iPod", "Works with iPhone" docking speaker systems......huh!! :confused: "Make believe" indeed.
 
my $18 Big Lots amplified BlueTooth headphones work too, all the buttons work--Play, Pause, skip, voice control, etc

which is more than i cany say for the poor saps who bought those overpriced Beats Audio versions, where the controls refuse to work in Jelly Bean

LOL @ Sony Make Believe. they started going downhill shortly after that motto came out--i figured it was very ironic
 
SiempreTuna said:
I think 9 million units in 2 days is a pretty convincing argument that the iPhone remains fairly popular ;)

The iPhone is a pretty decent phone - pretty fast, pretty good reception, pretty good battery life and plenty of apps - but the fanboyz favourite claim is that it "just works". That's not entirely true as it does have bugs, but for the majority of users it's true enough. I would argue that Android is getting there, too.

What's a little more contentious is the closed garden: Apple control everything that goes on the phone. Basically, it's Apple's way or the highway. The upside is that the controlled environment is a big help with the "just works" stuff, the downside is that if you don't like the way something works then, unlike with Android, you have to change rather than the phone.

You also don't get a whole lot of choice of phones - well, I guess you have 4: a new iPhone, a plastic iPhone, an old iPhone or no iPhone. And all be the last have teeny, tiny screens. At least, whenever I use my missus' phone, that's how it seems to me :D

It's horses for courses: some people love 'em - e.g. my missus - and others are not so struck. The people that love 'em tend to be just a little over-keen (over-compensating? ;)), is all :D
Click to expand...

However, it appears that of that 9 million, only 5.5 million units went into the hands of customers. The remaining 3.5 million are sitting in carriers stock shelves. Apparently, the majority of those are the i5c.

Analysts disagree about Apple iPhone sales figures
 
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