It's the time of year when Apple unveils the newest version of the vastly popular iPhone, and I, for one, am excited. Like many, my phone purchasing is dictated by when my carrier contract is up, and at this point my iPhone 4s is starting to show its age a little bit. Frankly, I want to see what it is I will be buying next, and barring something catastrophic, I will get to see it tomorrow.
There are many who will simply buy the next iPhone on faith because it's the newest phone from Apple. While I like Apple products (I have an iPhone and I'm on my second iPad), I don't think I have any blind devotion to them or their products. In fact, there are some ways that the iPhone is demonstrably inferior to its Android counterparts. For instance, if you want a big screen, a longer batter life, widgets of any kind or to be completely free of iTunes, you're getting an Android phone. Truth be told, all of those things appeal to me. The Galaxy S4 is, frankly, the most appealing form-factor I've seen in the mobile space. But they're not enough to overcome the biggest advantages that the iPhone has, in my opinion.
Advantage 1: Android suffers from a serious over-stratification of its user-base. There are simply too many hardware and software configurations. My original smartphone was a Motorola Droid which I purchased almost as soon as it came out. While the phone was a pleasure to use at first, it quickly became out-dated and under-powered compared to the newer, shinier phones. Before too long, the phone felt old, slow and frustrating. With dozens of Android phones using different versions of the Android OS, apps and games aren't necessarily going to be optimized for every hardware and software combination. It's entirely possible that the introduction of the rumored iPhone 5c will be a step down that same path, but even that would leave Apple with much less market segmentation than Android. This leads right into the other advantage.
Advantage 2: When it comes to app development, iOS is often the primary platform, with Android playing second fiddle. I know this isn't always the case. In fact, I'm still waiting for the North American Soccer Netowrk iOS app to come from Android to iOS. Still, it happens often enough for it to be of note to me. This is especially true when it comes to games. iOS may not be the leader in terms of market share, but it is the leader, from what I can tell, in terms of mind share. That counts for something.
I don't love iPhone because it's Apple. I prefer it because I've tried the alternative and didn't care for it. Reasonable minds can differ on the iPhone versus Android debate. In fact, I've recommended Android phones to people in the past. As for me, iPhone presents the better package for me. I don't NEED anything out of tomorrow's event other than a faster processor and more RAM for me to be purchasing my second iPhone in the next few weeks. Sure, I'd like that bigger screen... but it's not worth what I'd have to give up.
I'm not opposed to switching back. I'm sure I will at some point, but for now, I'll stick with my Apple.
