Why I switched back to iPhone: Sometimes, a guy just wants to be spoon-fed
Prasant Lokinendi
Director of Product at Engine | PM Coach at Stanford | Venture Scout at Grishin Robotics
Even the most accomplished of chefs sometimes want to be treated to a home cooked meal every once in a while. Owning an Android device is like being invited to the Iron Chef kitchen stadium, stocked with any ingredient you want, and having the liberty of making any meal that your heart yearns for. Owning an iOS device is like being served a juicy medium-rare steak at The Palm as soon as you sit down at the table.
Sometimes, a guy just wants to be spoon-fed.
That’s the exact sentiment I felt when I made the call to sell my HTC One and pick up an iPhone. Over the year that I owned an Android device, I flashed multiple ROMs, kernels, modules, and more. The lingo that popped up when I searched the XDA forums didn’t confuse me anymore, and I knew the difference between odexed and de-odexed ROMs.
But with every installation and modification, I grew weary that my changes would lead to instability. I was constantly troubleshooting to see what feature was draining my battery life, or what application was eating away at my performance. I found that I wasn’t even using a quarter of the features that were being offered by new ROMs. Every time I changed my icon pack to something even more hip and minimal, I realized that I was just moving closer and closer to the iPhone aesthetic.
With every instance of scroll lag or every choppy app closing animation I encountered, I grew to resent Android. How could a phone with such killer specs lack fluidity? When I played around with my friend’s 5c, the level of smoothness shocked me. We’re talking about year old hardware wrapped in plastic performing better than my machine-cut HTC One.
Sure, there’s no NFC. Sure the screen is small. Sure, you can’t have 300 items on your settings tab. But, who cares? I’ll sacrifice all of that for stable battery performance and a more fluid interface. If the “mod” bug ever bites me again, I can always just jailbreak and install Cydia. Throw in the high likelihood that the iPhone 6 will come with a bigger screen and battery, and you have my vote.
So Steve Jobs, you win. I’m on board.
Pharma Supply Chain & ERP Specialist
10 年Sorry, but I would rather cut into my own steak, and have the option to marinate. In reality, you are being spoon fed a dry steak. I would say that an iPhone is more like riding a bus. Predetermined stops and schedules, but it will take you where you need to go...eventually. An android is like owning a sports car. You will get there a lot faster if you know how to drive, and maintain it.
Practice Head: Digital Transformation at Progressive Infotech Pvt. Ltd.
10 年Hi Prashant, You hit the nail, it is the user experience that finally sways the customer buying choice; and Steve was bang on target. No body claimed iPhone specs as the the ultimate like the HTC ones or Galaxys, but when it comes to user experience iPhones clearly outclassed any of them, till this day. The point is majority of the iPhone users are not heavy tech users, rather those segment of users who want to be perceived as elitist at the cost of few extra bucks; for them user experience is all that matter. Apple's brand image as an elite product company also helps a lot in making the final sway in buying decisions. I think it is more of the iOS platform and the entire ecosystem experience that gives the customer the comfort feeling rather than the mere hardware specs and performance of stand alone devices. As a tech user I entered to iOS since iOS4 and still proud about @ iOS 7. I am there in Android since Gingerbred and even with Galaxy tab 3 and Jelly Bean, My votes are for iPhone.
IT Leader | Team & Project Manager | A hands-on IT strategist helping companies manage today and plan for tomorrow.
10 年If feels that you are comparing apples to oranges. You are talking about a modified phone compared to a non-modified phone. I have owned the HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Incredible, HTC Incredible 2, iPhone 4, iPhone 5 and a HTC One. I have never modified them due to making my life easier to support users. I will give you that your comparison is spot on but your issues are often due to your type of use/modification. You are leaving Android because it allowed you to hang yourself vs the iPhone that is great for the average person, with no option to hang yourself, unless you jailbreak it. Did you have those same problems before you started to muck around or where you trying to make it incrementally better? You most likely did more damage than good. I prefer the "juicy medium-rare steak at The Palm" with some options (unmodded) Samsung Galaxy S5 than having no options at all (iPhone). I will give you that the standard touch scroll of the iPhone, and spoon fed interface for common users is superior but that is where it stops.
Freelance Photographer and Video Producer
10 年This was a nice and refreshing read, Prasant Lokinendi. I owned an iPhone briefly back when the 3GS model was hot, and switched over to Android fairly quickly. I haven't made a switch back to iPhone yet, but it's been tugging on my mind occasionally. I haven't been able to put into words why, but your point about stability and fluidity hit the nail on the head. I agree with you there! While I'm still in no rush to be rid of my Samsung Galaxy S3, I appreciate your viewpoint!