To be, or not to be: that is the question
by Zaida Granados
Four generations later, and I still haven’t made the switch.
Not that I have anything against Apple; I’m an avid Apple-user – with two laptops, two iPods, and a @me.com email account to call my own, it’s pretty obvious I am an Apple fan. For some reason or another, the thought of owning an iPhone hasn’t fully manifested itself to reality.
I mean, really…it’s been four generations since Apple first introduced its über sleek, with cool apps, eye-candy, phone. And with the impending launch of the fifth generation phone to support the impressive iOS 5, why do I feel like I’m not a cool kid anymore?
Let’s not get into the reasons why I haven’t made said purchase; my excuses are many, but valid. Up until now.
The more I see people thumbing through their iPhone, as they peruse the endless number of apps on their screen, the more inclined I am to rid myself of an excuse. My sister has an iPhone (and she’s gone through all generations; surely she’ll migrate onto the fifth), so I have secondary knowledge of the wondrous world of Instagram and Angry Birds. The secondary knowledge isn’t enough, though. I’m jealous of all the fun my sister, her friends, my friends and coworkers – even of the older gentleman who sat across from me this morning in the Gables trolley – are having with their iPhone. They can Scrabble together, Bump each other, or create a mood with Pandora, all from one device. Can you see why I’m jealous?
Yes, I know other devices offer these capabilities, but it’s not THE iPhone. I’m not part of a tribe I thought I belonged to will all my other Apple-ness, and it looks like I’m won’t be fully inducted until I make the switch. Most importantly, our agency is thinking up and developing new mobile apps for our clients, and I feel ill-equipped without an iPhone (it’s the popular operating system of choice for most of our clients). As you can see, this leaves me out of another tribe.
It feels like I’ve waited long enough. However, aside from the design, cool apps and features it has offer, I’m not fully convinced (primarily from a technical standpoint). Remember, I did say I had many excuses for sticking with my current smartphone. I’ll need many more reasons to make the line for the cooler-than-last-year’s, new iPhone 5 that’s rumored to make its debut September/October of this year.
Perhaps you can offer me some guidance/support/pros/cons. Should I make the switch, and finally be a full-fledged Apple tribe member? What were your reasons for moving (or, not moving) onto the iPhone?
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I found myself in your shoes before deciding on a smartphone back in February. Luckily I narrowed it down to Apple or HTC. My sister hands down chose the 4th Generation iPhone, without contemplation. I tend to be indecisive and a bargain hunter. But, after much comparison I finally went with my instinct and chose the HTC Inspire, and I am extremely pleased.
Price-wise, my HTC Inspire was $59.99 on Amazon wireless through AT&T. My sister paid $200 for her iPhone 4 through the same service provider.
There are pros and cons to each though.Yes, Apple has excellent design, features and a beautiful UI, not to mention Retina display. But there are features on my HTC Inspire my sister admits are envy-worthy. For instance, the Inspire has built-in photo editing and effects, whereas the iPhone needs apps as a supplement. Another defect she noticed, was that the flash creates a hazy reflection on pictures, especially when taken in dark lighting. Many people have complained about that. One con that both the iPhone and the Inspire share, is that in cloudy lighting or mid to low lighting, photo resolution is pretty poor. Meaning, they come out fuzzy and not so sharp. Both take excellent photos on bright and sunny lighting.
If you’re a music junky, the iPhone is limited. My sister cannot set purchased music as ringtones. Instead, you have to buy a separate ringtone. HTC allows music to be set as a ringtone.
You cannot download Flash player on the iPhone. So, that means websites running on flash cannot be viewed. My HTC Inspire plays flash, with a simple download on the Android Market from Adobe.
The HTC Inspire has a built-in flashlight, whereas iPhone needs and app.
Both phones share similar smartphone features. If you can find the app in their respective app markets, both function and are compatible! You can Bump, play Words with Friends, and many other envious features you mentioned, on both Droid and iOS operating systems. Not so bad, eh!
The bottom line is that phones are constantly evolving and adapting to consumer demands and needs. If you wait around for the perfect phone to appear, it will always be topped the next day. Make the switch, and take a chance. Don’t be left out! You can always try another phone, when your contract is over. Good luck!
I fought off the iphone hypnosis for years, claiming that my Motorola Razor was the top of the line in flip phone technology and I knew that when that baby was closed, there was NO WAY a pocket dial could occur. Besides. a phone is to make and recieve calls…that’s all.
Of course my Razor coul;d not track my flights or GPS me to a meeting in Cleveland or give me live streaming of Dolphin games or give me up to the minute flight delays (on the boards from the airport), or tell me the wind direction and speed in San Fran or notify me when one of my stocks is dropping or take professional photographs or tell me the name of a song on the radio and instantly download it for me.
So althought I think Angry Birds is a stupid game and I have no intention of “bumping” anyone nor does anyone’s picture show up when they call me, the realistic business uses of an iphone are second to none…in my humble opinion.
Thanks for the insight, Christina…you’ve given me something else to think about!
Joe – I was one of those Motorola-loving people, too. I refused to upgrade, or let alone consider getting a touchscreen phone – my clamshell went through so much in its two years, that I know for a fact the iPhone would’ve disintegrated. But you’re right in that, for practical reasons, an iPhone (or any smartphone, for that matter) has its rewards.