Not me, yet, but Andy Ihnatko writing in Macworld. Andy has often been thought of as an Apple fanboy, but he has now found comfort and solace in the form of a Samsung Galaxy S III. When someone of Andy’s experience and knowledge of Apple suffers such a conversion we need to sit up and take notice.
He makes a compelling argument, particularly in contrasting the flexibility and customisation of Android with the well ordered walled garden tended by Apple. Apple, it is well known, is a nanny of the first order and this can be frustrating for experienced users.
Even I have cast envious glances at larger Android phones, not so much at Andy’s still-modest S III, but particularly at the expansive Samsung Galaxy Note 2 which is big enough to be a convergence device, the so-called phablet.
Phablet lust
I admit I currently lust after a phablet, a larger iPhone that could double as phone and portable tablet. Then I would need to carry just one device instead, as now, an iPhone and an iPad mini.
But I am not adventurous enough to jump ship, whether to Android or to Windows Phone. For one thing, I actually feel very comfortable in Apple’s quiet and peaceful walled garden. I worry about malware, especially when I read that Android is the new Windows. I also cannot overlook the fact that all my devices are connected to Apple unrivalled ecosystem. Andy says little about synchronisation, but I would be reluctant to lose the benefits of faultless synchronisation across all devices, including Macs. With Apple, this is one benefit we often take for granted.
Another big worry for the average Joe is cost. I have already sunk around £500 into the App Store, including buying one or two quite expensive apps such as TomTom and OmniFocus. Most of this stuff would have to be repurchased if I moved to the Android platform, even assuming I felt the overall benefits compelling.
Writing on Apple’s garden wall
At the moment Apple seems to be lagging behind the rest of the industry with its one-size fits all iPhone, although I have no doubt that Cupertino will rectify this situation this year and the choice will be expanded.
I see what Andy has to say and I like a lot of what I read. I am tempted, of course. But, in common with most iPhone owners, I will probably sit on the fence for the time being. The writing, though, is on Apple’s garden wall.
by Mike Evans, 7 March 2013
