Apple vs Android

preface: I am employee of AT&T, any and all phones/Products/Services in this blog will be slightly, if not entirely biased towards AT&T.  Not only because they sign my paychecks, but also because I truly believe in everything AT&T has to offer.  Enjoy the Blog! 


Often during my work day I come up against people who are fanboys of either Apple or Android.  I am not one to just let people fall into their sheepish state and let them be happy, so I challenge them as to WHY. Why do they love their device/OS so much that they shut down any other product or even go as far as insulting someone else because they are not a fanboy of said product.

Having the luxury of working for AT&T in the capacity that I do, I have had the privilege of using some of the most advanced phones on the market ranging from iOS to Android to Windows Phone (Yes, windows PHONE is NOT Windows MOBILE.  Windows mobile sucked for the consumer level.. let's move on)

Here's a comment I left on a post that I saw on Google+:

"While Android is indeed more advanced,  iOS is much much more refined.  Also, cases, docks, and accessories overall are much more abundant and easily attainable for Apple's products making it, for the average consumer, much more adaptable into their lives.
Yes, you can make your android do ANYTHING you want.... if you have the programming knowledge and skills needed to do so... but only a very small percentage of the smartphone consumer base has that. 
Apple bundles everything so nicely that it's nearly dummy proof.  So people flock to it resting assured that if anything goes wrong, someone is available at the local Apple store to make it aaaaaalll better. "

What I meant by it, broken down piece by piece
Android is indeed more advanced:  Google's Android operating system is always adding new features to it's OS. The last couple of phones I've had have used the NFC technology in them.  With NFC you can do anything from easily sharing pictures, to using Smart Tags, to mobile Payments (pending in U.S. right now) with services like Google Wallet and the upcoming ISIS, and much more that I'm sure developers are working on in order to make the NFC usages a integral part of your daily lives.
Also, Android has had some features for well over a year that Apple is JUST NOW getting into their devices.
Panoramic shots have been in many Android phones, usually through the UI overlay such as TouchWiz or Sense UI that the manufacturers put on top of the Android OS. but it hasn't been a stand alone app like you had to use on your iPhone for quite some time.
Turn-By-Turn Navigation has been in Android phones for a very long time.  The "advanced" part is the fact that Google maps also offers walking directions as well as Public Transit schedules as well.

You can make your Android do ANYTHING you want
Google has an"Open" Operating System:  This is good for programmers or developers because it gives them access to many of the inner workings of the OS so they can access just about every function to use as a mini-computer in every aspect.  Rubik Cube solved by Android with Legos  in this video the Android phone is running a program that uses the Camera to see how the cube is mixed, and the processor sends the signal to the arms to solve the puzzle.

iOS is much much more refined:  Apple has hardly ever been the first to the party with new and exciting ideas since the initial launch of the iPhone 1st gen.  Where they lack in groundbreaking innovation, they make up for in pure refinement and sophistication. A couple examples:

1. Multitasking:  Android did this nearly from the beginning, it took Apple at least 2 years to incorporate it into their OS.  When they did, however, it was flawless, easy to use, and had a very specific set of rules in which the back-grounded apps would behave.  Android would let back-grounded apps just do whatever they wanted to do and it would KILL your battery.  Apple made it work, without compromising the other running apps and Battery life too badly. 
2. Notification Shade/Drop down:  Again, Android had it first, WAY first, but the push notifications were far from perfected, where Apple had Push notifications already a basic part of the OS.  With the notification shade it made it easy to pick what you wanted to deal with now, what you wanted to ignore, and what you wanted to save to check in on later. It also made it a quick and easy way to check the weather, and now you can post to Twitter and Facebook directly from notifications bar.  
3. Panoramic Camera:  Apple just recently put this to use in their iOS 6 update.  Unlike the Android phone cameras that take a few VGA shots and stitch them together into a max of (i think) 8MP shot, Apple takes 8 MP shots and only reduces them to fit into a TWENTY EIGHT (28) MP picture!  These look amazing as ever. 
4. Camera in general: Apple works hard to make the camera one of the best on the market and usually do not disappoint.  They understand that the camera is more than just the MP rating and put many innovations into it beyond just putting a high MP rating on their camera.  
5. Music:  It's no secret that iTunes, iPods, and iPhones are a HUGE player in the market.  Microsoft is only scratching the surface with their Zune line of things, even though I feel it is a MUCH better service and software.  But Apple lovers have been drawn in to the point that pulling them away from iTunes would be a massive shock to their system. Honestly, Android has nothing close to iTunes for storing all of your Music and Apps for easy back-up and restore. 

Accessories:  Makers of cases, docks, and Add-ons LOVE Apple.  They know that there is only going to be ONE iPhone release per year, which means they can take a little extra time and kick out 200,000,000,000,000,000 (Maybe a little exaggerated)  things that work with your iPhone because even though a new device will be out next year, people will still buy the generation or 2 behind.  So the time and effort they put into making something for the iPhone WILL be sold in great amounts.  Android my technically be the most sold product in the smartphone world, but that's because they have 15+ phones on EVERY cell carrier in the world.  Apple has 3 models per carrier (excluding different colors)  and last years' model is still available.  That means the accessories are still relevant next year and beyond.  When was the last time you saw a case/accessory for the HTC Inspire.  Or the Samsung Galaxy S 2 for that matter???  Exactly.  I STILL see mass amounts of cases that work for the iPhone 4, and it's over 2 years old now!  Both of the phones I mentioned before are only a year and a half old.

Now it looks like I'm a big Apple fanboy, but I assure you I'm not.
I was until Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich/ICS) came out.  Every version of Android I had before was very unreliable and after 3-4 Force Closed applications in a day I was ready to throw my phone out of my car window, into oncoming traffic at 70MPH.  I needed a phone that worked without hesitation and didn't leave me hanging.  EVERY Android phone they pushed at me was used for a week until I had consistent force closes then I would move it to my secondary line and go back to my iPhone because I knew it would "Just Work."
Then, the HTC One X graced me with it's presence and I have grown to not only Love, but suggest Android to many people!  It's smooth, It works, It doesn't leave me hanging, and it's FAST!! Dual Core 1.5GHZ running on the largest 4G network by AT&T... yeah, this phone was nice.  It "Just Worked" without me having to do much.
I didn't like the keyboard that comes stock on the device so I downloaded a new one and I was off to the races!!
With the freedom that developers have there are a great number of very useful apps that I have at my fingertips that I don't have on my iPhone.  Widgets for easy access to Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Google Search, Weather, Time,  etc. etc. There is a great app for making FourSquare check ins fast and easy.
Notifications are shown on the top bar, I don't have to go into the shade to see if one of the apps not on my main screen has info for me to check.
I can share stuff easier to other apps.  Pictures, for instance, can only be Emailed, Facebooked, tweeted, or sent in a txt message on iPhone.
In Android I can Email, Facebook, Google Plus, Tweet, Instagram, Four Square, Edit in various pic apps, Message, share in Chat apps like Yahoo messenger, Kik, Voxxer... The list goes on.  Truly is extensive.
Not only can I share them, but when I take them the options that are available before I even snap the shot are vast!  Point and Shoot cameras are on the decline because most of the options people would want to have the PnS cam for is now available on my android device.  Lighting, Back lighting, Sports, Portrait, HDR, Panoramic, Filters, burst mode, are all in my camera settings.  Why would I want to pack 2 devices around when 1 does the trick just fine, sometimes better than PnS cams!

Since the One X I have had the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Atrix HD by Motorola.  All have been stellar devices with similar features in a different package.   The S3 took a direct shot at the iPhone's Siri with it's own S-Voice that does much the same thing, not quite as refined, but it does the job most of the time.


I'm sure I've bored you enough in this blog, so I'll cut it off there.  My overall view on the whole situation is this:  The phones are HIGHLY competitive with a ton of options and features for just about anyone out there.  Don't be an ass and put down someone just because they picked the phone that they picked.  You are NOT them, YOU don't know what they like, need, or want in a phone. Just like you may not like certain types of food that other people like, they may not like the phone you have in your hand.   That's the beauty of the wireless business right now.   As long as you have AT&T backing your phone, the choice that you make is the right choice because it was YOUR choice.

Don't be an Ass.  Have a good day!!