I am sure that everyday Google receives thousands of searches asking, Android or iPhone? I am hoping that one of those searches landed you here and I can shed some light on your question.
Let me give a little background information about myself before I delve into the pros and cons of each of the phones.
Background
I have only been in the smartphone market for four or so years now. My first phone was the iPhone 3GS followed by an iPhone 4S two years later. I then got into mobile development and needed to purchase an Android phone. I bought the Galaxy Nexus and actually intended on only using it for development purposes. After about a month of using the Nexus I gifted the 4S to the wife and have never asked for it back.
iPhone 5 (iOS 6)
*disclaimer - I have limited experience with iOS 6 (wife's phone) and have absolutely no first hand experience with the iPhone 5 but do have lots of experience with previous generations.
iOS 6 - Really no Different from iOS 5 (Except it crashes a lot)
The iPhone 5 / iOS 6 package has got to be one of the most disappointing product releases I have seen from Apple. While the numbers on paper look really good (benchmarks on the processor) and LTE is a nice but necessary addition, everything else is a huge let down. The OS is really no different from iOS 5 (except for facebook integration and passbook .. lame). The screen is larger but not by much and only in one dimension. The camera is the exact same and I really couldn't care less about the weight loss. You can't wait two years for a phone upgrade to really not change anything in the process. I was hoping by issuing the iPhone 4s that they were saving something special for the iPhone 5. I was wrong.
Lack of Innovation
Apples big problem is that they are no longer in the front of innovation. They've gotten boring ... quick.
I think a recent ad I saw for the Samsung S3 sums it up. The iPhone is no longer a phone for us. Its a phone for our parents (the type of people who wouldn't find this blog). The phone is safe, reliable and absolutely boring. Apples need for absolute control has killed the creative process and left a product without excitement. The innovation on this phone stopped a long time ago. When I see my students at school with Android phones, they're excited ... They brag about them. My students with iPhones just use them.
Cloud Computer on the iPhone
Another big downfall with Apple is their iCloud. I don't know how many of you have used it, but I find it to be an absolutely horrible product. Trying to share documents / photos without a file structure or web interface is a nightmare. All I want to do half the time is send a link to a friend so they can download a file I have, good luck trying to do that with iCloud. I feel like I have absolutely no control of the product. In the process of trying to make cloud computing available for the masses, they have completely destroyed all control I have over the situation. I once had photostream on and found it to be slow and got annoyed that every photo I took became part of my photo albums. I take a lot of dumb photos with my phone, the last thing I need is every one of them to be part of my photo collection. I could spend a whole article talking about the downfalls of iCloud, but don't want to make that the focus of my article.
While the iPhone served me well for almost three years, the lack of change and innovation has turned me off. There's nothing fun or excitement left. It
Pros
- Very fast processor (best feature on the iPhone)
- Slightly larger screen (however still much smaller than other android phones)
- Reliable (once again, not as reliable as it once was ex. maps)
- Lot of options for music/video in the iTunes store
Cons
- Nothing new (Boring)
- No Innovation with the software
- Lack of freedom in app design
Android - Galaxy Nexus, Samsung S3, etc (Jelly Bean 4.1.1)
Android is a software platform that is capable of running on many different devices. I personally own the Samsung - Galaxy Nexus so will be commenting on that specifically. However, the comments that I make are relevant to any of the Android phones running Jelly Bean (newest Android operating system).
I hesitated buying an Android phone for the longest time. I heard from many people they were complicated, ugly, slow and unreliable. I do have to agree that at one point they were. However, I've seen HUGE improvements in the android operating system over the last year. Ice Cream Sandwich (version 4.0) was a huge upgrade and the newest version Jelly Bean (4.1) has just made the Android experience even better. Every time an update gets issues by Google, my phone gets more reliable, more stable and gains a whole load of new features.
Ability to Run Applications in the Background
Imagine a computer that couldn't run programs in the background. As I type this article on my computer I probably have about 5 different things going on. One of the major advantages of the Android is that it allows you to run processes in the background. I can create an SSH tunnel in leave it running in the background so that I can have a secure connection with my home computer. I can have Google Plus running in the background so that when I take a picture, it is automatically uploaded to my account. The possibilities are infinite. There is always the possibility that these background processes might slow down or ruin the phone experience, but the reality is these phones are like computers nowadays, they have the processing power to do multiple things at once.
Customization
One of Android's most powerful features is its ability for customization. I can use widgets, select which icons I want on my home screen, run custom launcher applications so I can change my home screen experience. Everyday I come across new features that allow new possibilities on my phone. I just recently downloaded the NOVA launcher and it is an absolutely amazing launcher. Has completely given my phone a new feel with just a single download.
Complete Integration with Google Products
I don't know about you but I use Google products for just about everything. I have everything from email to this blogging site all done through Google. With the android phone all of this is completely integrated into the phone. I can feel confident my phone will not be removing Google maps for some other junk product (see iOS). Google Now is a new product that has just been released and is integrated with Jelly Bean. It is an amazing tool that alerts me to many things including when I need to leave in order to make my appointments on time. Google Now is the future of mobile software and I recommend you check it out if you haven't heard about it yet.
Performance
Android phones have typically been ahead of the game when it comes to all measures of performance (cpu, memory, screen size, etc). I will concede that the iPhone 5 has a fast processor but that will be short lived. I give it one month before an Android phone jumps ahead and then Apple will be behind the game again for 11 months. Apple brags about the new screen size on their phone, this is still much smaller than most Android displays. I find it ridicules they made no effort to increase the width of the phone. That was a really lazy solution on their part.
Pros
- Performance is always ahead of Apple
- Customize all aspects of the phone
- Run background services
- Integrate with Google products
- More Innovative Apps
Cons
- Less apps available in the store (this is slowly become less true everyday)
- Can be a little battery hungry
- Caution is required as there is more possibility for malware
- Learning curve might be a little more difficult than Apple
Conclusion
After reading my article I hope I've convinced you to jump on board with an Android. Don't get me wrong, I do think the iPhone is the right choice for some people (my parents). It's just that if you've done enough research to get to this blog, I imagine you want a phone with options and innovative products. Android will definitely meet if not exceed all your expectations in a phone.
