I am thinking of my future with iPhone/Apple

[5105973]

I agree, I'm using iOS 10 beta now and I'm liking it. For me, I like to try and experiment with new toys here and there, but I think my only option is to buy an a galaxy S7 outright, probably a refurb if there are any available and just experiment with it there.

Yeah, it's fun to experiment and you actually are more likely to give the new device a more fair evaluation if you're not depending on it as your daily driver. I definitely would not be as calm and happy about going to the Note 7 if it were my one and only phone. In addition to being a mom and all the connectivity that entails, I take care of elderly parents who are engaged in repeat battles with cancer. I have medical issues myself. No way would I ever give up the proven reliability of my Apple phones no matter how indignant I might be at the removal of the headphone jack or bemused by the camera bump or whatever else I could think of to be bothered by.

But I did want to become fluent in other platforms and platform independent as possible to future-proof my existence, in case Apple loses its direction and focus and starts putting out crap. Right now, as a consumer I look at their pace of innovation and their forays into new countries and new markets and new products and read about some quality control issues and possible strife with internal politics and so I developed just enough uncertainty that I decided to step back a little from my unthinking investment in the ecosystem.

Don't get me wrong, I don't see doom and gloom this year or next year and in fact think things could actually take flight from the investments they've made in recent times.

But just in case...I'm diversifying my options. I like options. I like Apple to know I have options so they will work hard to make me good stuff so I don't take my options and leave them in the dust.

They like having options, too. In fact the big complaint against them here on this forum is that they've given the appearance of spending too much time and too many resources exploring their other options to make money instead of focusing on the products that built their war chest up to this point.

Options are always good and we and Apple should strive to explore the options that make sense for us in ways that make sense for us.

 

[chrisforpm]

Just my opinion, take it for what it's worth. I use both an iPhone 6s Plus and a Note 5. Samsung has amazing hardware, it's beautiful and state of the art. But the software leaves a lot to be desired. Touchwiz has improved over the years but it still has a lot of room for improvement. There isn't a day when I am not fiddling with a setting to stop a rogue app from eating up my battery life. As many have pointed out, lag has a tendency to show up after a few months. As for software updates, virtually non-existent. I am at the mercy of Rogers Wireless in Canada which has put out one security update back in May. It's not samsung's fault, but you will be at the mercy of your carrier for software updates.

Apple on the other hand has not done much with the look of the phone. However the internals always get a boost and it's what makes the phone run. The software on the iPhone is the best part of the phone. The way it works with the hardware means the phone runs smoothly and with very little to no lag. I always get amazing battery life on my 6s+ and I never have to fiddle with settings. It's not all positive, all technology has its quirks, but to me the iphone just works.

I always like to sum it up this way - if you love technology and like to tinker, Android is for you. If you want a device that just does what it is supposed to do, choose iOS.

 

[maxsix]

Did they listen?

Huh?

 

[PaladinGuy]

As someone who just returned a Note 7, for me the sheen wore off quickly.

It was a very nice device, and I can completely understand someone being happy with it. It just wasn't for me.
I underestimated the importance of iMessage. Probably 90%+ of the people I contact regularly are on iPhones.

Could you elaborate on why you returned or sold the note 7? Was it the software or the recall?

 

[Sparkymoto]

I use both. I have the Note 7 for personal and the iPhone for work. For business, companies use iPhone because it's uncomplicated and people can figure it out as it's so basic. I like Android for personal because I can customize it so much and it never gets boring. Touch wiz used to be glitchy, but that was before s6. I've had S6 edge, Note 5, now Note 7 and all of them have been solid phones. Gone are the bugs and glitches that used to plague Samsung. My iPhone 6 stutters and isn't perfect. Gone are the days of iPhone being superior software wise. I'm lucky I can use both and I would recommend that to anybody if they can afford it, otherwise if you stick to only Apple, you're missing out

 

[Darryjr]

I went into the city centre today. Lucky to have both Apple and Samsung stores in the same shopping centre.

I have together with my wife to many Apple products to mention being a long time addict to all things from the company.

I think you can guess what I am about to ask.

Why is it from the Samsung S7 edge to nearly all the other products in the Samsung store did I feel the screens were much better, apps faster and had all items just had a better quality feel to them?

Aside from the security issue with Android I have been tempted to the dark side.

Is there any hope for me?

Dave

I've been a long time iPhone user a well. Picked up s7 edge and haven't looked back.

 

[Flow39]

It's all about the ecosystem. I left iOS for about 6 months after I picked up a Nexus 6 on Black Friday, and I will say that I really, really enjoy Android. For me, however, I really prefer iOS and the all around package it provides. My Nexus had a ton of really annoying issues like screen burn in (after only 2 weeks), poor cell reception (even after flashing a half dozen different radio images from the factory files), overheating, poor battery life, and general instability/bugs.

My iPhones, after using them for 2 years, have given me no major issues to complain about. They haven't been perfect, but I haven't had as many big issues as I did with my other Android devices in the past. I found that when I switched back to iOS, the user experience was more consistent, reliable, stable, and user friendly, along with the fact that the advertised features (AirDrop, Continiuty, etc) worked perfectly. A lot of the advertised features of Android (Android Pay, Doze in 6.0) worked only sometimes.

Also, I missed the ability to text and take phone calls from all of my devices. I found that it was a hassle to purchase apps twice on both platforms. I missed the seamless integration that Apple products provide. I missed the automatic iCloud backups. All of these things, coupled with the fact that my Nexus was giving me issues, made me happy to switch back to iOS.

In the end t all comes down to personal preference. If you are heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem with both hardware and software, I would advise against switching, especially if you aren't having any issues with what iOS offers. If you really want to try Android, by all means do it, but don't jump out of the Apple ecosystem entirely in case you want to come back. Just remember, after the honeymoon period of a device, and under the high resolution screens, designs, and spec sheets of phones, all you are left with is the software, services, and user experience of a device.

 

[maxsix]

I sold my iphone 6 in July and bought a Nexus 5X, and this week I came back to Apple with my tail between my legs and bought an iPhone SE.

Granted the 5X is a mid range phone but even so I was fed up having to do maintenance on it just to get it not to slow down and to get the battery to last the day. They say Samsungs TW is a hog, the 5X has stock android and still runs like carp. I also installed the Nougat DP5 on it and it ran even worse than Lollipop with redraws of the launcher etc.

So here I am back to a phone that just works with no fuss.

My Nexus 5X is an excellent performer, smooth, lag free and easily lasts a fourteen to eighteen hour day. Your "maintenance" claim is rather amusing. The extreme tales some Android haters tell about "their experiences" with various Android phones is proof of just how emotional their ties are to Apple.

Those who've actually owned Androids and listed valid criticisms don't need to tell stories, they've kept their credibility in place and we've had interesting discussions.

 

[marcociccone]

I have to say, after being Apple all life and pretty "almost" locked into the ecosystem, with a 6s Plus, Watch, iPad Air, Macbook Pro and Apple TV... I'm now looking at what's over the fence.

I don't know if I'm just bored, maybe I wanna just try something new... maybe it's just curiosity of trying new features like android VR and Google home. I love tech in general, and with these innovation Google is bringing to life what I've always seen in sci-fi movies (let me dream!). Maybe I have only been bewitched by demos that in real life will not perform well, though, I don't know unless I try. I know few things for sure:

- I have always been happy with Apple products, customer support is excellent
- I realise I maybe accomplish the same tasks by spending a fraction of the cost with a Nexus (or Pixel) flagship phone, few chromecasts and a chromebook or windows pc with chrome
- I love iOS because of its stability and smoothness... I wonder if a Nexus 6P with android stock can bring the same experience or if it lags after few days of use...
- I definitely love how iCloud devices work together. Will android deliver the same experience?

I don't use iMessage at all, being in Europe everyone I know uses whatsapp. I can use Plex or Google Drive/Google Play Music to stream my media, so that's not an issue. All the apps I use are on Android (just mainstrem apps, LinkedIn, Facebook, Uber, etc) - no niche apps... so... I don't know what to do!

I'll probably buy a Nexus 6P (used) and wait Apple and Google keynotes, and make a call.

Who tried a Nexus 6P? How does it compare with a 6S Plus?
[doublepost=1473080226][/doublepost]

It's all about the ecosystem. I left iOS for about 6 months after I picked up a Nexus 6 on Black Friday, and I will say that I really, really enjoy Android. For me, however, I really prefer iOS and the all around package it provides. My Nexus had a ton of really annoying issues like screen burn in (after only 2 weeks), poor cell reception (even after flashing a half dozen different radio images from the factory files), overheating, poor battery life, and general instability/bugs.

My iPhones, after using them for 2 years, have given me no major issues to complain about. They haven't been perfect, but I haven't had as many big issues as I did with my other Android devices in the past. I found that when I switched back to iOS, the user experience was more consistent, reliable, stable, and user friendly, along with the fact that the advertised features (AirDrop, Continiuty, etc) worked perfectly. A lot of the advertised features of Android (Android Pay, Doze in 6.0) worked only sometimes.

Also, I missed the ability to text and take phone calls from all of my devices. I found that it was a hassle to purchase apps twice on both platforms. I missed the seamless integration that Apple products provide. I missed the automatic iCloud backups. All of these things, coupled with the fact that my Nexus was giving me issues, made me happy to switch back to iOS.

In the end t all comes down to personal preference. If you are heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem with both hardware and software, I would advise against switching, especially if you aren't having any issues with what iOS offers. If you really want to try Android, by all means do it, but don't jump out of the Apple ecosystem entirely in case you want to come back. Just remember, after the honeymoon period of a device, and under the high resolution screens, designs, and spec sheets of phones, all you are left with is the software, services, and user experience of a device.

Very interesting, I'm in your exact situation, happy with Apple but curious to try something new. I'll try the Nexus 6P along with my apple devices...