Really, I’m not.
For all of those out there (CB, that’s you) that think I’m an iStuff hater, this one is for you. I’ve been around the iEquipment for a while, with some of my own personal experience to know that I just don’t like it. I see what their goal is and they’ve obviously done an amazing job marketing, branding and delivering their product, and they definitely don’t need me to applaud their efforts. Numbers don’t lie.
If you’re looking for nice, crisp, sparkly and easy to use devices, then look no further than the iProduct line. They’ve simplified audio and video media for the consumer. On a professional level, design and artwork “just look better on a Mac”, even though most design software is available on the PC platform as well.
And I’ve worn both hats, consumer and professional. Way back when, before Android really had a solid product, I had an iPod. Two actually. I’ve had the iPod Classic 80GB and then upgraded to the iPod Touch, 1st Generation. The iPod classic was great for storing and playing my music, over 1000 songs at the time. It didn’t do much else, not that I needed it to. It got me to and from work on the bus or subway, in relative serenity. Then I got my iPod Touch. Not only did it play my music like the Classic, but it had apps, games, and video. My favorite app was the light saber app that made the cool “vvwwoosh” sound when you turned it on. Since that model iTouch didn’t have speakers, I could only hear the sound when I had headphones plugged in. Not very cool swinging an imaginary light saber that was tethered to your ears, but I digress.
The video was the best part of the iTouch. I was able to watch previously downloaded movies and TV shows, transferred over from my computer. The screen was clear and the video was nice. But that’s about all I liked. I didn’t like the fact that there is no choices for configurations, on the display level or the backend, making it feel like it was my own. It was very cookie-cutter.
That’s what Apple has done with the iPhone. They’ve made a product that is very user friendly, for all users. They made a one size fits all product, and to paraphrase a friend, you have to be “all”. Hardware specs are whatever Apple decides to put into it, whether it be the camera, the processor or the Network. For a while it was only available on AT&T, and last year it became available on Verizon, but only at 3G speeds. Rumors that the heralded 4S would have 4G speeds were quashed when alas, the 4S came out with not many more improvements over the 4 model, other than the personal assistant, Siri. And if you weren’t happy with that, you could wait another year for the next model to come out, but there is no guarantee that that one will have 4G either, or any other desired hardware improvments.
Apple keeps people interested and intrigued by what they’ll do next, but you’re limited by their decisions. There is 1 iPhone, take it or leave it.
One of the things I like best about Android is that it is just an operating system. It is not limited to hardware choices made by a single manufacturer. Because so many companies have access to Andorid OS, and so many manufacturers can develop devices that are in demand, the consumer isn’t limited to one choice. When choosing my latest phone, I had over 10 different 4G options to pick from, from a number of manufacturers. Coming from the HTC Incredible, I could stick with what I knew, and go with the HTC Thuderbolt, check out the latest Android 4.0 on the Galaxy Nexus or find one with the specs that worked best for me. I looked at the hardware specs on those options and made my decision based on my own personal needs and wants, not what decision was made for me. Obviously, there is no made-to-order phone. I couldn’t pick and and choose the specs I wanted and have that one made for me (which would’ve been awesome, someone should look into that), but I am very happy with my choice.
That being said, I understand that the iPhone is very user friendly, making things intuitive and easy to use for the consumer. I don’t mean this as a slight, but studies have shown that many iPhone users are non-technical and they don’t care how things get from point A to point B, just that it gets there. Android users are shown to be more technical, sometimes trying to figure out a better way to get to point B.
I even went so far as to offer the iPhone 4S to my wife for her recent upgrade, but one of her biggest demands was a physical keyboard, like on the Droid 4, something the iPhone doesn’t offer, and never will.
So, I repeat. I’m not a hater, I’m just not a liker either.
– Yak
I’m Not a Hater