If you haven’t already heard, Apple released its iPhone 5 today. Tired of the hype? Do you care? A lot of people do. I did live shots Friday morning from the Apple store on the Plaza and saw more than 60 people lined up outside. They wanted to be the first to get their hands on it. The guy at the front, Michael Williamson from Leavenworth, sat down in front of the store at 3pm Thursday. He’s been first in line for the last five Apple product launches. He kinda likes Apple products. Just a little. He also blogs about technology for different companies and told me that he’s tested all types of phones. He prefers the iPhone to the Android. Once a Mac guy, always a Mac guy.
There’s nothing wrong with that. I used to be a PC guy. Refused to even look at Mac. But then a virus destroyed my Dell and I needed a new computer. Tired of dealing with Malware and Spyware and anything else ending in -ware, I decided to get a Mac Mini. Loved it. It was so much easier, cleaner, faster. Got an iPhone. Loved it. Easier, cleaner, faster. But then three weeks ago, I needed to get a new phone. I could have waited for the iPhone 5 but decided to get an Android instead. I bought an HTC One X. Love it. Bigger screen, easy to use, 4G service, very fast and simple.
As you can tell, I’m easy to please.
My biggest complaint with the iPhone had always been the screen size. I have big thumbs, and whenever I tried to type an email or send a text, a simple phrase like, “Leaving now. See you at the gym in thirty minutes” would autocorrect to look more like, “Laughing no. Sour at thyme in thirsty minutae”. Huh? Why did my phone think I meant to say that? Stupid phone. Stupid thick thumbs. With my new bigger screen, I don’t screw up my typing as often as before.
I’ve also gotten used to the differences between the iPhone and the Android. Little things like how to force kill apps, how to download apps, how to send pictures to Facebook, how to make my phone a hot spot for my laptop. It’s all a little different depending on the phone, but once you learn how to do it and get used to it, it’s no big deal.
So let’s get down to brass tax. Here’s why I currently prefer the HTC over the iPhone. Keep in mind I had an iPhone 3, so I was a bit behind the times. But buying a new iPhone 5 would’ve set me back $200. The HTC cost $100. My HTC has a bigger screen than the iPhone 5, so it’s easier to read emails and watch movies and videos. It’s wider. It has the time in huge numbers on the front of my home screen and the weather is right under that so I always know what it is like outside without having to open the Weather Channel app.
Now before all you Mac people go ballistic on me (since I know how passionate you can all be), let me say my wife has the iPhone 4, and I own a MacBook Pro and an iPad 2. When it comes to editing home movies, there is no better operating system. When it comes to NOT having to deal with viruses, Mac blows away the competition. And when it comes to buying songs, you can’t beat iTunes. That’s one thing I HATE about owning an Android. How the heck do I transfer my songs from iTunes to my new phone? I tried several apps but eventually gave up.
When it comes to deciding whether to buy the iPhone or the Android, it’s a win-win situation. But let me throw this out there. According to research firm IDC, 17% of all smartphone users own an iPhone. The iPhone is the bestselling smartphone in the world. They expect to sell ten million iPhone 5’s over the weekend. Pre-orders were so big that many who ordered online won’t even get their phones for another three weeks! The iPhone is a great phone, and those who use it fall in love with it.
But on the flip side of that coin, 68% of all smartphone users own an Android, with the Samsung Galaxy S III being the most popular. Many of those users, like me, are very happy with the huge screens and ease of use. Apple raised the bar for cell phones and other companies have raised their game to come out with better, sleeker models, forcing Apple to improve on its product. It’s the evolution of technology, survival of the fittest, as companies try to grab their piece of the pie.
In the end, whether you choose an iPhone or Android, we all win because as long as these companies keep pushing each other, we’ll continue to get better phones that do even more. Someday, our phone will make breakfast, take out the trash and brush our teeth for us while we read a hologram newspaper. Wouldn’t that be cool! Until that day, just enjoy this technology boom and when you’re ready for a new phone, have fun picking one you think will work best for you.
You can contact Matt Stewart at matt.stewart@wdaftv4.com