- Apr 17, 2015
- 52
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Just as the title implies, I just can't really fathom how this happened. I've been avoiding all things iPhone since 2009 when I was still rocking the LG Shine. My first experiences with smartphones was the Droid Incredible from HTC, at the time running HTC Sense over Froyo. I have to say that that phone is still the greatest experience I ever got in a phone. After that, my experiences turned into a rollercoaster ride. Lots of ups, downs, and everything in between. I eventually upgraded to the Droid Incredible 2, but found it was a pale imitator of its older sister. This led me to the Google Nexus, which was woefully crippled by Verizon. This was the phone that ruined Android for me forever. Its crippled nature as well as the horrible Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean OS's pushed me so far off the map that I landed onto Windows Phone.
And I was really happy on Windows Phone for a long time. I started with a WP7 phone from Samsung running Mango, a phone I only bought for use in Europe on vacation. But there was something about the way that it... didn't fight me. It just did what I wanted it to do. When I got back from vacation, I dropped the Nexus and switched carriers to get the Nokia Lumia 820. But there was trouble in paradise a few months in.
The phone itself was and still is phenomenal. It runs even the latest 8.1 firmware without any flaw. So what happened? Well, it turns out that using any sort of Microsoft product with a Macbook Pro is just asking for trouble. It's akin to trying to spin a CD on a turntable. It just doesn't work. It looks like it will, and then it doesn't. As much as I love Windows Phone as a platform, my decision to break up with it was born out of the perfect storm. The phone became increasingly difficult to sync music with; the SD card reader just didn't like to connect to the computer anymore; and then came the dissolution of Nokia and Microsoft's marriage. This meant that Microsoft was going to herald the software as well as the hardware. This is the issue. Microsoft did a stellar job with the operating system up until that point. It always remained fluid and fast, great on higher end and lower end devices. But Nokia made and still makes the greatest phones in terms of durability, style, and class. The newest range of Lumias from Microsoft was a total slap in the face to somebody who had been supporting the platform since Mango. The final nail in the coffin was the hideous Windows 10 preview, which aims to make the mobile operating system similar to that of the Surface. All the things that made WP7 and WP8 special-- Hubs, that subway-map-inspired language design, panoramic app layout-- had been removed. I was done.
Aside from a very brief affair with the Xperia Z2 (which reconfirmed how much I hate Google, particularly after refusing to offer Windows Phone apps), it was time that I said goodbye to Windows Phone for good.
And thus.
I gave in and bought the iPhone 4S. And while it hasn't been an entirely smooth experience (due to the phone's age), I would like to humbly eat my crow and say that I was dead wrong about this platform. All the concerns I had (back when iOS was on version 3 or something) have been addressed, for the most part: multitasking, customizable notification shade, quick controls for the music player, and the fact that iOS 8 brings customizable keyboards. It shows that Apple is learning to find the balance between user control and company consistency. I'm very impressed with the major, major improvements. Aside from the battery life, it's been quite good. I can't knock the phone too hard for battery life issues when it's running a much more advanced OS and it's already a number of years old. If things keep up over time, I'm more than positive my next phone with be the iPhone 5S, 6, or whatever comes out after that.
Humble pie never tasted so good.
Price is still ridic, tho.
And I was really happy on Windows Phone for a long time. I started with a WP7 phone from Samsung running Mango, a phone I only bought for use in Europe on vacation. But there was something about the way that it... didn't fight me. It just did what I wanted it to do. When I got back from vacation, I dropped the Nexus and switched carriers to get the Nokia Lumia 820. But there was trouble in paradise a few months in.
The phone itself was and still is phenomenal. It runs even the latest 8.1 firmware without any flaw. So what happened? Well, it turns out that using any sort of Microsoft product with a Macbook Pro is just asking for trouble. It's akin to trying to spin a CD on a turntable. It just doesn't work. It looks like it will, and then it doesn't. As much as I love Windows Phone as a platform, my decision to break up with it was born out of the perfect storm. The phone became increasingly difficult to sync music with; the SD card reader just didn't like to connect to the computer anymore; and then came the dissolution of Nokia and Microsoft's marriage. This meant that Microsoft was going to herald the software as well as the hardware. This is the issue. Microsoft did a stellar job with the operating system up until that point. It always remained fluid and fast, great on higher end and lower end devices. But Nokia made and still makes the greatest phones in terms of durability, style, and class. The newest range of Lumias from Microsoft was a total slap in the face to somebody who had been supporting the platform since Mango. The final nail in the coffin was the hideous Windows 10 preview, which aims to make the mobile operating system similar to that of the Surface. All the things that made WP7 and WP8 special-- Hubs, that subway-map-inspired language design, panoramic app layout-- had been removed. I was done.
Aside from a very brief affair with the Xperia Z2 (which reconfirmed how much I hate Google, particularly after refusing to offer Windows Phone apps), it was time that I said goodbye to Windows Phone for good.
And thus.
I gave in and bought the iPhone 4S. And while it hasn't been an entirely smooth experience (due to the phone's age), I would like to humbly eat my crow and say that I was dead wrong about this platform. All the concerns I had (back when iOS was on version 3 or something) have been addressed, for the most part: multitasking, customizable notification shade, quick controls for the music player, and the fact that iOS 8 brings customizable keyboards. It shows that Apple is learning to find the balance between user control and company consistency. I'm very impressed with the major, major improvements. Aside from the battery life, it's been quite good. I can't knock the phone too hard for battery life issues when it's running a much more advanced OS and it's already a number of years old. If things keep up over time, I'm more than positive my next phone with be the iPhone 5S, 6, or whatever comes out after that.
Humble pie never tasted so good.
Price is still ridic, tho.
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