Twenty months ago, I was an Apple fanboy. I loved my iPhone more than my dog. But I left the platform for two reasons: dropped calls on AT&T's network and no Google Voice integration.
I've been on Android (and webOS) ever since then, and have felt very satisfied that the Android platform provided more than Apple could offer through its iPhone. The reasons I stayed with Android are:
Customization options
Integration of third party apps
Choice in hardware
Better Google integration
Settings/Utilization tweaks
Notifications
For about eighteen months, I could easily be labeled an Android fanboy. But over the past few months I've been experiencing what I call "Android Fatigue". Here's what it looks like.
Customization - Android has the ability to customize more than any other mobile platform. I love this about it. I also hate this about it. Why? Once I started, I couldn't stop. I also can't ever be satisfied with a manufacturer's skin without messing with it. The truth is though, with just about every phone I've had in the last 18 months (more than 7 Android devices) every home screen looks essentially the same. I'm tired of setting up my homescreen to look like I want it to look. Especially since I flash so many ROMs, I'm inevitably setting up my homescreen once a week. I don't want to do this anymore. I want it to look like I want it to look without all the effort!
Hardware choices are making me CRAZY. I like shiny, new devices. I like having cutting edge technology. Android gives me that. In spades. If I want to stay on top of technology, I'm buying a new phone every 3-5 weeks. This is not sustainable and fuels unrest in the Android ranks. Some people are actually still under two-year contracts with an HTC Eris!!! Imagine how they feel seeing the ads for the Thunderbolt and Charge?
Rooting and installing custom ROMs on an Android device make the platform so much more powerful than iOS and other platforms. Essentially, I can make my device work exactly the way I want it to. How can this be bad? BECAUSE I CAN MAKE THE DEVICE WORK EXACTLY THE WAY I WANT IT TO! Which means, if it's doing anything I don't want it to do, I have to hack it more. It's a constant battle because the damn phone will pretty much do exactly what I want it to, how I want it to, when I want it to (I wish my kids were more like Android). Anyone who has dabbled in rooting and custom ROMs can probably describe to you the first (and 15th) time they bricked their device. My own experiences and eventual fatigue with having to hack out of necessity rather than desire led me to Android fatigue. So I went stock. Know what I learned? Stock battery life sucks. No phone backup sucks (Titanium Backup). Lag sucks. Poor signal, device shutdowns suck. Fixing this requires long conversations with Verizon reps to get replacement devices, or flashing ROMs and kernels to fix device issues. I am tired of dealing with this. I want to use Android, but I want it STABLE across ALL devices I use.
Enter the 2011 WWDC Keynote. Suddenly I'm gaga over iOS. Many of the reasons are simply a reaction to Android Fatigue. Others are actual improvements Google...er Microsoft... I mean Apple made to iOS.
Improved notifications (aka Android style notifications). I know that Android has had this method for years, I don't care. It's a great implementation and I'm glad Apple wasn't too proud to adopt this style in the footsteps of Android.
Twitter integration. I know that Android integrates all third party apps. Yay Android. I wonder if this has anything to do with the instability and force closes that dominate the Android platform? I don't know, I do know I absolutely LOVE this Android feature. That iOS is moving in this direction also makes me very happy. Especially since they started with my favorite app: Twitter.
New Camera Features. This feature is available stock in WP7, and through tweaks and hacks in Android and webOS. Thanks Apple, for also making it a feature iOS users can enjoy.
Safari Tabs and the new iReadItLater. Simplification of saving webpages for reading later is great for casual users. I doubt that hardcore ReadItLater users are going to give up the integration they've already created within iOS. However, improvements like these simplify the user experience. Props to Apple.
OTA updating. I know. Every platform has this but Apple. Late to the game as usual.
iMessage. Thank you RIM.
If you're reading this and getting angry that Apple is copying every other OS, take one big step backward. Now one more. Ok, look again. Yes, Apple is copying the best. Get over it. Look what they've created within one ecosystem:
A simple, stable platform with an enormous ecosystem of apps.
Minor customizations without allowing the customizations to get in the way of function
One of the best, most reliable cameras on any smartphone
OTA updates, integration with iTunes without requiring iTunes for activation anymore (say what you will about iTunes - I'm personally not a fan - but it's still the simplest, most complete system for media purchasing and syncing.
iOS 5 brings Apple so much closer to being a device that I can carry around on a regular basis. I still believe Android is more powerful, but I'm sporting an iPhone 4 in my pocket these days, largely due to Android Fatigue. The biggest reason I'm looking back at iOS - with Android, the device is the destination. With the iPhone, the device is the portal. I'm looking more for productivity that my phone can support, than for tweaks I can make to my phone to make it work better.
I expect some heated debate on Twitter and in the comments from all my Android loving friends. Lets hear it!
