I am too smart for my iPhone

[spades1412]

What are you talking about? It can handle reception if you're in an area with decent reception. Mine works perfectly, I cant even replicate the signal loss with the death grip. But seriously, who holds their phone in a death grip when theyre talking to someone on it? I use my fingertips.

This!!!

I can replicate the "death grip" however the natural way I hold my phone is with my fingers and experience no signal loss or dropped calls holding it that way. Right or Left hand. Its a non issue for me and I would consider myself to be a "Heavy" user. Lots of business related calls, emails and browsing through out the day.

 

[keyofnight]

But when it comes to simplicity, I should say I disagree. Less isn’t always more, at least not in this case. I want the iPhone to be my phone, and Apple isn’t really allowing it to be so.

I kinda agree with you. Apple does put a lot of limits on how the phone works and can be customized. I'm not sure what I would want to customize, though. I suppose that's where we differ: I like the experience Apple has curated. You just don't. I'm okay with that, too. I think Android is a worthy option.

When I say simplicity, though, I don't mean "less is more." What I mean is that the process is made less difficult by removing the needless complexities. Good design, I think, simplifies the experience. I don't think users should have to think very hard about how their phones will be customized…I think they should think harder about the task they're performing.

It's hard to allow customization while not forcing the user to deal with customizations before they use their phones. I remember having to show people how the home screen is laid out, the difference between apps and widgets, where to find a full list of Apps, etc.—they simply didn't know how to start with the phone otherwise. Honestly, I don't feel like having to protect my preferences like I do with Emacs or Vim (—geeky old text editors, for those who aren't in the know).

With the iPhone: there's one button and everything is there. The important things are at the bottom, and they're clearly labeled: Phone, Mail, etc. When in doubt, push the one button! I find Android a bit…scattered? Disorganized? This is what I mean by simplicity. A person's desk can be "simplified" without throwing anything away. A simplified desk means that the pens are in the pen drawer, the paper is in the paper drawer, and everything is easy to get to.

It reminds me of when I moved from Gentoo Linux to Mac OS X. I originally bought Macs because their design was awesome—I would buy them just to install Linux. At some point, I decided to do RAW digital photography. To deal with RAW pictures, I would've had to write a script to run them through a RAW processor, pump them into the Gimp, run color corrections, etc.

I said to myself, "What the hell. This is stupid. Can't I just manipulate my pictures? Do I have decide on every step of the way before I can start walking?" That's when I installed Mac OS X, and grabbed free trials of Aperture & Photoshop—I haven't looked back since.

I doubt Android is this bad—I haven't used Froyo or any of the newest versions—but I know that it still does some of this. Am I wrong?

 

[Consultant]

FAIL.

For example, the first item: "no saving attachments"

Specifically, as mentioned in his other post, he wants to save a PDF. But there is a way, and it's built in.
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=10413382

All the other arguments applies to Windows Mobile does it too.
But people with half a brain can realize that features =/= usability,
only except are the people who are too clueless for an iPhone.

 

[BOSS10L]

…I don't even know why I post such long messages. No one reads them anyway… lol.

Yes, some of us do. There are those of us who actually prefer a little intellectually-infused verbosity as opposed to the requisite "then get a Droid" response.

And FWIW, I couldn't agree more with your assertions.

 

[milk242]

One thing I personally don't like on Android is the App drawer. What I mean is that when carriers sell you their branded phone, it is full of crap and the App drawer becomes sort of disorganized. Only rooting it allows me to remove that crap. I also don't really like how android looks on 4" screen and bigger because of the way the elements in the UI stretch.

I guess reading the statement up top, I realize how important a simple and elegant UI really is for me.

 

[Aero26]

cool story bro

lol. fanboy response is full of fanboy.

 

[Alpha4]

To save attachments:

Install DocsToGo. Long press on attachment file - Select 'Open with DocsToGo' from Menu Popup - Select Save File Icon (Disk Icon @ bottom left).

Job done in a few seconds.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A293 Safari/6531.22.7)

If you thought the iPhone 4 was lacking in features, you should've seen the original iPhone.

 

[woosah]

…I don't even know why I post such long messages. No one reads them anyway… lol.

THIS

 

[terrywfoster]

I want to post this and express my thoughts on the OP's message to us.

I have to confess that I have used the Android Phone and the iPhone 4.

My conclusion is that the Android phone reminds me of

 

[ellelittle]

…I don't even know why I post such long messages. No one reads them anyway… lol.

I read it and agree with most of what you said. I definitely agree with the last part about the feel of the phone, one of the guys I work with just got an Evo and just the physical feel of it makes me not want one.

 

[keyofnight]

Aww, schucks. Thanks guys.

 

[paulisme]

I want to post this and express my thoughts on the OP's message to us.

I have to confess that I have used the Android Phone and the iPhone 4.

My conclusion is that the Android phone reminds me of

Mmm...chocolate...

 

[paulisme]

Does it just come down to the fact that the iPhone is, really, a phone for dumb people or light users?

You nailed it. We're dumb people. I can't see why anyone on this forum would disagree with this statement.

 

[kas23]

I agree with the OP. I just don't know why it took so long for him to come to this conclusion.

 

[jclardy]

... And iPhone was great when it first came out, it reset the industry. Now, it's about to be blown away by Android.

Yeah that was great when the Incredible sold 1.7 million times in its opening weekend.

Oh wait, that was iPhone.

If you don't like iPhone, get an Android phone. Or a Web OS phone. Or a Windows Phone. It is really very simple. Buy what you like or what you need.

Hate to break it to you, but the iPhone will be around for a while, along with Android. They can co-exist, and they can make each other better.

 

[gridmonkey]

Agreed with OP to a point. There are many things Apple products should be able to do, that are plainly well within their capability, but which are inexplicably, infuriatingly unavailable.

Jailbreaking alters the equation quite radically however. (And if you are tech-savvy enough to consider an Android phone, you should be tech-savvy enough to jailbreak.)

 

[Pmpman]

OP, I know this was hard to say/ask without sounding "flamey." I'm not sure how I feel about people getting called a "flamer" whenever they say something honest but opposed. Internet etiquette is a concept that never truly stuck, and most people on web forums are not looking for seasoned intellectual debate. (I don't blame them either, life is hard enough.) Either way, thanks for the honesty.

I take it your main question is here:



In short, I like the iPhone for its simplicity, beautiful design, and intuitive interface.

Here is a list of things I want from my Phone:

(1) I don't want to have to struggle with menus. There are a lot of menus in Android OS, and things tend to be a little more buried than on the iPhone. Let's put it this way… I've never had to RTFM to set up anything on the iPhone.

(2) Android isn't as responsive. A good UI is one that responds to the actions of the user in ways that make it easy for the user to explore. It would suck to explore the world if there weren't near-instant feedback between your limbs and the ground. Likewise, it is harder to explore the Android OS because the feedback isn't as smooth. It feels like using GTK1 in FreeBSD 3 (…well, definitely not that bad, but I think you get the point.)

(3) Android isn't as "connected." I have never had an easier time managing my contacts, music, documents, etc. than I have had with Mac OS X + iPhone. I have VCFs, I add them to "address book," I click 'Sync,' and they're on my goddamn phone. No futzing with Google Sync, no screwing around with CSVs and random contacts that are automagically added to my list by Google. I prefer simplicity.

(4) Managing my applications and widgets on an Android phone is like using the inventory in Diablo 2—you have to keep track of what can fit where and how much space there is.. lol. It's not a big deal, but it felt very geeky.

(5) Android phones tend to be of shoddy build quality. If I'm going to spend 300-500 on a phone, shouldn't it look and feel the way I want it to? The iPhone 4 is the sexiest device on the market, and that definitely contributes to its functionality. The iPhone has four buttons and a switch. Other than that, it has no moving parts. There is no shabby plastic port cover that will fall off after three months of regular use. There are no stupid camera buttons that only serve to unlock the phone in your pocket. There is no annoying sliding keyboard hinge that loosens up after 6 months and feels floppy. There is no annoying battery cover that pops off when you drop the phone—sending your battery one way and your sim card the other way. The phone is solid, and that's worth the money right there.

I read it, and I thought your points were eloquent and spot on. Thank you for the insight.

 

[w00t951]

…I don't even know why I post such long messages. No one reads them anyway… lol.

I read it... Those were my thoughts exactly. By the way, does anyone else get reminded of themed Windows Me by the Android interface? It's just chunky. Like it was designed by a Tonka truck company.

 

[milk242]

Agreed with OP to a point. There are many things Apple products should be able to do, that are plainly well within their capability, but which are inexplicably, infuriatingly unavailable.

Jailbreaking alters the equation quite radically however. (And if you are tech-savvy enough to consider an Android phone, you should be tech-savvy enough to jailbreak.)

I don't think that should be a good argument. With jailbreaking, you are always worried about the next update and/or hindered from updating to the next software version until you know it's safe. With Android, the options that you wanted to get from jailbreaking is already there.

Anyways, I think both devices are great. I bought a Nexus one + microsim adapter and the iPhone 4. I love both devices.

 

[gridmonkey]

I don't think that should be a good argument. With jailbreaking, you are always worried about the next update and/or hindered from updating to the next software version until you know it's safe. With Android, the options that you wanted to get from jailbreaking is already there.

It's stupid that jailbreaking is even necessary, but it's not a big deal. Just don't update until the Dev Team says it's safe. Simple. And it levels the playing field between the two devices enough that other factors, like Apple's build quality, really start to push it ahead IMO. I agree with many others in this thread that current Android devices look like plasticky disposable garbage. Like comparing a $5 Casio to a Rolex. They're just not even in the same league.

 

[jk4lebron23]

…I don't even know why I post such long messages. No one reads them anyway… lol.

I did...but then again I'm really bored lol

 

[ianray]

Also I heard there is no PDF viewer or Acrobat. If so that is nuts.

iOS 4 includes 'Quick Look' technology which lets you preview various file types including PDF

From http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/mail.html:

iPhone supports rich HTML email, so images appear inline with text. And you see email attachments such as Microsoft Office documents or PDFs in their original format. You can even open attachments in compatible third-party apps.

 

[ripkord]

I am not meaning to start a flame war, I am merely expressing my observations about the new iPhone thus far. And please, refrain from giving "...And what are you doing here, exactly?" responses.

I used an Android phone before and I am finding myself increasingly baffled by all the seemingly fundamental features the iPhone lacks. Let me say, though, I think it's a beautiful piece of engineering, very intuitive and simple. But herein lies the problem.

By that I mean, for instance, no saving attachments, no searching within web pages, no multiple separate inbox icons, no multiple email notification settings, no status bar notifications...

Of course, "there's an app for that" - but that's beside the point. I shouldn't have to pay between $0.99 and $4.99 or more to be able to search a web page - besides, I don't want a bunch of icons on my phone that all amount to incremental improvements to performance that should really be built in.

Does it just come down to the fact that the iPhone is, really, a phone for dumb people or light users?

I don't necessarily mean dumb, but after using Android, the lack of customization and features on the iPhone is a bit of a shock. (For the record, Android comes with all of those above features built in).

What does the average iPhone user want from a phone? Is it just basic Internet browsing (without Flash) and a bit of music listening?

I don't mean to offend but to spark discussion. I love how shiny my iPhone is, but I just wish it was smarter.

You'd be better asking that elsewhere, this place... well lets just say their a bit partisan

I came from a HTC hero - android has its advantages over iOS and iOS has its advantages over android.
It, like everything else in this short life - comes down to personal preference. Would be a dull world if we all liked the same thing.

Personally I wouldn't rule out going back to android - they way the releases of the different builds is handled (esp by HTC) really needs looked at. I waited ages for the Hero to get 2.1 Now 2.2 is out - I gave up and got an iPhone4. I love it. I miss notifications and even the LED to show I had an email / message at a glance but I love the ip4. Love it. I can mitigate the reception issues for now and I believe it can be partially alleviated by a software fix. I'd agree that android is a bit more for the geekier ones, more options. With more options comes less simplicity though. We're back to the choices again. Isn't it wonderful to have options?

 

[iJules]

KEYOFNIGHT: I read your posts, thanks for writing it, long-winded as it may be.