Wednesday 19 September 2012

Is it just me, or do the Android folk seem a bit touchy?

Ever since the iPhone 5 was announced a week ago, I've seen many a review of the device by respected tech journalists (I'm not jealous at all by the way).

The overwhelmingly positive reaction, coupled with the absolutely incredible pre-order demand from consumers leaves my own anticipation for the device sky high. I simply cannot wait to get my hands on it!


If you scroll down these reviews to the comments section however, you will notice a pattern. These forums seem to be crammed full of Android fans who feel they need to tell everyone who will listen that their Galaxy S3 is way better and could do everything that the iPhone 5 will do ages ago!

I'll admit that the name calling goes both ways, and as an Apple fan it is hard for me to be objective at times, but those droid devotees do seem to be extra irked at the moment and seem to have a need to be noticed!

It doesn't just stop with Android Consumers either. Androids biggest manufacturing cheerleaders (AKA Samsung) came up with this extremely negative, paranoid, and spiteful piece of marketing the other day. They are trying to come across as clever no doubt, but they just come across as having a huge inferiority complex in my humble opinion.


So the big question is, do they feel inferior to Apple and in their shadow, and if so, why? They obviously feel that their products are better than Apples, and so feel entitled to some sense of moral high ground over their rivals from Cupertino.

The media and and the masses still excitedly flock to Apple though in a way that they never do with a Samsung product, and I guess it is this that just doesn't sit well. Basically, they want to be Apple, and quite simply they are not.

So they dismiss Apple devotees as sheep who will gladly accept an inferior product just because of the Apple name, but this raises the question of what makes a product inferior?

S3 devotees will boast of screen size, 4G, NFC, and various other features that they feel makes their device superior to an iPhone. They will say that Apple doesn't change things enough or even sometimes at all, but is this really a bad thing?

Apple is all about attention to detail, and putting user experience first. They don't rush a new phone out every other week in the way it seems many Android phone makers seem to. They take their time, and they get it right with well built, beautiful products.

I know at the end of the day it is all about opinion and personal taste, and ultimately I can only assess these products in such terms. For me personally, I have tried to get to grips with Android. I picked up a Google Nexus 7 a couple of months ago, and after a couple of days playing with it, it has pretty much sat in a drawer gathering dust, and this is because it simply isn't exciting and unique like the iPad.

I also had a play with an S3 not long ago too. I was bored with it in minutes, and it felt way too big and really cheaply built. Again, it just wasn't exciting! The iPhone on the other hand just feels amazing!

Regardless of individual opinions though, I am sure this debate will run and run. The droid faithful will not lie down and go away I am sure. It's a shame they just can't enjoy their phones and not worry about Apple so much. Then again, they probably say the same about Apple fans. As long as we all know that our phone is actually the best, then who should really care!

Peter

2 comments:

  1. Totally agree, and it's difficult not to get drawn in to arguments. But, arguments that spec is everything has been a flawed argument for a few years now. Comparing smartphones like a game of Top Trumps is no longer relevant. A smartphone is more than numbers of cores, RAM and how big they can make the screen. It's about experience, usability and integration. There isn't much point in having the biggest screen if it's difficult to operate in one hand, nor is there any benefits to be gained from having the fastest benchmarking phone in the world if the software is crap.

    Not only does the iPhone feature the sleekest build of any smartphone, the making of the phone is in the OS. The release of iOS 6 is as big news as the release of the iPhone 5 I think. Let's face it, raw power is one thing but knowing how to harness and unleash in a smart, stylish and effective way is another all together. And, for those not in a position to upgrade to the iPhone 5 just yet, iOS6 will transform the iPhone 4S as well bringing almost all of the same great new features to the incumbent device.

    Samsung can keep their mainframe inside a plastic shoebox toy thing. I'll take the handset made for intelligent adults.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nicely put my friend, and I completely agree that iOS 6 is what will make any iPhone even greater.

    ReplyDelete