An Apple a Day

I posted a blog about my decision to switch from iOS to Android not too long ago.  I’m still a fan of Apple.  As a matter of fact, the household is still dominated by mostly iOS operated devices.  

I’m not surprised to read about the iPhone 5 topping 2 million devices in the first 24 hours of pre-order availability.  A little over a month ago, I would have been one of 2 million people staying up late or waking up early to get my hands on a coveted iPhone 5.  

The release of the iPhone 5 is a little depressing.  It’s the last project that Steve Jobs personally worked on.  It’s the last creative input he had.  What’s going to happen now?  Am I still going to get excited when Apple announces a new device knowing that my business idol didn’t have a hand in it?  We shall see but I’m pretty sure I won’t.  Regardless of who designed the phone, 2 million devices is incredibly impressive.  Imagine everyone in Cupertino, CA fist-pumping all the way to the bank reaping the benefits of a phone that is closely similar to the one before it only with a new phone smell.

Kudos Apple! 

An End to an Era

Today marks a milestone in my life that I never expected.  I finally divorced iOS and started dating Android.  Now, for those of you who know me, this is a very big deal.  I have been an Apple fangirl for years.  I have been an iPhone user since it’s United States release on June 29, 2007, which was also my birthday!  Prior to the iPhone, I received an iPod for Christmas and nearly lost my mind with excitement when I opened the box.  I’m typing this very article on my MacBook and will probably play on my iPad shortly after this gets posted.  I’ve converted several friends to iPhone users and have a loyalty to Apple as though Steve Jobs is my father.  So if I have iPods, iPhones, MacBooks, and iPads why have I decided to abandon the iPhone and go with a smartphone that operates on Google’s Android OS?  The answer is simple:  lack of innovation on Apple’s behalf.

I’ll never forget where I was and what I was doing when I saw the commercial advertising the brand new iPhone.  What was this beautiful electronic device that didn’t have a physical keyboard?  I can make calls, text, surf the web, listen to music, and play games on this glorious gadget that only has a home button and a touchscreen?  Wow!  Fast-forward to the moment when I actually get an iPhone.  Bliss.  Pure electronic bliss.  What an innovative piece of machinery that makes every other phone look like a brick.  My love for Apple was solidified at this moment.

For 4 years, I thought the iPhone was the best thing in the world.  The love affair has slowly fizzled out in the past year and has officially ended today.  With each announcement of a new iPhone being released, I’ve been disappointed with less than stellar upgrades and the lack of new features.  I mean, the iPhone has been virtually the same for several years with one or two little tweaks that generate little excitement.  

Apple has always been ahead of the curve.  Innovation is their middle name.  Steve Jobs was a brilliant, brilliant, visionary who knew the way into every techie’s heart.  After awhile, I expected more than just a very subtle change with every upgrade.  When Apple keeps releasing a “new” iPhone but the only major change is in the name of it, I get a little frustrated.  What’s the major upgrade from an iPhone 4 to an iPhone 4S beside Siri which is glitchy and no better than an entry-level voice command program?  C’mon, Apple.  Oh, the “new” iPhone is going to have a better antenna that was incorrectly designed in the first place?  Gee, thanks.  Let’s slap a $200 price tag on it and watch the cattle herd their way to the Apple store to buy into this super-duper upgrade from the almost identical phone they already have!  Enough was enough for me.  I won’t be waiting until September for the release of the new iPhone that is probably just going to have a new dock connector and app icon for iTunes.  It takes more than that to convince me.

I’ve been the proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy S3 for about 3 hours now.  I haven’t done much extensive experimenting with it but I can already tell that it is a superior product to my archaic iPhone 4.  The speeds are much quicker than my iPhone, the screen is deliciously larger, and the experience feels more grown up.  The iPhone feels very rudimentary compared to the Galaxy S3.  It almost feels like iOS is designed for tech novices and Android is designed for people who mean business.  iOS is the junior varsity team from a Division 3 school and Android is the varsity team from a Division 1 school.  The full customization available on Android is also refreshing.  I’m no longer handcuffed to what Apple thinks my phone should look like, how it should behave, and what my user experience should be.  My phone serves me, so shouldn’t I be able to customize it in a way that will boost my efficiency?  Apple doesn’t think so but thank goodness Android does.

Here’s the bottom line:  Android gets it.  They understand that a mobile device is supposed to be tailored to each individual’s needs.  I never knew what I was missing by placing myself in a cookie cutter.  I don’t want a one-size-fits-all mobile experience.  I want a unique and intuitive experience.  I want to be able to change my settings from day to day just because.  I want what an iPhone can no longer give me.  I’m sorry about how this all ended, Apple.  It’s not me, it’s you.