Debate on staying with IPhone

[nuckinfutz]

The power of Apple is 400 million Apple ID accounts.

Linked to stores and now cloud technology it's really Apple's game to lose.


As much success as Google's had with Android their reputation today is actually worse than it was 5 years ago. I just feel like i'd rather pay a slight Apple Tax than to foolishly sit around and let Google and Facebook data mine me under the pretense that I get cool tools for "free"

I'll be staying iPhone for the foreseeable future. While the web is nice for ubiquitous access iCloud can leverage it also to good effect without making me basically go cold turkey web only.

 

[ritmomundo]

to me, the value is in the itunes ecosystem, not the phone. i can not really imagine myself being that excited about any phone. itunes may not be a huge money maker for apple, but i think there are a lot of users like myself who will stay with an apple mobile device to maintain the simplicity of itunes media. I will, however, be replacing my ipad with a surface, but it will be running itunes.

You know, thats how I felt too, until I was forced to buy an Android phone (I needed a 4G device for work, the 3G on my iPhone 4 wasn't cutting it). But I was surprised at how simple things turned out to be on Android. Granted, I'm still getting used to things (its only been a few days), but I use gmail anyway, so contacts and calendars sync with Google Sync automatically, and all my settings automatically save to my Google account. I can drag music and movies directly from iTunes to my phone (no need to sync anymore - huge timesaver!). Sure, I kinda missed the whole "iTunes ecosystem" a bit (even though there were days when I absolutely hated iTunes and having to use it to sync my iPhone), but I got over it pretty quickly.

All that said, I'll probably be switching back if the iPhone 5 is 4G capable, as I've spent way too much money on iOS apps already.

 

[mbell1975]

Hey everyone. I really just had a simple question.

Who will all switch if the iPhone 5 or new iPhone doesn't live up to expectations?

My opinion is this. I've had an iPhone since the 3G and now have a 4 and I'm waiting on the new one to see what I will do. Since the 3G the smartphone race has changed dramatically. Android use to be very bad. Lag and just wasn't my taste but now looking at the s3 and current phones their not to bad looking anymore. I have a iPad and MacBook pro as well and love the ecosystem but as far as the phone I don't think as of now apple is on top anymore. Now I know the phone came out almost a yr ago so u can't really compare it to phones coming out now, but after looking over the wwdc, those updates weren't really that good to me. Now I know some features wasn't talked about and th new phone will have exclusive features but I hope it lives up to expectations. Apple definitely has to come back hard cuz if it's a letdown I'll most likely get a S3.

This is just my opinion and like I said I own all apple products and love apple.


This is just my opinion but if the

Meh. The whole "ecosystem" is about as cheesy and cliche a term as "retina" display. I have had all 3 iPads (currently own the new one) 2 iMacs, ATV and a MBP. I have had zero problems owning Android phones. My Razr Maxx syncs beautifully with any of my Macs thanks to Motocast. Its a TON faster then a desktop emulator like Splashtop on my iPad and I didn't have to pay for it. I got rid of my 4s months ago and haven't missed it at all as I have iOS and my apps on my iPad. Go play with an S3.

 

[nuckinfutz]

Meh. The whole "ecosystem" is about as cheesy and cliche a term as "retina" display. I have had all 3 iPads (currently own the new one) 2 iMacs, ATV and a MBP. I have had zero problems owning Android phones. My Razr Maxx syncs beautifully with any of my Macs thanks to Motocast. Its a TON faster then a desktop emulator like Splashtop on my iPad and I didn't have to pay for it. I got rid of my 4s months ago and haven't missed it at all as I have iOS and my apps on my iPad. Go play with an S3.

Tell that to the family that shares an Apple ID and iTunes store media. It's not clichè it's very real. Glad that you manage things well but I'd say you're probably more advanced than the average nuclear family.

 

[mbell1975]

Tell that to the family that shares an Apple ID and iTunes store media. It's not clichè it's very real. Glad that you manage things well but I'd say you're probably more advanced than the average nuclear family.

Ummm yea. I haven't lived with mommy and daddy in like 20 years. I can see that being a problem if you are a 15 year old maybe

 

[lordofthereef]

With respect to songs and films, it just a little inconvenient to transfer them. Not a big issue on its own, but convenience is one of the reasons why people feel 'invested' the Apple environment.

I can have music auto upload to google music without any added work except a one time install of some software. I am not sure if Amazon has anything similar (I remember hearing about it but never looked into it). Movies I can understand I suppose, but there really isn't a streaming option on iOS for those either. If I want a movie on my idevice I still have to sync it. Other devices, drag and drop is sufficient, so I am not sure I personally see convenience here either.

 

[chiefpavvy]

I can have music auto upload to google music without any added work except a one time install of some software. I am not sure if Amazon has anything similar (I remember hearing about it but never looked into it). Movies I can understand I suppose, but there really isn't a streaming option on iOS for those either. If I want a movie on my idevice I still have to sync it. Other devices, drag and drop is sufficient, so I am not sure I personally see convenience here either.

Amazon has the same uploader but it isn't as pretty or functional. I gave up on both Google Music and Amazon MP3 as trying to keep the libraries in sync with my personal library became too much of a hassle. Changes don't sync and real quickly you end up with multiple tracks and incomplete or inaccurate ID3 info. And trying to clean it up through the web interface...no thanks.

I don't use iTunes Match either, gave up on a "library" per se. I just use Spotify these days.

As for the movies and TV content there are plenty of streaming options for iOS, the two I use are StreamToMe and AirVideo. No need to store all that on the device itself. It does the live transcode as needed and pushes the video out to the iOS device.

The only time I have bothered to sync anything is for a long road trip...for the kids. They are small and the type of content they watch doesn't take a lot of space, they tend to watch them over and over, etc. so that is fine.

 

[lordofthereef]

Tell that to the family that shares an Apple ID and iTunes store media. It's not clichè it's very real. Glad that you manage things well but I'd say you're probably more advanced than the average nuclear family.

What about managing iTunes store media is difficult for "the average nuclear family"? I am certainly lost there.

----------

Amazon has the same uploader but it isn't as pretty or functional. I gave up on both Google Music and Amazon MP3 as trying to keep the libraries in sync with my personal library became too much of a hassle. Changes don't sync and real quickly you end up with multiple tracks and incomplete or inaccurate ID3 info. And trying to clean it up through the web interface...no thanks.

Refresh your song list after done synicing. In the gMusic app for iOS there is a button for this. Problem solved. Yes, you have to manually do this, but I will use the excuse that people give with Siri. "It's still in beta!"

I will give you that it isn't as pretty. I guess I don't need something that manages what I listen to be pretty, especially when it is doing it in the background. I hardly remember what the google music uploader interface looks like. Why? because I never, EVER see it.

EDIT: For the record I subscribe to iTunes match as well. And I have certainly had ID3 tag problems. A lot of stuff I don't get from iTunes isn't "found" and has to be uploaded too. Bummer.

Right now the thing that is killing me is the data all this streaming consumes. For me, the clear "winner" will be whatever service is able to get some sort of compression on the songs as the stream. Pandora is fantastic for this. iTunes Match and Google Music are not. I will likely end up going with a 64GB iPhone over my 16GB on the next refresh for this very reason. The extra storage will be cheaper than the potential data overages, sadly.

 

[Alameda]

[/COLOR]

Really what do u see that's makes the iPhone stand out from a phone such as the S3?

I used a Galaxy SII for some work and found it very lacking, very much the way Windows 3.0 was far less polished than the Macintosh OS. But Windows slowly caught up, and users paid dramatically less for Apple hardware. With the phones, this is not the case -- a Galaxy phone costs the same or even more than one of Apple's.

In my experience, the usability of the Galaxy II phone was inferior. On an iPhone, scrolling is smoother, text editing is easier and more effective, the browser is better, and the phone is far more stable. I certainly wouldn't say that Galaxy is a bad product. Samsung generally puts out more advanced hardware faster than Apple and other companies, but the Android OS is certainly behind.

Is there something you can do with an iPhone that you can't possibly do with a Galaxy phone? The only thing I can think of are Apple's productivity apps, particularly Keynote. If you want to deliver a well-animated presentation from a phone or tablet, an iPhone or iPad with Keynote is unbeatable. I tried every app I could find for Android, and none of them work well at all.

 

[-Knight-]

I been using iPhone since 3G myself and I'm kind of getting bored with iOS as a smartphone. We all know what the new iPhone will do with iOS6 and i'm not too impressed with it. If the leaks are true then the new design is disappointment also as it looks like the 4/4s but longer at least to me. I have been really thinking about the Windows phone I kinda like the UI on it with the live icons but the lack of apps will probably be the decision maker for me.

I would assume others are feeling somewhat like I do with the iPhone?!

 

[chiefpavvy]

Is there something you can do with an iPhone that you can't possibly do with a Galaxy phone? The only thing I can think of are Apple's productivity apps, particularly Keynote. If you want to deliver a well-animated presentation from a phone or tablet, an iPhone or iPad with Keynote is unbeatable. I tried every app I could find for Android, and none of them work well at all.

Good point on presentations.

I think the ecosystem is still the key. Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, etc.

Once you have all the pieces and see how well they work and play together that really seals the deal.

 

[depths]

The Apple 'ecosystem' certainly works in their favour when the consumer decides to upgrade. You'd be less inclined to buy a competing product that may be better because it won't play as nice with your other ithings.

 

[Sedrick]

I bought an iPad 2 last year on a whim (company bonus money), and I use it far more than the iPhone. The iPhone gets used for phone calls and playing music in the car. Also reading books on the 'throne', haha. It's just too damn small to watch video, browse the web, play anything but the simplest games or anything else.

Ecosystem: I really like how you can purchase music and books on one device and have it automatically available on the other, but if I didn't have the iPad, there would be no ecosystem for me and I would have long ago bought a larger screen phone that you could actually use to its full potential.

No doubt, the ecosystem is part of apple's master plan to keep you hooked and still buying a 'smart phone' that's really too small to be practical for a lot of things it was designed to do.

 

[NbinHD]

Come on guys, I'm in the same boat, iOS is getting boring and my contract with iPhone 4 is ending soon. What about Windows Phone? I believe its got massive potential, it just needs to be marketed right and the word of mouth. I know for sure I'll be looking into it. Agree or Disagree?

 

[BiggAW]

I will stay, for a few reasons. That's not to say that there aren't great Android phones out there:

1. I have a ton invested in the ecosystem, an iPad, Mac, etc, and it all works pretty well. I like the apps I have, etc.

2. It just works. There's little things, like how talking on the phone with headphones and the internal mic, and transitioning between streaming audio, phone calls, etc, works, it just works better on the iPhone, IMO.

3. Size. I like the small size of the iPhone, even when it's in an Otterbox.

The biggest decision for me is whether to buy the LifeProof system for the 4S, and thus be locked into the 4S, or wait for the 5 and deal with a larger screen and whatever BS they pull with the new dock connector, just to get a phone that will work at large events, congested areas, and NYC, when the 4S works fine most of the time.

 

[Alameda]

Good point on presentations.

I think the ecosystem is still the key. Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, etc.

Once you have all the pieces and see how well they work and play together that really seals the deal.

Of course what you say is true, but for the past 3+ years I've had an iPhone, starting with iPhone version 1, and I've used it for work in a PC environment, without a Mac or iPad or AppleTV, and it's been a very productive tool -- at least, once my company set up support for our email system.

iPhone stands on its own very well.

 

[justreason]

Come on guys, I'm in the same boat, iOS is getting boring and my contract with iPhone 4 is ending soon. What about Windows Phone? I believe its got massive potential, it just needs to be marketed right and the word of mouth. I know for sure I'll be looking into it. Agree or Disagree?

i have the lumia 900 and i love windows 7.5.. 8 will be very good.. the presentation alone is beautiful.. there is no need to jailbreak.. the social integration is cool too.. really the hardware is beautiful, os is gorgeous and refreshing.. iOS has 1.5 things over windows..

1.the apps.. miss instagram.. paypal.. chase.. hbo go.. flipboard!
.5. the camera.. the lumia takes better pictures than people say.

 

[CallOfDuty]

As a forum member, we could only recommand you on what WE think is the best device we have used, and what we think is the best for you. 'We'.
Do not let our comments influence your final decision. I understand the goodwill of us forumers giving him our views, but the end decision still boils down to himself.

I recommand you try out the devices you like, the iPhone and maybe the Galaxy S3. Take note that although the new iPhone will sure be great, you will still be holding on to one of the best Android devices ever (in the world of androids). Of course, you may have some buyer's remorse but hey, new stuff comes out every now and then.
As for me, my personal experience in this is buying the iPhone 4 which I quite regret. I didn't I hated it but I wanted to hold on a bit longer for the new iPhone 5 (4S) but had limited patience. So I simply went with the 4. Guess what, I learnt my lesson hard but didn't mind. Apple sure did lessen my pain by giving me reliable hardware and software support. I'm sure 3GS owners would agree with me on this ! (iOS 6 for the 3GS, any 3GS owners surprised?!)

Of course, my iPhone 4 had some kriks which I don't like. But who hasn't got a problem with their phones once in a while?

 

[Leewalker19]

As a forum member, we could only recommand you on what WE think is the best device we have used, and what we think is the best for you. 'We'.
Do not let our comments influence your final decision. I understand the goodwill of us forumers giving him our views, but the end decision still boils down to himself.

I recommand you try out the devices you like, the iPhone and maybe the Galaxy S3. Take note that although the new iPhone will sure be great, you will still be holding on to one of the best Android devices ever (in the world of androids). Of course, you may have some buyer's remorse but hey, new stuff comes out every now and then.
As for me, my personal experience in this is buying the iPhone 4 which I quite regret. I didn't I hated it but I wanted to hold on a bit longer for the new iPhone 5 (4S) but had limited patience. So I simply went with the 4. Guess what, I learnt my lesson hard but didn't mind. Apple sure did lessen my pain by giving me reliable hardware and software support. I'm sure 3GS owners would agree with me on this ! (iOS 6 for the 3GS, any 3GS owners surprised?!)

Of course, my iPhone 4 had some kriks which I don't like. But who hasn't got a problem with their phones once in a while?

Thanks. I think ima wait for the iPhone announcement and make my decision then. I really just want to see if they will add additional features from what theyve already shown as well as that "one more thing" to really encourage me to stay with iPhone. I'm sure many ppl or in the same boat because the SGIII is just a remarkable device.

 

[igiboi]

Thanks. I think ima wait for the iPhone announcement and make my decision then. I really just want to see if they will add additional features from what theyve already shown as well as that "one more thing" to really encourage me to stay with iPhone. I'm sure many ppl or in the same boat because the SGIII is just a remarkable device.

I like the s3 but Im disappointed with the htc one x, they are about the same. I jumped to htc last month but I decided to cancel it and return it.the htc one x camera made the final decision for me to return the phone as it doesn't compare to my current 4s pictures. I had a htc desire 3 years ago and I really liked it..before that I had the 3gs. I feel with what android is offering now, its worth a shot switching, but I want the jelly bean OS on it which I would wait for the galaxy note 2 or when they update s3. I feel Jelly Bean I can live with until they try to update again when google releases the new version of Android. As to what I saw in nexus 7, jelly bean is really a pleasant OS to use.

 

[lazard]

Personally waiting to see if the new iphone really is just an elongated 4S. If so, will probably switch to the S3.

 

[Sedrick]

I like the s3 but Im disappointed with the htc one x, they are about the same. I jumped to htc last month but I decided to cancel it and return it.the htc one x camera made the final decision for me to return the phone as it doesn't compare to my current 4s pictures. I had a htc desire 3 years ago and I really liked it..before that I had the 3gs. I feel with what android is offering now, its worth a shot switching, but I want the jelly bean OS on it which I would wait for the galaxy note 2 or when they update s3. I feel Jelly Bean I can live with until they try to update again when google releases the new version of Android. As to what I saw in nexus 7, jelly bean is really a pleasant OS to use.

My disappointment with the One X is that it only comes in 16gig and that's a no-go for me. Too bad about the camera too. Seems like these otherwise great phones always have one or two Achilles heels to keep them from achieving greatness. The One X should have been a killer (most gorgeous design I've ever seen). It had almost everything going for it... It's like HTC wants their phones to fail.

 

[b166er]

I was thinking of picking up an S3 this week. I'd like to give it a month or so and see how I feel. Either way I was going to sell my 4S. If the new iPhone is looking killer than I can use the 4S money to purchase one. My question is, if I truly hate the S3, or if I decide to switch back to the iPhone come this fall, how easy is all that to do without altering my existing ATT plan? I don't want to change anything on my plan, but I wold like to switch back and forth between the iPhone and the S3 at my leisure.

 

[ucfgrad93]

It all boils down to what works best for you - iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, even Blackberry - any can be the perfect product for you.

My advice is wait until Sep/Oct for when Apple announces the new iPhone.

If it satisfies your requirements then get it, if it doesn't switch to Android or Windows.

Well said, gentlemen. It is nice to have choices. Get what works best for you OP and let others do the same.

 

[irDigital0l]

Going Galaxy Nexus or staying with my iPhone 4.

Getting bored of iOS so I want to try out Android, but I want all my apps/games I bought -_-