Pulled into the ecosytem

[MBP*]

I am a former Windows user. I switched to a MBP a few weeks ago, and I am enjoying the experience thus far. The buzz has died down a little, and I almost always forget that I am using OSX.

I like the operating system, which is why I switched, however, I believe the next OS will have a tighter integration with Apple's other products.

For the first time, I have been interested in Apple iPhones (S4, Android user). It seems that I am being sucked into Apple's ecosystem. I am not a fan of th iPhone due to their limited functionality in comparison with Android.

Has anyone shifted from Windows/Android and found it to be a pleasant experience, or do some think going anything beyond their OSX is too far?

 

[960design]

Welcome. We have a twelve step program for you. I'm currently on step 7.

As an aside:
I see that you wrote, limited functionality compared to Android. I'm not sure what that means. What can or would I want to do on an Android device that I cannot on my iPhone. I've been an Android developer in the past and currently an iOS8/Yosemite developer. I'm very interested in ways that I could expand the iPhone to more match the Android.

 

[jg321]

Went from Linux/Andrioid to iOS and OSX. Everything is Apple now, and it's as much about the integration as it is about the OS "not getting in the way".

More integration to come with Yosemite and iOS 8. Personally, I can't wait. I like a simple life these days, and Apples products work for me.

I have iPhone, iPad, multiple Macs (three including my work one!), Airport Routers, Apple TV. GF has iPhone and MBA.

Everything just works.

 

[MBP*]

Welcome. We have a twelve step program for you. I'm currently on step 7.

As an aside:
I see that you wrote, limited functionality compared to Android. I'm not sure what that means. What can or would I want to do on an Android device that I cannot on my iPhone. I've been an Android developer in the past and currently an iOS8/Yosemite developer. I'm very interested in ways that I could expand the iPhone to more match the Android.

I don't want to start an Apple vs Android debate, but having been with Android from the very beginning, the rate of innovation on each release of smart phone spanning over 12 to 18 months with hardware is leaps and bounds ahed of Apple. This is what has kept me with Android and the Samsung series.

With my Android I have a lot of flexibility in customisation, apps, and everything being tied with Google - mail, calendar, contacts etc. The preferences menu is very comprehensive also.

My perception of an iPhone seems to be that it is aimed at those who want a simple phone, with fewer features than the competitors hardware.

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Went from Linux/Andrioid to iOS and OSX. Everything is Apple now, and it's as much about the integration as it is about the OS "not getting in the way".

More integration to come with Yosemite and iOS 8. Personally, I can't wait. I like a simple life these days, and Apples products work for me.

I have iPhone, iPad, multiple Macs (three including my work one!), Airport Routers, Apple TV. GF has iPhone and MBA.

Everything just works.

I think this is what will move Apple higher up in sales. Most people, or myself, are using Windows with android. There isn't any integration here, unless of course, Google release a proper OS and begin their work on integrating the two systems. Windows has the advantage and I'm sure they've begun integrating their mobile phones to the OS, perhaps we will see something in the next Windows.

I'm all up for integration, and this is why, for the first time in 5 years, I've considered an iPhone.

 

[Oohara]

With my Android I have a lot of flexibility in customisation, apps, and everything being tied with Google - mail, calendar, contacts etc. The preferences menu is very comprehensive also.

Personally I went over to Android one year ago to get a bigger screen device, have swipe typing, be able to set my own default apps, to have hassle-free file handling using the open file browser + the ability to attach any files to an email without jumping through hoops, a bit of variation on my home screen, and to be able to set widgets on the home screen for fast-access functions like turning the wifi hotspot on/off without going spelunking into a settings menu.

Many of the crucial points there are being addressed in iOS 8 though (3d party keyboards being the biggie for me), including the larger screens coming up on the iPhone 6 models, so I think this comparison landscape will look very different in just a few months.

What may keep me on Android though is that I'm stuck on Windows for work (not that I mind) so I won't be able to sms and handle phone notifications on my computer etc. through the new iOS 8 seamlessness, if I get an iPhone. Oh, and Google Keep. Honestly I love that simplistic phone-to-computer web browser note setup so much that I might stay on Android just for that.

 

[960design]

I don't want to start an Apple vs Android debate, but having been with Android from the very beginning, the rate of innovation on each release of smart phone spanning over 12 to 18 months with hardware is leaps and bounds ahed of Apple. This is what has kept me with Android and the Samsung series.

I hear you. Whatever I type reads like I'm antagonizing you, I promise that is not my intention. My intention is purely selfish for future development from an Android consumer point of view. You say the hardware is leaps and bounds ahead of Apple. Could you give a couple of examples?

With my Android I have a lot of flexibility in customisation, apps, and everything being tied with Google - mail, calendar, contacts etc. The preferences menu is very comprehensive also.

Agreed, Android does have a significant, let me be more precise, colossal customization advantage over Apple. The others: apps, mail, calendar, contacts we have the same via our iCloud accounts.

My perception of an iPhone seems to be that it is aimed at those who want a simple phone, with fewer features than the competitors hardware.

You are exactly correct. Apple spends tons of time making something complex, simple. We appreciate it. Have you navigated Google's console menus? An infant set that up over the weekend. Zero thought went into UI. This makes a potentially powerful system useless in the hands of the masses. It takes a lot of time to think through work flows and buttonology. Something that Apple excels at.

 

[MBP*]

You say the hardware is leaps and bounds ahead of Apple. Could you give a couple of examples?

Loads. I'm sure that Android featured the first dual core processors which changed the whole dynamic in terms of app being developed. Android devices have almost always had a better camera with HD recording first on the Android and now with 4K recording on the Sony ZS. The S4's hovering touch (interacting with the screen without actually touching it). Of course, each vendor has their own slant on their own device, with Samsung historically speaking, being more innovative in on the 'features' front.

Agreed, Android does have a significant, let me be more precise, colossal customization advantage over Apple. The others: apps, mail, calendar, contacts we have the same via our iCloud accounts.

Yes, but there are probably more people using Google's equivalent than Apples'. This transition to iClould is what I am dreading most of all, and I understand it being quite an integral feature of Apple's new OS.

You are exactly correct. Apple spends tons of time making something complex, simple. We appreciate it. Have you navigated Google's console menus? An infant set that up over the weekend. Zero thought went into UI. This makes a potentially powerful system useless in the hands of the masses. It takes a lot of time to think through work flows and buttonology. Something that Apple excels at.

I don't think they reverse the complexity to make things simple. I think it's ingrained into their ethos to be 'direct' and to the point in their OS. Of course this gives the impression of being less powerful, which is one of the reasons I've held back. But I'm not wrong in saying their hardware is inferior, it'll be some time still until they get their 4K recording. Surely, by then that would've been so yesterday for Android. You have some of the biggest players in electronics innovating simultaneously, particularly Samsung and Sony who've delivered amazing products all-round.

Google are making some drastic improvements to their OS, with KitKat being rolled out gradually. In the early days for Android, it wasn't about getting things perfect, but out there to the consumer. Certainly I've seen a huge improvement in software from 2011 to now. Software that is supporting 4K recording, running web servers, keeping up with intensive game graphics on dual/quad core chips, and other huge tasks were first unimaginable on mobile devices - but now they're happening on Android devices first.

So all in all, my breath won't be taken away with every release of an Apple iPhone (just my cash). But I know for a fact, that I'll be blown away by the next release of the Galaxy series. I was completely taken aback when I first turned on my S4 last year; personally for me its still the pinnacle of what a 'smartphone' is, at least within the Android world.