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Why is an iPhone better than an Android device?

Vegastouch said:
Um, wrong!
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Just curious, how do you know? I recall Corning being very sly when asked, "some of our customers prefer that we don't name them," and a Steve Jobs email who said that they worked with Corning to use the glass since the first iPhone. However, I have no idea if that email was verified.
 
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For me:

Incredible build quality (yes the front panel is gorilla glass http://www.tested.com/news/whats-so-special-about-iphone-4s-aluminosilicate-glass/429/ )

Extremely polished and consistent user experience.

The phone is equipped to handle my professional and personal needs flawlessly. (great email client, calendar, etc. Also iPod and games for when I want to cut loose).

I'm actually glad that the iPhone isn'd bogged down with a million customization options. I don't need different alerts for texts from different contacts etc. I just need the phone to work consistently, which the iPhone has done. My Android, not so much.

I'm a Mac user as well, so this phone integrates seamlessly with my entire electronic life.

It may not have the fastest processor, or any number of other specs, but what it does have is the best smartphone experience available.
 
I'll give you an unbiased opinion. I've developed apps for Android and I'm really amazed at how it works behind the scenes. It's VERY developer friendly and you can do advanced things in applications quite easily. However when it comes down to the average user, everyday use and applications, it's no where close to iOS.

I play a lot of casual games on the phone as well as hardcore games on a GTX 580. There is no contest here; the iPhone wins hands down and it doesn't look like this is going to change in the near future seeing how Android UI (and many games!) is Java which is slow and inefficient and the NDK basically sucks compared to developing in XCode where you can simply use plain old C and C libraries anywhere when you need performance.

There are a lot more fun and interesting apps on iOS which will catch you attention; that gives it novelty value. You get that warm feeling of satisfaction with your iPhone every time you discover one of these apps.

The jailbreak community is as organized as the App Store. It's mind-blowing how the entire Cydia ecosystem works. You just browse through the latest mods and tweaks and download and install them right from your phone. This blows away anything on ANY other platform. Despite Android being open, the community & "scene" is far superior on the iPhone. Everything is perfectly and smoothly integrated.

Any feature that you could possibly want has been made by the community.

There is no valid reason to choose Android over and iPhone aside from the cost of the device. I hate Apple and I hate Macs but the iPhone is a good device simply because of the sheer volume of users and community support.
 
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I think that Android is much better than the iOS system IMHO.

Only advantage for iPhone is the better battery management for the iPhone 4. Customization much better with Android.
 
princealfie said:
Only advantage for iPhone is the better battery management for the iPhone 4. Customization much better with Android.
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I'm not happy with the battery life on the iPhone 4. It barely lasts me 2 days. I used to charge my E63 once a week. I don't know how its been historically; I'd never seen an iPhone before until I got the iPhone 4.

I was disappointed with the customization on Android. Far too many low-quality alternatives for everything, poor support for different resolutions, etc. Too much $*** to wade through.
 
I have owned all 4 iphones andcurrently own a Droid X. Ill be buying a ViP4 at full retail. Im very biased to the iPhone. A lot of people used the word polished and I think that about sums it up. I feel that everything on my Droid X, from the Battery to the software and ESPECIALLY the app store, as if everything is half assed and chunky, where as things on the iPhone are thought out, and designers/programmers listen to their customers feedback. It may take a bit to get a finished product, but in the end, thsre'simprovement. I also feel HTC makes a better phone than my droidx. My girlfriends Incredible may not be "faster" than my Dx but it doesn't crash as much, die as fast, and I can use it with 1hand! iPhone all the way in my opinion. Can't wait.
 
I've tried several Android phones (mytouch 3g, Droid, Evo, Epic), the Droid 1 was my favorite tbh because it had stock Android also it had decent battery life for an Android phone, the Evo and Epic are absolutely pathetic in battery life no matter what you do. I bought the original iPhone when it came out and I remember how limited it was, it was basically just a web browser and media player when it came out, but it was the best ever seen in those two functions. Android has come a long way, before 2.0 I think Android was a mess then it started getting better. However fragmentation is a big problem, I tried Gingerbread on the Nexus S in Best Buy and the UI seems like a nice step up but that UI won't even be seen on most Android phones because of crappy skins like Samsung's "touchwiz". I mentioned the Epic, it was one of the most expensive phones on the market when it launched at the end of August (months after Froyo was released) and it was launched with Android 2.1 and here we are in January 2011 and the Epic is still rocking Android 2.1 WTF? One thing I can say is never buy Samsung phones, they're nice on paper and SAMOLED is awesome but their software/support blows.

After using all these Android phones, I'm still left with the conclusion that the iPhone is my favorite smartphone. Honestly I'm not an Apple fanboy (I'm currently using and love Windows 7) and often critical of Apple but I love the iPhone 4 when you look at the whole package it just comes out on top. From the build quality, the design, the polish and smoothness, great battery life and hardly uses anything in standby, nice camera, simply better games and apps. Also with Apple you have that assurance, you know they're going to support the phone a couple years and not leave you hanging like say Samsung.
 
With Apple devices, you have the freedom to update to the latest firmware whenever you want.

And the smooth iOS experience.

Videos are better supported on iOS, because most Android devices default to slow and laggy flash, while iOS gets mobile optimized videos. There's also SkyFire browser for some flash sites.

Consistent experience on iOS. Android's undisputed fragmented hardware:
http://obamapacman.com/2010/12/android-fragmentation-hardware/
 
TheTorch said:
I'm not happy with the battery life on the iPhone 4. It barely lasts me 2 days. I used to charge my E63 once a week. I don't know how its been historically; I'd never seen an iPhone before until I got the iPhone 4.

I was disappointed with the customization on Android. Far too many low-quality alternatives for everything, poor support for different resolutions, etc. Too much $*** to wade through.
Click to expand...

This is typical battery life for smartphones. The iPhone 4 actually has better life than older models and other smartphones. I charge mine every night so I don't have to worry about it the next day. When I did forget one night I did still have 70% the next day and lasted all that day down to 30% before going to bed. My old Treo wouldn't last that long without a charge.
 
IOS more polished, but less customizable. Notification system is almost non existent on IOS (from a usability perspective). Build quality is stellar.

Itunes and Apple business model IMHO is the worst part of having a Iphone. You always have a feeling that the phone isn't really yours. IOS is packed with DRM too.

Android phones are more Geek oriented stuff, while IOS is very streamlined and offers a overall better UX, and it is easier to use, like a phone should.

You cant go wrong with IOS, while buying a good Android phone can be quite challenging. Prefer phones already rooted so you can install stock Android versions.

In my opinion, with Android 2.2 and 2.3, Apple must do something quick, because comparing, IOS really shows its age. Another point is... if you a google apps user, don't think twice get a Android.
 
Cuz iPhone has fanboy.


34jan29-fanboy.jpg
 
stewart715 said:
Oy forget it. It was a serious question, for me.

I feel like every thread on this forum lately has remarks like this. And I'm sure someone will click the quote button to this exact reply and post yet another witty remark about why this isn't "thread worthy." I wish people would just move on from threads they don't have interest in.
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It's not that the thread isn't "worthy", it's just extremely difficult to recommend a phone to someone who you know nothing about. It would be like me asking if I should get the blue jeans or the khakis on the internet; people don't know if I need them for work or school or going out, how much I can afford to spend, if I'll be disappointed and angry if new pants come out 6 months after I buy mine...so many things to know before just making a blind recommendation. All we can tell you is what works for us.
 
Keleko said:
This is typical battery life for smartphones. The iPhone 4 actually has better life than older models and other smartphones. I charge mine every night so I don't have to worry about it the next day. When I did forget one night I did still have 70% the next day and lasted all that day down to 30% before going to bed. My old Treo wouldn't last that long without a charge.
Click to expand...

Yeah I agree. I have an original droid and with light use it barely gets through the day. I know its old, but has been like this since day one.
 
SLC Flyfishing said:
For me:

Incredible build quality (yes the front panel is gorilla glass http://www.tested.com/news/whats-so-special-about-iphone-4s-aluminosilicate-glass/429/ )

Extremely polished and consistent user experience.

The phone is equipped to handle my professional and personal needs flawlessly. (great email client, calendar, etc. Also iPod and games for when I want to cut loose).

I'm actually glad that the iPhone isn'd bogged down with a million customization options. I don't need different alerts for texts from different contacts etc. I just need the phone to work consistently, which the iPhone has done. My Android, not so much.

I'm a Mac user as well, so this phone integrates seamlessly with my entire electronic life.

It may not have the fastest processor, or any number of other specs, but what it does have is the best smartphone experience available.
Click to expand...

That article doesn't confirm the iPhone 4 has gorrilla glass. It just states its front panel is similar to the strength of gorrilla glass. Or am I missing something?
 
Because some people (maybe it's just me) don't want Google to track their location, call habits, store their contact lists, call list, etc.
Enough that they already know everything about my web search + surfing (through AdSense)...
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Define "better" please, making sure it's a universal definition.

Get back to me and then we can discuss.
 
ReallyBigFeet said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Define "better" please, making sure it's a universal definition.

Get back to me and then we can discuss.
Click to expand...

Let's see...

Better could be defined as:

-features the iPhone has that most (if not all) Android devices don't have
-features that both the iPhone and Android devices have, but you feel the iPhone out performs those Android devices when that feature is considered (including the general UI)

:)
 
stewart715 said:
Let's see...

Better could be defined as:

-features the iPhone has that most (if not all) Android devices don't have
-features that both the iPhone and Android devices have, but you feel the iPhone out performs those Android devices when that feature is considered (including the general UI)

:)
Click to expand...

There isn't a single feature IOS do have that Android don't. (Maybe Airprint, Atv/mac integration?). Wont say Itunes, because it isn't really a feature, but a drawback)

Android has better contact management, mail, gps, file management.

IPhone better build (most of time), better UX. And more available games.

It is a close call man, if you buy a good android phone you'll be a very happy man. Really depends on your profile. What happened to me: I bought myself a IP4 and some months ago a Motorola Defy for my GF. Even Defy being a midrange phone suited me better, so I gave her my iphone 4.

Hope it helps.
 
When my Droid had issues it froze. When an app on my iPhone f*cked up it just shut the app down and sent me back to home screen.

For all the functionality of my former Droid X, the instability was not a worthwhile trade-off. My mother's Droid has begun to have just as many problems as my Droid X did.
 
For me personally? I've bought into the ecosystem, and I just can't see a compelling reason to switch. The hardware is beautifully made, the software, while not perfect, is solid and easy-to-use, and, most importantly, I've spent a lot of money on apps that I don't really care to have to repurchase on a new platform. Also my iPhone plugs into and charges on my car's head unit, which is a plus.
 
This thread is lol.

What it boils down to, for many people who don't go the iPhone route is this:

Your phone should be a phone first and a computer second.

iPhone as a phone - mixed track record (being on Verizon might help now).

iPhone as a computer - usable, but locked down to the point of oppression/repression.

I have a problem with paying for a computer that I own and then being told by some megacorp what programs I can or cannot run on it.

Until this changes, there will always be a large fraction of users who eschew apple's way of doing things.

Simply put, the iPhone is for sheeple who are willing to trade fair use of their own property for trendiness (this can be said about a lot of apple's products).

Take away the logo and you have a locked down, crippled device which only has 75% of the features of its competitors (yet costs just as much).
 
For me what is driving me to the iPhone is the 2 days of battery life. With my EVO I have to constantly baby it or do something to it to get the battery to last throughout the day. Heck, if I wanted to listen to music on it, I'd struggle to get through just the work day. Thus the iPhone for me.

I agree with most of the folks on this post saying that it is truly an individuals decision. I'm a geek at heart. The Android phones have better "specs". iPhone just works. At this point I just want the phone to work as a phone in 2011 should. Phone calls, SMS/MMS, music, some email, and sadly enough social media. Add facetime/video conferencing to it too. Both phones do this, I just feel the iPhone does it better.

Updates for more features will always come to iOS, although sometimes late, but it will show up.
 
Not to be "witty" but I think Apple creates a better product that is definitely more user friendly. Also the fact everything that can be backed up on iTunes and one click gets you everything back. If I'm not mistaken, all products other than apple use the drag-and-drop feature which is a little inconvenient.
 
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