What platform did you come from and why did you go to iOS?

[Anilu7]

Hi all! I've run across threads like this in other forums but haven't seen it in iMore. The question is, what platform(s) have you used before, and why did you choose iOS initially and why do you come back? This is not a "X was a crappy phone, etc so I went to iOS" thread, but an honest look at why people switched to iOS. Many people try different platforms before settling on the one they like -- others find one they like and stay with it. What was your motivation and story?
For me, I had one of the earliest smartphones, a Kyocera 7135. It had a stylus and writing area for letters and numbers. I could send/receive e-mail if I wanted...at $15/MB so NO THANKS! :laughing:



My next was a Sony Katana feature phone and it did the job.



Then I got the iPhone 4 the first day of release (tech junkie that I am lol). I was in love! I loved that it was fun and had so many things I could do compared to the last two. Games, music, even web surfing!




So, what's your cell/mobile story?

 

[BlackBerry Guy]

I've owned a mobile phone pretty much since I finished high school. Various Motorolas through the years (MicroTac, Timeport, V60, V710, RAZR) paired with PDAS (several Palm m and t series and also a Windows Mobile Dell Axim). I wanted to consolidate devices so pIcked up my first BlackBerry (8130) in early 2008 and have been using them since (8703e, 8330, 9630, 9800, 9900 and now Z10).

Along the way I picked up a couple of iPods which eventually resulted in me getting the 1st gen iPod touch in 2007. Used it as a media device and PDA. That's long since gone, but I now have a 5th gen iPod touch and a 3rd gen iPad in my stable of mobile devices. I guess technically I've been an iOS user longer than a BlackBerry user lol.

I use BlackBerry 10 and iOS (and Android too!) side by side every day. They both function well enough on their own, but together, they are almost a perfect complement to each other.

 

[ajarnfalang]

I had a Nokia 1100. Then Motorola L6i. Then I bought an iPhone 4.

Like everyone else who bought an iPhone 4 the home button stopped working. It led to it being replaced and the front camera not working. Got an iPhone 4s.

I waited patiently for 2 years for Apple to release a phone with a big screen. After much hype the iPhone 5 came out and all they did was release a phone with an extra row of icons.

I kept waiting. I said when is anyone going to release a phone with a big screen and no hardware home button? Apple came out with the same phone. This time only in plastic and not only did they not get rid of the stupid home button but made it even more complicated.

So. Finally the phone I was waiting for came out. It was made by LG. I gave the gay iPhone 4s to my wife and finally I'm enjoying a real smartphone.

Only now I have over a thousand pictures in the iPhone synced, my laptop was stolen and those pictures are now stuck inside the iPhone.

It's so smart I can't get them out. This one I plug it in and I can browse whatever I want.

Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk

 

[Ipheuria]

My first "smart" phone was a Motorolla Ming. It was a clamshell design. It had touchscreen worked with a stylus and I loved it. At the time I had just gotten my first MacBook Pro and was becoming more Apple familiar. The first gen iPhone was shown off and I was in love. I changed the background on my Ming to an image of the iPhone home screen. Then I changed the ringtone to the famous iPhone ringtone. When it finally came out they weren't coming to Canada. So I hit the border and bought one. I had to Jailbreak it and unlock it to get it to work in Canada. I have never used any other smartphone than an iPhone. I've owned 1st gen, 3G, 4, 5 and now 5s as well as the 1st gen iPad, iPad 2 and iPad 3. My next iPad will be a Mini whenever it goes Retina.


Sent from my Space Grey iPhone 5s

 

[aloomis76]

My first "smarter" phone was a Samsung Instinct S30 and it was great! Loved that thing but used it into the ground (RIP). Then I got me a BB Pearl 8100. From there I ended up with a LG Optimus S. Then back to BB with a Curve 8530. Then I got my wife a iPhone4 and played with it until she took it back lol Then I got myself a BB Torch 9850. Got the wife an iPhone 5 and she had to confiscate that one from me too lol Still rocking my 9850 BB and am kind of holding out for a new BB but I am honestly keeping my options open. I think I am and call myself a BB guy, it is what just seems to work for me right now, but I have to say that I do like the ease and simplicity of IOS devices (and that is not a knock)...they just work and they do so flawlessly. Plus they have an entire ecosystem that all works together. I think the biggest thing holding me back from jumping on an iPhone5s is that I know I will end up spending tons of cashola on every little toy out there for it if I did lol So I'm just kind of holding on here and gonna play the wait and see approach...who knows, I may end up back on Android (Nah! lol)

 

[098v]

Real talk my current phone, iPhone 4, was my first phone ever, I got it since I'm in grade 11 now I needed a way to contact my parents immediately if I needed something, I don't really use it for much other than calling my parents and texting some friends. Basically simple stuff, doubt I'm gonna upgrade to another iPhone anytime soon.


Tappin' and talkin' from my iPhone 4

 

[SWFLFFPM]

In November, 2010 the wife and I walked into BB. She was upgrading her IP3 something to the 4 and I was going to get my first personal smartphone-the BB 9800 Torch or the IP4. I chose the Torch. I had BB Curve that work issued me for a few months. It was tied to their network and heavily restricted-even texting was blocked. It had a physical keyboard that I liked in comparison to the one on the IP that I played with occasionally. The Torch had both keyboards and I figured I would get used to the virtual one. The Torch VKB is awful and I rarely used it. The PKB was great. Overall it was a good trouble-free phone. I am a light user. I have no personal experience with Android.

Fast forward a few years BB is in decline and I hung in there waiting to see if the Z10 hype on Crackberry would become reality. No apps appeared for BB in comparison to iOS. Every app ad I saw was for iOS and Android and I was starting to see them for Amazon Kindle. I did not see one single app advertised for BB10. Plus I don't even use Netflix, Instagram and WhatsApp that everyone was screaming about. That and the reviews on CB were not that great for my needs.

This past April I bought an iMac. I waited for the 5S and got it a few weeks ago.

I now have the apps I want. I like iCloud and iMessage. I am getting used to the keyboard. I also like the way Apple releases upgrades to everyone no matter what carrier you are on. BB sends them to the carrier and if yours doesn't push it you have to go to CB and get the link to a carrier that has released it. This is worldwide so the day it is released somewhere on the planet it will show up on CB. You then have a multi step process to get it installed through the back door. It is not hard. I have done it many times but it is 2013-this should not be necessary. I do miss BB email and sound profiles.

The other thing that tipped me towards Apple was watching the evolution at work regarding BB. The IT people were HARD CORE BB fans and would not allow the purchase of any other smartphone. Don't even ask. Then the iPhone came out. People wanted them. It was the start of BYOD. They were laughed at. BB was falling behind fast so they had to do something unthinkable: they started buying Android, mostly HTCs. Then the iPad came out. People wanted those too. More laughter. They started buying Android tablets.

About a year ago I heard a rumor I did not believe. The top, top, top people had been issued company bought iPads. The folks that had them are at the level where the IT people could not say "no" to.

Several weeks ago the official announcement came out. The company is switching to iDevices. iPhones and iPads only. All Android and BB devices are being recalled and replaced by an Apple device.

 

[Pete The Penguin]

Since 2007, I've always had a BlackBerry but I got an iPhone 3GS until my BlackBerry Z10 then got a Q10.

 

[jiayit]

Went from Android to iOS because all small screened Android phones are low end and all high end Android phones are big-screened. I love the 3.5" of the iPhone, previously had a Nexus 4, I loved it but the screen size just wasn't suitable for me.
I have no OS loyalty, I'll just get any high-end smartphones with a small screen, that is, if any are even being sold.

 

[zulu30]

Newbie to iMore. I started on Android with a myTouch 4G on Froyo. Upgraded to Gingerbread. Broke it, went to an LG Optimus T rooted and overclocked on a custom Gingerbread ROM. Upgraded to a Galaxy S2, sold, and bought an HTC Amaze. Got fed up with the Ice Cream Sandwich update, left Android altogether, and went to an HTC Radar running Windows 7.5 Mango, then on to a Lumia 900. Stayed with it till I found out Microsoft was throwing all 7.x users under the bus with the release of Windows 8 that wouldn't be backwards compatible. Left T-Mobile and picked up and iPhone 4S on Sprint. Won't ever change back. I've seen the ins and out of all mobile systems and the hallmark of flagship Android devices is all fanfare when they are released only to be abandoned by the manufacturer/carrier within a year or two tops. Windows is a great OS hamstringed by a terrible availability of apps. I have yet to be let down by Apple or iOS yet. This is also the longest I've ever kept the same phone which is saying something...

 

[GingerSnapsBack]

First phone I ever had was a Nokia 100. I could have thrown this thing at a moose and brought it down.

After that, I moved on to a few Nokias - the ones with Snake on it

Motorola StarTac

A few Nextel flip phones

A Nextel 7100i (BB) then to an 8350i

Then a string of bad Curves through Sprint then ported to Verizon and the Storm2 and I hated it. After the October outage, I dumped my BB and moved to iOS and I don't have any plans to leave any time soon.

Neat idea for a thread. It's interesting seeing what phones everyone had before they joined the iSide.

 

[Azensun]

I have to clear the cobwebs out of my brain.....
I started with a Nokia with my first cell contract in 2000(!). I pretty much stayed with Nokias until my first BlackBerry in 2008 or 2009. I've stayed with BlackBerry since, but I'm such a gadget junkie that I like to research/read/learn about all platforms and devices.

 

[Anilu7]

Neat idea for a thread. It's interesting seeing what phones everyone had before they joined the iSide.

Thanks! Love your avi, btw.

 

[pr1nce]

I was a loyal Blackberry user for five years. I've used the Pearl 8130, Curve 8330, Tour 9630, Bold 9650 and Bold 9930. Last year I switched over to the 4S because of the dependability and ease of use and I haven't looked back since.

 

[jsarino]

I started with a Motorola MicroTAC Elite (yeah, one of the early analog flip phones), the Nokia 6190, the Nokia 8210 (my first candybar-shaped phone), back to the clamshell style with the Motorola V60, the NEC 515, Motorola RAZR V2, then to my first smartphone, the Nokia E71x. I had that for a couple of years, then a friend that works for Google had me try out the HTC Nexus One, and I've been an Android person from that point on. I went from the One to a Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, and will revert back to the Nexus line when I get the LG Nexus 5 when that releases in the next few days or weeks. I've had a taste of Palm/WebOS (my wife owned a Palm PDA and Palm 680), and still own an HP TouchPad which I ported Android into it. I've also tried iOS, my wife owning a iPhone 3GS around the same time I had my N1. I was already entrenched on Android so I didn't venture over.

For the last few months, I like the combination of Android and Mac OS. They seem to mesh very well, even better than Chrome OS when it comes to media (oddly enough), and better than Windows, IMO. It helps that Google has made very good cross-platform products and services. It's more apparent when Google employees freely use MacBooks at the office, and was seen even at today's Google+ presentation. It'll be a combination I'll go with for some time to come.

 

[ctt1wbw]

My first phone had a rotary dial.

 

[pkcable]

My first smart device was a palm pilot, but I had the cheaper and some of us thought better Handspring Visor version. I also had early Windows mobile devices including Windows CE. Smartphone wise I had a corp issued BB 7290, and I LOVED that sucker! Still deep to the core I am a BB guy (heck I'm the CB Mod Team Leader after all ), BUT these days I use all the platforms and actively use 2 phones an HTC One, and BB Z10. On the iOS front I use and love an iPad Mini, although I now have the bug for a retina display! Win Mobile I have a Laptop/Tablet hybrid running 8.1.

 

[aloomis76]

My first phone had a rotary dial.

OK That was great!! I had to laugh at that right there!! :rotfl: