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Contemplating switch from iOS to Android

A

AppleFan360

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jan 26, 2008
2,216
733
Hello,

After being an Apple nerd for 9 years, I was thinking about dumping my iPhones, iPads and iMac to Android and Windows. The reasons can't be discussed here but lets just say Apple is headed in a direction I don't want to go.

First, for those who went from iOS to Android, what were some of your challenges? What do you miss from iOS?

Since I just purchased my 5K iMac, that will obviously remain for a little while so I was thinking about first switching out my mobile devices (iPads, iPhones). The iMac will probably be the last piece of the puzzle I dump. What sort of issues should I expect running Android devices with iTunes and iPhoto on the iMac? Which Android mobile devices do you suggest?

Thanks for the help. I really like Apple products but ever since Steve Jobs passed things just haven't been the same.
 
OK mobile devices I can understand. But why your iMac? Heck if your suddenly so anti-apple then just install windows on it?

Likewise I'm not really sure why anyone would think any of the other OEM PC manufacturers or heck even Google at this stage are any better. They're all just busonesses who care about the bottom line not about the consumer and that applies to ALL successful businesses.

I'm with Mac over 20+ years. I was a Microsoft : MVP for macintosh until I retired this year. I look after and service computers for the local national schools here which are all PC and I fix software issues for people locally in my community too, again all PC.

Whilst I have lamented much of Apples lack of software innovation in the Macintosh with Apps being forgotten and replaced with often initially much poorer replacements, I see little difference ultimately on the windows and PC space.

Mobile device wise I've pretty much had them all OS wise and still have devices on Android / iOS and WP

Neither is ultimately better to me.

The grass isn't always greener. Its just a different shade and in a different field. The cows still poo on it regardless of which field.
 
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Not to dissuade you from android, what does iOS not do for you, or the iPhone?

To put it another way, the iPhone is a tool, that serves a need, does it not serve that need any longer, regardless of what apple is doing business strategy wise that you are not liking?

As MRU, posted, install windows on your iMac if you wish, I'd look to perhaps a Galaxy S5 or S6, if you want to replace your iPhone.

When switching from iOS to Android, i ran into issues with syncing my music with iTunes, and the lack of integration with the apple ecosystem (or at least the ease and simple integration). If you're dumping all apple stuff, then this may not be an issue.
 
maflynn said:
Not to dissuade you from android, what does iOS not do for you, or the iPhone?

To put it another way, the iPhone is a tool, that serves a need, does it not serve that need any longer, regardless of what apple is doing business strategy wise that you are not liking?

As MRU, posted, install windows on your iMac if you wish, I'd look to perhaps a Galaxy S5 or S6, if you want to replace your iPhone.

When switching from iOS to Android, i ran into issues with syncing my music with iTunes, and the lack of integration with the apple ecosystem (or at least the ease and simple integration). If you're dumping all apple stuff, then this may not be an issue.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, installing Windows on the iMac is a good idea. Forgot about that one. I already have Windows installed on a virtual (VMware Fusion) but I might go ahead and bootcamp it instead.

I'm trying to stay away from Samsung but was looking at the HTC's. They seem like a solid phone with some nice features. Any thoughts on those?

Yes, the iPhone and iPads do for me what they need to do but leaving Apple behind is purely a choice I'm making for other reasons which can't been discussed here. Besides, this is purely a fact finding mission at this point. Haven't made my final decision yet.

Thanks.
 
Contemplating switch from iOS to Android

AppleFan360 said:
After being an Apple nerd for 9 years, I was thinking about dumping my iPhones, iPads and iMac to Android and Windows. The reasons can't be discussed here but lets just say Apple is headed in a direction I don't want to go.
Click to expand...


Dump your iPhones, that's fine, but why also your iPads and iMac? If you have more than one iPad, keep one since in my opinion there are lots of excellent Android phones out there but Android tablets not so much. Keep one at least and dump the rest.

----------
AppleFan360 said:
After being an Apple nerd for 9 years, I was thinking about dumping my iPhones, iPads and iMac to Android and Windows. The reasons can't be discussed here but lets just say Apple is headed in a direction I don't want to go.
Click to expand...


Dump your iPhones, that's fine, but why also your iPads and iMac? If you have more than one iPad, keep one since in my opinion there are lots of excellent Android phones out there but Android tablets not so much. Keep one at least and dump the rest.

Edit: Just read your last post and that you want to leave Apple behind for good. So I guess it's up to you what you want to do with your Apple stuff :)
 
AppleFan360 said:
I'm trying to stay away from Samsung but was looking at the HTC's. They seem like a solid phone with some nice features. Any thoughts on those?
Click to expand...

HTC is a good choice also look towards the Nexus, I think that offers a lot, including vanilla android, i.e., not needing to wait for the carrier to roll out android updates.
 
I like the direction that MS is heading it's nice that their finally opening up a bit, but I wouldn't swap Apple for MS that's jumping from the kettle into the fire. I didn't miss anything moving from iOS to Android but I'm not a hardcore mobile user.
 
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lowendlinux said:
I like the direction that MS is heading it's nice that their finally open up a bit, but I wouldn't swap Apple for MS that's jumping from the kettle into the fire. I didn't miss anything moving from iOS to Android but I'm not a hardcore mobile users.
Click to expand...
I actually agree with you. My iMac will most likely stay for a while longer because I really like using Final Cut Pro X so my transition back to Windows will be VERY slow or I just might continue using both OSX and Windows. It's my mobile devices I'm thinking of switching first to start the transition away.

I like the iPad but it's possible I may stop using tablets altogether. With screens getting big on mobile phones, the tablet seems redundant most of the time.
 
You could get a new Motorola Moto E for just $149 unlocked, just to give Android a trial run. Although not flagship specs, it's a perfectly competent device running pretty much vanilla Android 5.0. If you dislike it you'll have spent only a fraction of what the HTC/Samsungs will cost; If you like it you'll be much more confident investing the money for a flagship level device.

...adding, I really love my Moto X 2nd gen running 5.0 and I love making my wife jealous when it does things her iPhone 5 can't do. Not a power user by any stretch, but I find iOS/OSX terribly limiting compared to Android/Windows.
 
I found myself missing the fingerprint scanner and the camera quality, but that was based solely on the device I was using. iMessage is really the only thing unique to iOS that can't be implemented in Android.

Also, there are occasionally new up and coming apps that are, for whatever reason, released only on iOS. A good, current example of this is Meerkat and Periscope. That said, there are some great apps that are exclusive to Android, albeit fewer.
 
MRU said:
What about OSX is limiting compared to Windows?
Click to expand...

I can see iOS being limited compared to Android, but not so with OSX. The only thing that seems limited, is the ability to theme/skin the OS. You can do that fairly easily with windows. Other then that, I think Windows and OSX are very powerful in their own right.
 
AppleFan360 said:
Hello,

After being an Apple nerd for 9 years, I was thinking about dumping my iPhones, iPads and iMac to Android and Windows. The reasons can't be discussed here but lets just say Apple is headed in a direction I don't want to go.

First, for those who went from iOS to Android, what were some of your challenges? What do you miss from iOS?

Since I just purchased my 5K iMac, that will obviously remain for a little while so I was thinking about first switching out my mobile devices (iPads, iPhones). The iMac will probably be the last piece of the puzzle I dump. What sort of issues should I expect running Android devices with iTunes and iPhoto on the iMac? Which Android mobile devices do you suggest?

Thanks for the help. I really like Apple products but ever since Steve Jobs passed things just haven't been the same.
Click to expand...

I know exactly what this is about.
 
Robisan said:
You could get a new Motorola Moto E for just $149 unlocked, just to give Android a trial run. Although not flagship specs, it's a perfectly competent device running pretty much vanilla Android 5.0. If you dislike it you'll have spent only a fraction of what the HTC/Samsungs will cost; If you like it you'll be much more confident investing the money for a flagship level device.

...adding, I really love my Moto X 2nd gen running 5.0 and I love making my wife jealous when it does things her iPhone 5 can't do. Not a power user by any stretch, but I find iOS/OSX terribly limiting compared to Android/Windows.
Click to expand...
Actually that's a good idea. Maybe getting a less expensive phone with no contract just to try it out. I assume that $149 price is with no contract as well?
 
maflynn said:
I can see iOS being limited compared to Android, but not so with OSX. The only thing that seems limited, is the ability to theme/skin the OS. You can do that fairly easily with windows. Other then that, I think Windows and OSX are very powerful in their own right.
Click to expand...
I agree, I run both with a virtual system.
 
maflynn said:
Originally Posted by MRU
What about OSX is limiting compared to Windows?
Click to expand...

I can see iOS being limited compared to Android, but not so with OSX. The only thing that seems limited, is the ability to theme/skin the OS. You can do that fairly easily with windows. Other then that, I think Windows and OSX are very powerful in their own right.
Click to expand...

Pretty much this. At every turn Windows system preferences provide more robust options than OSX for customizing user experience. (Android over iOS even more so.) Finder is a poor substitute for Explorer. We're in the 21st century and OSX still doesn't give decent support to multi-button mice (even with the Logitech firmware installed), something that Windows has done natively for years. A ten-year-old version of MS Works is more functional than Pages and Numbers (and the Internets tell me MS Office is much better on Windows too). More generally, I'm not willing to give myself over to, and become subservient to, the closed Apple ecosystem (iTunes, iMessage, iPhoto etc.), which is limiting by choice.

My favorite (though minor) pet peeve about OSX is being stuck with a black pointer which morphs to that silly hand/finger. And some of the OSX naming of things (Mission Control!) is just embarrassing. I'm not an 8-year-old sci-fi geek - give me adult names and choices.
 
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My biggest peeve with windows is still the general lack of system wide HiDpi support exacerbated further by third party apps that don't support it at all - yet their Mac counterpart do.
 
MRU said:
My biggest peeve with windows is still the general lack of system wide HiDpi support exacerbated further by third party apps that don't support it at all - yet their Mac counterpart do.
Click to expand...

Precisely the reason why I bought a MBPr. My older eyes just can't deal with either crap low-res screens or Windows scaling on high-res screens. Sadly, haven't seen anything to indicate W10 is going to address this.
 
AppleFan360 said:
Actually that's a good idea. Maybe getting a less expensive phone with no contract just to try it out. I assume that $149 price is with no contract as well?
Click to expand...

If you want to see either Samsung or HTC versions of Android on the cheap you could look at used options on Swappa. Sammy's 'Touchwiz' skin generally draws strong feelings of either love or hate. HTC's 'Sense' skin is generally well regarded, but YMMV. Android updates take longer to roll out to these skinned devices compared to the Nexus and Motorola devices, which run essentially unaltered Android.
 
Robisan said:
Precisely the reason why I bought a MBPr. My older eyes just can't deal with either crap low-res screens or Windows scaling on high-res screens. Sadly, haven't seen anything to indicate W10 is going to address this.
Click to expand...


It was reason I ditched a Surface Pro 2 ...
 
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