Actually, you didn't give me any examples of Android apps that do the same things I do now with my iOS apps.
While it's true that I'm not very interested in switching to Android at the moment, I AM curious if Android apps can replicate the functionality of the iOS apps I've mentioned, so if you or anybody else could offer suggestions, I'd be interested to hear.
But I think I've proven my point that it is a lot of work to figure out this stuff -- you say there are ways to sync my iTunes library with Android phones for free, but apparently, you can't name one off the top of your head. You say "oh, there are free options," and leave me to do the research. No, I'm not asking you to go find out the names of the free syncing programs, just pointing out that, apparently, finding them isn't so simple.
There are reasons why people stick with iOS, despite the fact that many things are easier on Amdroid. And for the same reason, I wouldn't advise people to switch from Android to iOS if they are happy with Android. For that matter, I have an iMac that is running Windows 7 most of the time, because I keep finding that if I already know how to do something in Windows, it's easy to keep doing things in Windows rather than to try to learn how to do it in OS X. It's not that one is better than the other, it's that both are about the same, so why not stick to the one I'm used to?
Now, as far as Windows is concerned, if Microsoft doesn't fix Windows 8, I might be switching to OS X. So if Apple ever messes up iOS as badly as Microsoft messed up with Windows 8, well, I'll be looking at my options then! 😉
Coming from a longtime iPhone user, a self-proclaimed iOS/iPhone apologist AND a Nexus 4 user, I can tell you - the switch isn't really that difficult....
I use the standard Google Play music for my song library (roughly 8,000 songs) - anything I purchase on any of my iOS devices automatically syncs to my N4. Just have a little bit of initial setup involved (turning on auto-download on your main computer, download the music manager from Google, set the folder to pull from to the iTunes folder and make sure iTunes manages that folder and keeps it organized for best results).
As for the backup situation, there isn't anything as good as iCloud backups (that's free anyways). Sure Google will save all your apps and re-download them to your phone, but then you have to re-arrange everything again - or make sure you physically save your launcher layout in whichever launcher you are using (mine is Nova and it will only save to an SD Card, not the cloud).
As for your specific apps I have no idea. I have found all the apps I use, though they are pretty generic and there are some iOS apps that have been updated since while the Android version has not.
The more I use both, the more I find issues like Couch's to be way overblown. The comments about the iPhone 5 being some outdated, crippled piece of technology are ridiculous just as those comments that Android is a laggy, buggy OS are. These phones aren't all that different. Learning curve with each to be sure, but the Nexus/Android hasn't been some life-changing thing where all of the sudden I'm infinitely more productive because the N4 can do "so much more".....
I use my smartphone how I use it. No amount of gimmicks or options is going to change that. It takes a true innovation to get people like me to move away from how I do things - and I generally do the same things, in slightly different ways, with both phones.
Here's my big Android vs. iOS comparison:
On Android I have 6 different ways to call my wife, all readily accessible (simply to try things out).
On iOS I have 2, maybe 3.
This is the epitome of this war - Android gives you "options", but whether or not these options are better is really highly subjective and therefore invalid in an argument of superiority.
For me, I like both and use both. I'm a tech junkie and am fascinated by all this stuff. If I HAD to keep one, I'd keep my iPhone - simply because of my familiarity with it and it hits all my needs/wants (plus most of my family uses an iPhone). But since I am able to use both (personal line and work line - work line REQUIRES an iPhone), I do.
And you most CERTAINLY should switch to OSX and a Mac....best decision I ever made....its torturous working on this Dell at work....
😛