A Fling with IOS(A WIndows phone fan reviews Iphone)

[Nogitsune Micah]

In my circle of friends, 5 of us are really big into tech. I am more the phone guy along with my boyfriend's best friend. I am the Lumia/Microsoft fanboy and he is the iOS/apple fanboy

So we decided to switch phones I have been without my Lumia for about 5 days now(I get it back today) and spent some time with the 5S.

The reason I am even looking at switching OS

1. While I am glad Nokias devices were brought by MS and they didn't go to Android(that is a travesty), I dislike the insignificance that Lumia has. I am going to be optimistic since the next gen phones are coming. But I dont like the fact that a lot of our features and apps that were exclusive are going to the other Windows Phone.

Lumia has always felt like a Premium experience for me and I dislike that the brand seems to be losing significance in favor of trying to appease manufacturers who likely wont support the OS as much as Nokia has(the lessers as I call them lol).

2. I don't like this rumor that MS is looking at bringing android to WP....especially the Lumia Brand. I find the nokia X line up stupid and nothing beneficial to WP, no matter the BS people try to say about how it is good for WP lol. But i can ignore Nokia X....bringing Android apps or evenOS to Lumias(and the other wp) to me just means that MS is conceding defeat imo.

Blackberry is already doing this and it doesnt seem to be doing too well for them. I want nothing to do with Google and id hate to see in the store anything related to android.

3. Microsoft is taking way too long and I am beginning to see what people mean about them being slow and not maximizing WP true potential(Look at all of 2014).

So I decided to do my research on other OS....Blackberry is irrelevant and I dislike google with a passion. That leaves Apple...Ive played around with apple a bit but this was the first time I truly went in with a fully open mind.

My Experience:
1. I miss my tiles. It makes me wonder how i ever found Static icons interesting to say the least when I used Android. I dislike the little badge/notis when you get a notification. It just looks unattractive.

2. Siri is no Cortana lol...but after initially using Cortana when i first got 8.1, i rarely use Cortana directly aside from search and even then i type it out. So Siri wouldn't be too much of a bother as i doubt i will use her either.

3. The Notification Center on IOS is very useful to me, much more than WP. I despise the WP notification center simply because i feel like it makes the tiles seem redundant and the fact that you cant just swipe away one noti...it's all or nothing.

4. I dislike the GPS....From what i understand, Nokia removed Here maps from IOS?

5. The Camera is good for Selfies and is really good(On par with the Lumia 920) but it is nowhere as good as my 1520. I went out dancing and took pictures with the iPHone and i was just disappointed. I definitely am spoiled by pueview.

The User interface on the camera is...meh. I don't like it and i like my dedicated camera button on my lumia. Overall the iPhone camera is pretty good but i am using the 2nd best(the 1020 still is king) and i can definitely see the difference in quality between 5s and lumia 1520

6. The Iphone 6 definitely will need to be bigger. I am unsure how people with hands large as mine or larger use an iPhone. I feel like I am using a child's toy. So it would need to be significantly bigger if i fully intend to switch to the iphone.

The OS

Apple's OS is where this shines. I do love how cohesive everything feels with all apple products. I spent the past day or so, learning about Mac as well as my friend was showing me. While i seriously doubt that I'll ever get a Mac(again static icons are so boring lol) as I love my Surface and I find an ipad to be highly overpriced for what it is, the experience is great.

I see why Apple fans are so proud of IOS. It doesn't feel half-baked. It feels Solid and Full. The User Experience is smooth, no lag...Great transitions.

Using IOS makes me realize, Windows Phone(And Windows) is getting there slowly....But so much potential is being wasted.

Facetime was so easy to use....Skype on WP 8.1 not so much. facetime integration feels like it was made that way whereas WP 8.1 skype integration feels like an afterthought.

iMessage was great....How the hell has Microsoft and Skype not perfected this yet idk.

iCloud is great...a little difficult at first to use but it was good. I do prefer onedrive though.

App Store is vast and great. I do see WHY people complain about app on Windows Phone however after using various apps on WP, i noticed that the app gap is exaggerated lol. A lot of apps in the IOS store are very popular but there is a lot of crap there as well and not to mention I dislike how strict Apple is. They don't need to be as open as Google is where they take nearly all trash but i do like the Moderate take Microsoft has

Itunes
I hate itunes with an utter passion. If Xbox music has its issues, it is smooth(On windows 8), but Itunes is clunky and slow and this is on a Surface pro 3.

I do like the features....how many times i have listened to a song. I like to be able to change album covers and easily edit music. But Itunes itself is just awful to me. This is easily my least favorite thing about an iPhone.

It has a lot of features which is great but it doesn't feel intuitive. It took me awhile to find out how to do various things. The performance is AT BEST decent sometimes.

I will say Day 1 I despised it.....now as of today, I still hate it but i have gotten used to using it.

It does one thing good...I can use the Windows Phone desktop app and sync my music and playlists to my lumia lol. Who'd thought?

Am I switching?

If you ask me today would I switch to the iPhone...I'd say no.

first of all, it is stupid to switch today when better hardware is coming in September/October.

But more importantly Apple's OS feels great and it is certainly mature. The app store is great and I was able to enjoy using apps i hadnt seen in awhile since i used Android in 2012. I played some new games and had a good time.

If Apple manages to surprise me with a great product in September with a great camera(On par with my 1520), i may switch then. There are some things i dislike about IOS and iPhone but i was never truly unhappy with it. I had fun. It was a fun fling.

But I am not ready to give up on WP and Microsoft just yes...I am in the Microsoft ecosystem. From Office, Xbox, Bing, Surface, Lumia, etc etc.
I like the integration.

Case in point....Wp 8.1 brings password management for IE. I love that. Can't tell you how many times i forgot my password for my forum(Chaos Reads) and now i dont need to actively remember it.

Safari is not actively updated for Windows. I tried the old version and it was crap.

I am in Microsoft's ecostytem and switching to an iPhone means i can have a lot of the same features(Microsoft does add their services everywhere) but not 100 percent as unified and cohesive.

Can I live with an iPhone? I honestly think I can....

Am I ready to leave the familiarity that i have with MS/WP and their products just yet? No.....not yet. I am not quite ready to give up. Nokia Mclaren is supposedly supposed to be a beast. I am curious....

I can safely say that Nokia Mclaren and the big update in 2015 is my last effort to stay with Windows Phone....

If Microsoft is bringing Android to WP/Windows...I am done lol.

What i sad is that I love windows phone OS and Windows...and i am growing to like IOS. But it is a choice of settling.

I can deal with MS having a lack of apps(it is not AS BAD as people make it out...we truly do have a lot of alternatives for the best apps on IOS). What I don't like is Ms seemingly lack of indifference for WP. Poor Marketing and they have the potential to "Apple-lize"(A word I Made up) with Lumia instead of trying to chase Manufacturers and appease them.

But the Potential MS has with WP and Windows 8 is what still keeps me here because if they finally exploit that potential(Along with Xbox), it will become a reality....the difference is, the potential was what kept me here so far but there is another OS who has made it a reality that i can GROW to love as much as I currently love WP.

Apple has shown me they don't play any games with their OS....but i am not ready to settle for an ALMOST there unified experience(Living as a Microsoft fanboy using Apple products) just yet.

It's been a great experience with IOS and i will be keeping up with the big iPhone release in the coming months....But right now I miss my Lumia.

This 5S feels like a toy and the camera leaves a lot to be desired.....But something tells me if Microsoft keeps dragging their feet with making WP potential a reality instead of pure potential and the Android thing, I may very well be an iPhone user

 

[Ledsteplin]

Re: A Fing with IOS(A WIndows phone fan reviews Iphone)

I've seen some very nice photos made with the iPhone. And there are many great photo editing apps for iOS devices that work wonders. And speaking of apps, no platform compares to the iTunes selection and quality of apps. Stability and the apps are my main reasons for using the iPhone. It's also the most user friendly. I'm no fanboy, I just like the iPhone.


Sent from from my ancient but trustworthy iPhone 5

 

[RavenSword]

Honestly you can get away with using iOS and not using iTunes that much. I honestly don't remember the last time I plugged my iPhone/iPad to iTunes on my computer.

I do agree with you that I think live tiles are great. Personally I like a lot of microsofts services like one drive, office, one note and outlook.com. But I wasn't sure if I could get great integration without going all Microsoft devices (surface, WP, Etc) I do own a PC though, but it's the family's.

 

[Ledsteplin]

Honestly you can get away with using iOS and not using iTunes that much. I honestly don't remember the last time I plugged my iPhone/iPad to iTunes on my computer.

I do agree with you that I think live tiles are great. Personally I like a lot of microsofts services like one drive, office, one note and outlook.com. But I wasn't sure if I could get great integration without going all Microsoft devices (surface, WP, Etc) I do own a PC though, but it's the family's.

I have not connected my phone to iTunes on a computer since I bought it last August. I shouldn't have needed to then to activate it. But I kept getting a pop up asking for my Apple ID password for a former email account. I had Apple support on the phone for 3 hours just getting it activated. Later I discovered I had not changed my ID for FaceTime when I changed my ID email several days before. I've had no reason to sync to iTunes since. But I have no music in iTunes. I have bought a few songs on my phone.


Sent from from my ancient but trustworthy iPhone 5

 

[taz323]

OP,Thanks for sharing your opinions, but still very happy with my 5s.

 

[Speedygi]

Plus with the news that the Lumia 1020 possibly not getting official support after November or so from Microsoft, I must say they are really shooting themselves in the foot. I hate to be preaching doom and gloom for a platform but sometimes I do feel that way for Windows Phone. The Lumia 1020 shouldn't have its support pulled out this soon.

 

[Speedygi]

Correction: Dan did an editorial on the topic and basically said 'end of life' for the Lumia 1020 doesn't necessarily mean it won't still get updates after. Lumia 1020 new 'end of life date' and what it all means for Microsoft | Windows Phone Central

Slightly better news then

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Update:

I think actually may be rocking an iPhone this fall<3

I hear Microsoft just may have killed of production to the Nokia Mclaren, a high end windows phone and unless something great comes out this fall for windows phone i plan to get an iPhone.

Sad but unfortunately as I said above....Microsoft has no clue what they are doing with WP or what to do to make the OS perfect and I am a bit tired of being a cheerleader for a pltatform where the player(MS) is so poor in performing when it is time to drop them and replace them.

So i guess i better hang around here to get a feel of the community and learn all i can between now and September<3

 

[Speedygi]

Well, actually I was happy Nokia abandoned their Nokia X line and the idea of making Android phones in favor of pouring their full efforts into making good Windows Phones. That, to me, must chalk down to Satya making the effort to reaffirm the platform. Based on motivation alone, I think Microsoft are on the right track. Time will tell if they make the right decisions to bring WP to greater heights.

 

[RavenSword]

Well, actually I was happy Nokia abandoned their Nokia X line and the idea of making Android phones in favor of pouring their full efforts into making good Windows Phones. That, to me, must chalk down to Satya making the effort to reaffirm the platform. Based on motivation alone, I think Microsoft are on the right track. Time will tell if they make the right decisions to bring WP to greater heights.

I hope they get the app situation figured out.

 

[ajst222]

Plus with the news that the Lumia 1020 possibly not getting official support after November or so from Microsoft, I must say they are really shooting themselves in the foot. I hate to be preaching doom and gloom for a platform but sometimes I do feel that way for Windows Phone. The Lumia 1020 shouldn't have its support pulled out this soon.

The 1020 will still be updated (as you said in your post right after), but the Lumia 1020 reaching EOL means 1 of either 2 things to me: That Microsoft has an amazing Lumia 1020 successor, or that they may be heading towards Android, which makes me sick.

 

[Speedygi]

The 1020 will still be updated (as you said in your post right after), but the Lumia 1020 reaching EOL means 1 of either 2 things to me: That Microsoft has an amazing Lumia 1020 successor, or that they may be heading towards Android, which makes me sick.

I really do hope they have a 1020 successor, they really did a great camera on that one... They need to cater to that photography enthusiast.

 

[ajst222]

OP, I agree with a lot of what you said. Being a Windows Phone user (928), just the camera ALONE is enough to not want to switch. You're really spoiled with Nokia's cameras. As far as nav goes, I find Here Drive+ to be the best out there. I am also in love with the tiles. It's tough to pick up another phone that doesn't have them.

If Microsoft goes Android, I'd be done as well because I've finally found the OS that I'm not always complaining about, and I would just be very upset.

As far as the app situation, the Windows Store I find is quite good, though I am not saying it's on level with the App Store or Google Play. Microsoft has made a lot of progress in that department. Microsoft does need to keep the progress going though, just like they need to do with Skype. They need to make it more than just a video chatting service I believe.

 

[ajst222]

I really do hope they have a 1020 successor, they really did a great camera on that one... They need to cater to that photography enthusiast.

While it was a niche phone, it did sell pretty well. It was in the top 3 selling phones at AT&T for a while. But a successor is needed. It's really a one of a kind phone that nothing comes close to (the Galaxy Zoom is pretty pathetic) AND it has a market. Win win right there.

 

[Speedygi]

While it was a niche phone, it did sell pretty well. It was in the top 3 selling phones at AT&T for a while. But a successor is needed. It's really a one of a kind phone that nothing comes close to (the Galaxy Zoom is pretty pathetic) AND it has a market. Win win right there.

I think Galaxy Zoom was just popular because it was running S5 internals on the latest version of touchwiz, but other than that I don't think people were really looking for that phone to replace their main cameras anytime soon. People, however, saw the 1020 as the phone that could do that.

And yes you were right, it did sell.

 

[ajst222]

Update:

I think actually may be rocking an iPhone this fall<3

I hear Microsoft just may have killed of production to the Nokia Mclaren, a high end windows phone and unless something great comes out this fall for windows phone i plan to get an iPhone.

Sad but unfortunately as I said above....Microsoft has no clue what they are doing with WP or what to do to make the OS perfect and I am a bit tired of being a cheerleader for a pltatform where the player(MS) is so poor in performing when it is time to drop them and replace them.

So i guess i better hang around here to get a feel of the community and learn all i can between now and September<3

That put the scare right back into me about the Android thing, though the 1525 is still on as far as we know (it's not just a 1520 variant, it's a successor), and I plan on getting that.

I just want to see a true path for Windows Phone laid out by Microsoft. It seems like Nadella is sitting a little too close to Elop, and he just scares the bejeesus out of me. I might get laughed at for this, but I kind of wish Ballmer never stepped down because I thought he was doing a very good job.

 

[Speedygi]

Sorry, I meant to say S4 internals...