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Why I Switched from iOS to Android and Why I May Go Back

By May 1, 2014No Comments
I've owned all of these.

I’ve owned all of these.

I have a long history with Apple. I learned how to use a computer on an Apple IIe, a PowerBook G4 got me through college, and I’ve owned every iPhone model up until last year. I also use a MacBook Pro on a regular basis and consider it to be the best laptop ever made. Needless to say, I’m what some people may refer to as a “fan boy.” But, even though I am a loyal follower of Steve Jobs, something happened last year that made me switch smartphone allegiances.

I was very excited for the iPhone 5S to be released because I was tired of being jealous of all those people with big screens. I too wanted to stream Netflix and snap Instagrams on something bigger than a credit card. Deep down inside, I truly believed that the 5S would be the greatest smartphone ever and that it would have the ultimate screen. Then, when it was finally announced, my dreams were crushed. “This thing looks exactly like the phone I have now!” I screamed at my computer screen as I aimlessly stared at the keynote presentation.

I immediately began researching Android phones and considered many of them. After a couple of months of intense research I narrowed my choice down to two phones: the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. I was intent on purchasing either of these until a colleague at Newegg informed me of a new “Google phone” called the Nexus 5. After reading the specs and learning about the price, I was sold. This was going to be my next phone.

My current baby.

My current phone in all its glory.

I counted down the days until its rumored release date (Halloween in honor of KitKat) and was one of the first people to buy one online. I settled on a glorious, black 32GB model with a magnificent 5-inch screen. I would finally have a phone that not only rivaled more expensive models, but was actually better in many ways. I tracked my shipping code each day until it finally arrived at my doorstep. I was ready.

I wasted no time in setting the phone up. I was nervous that Google’s cloud services wouldn’t be as intuitive as iCloud but I was wrong — they’re actually easier to use across different platforms. It took me about 10 minutes to upload my documents to Google Drive, import my contacts, and set up my calendar and e-mail. I also set my photos to be automatically uploaded to Google+ and began the process of uploading my MP3s to Google Play Music. By the end of the first day, my entire computer world was in Google’s cloud. And the best part is that it all worked perfectly fine on my MacBook.

Looking back six months later, my experience with Android has been much better than it was with an iPhone. The bigger screen makes a huge difference in the way I interact with the phone and simple tasks like sending an e-mail or text message are much easier now. I also thoroughly appreciate not being tied down to the default applications and enjoy testing out new apps regularly.

Despite having an overall positive experience with Android, Google, and the Nexus 5, I may be switching back to iOS very soon. Rumors of a bigger iPhone being released this fall have me foaming at the mouth. A 5.5-inch screen could be the “sweet spot” between phones and phablets and I’m anxious to try it out. Even if the price tag will be much higher than what I paid for my Nexus 5, the build quality of an iPhone can’t be beat. Also, with Google being reported to be dropping the Nexus program very soon, I have no allegiance to Android. Should I switch back?

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Author Ivan Barajas

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