I won’t be buying any future iPhones (and here’s why)
I’m sitting here, it’s 11:00 p.m., and I’m wondering why I’m still using an iPhone. Yes, I did write a generally positive review of Apple’s iPhone 4S and, yes, I did write an editorial on why I find it so hard to pick a new device – but I’m ready for a change. Click that ‘Continue reading’ button below and find out why I’m having such a bad case of buyer’s remorse.
The biggest reason that I’m ready to switch is that iOS is really stale. I could compare it to a Tostitos tortilla chip that’s been out in the sun for a day or two: it was originally my favorite chip in the world, but after I took it out of its container and exposed it to the gases of my house (and my eyes) for a while, I was looking for something along the lines of a Sun Chip. If you look at the operating system, not much has changed. I can count on my hand the number of changes that Apple has made to the GUI and they’re not even that spectacular.
Email is also an issue for me. Since I began writing here, my inbox is almost never empty. I primarily use Gmail for work-related emails, and the Mail app on iOS is so watered down that I typically just read things on my phone, re-mark them as unread, and wait until I get home to a proper email client; unless, of course, it’s just a simple reply that’s needed. But if I need to send along numbers or other data that needs to be exact, the iPhone renders itself useless.
Then there’s the fact that the iPhone itself has been very similar for the entire five years its been a product. Specifically, I’m talking about the screen. 3.5-inches has generally been a great size for me, but it’s time that my eyes expose themselves to some more information. When I look at the Galaxy Note’s large screen, and then look at my iPhone, I’m disappointed.
Lastly, the App Store has been filling itself up with so much crap lately that it’s actually reminding me of most of the third-party markets for Android. The Top 10 chart is consistently filled with games, most of which aren’t even worth playing! And the Utilities Top 10 chart is usually a bunch of flashlight apps, so that isn’t any better.
I’ve been fortunate to use a lot of Android and Windows Phone devices during my writing career. I’ve also been fortunate to own a few iPhones. I’ve got experience in every modern mobile OS, and maybe that’s why I’m ready for a change. The iPhone is holding me back, treating me like a little kid every time I wish to do something super productive. And now that Windows Phone and Android have very viable syncing options for the Mac (an operating system that will take me years to stop using), I feel that I might be able to be productive across all my devices, no matter which OS I use.
Luckily, I get have to wait until spring of 2013 until I make any decision on my new phone. That is, unless I can’t take iOS as my daily driver anymore – at that point, I’ll suck the pain up and throw down the cash for an ETF fee and the horrible device pricing that goes along with it.
Being the curious guy that I am, what are your iPhone-switch stories?
