Changing Ecosystems From iOS to Android (and how iOS 5 could tempt me back)

Posted on 15 August 2011, Last updated on 15 August 2011 by

Temptations to Return

As we all know, the latest version of Apples ubiquitous mobile platform, iOS 5, is on its way in a couple of months. So does it have what it takes to bring me back into the Apple fold?

Base on Apple’s own presentations, we know what features are on their way; including notifications, Twitter integration, over-the-air updates, and the biggest feature in my opinion, iCloud, which will sync your files across all of your iOS devices. That’s a big drawcard which makes a lot of sense for anyone that uses an iPad and an iPhone. Having all your iTunes content available for streaming anywhere, anytime along with your business documents is a very compelling reason to join or stay within the Apple ecosystem.

There are definitely features within iOS 5 that attract my attention. Being able to post a tweet from within an app, especially the camera app, will be very useful. There have been many times I’ve seen something, taken and shot and thought of tweeting to my followers, but then left it because of the amount of steps I’d need to take.

Here’s another reason to return… peer pressure. I am currently a lone man standing when it comes to my choice of smartphone. If I decide to stay the course, I will miss out on features that work well with other people’s iPhone, like iMessage. I’ve never liked third party apps that help you use MSN chat and the like, but iMessage will blow the whole spontaneous chat market wide open. I may be sitting on the sidelines, watching my friends, family, and colleagues as they smile and laugh at messages that I can’t be part of. Although I’m not so precious about it, I’m already sorely missing Facetime with my family.

Reminders sounds like a really useful app as well. I wear many hats at work and especially due to the fair bit of travel involved, having tasks pop up when you’re in a particular location would definitely help workflow and even personal activities.

I’m already enjoying some of the other new features Apple announced within my Android smartphone. Notifications, wireless updates, tabbed browsing, PC-less setup are not exciting features that will bring me back (because Android already has them), but do improve the system, and indeed many committed iPhone/iOS users have been requesting these for a while now.

iCloud will be the breakthrough service that ties even more people, perhaps even myself, into the Apple ecosystem. The ease of use and the comfort that my data is backed up and accessible through my other iOS device, will change the way we view devices themselves. The iPhone and iPad become the sleek windows that present, backup, and deliver our data. It’s this overarching service that will catapult the take up of multiple iOS devices. Would it make sense to own an Android smartphone and an iPad? Possibly not, as you would miss out on a lot of what iCloud has to offer.

Of course, if you’re a Google Docs and you’re Gmail user, then an Android smartphone combined with an Android tablet may already serve the same purpose when it comes to the document aspect of cloud storage. I haven’t delved deeply into the cloud-based functionality of the Android platform yet but I’m keen to explore further.

Two things come to mind when looking at the developments on the horizon: One is that Google have come this far and certainly won’t go down without a fight, and are working on their own improvements to both smartphone and tablet versions of Android we know that the next major
update to Android, dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich, will standardise the OS across all Android devices.

The other is that Apple will probably remain as closed a system as Android is open. The majority of iPhone/iPad users will stick with the OS and what it offers in its locked down state. They also know that any app they buy will “just work inch on their device because of this consistency.

The time I’ve spent with Android has made me wise to the exciting world of customisation and personalisation. If you want to do something but don’t know how, a visit to an Android forum will usually point you in the right direction both from an app and guidance point of view. This will remain Android’s territory flexibility and adaptability for a more demanding customer base. And I, for one, am glad as it provides a solid alternative to iOS, which keeps competition and innovation alive across all markets.

In closing, one question I have in my mind is will iOS 5 let me quickly adjust my WiFi, bluetooth, brightness, and hotspot functions without going into Settings? Guess I’ll have to wait and see.

You can follow Ritchie on twitter @RitchiesRoom

 

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5 Comments For This Post

  1. aftermath says:

    I only eat mass marketed, low quality food. Each week, I pick a fast food restaurant and only eat all of my meals there. In fact, I don’t just eat there at meal times. I snack there. In fact, I snack there all day, everyday, even when I don’t really need or want to eat. I’ve been won over by the ecosystem of McDonald’s menu and ambiance, but the consumer experience of Burger King could tempt me back. The dumbest guy I know believes that if you’re not really hungry then you shouldn’t even at a meal or snack, and if you are going to eat then you should eat well prepared food made of high quality ingredients. He is such an idiotic jerk, and I think his elitist views are way out of touch about the evolution of eating. What are we, farm hands? He’s probably tricked himself into thinking that fast food ever made anybody sick.

  2. Bill P says:

    Forgive me for the assumption, but reading the article, I can’t help but feel that either the author has hardly touched his iPhone, or he never owned an iPhone at all.

    For instance, brightness. The fastest way to adjust brightness on an iPhone is to turn on Automatic Brightness in the settings, then switch the phone off and then back on. Upon unlocking, the brightness level will change to that which suits the current viewing environment. Also, a side perk of that setting is that it will automatically jack brightness up to a higher level as soon as a the phone is exposed to a brighter light source regardless of what state it is in.

  3. soulfreed says:

    you my friend didnt understand what he was saying, and yes i do have an iphone , but he’s talkimg bout any android device can adjust brightness to what “you” want it to be from the home screen as well set it to auto even ppc2003se had that, if you love apple, great, no need to try and talk down cause you like people to make choices for you. lets say you want to lower the brightness to a setting lower than the automated setting . choice is not so difficult to understand

  4. BrownN9cover says:

    If the Nokia N9 isn’t coming to my carrier, I will get the iPhone5 on contract and the N9 bought cash. Nobody needs to ask me about phones for the next two years then. :)

  5. technomonarch says:

    Great article! Looks like a converted Android user. By the way, you are not alone in your insights. Just look at the growing number of Android users from all over the world.

    Android is the wave of the future. They have already reached the level of providing the same functionality of the iPhone, and more, like the widgets. The difference is, android smartphones are offered at more affordable prices than iPhones. The market would definitely choose the more superior product, in terms of quality and pricing.

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