I currently use an iPhone 4S and I plan on getting the next iPhone. This wasn’t supposed to be a secret (if you follow me on Twitter then you would have noticed that I use iOS most of the time). I know that a lot of readers did not know, and more importantly, were surprised to read that I use an iPhone. Below you’ll read my responses to questions I have received about why I use iOS, when I made the transition, and why it matters. If you have follow up questions or comments then feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me on Google+ +Bilal B .
You said that there are specific reasons why you use iOS over Android. What are they?
App Store: iOS still has vastly superior apps in every category that matters to me. Apps like iBooks, Yahoo! Weather, Mailbox, Reminders, and Safari provide a vastly better experience than their counterparts or peers on Android. There are admittedly some apps that have counterparts on Android that are better (Path and Hangouts come to mind), but that has been the exception, not the rule, in my experience. There are definitely apps on Android that let you do things that you can’t do on iOS, but the apps on iOS are better for the things I want to do than they are on Android.
Performance: Performance on iOS is more consistent than on Android, especially with the passage of time. I’ve owned and used a lot of Android phones, and most of them slow down over time. Android 4.3 might finally solve that problem for the phones that will actually get it, but time will tell. My iPhone 4S is finally now starting to lag once in a while with returning to the home page or swiping between home screens. It appears to be a bug in iOS that creeps up every so often. Outside of that, however, this is the first phone I’ve had that has lasted me two years without having major performance issues. Maybe that can be explained away by inferior hardware on my previous Android phones or OEM skins or the lack of complexity in iOS, but the reality is that I, and plenty of other people, have recognized that Android seems to become more janky with time.
Hardware: I really like Apple’s hardware. Yes, it is more prone to breaking from a fall than many other Android phones, but mine has held up well despite a few falls. In fact, the most recent fall was from about 4 feet on its face and the screen did not shatter (it did take a chip out of the left side of the plastic chin). More to the point, I like the size and feel of Apple’s hardware. The 4S is beginning to feel a little cramped for me, but the 5 feels perfect. I’ve always preferred smaller phones and bigger tablets. The camera on my 4S continues to impress me, the screen is crisp, and the hardware definitely looks and feels high end.
Simplicity: iOS is really simple. Your apps are on the home screens and that’s about it. You can customize their location, add folders, and slightly customize the notifications shade, but other than that the experience is dead simple. I know that a lot of Android users don’t like that, but I love it. While I enjoy customizing my Android phone with different icon packs, widgets, and transition effects, it is more important for me to have my phone work simply and quickly.. So while I like that Android’s interface can be simplified and tweaked like crazy, I enjoy working with a limited palette.
When did this happen?
I first bought an iPhone about a year and a half ago. My decision to switch to iOS came after spending two years of my contract going from other Android phones. Every one of those devices had hardware or software issues
Why do you still write for Android if your main phone is an iPhone?
I still have plenty of thoughts and opinions about Android, so I still write about Android. I love my iPhone and iOS, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still love Android (and Windows Phonre for that matter).
It was Android and Windows enthusiasts’ vehement, unmitigated hatred towards all things Apple that pushed me to play devil’s advocate for some time. Eventually I found myself convinced that iOS was a much better fit for what I wanted in a phone. I didn’t stop being a “power user” or enjoying customizing my phone. Instead, I found that while using iOS I became more productive and enjoyed using my phone a lot more. It isn’t the only way, but Apple’s design and execution philosophies make much more sense to me personally than do Google’s.
Having an iPhone just means that I know more about the other side of the fence. If that offends you, then you may as well know that I also owned other Phones. While at one point I was hyper-loyal to Android, I see myself as more of a lover of technology in general now. I understand why people choose the alternatives: everyone has different needs and desires for the technology they use.
Why should I care?
That’s completely up to you. If you think owning an iPhones makes me inept at commenting on Android then you should probably just skip my articles. Like I’ve stated many times before, I’m more of a technology enthusiastthan an Android enthusiast.
If I’m critical of Android or Google, it isn’t because I think the iPhone is better and Android users are stupid; it just means that I don’t like something Google did. If I’m critical towards an Android manufacturer that doesn’t mean that Apple paid me to bash them. In the same way, if I say something nice about Android or an Android manufacturer, that doesn’t mean I’m paid by that manufacturer; it just means I like what they did. I don’t write inflammatory articles to generate more page views or generate more comments. I like interacting with commenters, but I don’t get paid any more or less based on comments and I have no idea how many views my articles get.
I understand that some people are upset that I use an iPhone as my main phone instead of an Android phone. I know that my reasons may not make sense to you with your experience, but remember that objectivity doesn’t exist. We can have different opinions and still discuss Android.
Conclusions
I use an iPhone to write my blog. I also used  Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone and Symbian phones. I think that makes me less biased towards Android and the competition. Obviously my goal is no longer to become an Android evangelist, but I still love Android and the community around it. I still recommend Android phones to friends and family when I think it fits them best. Having an iPhone doesn’t change that I love Android and love interacting with you, the reader. Thanks for reading My Blog.