So, with the big release today coinciding with another frustrating day with my HTC One M7 I'm getting pretty close to jumping ship and buying a iPhone 6s. I figure I'm not the only one debating it and I wanted to share my thoughts and trepidations.
Background: I'm a long-time begrudging Android user and a disenfranchised Windows Phone fan. I was forced to dump my Lumia for a new device for work a couple years ago and chose an Android, at the time a well priced 64GB HTC One. Over the last 2 years I've gotten used to the Android experience but the frustrations have been pretty constant and my device is now on it's last legs. I'd love to go back to Windows 10 but sadly the devices, apps and the rebooted OS simply aren't there yet, plus it's still not compatible with my work systems.
So, here I am very close to pulling the trigger on the latest from Apple. Here's a list of a lot of things I'm excited about or terrified of in making my switch.
Ecosystem/Services: This is a easy one for me but probably not for many others. I have no worries since I'm heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem for productivity and as of late iOS seems to be about as close to a first-class citizen as possible when it comes to MS services. I'll happily continue using OneDrive, Outlook, OneNote, Office, Hotmail and Xbox on iOS. Heck, even Cortana will be able to replace Siri soon.
Google Now, Chrome, Search & Maps: This one has me mildly concerned. Apple Maps still kinda sucks and is worse than Bing or HERE maps, not to mention Google. But I generally trust that the Google Maps app on iPhone will operate very close to the Android version. Google Now is not core to my workflow but it's sometimes nice how it keeps me up to date on my commute and Cubs scores, I'm not sure that Siri will be an adequate replacement.We'll see. And of course Google Search is the best in the biz so I'll have to see how much I lose there. Chrome and Search have apps on iOS, we'll see how much I miss the OS level integrations or if I prefer the Apple versions.
No Back Button: This one is HUGE. I just don't know how iOS fans can cope with this. It's been written about ad infinitum but count me among those who just don't see it. But I'm encouraged by the new edge swipe gesture using 3D touch, could solve that probably 75% of the way.
3D Touch: It's the new hotness and after playing with it I'm not convinced it's going to be revolutionary. However,I bet items like the aforementioned edge swipe gesture can make a big difference in how livable the phone is. We'll see what happens once app developers get their hands on it.
Battery Life: Count this as both a high and low point for me. The iPhone historically hasn't gotten great battery life and Apple insists on downsizing the battery even more in this edition. Seems like a terrible decision to me. That said, the battery life on my current HTC is atrocious and the reports on the Galaxy S6 aren't encouraging either. Android's open nature and fragmentation seems to lead to a lot of badly optimized apps and lots of wasted energy.
Size: Not thrilled here either. The iPhone is missing what I view as the Goldilocks size of 5", the 6s is too small and the 6s Plus is too big. Add in the oversized bezels and the 6s doesn't feel like a huge upgrade to my current device.
Fragility: I've never been one who believed in using cases. I'm an adult who can generally handle my devices without destroying them. But the slippery, soap bar nature and 100% metal construction of the iPhone pretty much mandates a case. Gone are the glory days of the indestructible Lumia 920.
CalDAV/CardDAV Support: iOS does this natively and it's great. Hallelujah.
Glance/Widgets/Live Tiles/Active Display/LED: This catch all pretty much sums up the biggest problem with iOS in my view. Information is hidden. You can't learn anything about what your device has waiting for you without opening an app or the notification shade. Windows Phone is the ideal here, I never found many widgets on Android that were worth a ****, but iOS doesn't even have simple badges on most apps. That's just outdated.
Vertical Integration: For all the bad, this one is the absolute apex for Apple. No OS fragmentation or slaving to the carriers. Very few rogue apps or custom launchers leaching your battery life. Deep hardware and software integration (though it's baffling that Apple doesn't do more with this hardware autonomy).
So, Android fans, anyone else having the internal debate about the switch? What is your most recent pro/con list look like?
Background: I'm a long-time begrudging Android user and a disenfranchised Windows Phone fan. I was forced to dump my Lumia for a new device for work a couple years ago and chose an Android, at the time a well priced 64GB HTC One. Over the last 2 years I've gotten used to the Android experience but the frustrations have been pretty constant and my device is now on it's last legs. I'd love to go back to Windows 10 but sadly the devices, apps and the rebooted OS simply aren't there yet, plus it's still not compatible with my work systems.
So, here I am very close to pulling the trigger on the latest from Apple. Here's a list of a lot of things I'm excited about or terrified of in making my switch.
Ecosystem/Services: This is a easy one for me but probably not for many others. I have no worries since I'm heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem for productivity and as of late iOS seems to be about as close to a first-class citizen as possible when it comes to MS services. I'll happily continue using OneDrive, Outlook, OneNote, Office, Hotmail and Xbox on iOS. Heck, even Cortana will be able to replace Siri soon.
Google Now, Chrome, Search & Maps: This one has me mildly concerned. Apple Maps still kinda sucks and is worse than Bing or HERE maps, not to mention Google. But I generally trust that the Google Maps app on iPhone will operate very close to the Android version. Google Now is not core to my workflow but it's sometimes nice how it keeps me up to date on my commute and Cubs scores, I'm not sure that Siri will be an adequate replacement.We'll see. And of course Google Search is the best in the biz so I'll have to see how much I lose there. Chrome and Search have apps on iOS, we'll see how much I miss the OS level integrations or if I prefer the Apple versions.
No Back Button: This one is HUGE. I just don't know how iOS fans can cope with this. It's been written about ad infinitum but count me among those who just don't see it. But I'm encouraged by the new edge swipe gesture using 3D touch, could solve that probably 75% of the way.
3D Touch: It's the new hotness and after playing with it I'm not convinced it's going to be revolutionary. However,I bet items like the aforementioned edge swipe gesture can make a big difference in how livable the phone is. We'll see what happens once app developers get their hands on it.
Battery Life: Count this as both a high and low point for me. The iPhone historically hasn't gotten great battery life and Apple insists on downsizing the battery even more in this edition. Seems like a terrible decision to me. That said, the battery life on my current HTC is atrocious and the reports on the Galaxy S6 aren't encouraging either. Android's open nature and fragmentation seems to lead to a lot of badly optimized apps and lots of wasted energy.
Size: Not thrilled here either. The iPhone is missing what I view as the Goldilocks size of 5", the 6s is too small and the 6s Plus is too big. Add in the oversized bezels and the 6s doesn't feel like a huge upgrade to my current device.
Fragility: I've never been one who believed in using cases. I'm an adult who can generally handle my devices without destroying them. But the slippery, soap bar nature and 100% metal construction of the iPhone pretty much mandates a case. Gone are the glory days of the indestructible Lumia 920.
CalDAV/CardDAV Support: iOS does this natively and it's great. Hallelujah.
Glance/Widgets/Live Tiles/Active Display/LED: This catch all pretty much sums up the biggest problem with iOS in my view. Information is hidden. You can't learn anything about what your device has waiting for you without opening an app or the notification shade. Windows Phone is the ideal here, I never found many widgets on Android that were worth a ****, but iOS doesn't even have simple badges on most apps. That's just outdated.
Vertical Integration: For all the bad, this one is the absolute apex for Apple. No OS fragmentation or slaving to the carriers. Very few rogue apps or custom launchers leaching your battery life. Deep hardware and software integration (though it's baffling that Apple doesn't do more with this hardware autonomy).
So, Android fans, anyone else having the internal debate about the switch? What is your most recent pro/con list look like?
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