[url=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RU5bwb5-mSg/TpP2OFIYSFI/AAAAAAAABGk/5sSki1ihWpc/s320/justin_wagoner_ipad_2_tent.jpeg]Image[/url]I read a lot of spec sheets comparing the latest Android
phones against the iPhone iterations. These to me are just two guys in a room arguing over cars or their preference of a PC or Mac. Everyone has their preference so the
arguments and comments on these articles are usually very passionate and
fueled, but they dont answer the questions raised:
Which phone is better?
To really answer that question, is not as simple as fastest
processor, largest screen, and newest operating system.
Comparing individual specs
between smartphones is like opening up the hood of a Ford Mustang and the hood
of a BMW M3 and pointing out why one is better than the other based on its
innards.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/smart-phones/231900086
[url=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oRqVGbpQf_0/TpHlwyMhduI/AAAAAAAABFI/CyGbNI4HgwY/s640/comparisonspecs.png]Image[/url]
So here is the most popular comparison, the Galaxy SII
running Android OS and the iPhone 4S running iOS5. People want to point out
here that the Galaxy SII is the clear winner due to the larger screen, however,
what people dont seem to see is that the larger screen has two downfalls:
A: it has a
resolution of 800 X 480 while the iPhone while smaller has a resolution of 960
X 640. If you dont understand what that means, it means you can see more on
the iPhone's smaller screen at one time than you can the Galaxy SII.
B: Lets talk
about LARGER phones for a second. Yes the screen looks awesome at first glance,
but this is still a phone and lets talk about the ease of use with one hand
while say
DRIVING??!!
lol. Below is the arc of the thumb when holding a phone.
[url=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rv2WUQkjH3I/TpHlyKm60bI/AAAAAAAABFQ/HihY87EbFH0/s400/Screentouch.png]Image[/url]
Hardware will never trump anything if the software
running on it doesnt use it to its fullest potential.
That can also mean
holding
back power to reserve battery or
make transitions smoother. A faster processor doesnt mean a phone will run
faster if there are bottlenecks in the operating system or applications. And
one things Apple does is keep their OS unified long enough for developers to
really optimize those specs. (Update: One very distinct feature people all around the web can agree upon is the capacitive touch screens, Android users often feel stuttering or lag when scrolling pinch to zoom etc, while the experience on an iPhone is much smoother, which is software, not hardware. I.E. Older iPod touches vs newer Android phones.)
So OK fine, you are still unconvinced that the iPhone 4S is
a contender, even after the record breaking presales and you continue to be a die hard Android OS user.
That is fine, in the end it really is
about personal preference. Statistically, Blackberry users are hardcore email
users and their phones work great for that, Windows 7 phone users want to be on
the edge of their seats hoping their new jump will take off and they can be
early adopters, Android users usually tend to want full control over all
aspects of their phone, and iPhone users tend to want something they can turn
on and just use.
But screw personal preference, as we are here to say which
phone is better.
So here is what I
will tell you from personal experience; I have owned two android devices
the HTC Incredible and Droid Eris. Both
of these phones felt great to me, they ran fast and without hiccup, but
within a month of owning both devices I
looked on the web and realized there was a
faster/better
phone already out, so I started to get disheartened, I couldnt keep up
with the tech. I had to use a family members upgrades to keep up to date or
shell out full price and hope my old device would sell on craigslist. That
sucked. Then I would find out that
my
operating system was old and my phone
wouldnt
get updated. So even though my phone was better the OS held it back and
made it feel clunky. Well that is disappointing.
The fragmentation between phones is too great to keep them
all up to date, a downfall Google is finally addressing, hopefully, in their
next OS.
Android is selling more devices right now because there
are more devices. What I havent seen
yet is an article with Android users exclaiming their fear that for once,
iPhone lovers can get a damn good device, the iPhone 4, for 99 dollars with
contract. That is a HUGE step.
Apple may not have shock and awed the world with a redesign
of the device but they opened up their phone to almost all the carriers and
made it affordable, just like android with their lower level competitors.
Lets talk Droid AD campaign for a second as well,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-K71MpwCko
These ADs really dont scream, Mother of two children, a
dog, and picket fence, I should be your next phone! It is kinda a mix between
a bad B movie with girls in scantily clad bikinis fighting zombies with that
new movie Real Steel!!!! where Wolverine fights boxing matches with robots..
WHAT!?! (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei5l3r1dV4I)
So we are not really selling to the females of the world,
and then I have had a strange observation: any girl
I have known that owned or owns a Droid has either broken it over
3 times and eventually gets an iPhone or just doesnt dig deep enough into
their Android phones settings and features to get the full potential of their
phone to work. It sucks that the operating system needs apps and widgets to
really make its full potential shine. Those features are cool, but you can
download ****** features, without even being aware, that drain your battery
within seconds.
Which brings me to the Battery. Whether your Android phone
has a 1750 MHZ or a 900000 MHZ battery, without application mitigation from the
operating system, the battery will still drain faster than it should. iOS may
not have widgets but what they do have mitigates the battery to A, last longer,
and B, charge faster. Those are TWO very important features.
The real elephant in the room here is the APPs, people like
to say Android is now catching up with the APP game, but from my recent
purchase of an iPad 2, it would seem, that is not as true as you may think.
When I saw the amount of apps there were that would aid me in my daily life I
almost **** a brick, then being an Android user I almost **** my pants again
because OMG I HAVE TO PAY FOR THESE!?!?!?
That is the mentality of an Android user, their OS is free, and
therefore the apps should be too. This is a huge deciding factor for companies
making some of the most successful apps on iOS to NOT port them over to Android
devices. They cant make money, because
iPhone
users are more likely to pay for an APP than Android users.
Accessories: Because
with the iPhone there is just ONE design every two years, it has the most
amazing offerings of cases, chargers, and accessories. Developers have more
time to create and polish them, making the choice the users decision, not
decided by which phone you have. By the time cool accessories come out for your
Android phone it has been replaced and the companies move on to the phone that
is dubbed cooler so they can make more sales.
So the iPhone 4S, has been dubbed a disappointment, but the
sales are clear so far: it is a success. And that has a lot to do with the fact
that they didnt just upgrade the internals, they
REALLY updated them, they already have one of the best cameras
regardless of megapixels and they just updated the hell out of it with some
seriously impressive features. These days who doesnt use their phone as a main
camera now for everyday stuff?
The best camera is the one you have with you Chase
Jarvis
iOS 5 a HUGE
overhaul. Did it copy ideas from Android? Damn straight! But before you get
your panties in a bunch didnt Android have to copy ideas from iOS to begin?
And I give both companies props for continuing the forward momentum. Siri while
may be fun to bag on, if it is what they say it is, is a HUGE advancement in
Voice operation. I actually hope the two companies continue to push each other
feature wise, so the user gets the rewards in the end.
[url=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNouMoT-aP8/TpHlxhnQ00I/AAAAAAAABFM/PT5AQ_0y01Y/s320/GoogleSearch.png]Image[/url]I have a PC a Macbook Pro, and Ipad 2 and an Android phone,
but this time around I pre-ordered the iPhone 4S because I decided I was tired
of screaming at my OS when it would just do stupid ****, like drain my battery
in less than 5 minutes after a full charge, or lag in apps especially when
texting, and I realized the widgets, such as the google search bar, while cool just took up space on the screen
and drained battery life.
I like knowing I will always have the most up to date OS, my
phone will retain value, and I can upgrade every year instead of every month to
keep up.
Which brings me to my final statement
Standing in line aka Brand Loyalty
[url=http://iphonewhatever.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/donotcross-300x300.jpg]Image[/url]For the release of the small update iPhone 4S, there is
already 2 people standing in line at the 5th avenue Apple Store in
NYC for 13 days, they began camping out 2 weeks before the launch of the phone
to secure their spot as FIRST to get their new device!
Disney capitalized on this well, they know they have good
rides, so they setup lines that people dont want to stand in, but will to go on
a crazy adventure that lets them forget about the line in the first place.
I took a trip down there to see if they were crazy, but to
my surprise they were normal every day people with jobs, who just wanted to
experience the phenomenon of an Apple Launch event as
first.
This desire to stand in line and be first
is something that is important to the iPhones reputation; they feel having the
phone first is tangible rather than fleeting. And in a world of txts and emails
and lack of social interaction, yet filled with it, feeling a connection with
your device, as strange as it sounds is important. You will use it every day,
so you better like it.
Check out their ongoing wait adventure here:
http://iphonewhatever.com/
The brand name association with Android is diminishing even
more with each phone released as the companies who make them are having a power
struggle to have the best phone. With Android you have Motorola who came into
the picture as the front runner with the original Droid, but quietly from the
darkness emerged a little company called HTC who overlaid their own UI on the
Android device and quickly overtook Motorola, now it seems Samsung is going for
their own attack as a prominent Android manufacturer, but when I, the consumer,
go to the store, I am doing the opposite of what I should when shopping for a
new Android phone; I am looking at specs of the all the different brands of
Droid. Checking their specs and listening to the reps telling me which has
1080p or not, when
in the end it is about the user experience,
if the 1080p looks like **** with 9827 megapixels then why did I choose it over
the other brand? I like choice, but I dont want the choice to be a sacrifice,
1080p for lack of an awesome UI by HTC, etc.
Conclusion:
[url=http://www.thenewtechblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Apple-Vs.-Android.jpg]Image[/url]
Word of mouth is the best AD campaign anyone can ask for.
With the iPhone you know what to tell your friends, with Android, you are still
not quite sure what it is or which phone to suggest to them, because your phone
is a month old and the newest Android might be coming out next week, and trying
to explain to someone that if they wait a month they
might get the latest software upgrade, is like telling a 3 year old
he
might be able to watch TV if he
eats his vegetables.
So I feel with the offering of an affordable iPhone 4 with
pretty good specs still today, due to a polished OS with iOS5, and the much
faster iPhone 4S, Apple is the winner. Not because I am a fanboy but because it
just makes more sense to get the device that doesnt give me buyers remorse a
month later and with new features like BBM type services and uniformed apps
over the platform I will want my friends to have it too. It has a community
feel and congruency therefore I am more likely to suggest it to my friends so I
can interact with them on the device.
****** HTML to BBCODE converter full article in the link in my sig. Article is called First in Line First In Line - iPhone 4S VS Android
