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Xoom vs Gtab vs iPad impressions from three IT nerds

Summary: Honeycomb UI great but buggy
Xoom hardware and build quality feel excellent but the screen isn't what it should be (iPad is better)
Xoom vs iPad vs Gtab ... FIGHT! (The Gtab lost... big time)
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So I left work early with a couple of co-workers to scout out the Xoom. We are all work in technology so we have a pretty good idea of what we want, but we all have different perspectives.
I am the lead Internet Infrastructure Enterprise Engineer for Continental/United Airlines and I own the G-tablet, running VEGAn 1.0.0 beta 5.1.1 and the original Droid 1 running Ultimate Droid 3.0.1 (Gingerbread).
Nick, the iPad/iPhone 4 owner with us is a lead Systems Enterprise Engineer who's focus is Enterprise Active Directory with oversight of the Systems Engineering approval process.
Cory was third member of our scouting party was a Systems Project Engineer whose focus is on consolidation of physical server chassis into Virtual Servers. He currently owns a Droid X, switching to Android from the iPhone 3GS. He and I were looking to potentially purchase the Xoom.
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Our collective impressions:
Positives:
-The Honeycomb interface is more efficient than the iPads adaption of the iPhone UI.
-Xoom hardware felt very solid and reassuring to hold, much better feeling in the hands than a Gtab. It made my Gtab feel plastic-y and bulky.
-You could certainly tell there was a Tegra 2 behind the scenes at work.
-A few of the built in, tablet optimized apps, were refreshing to see on an Android device.
Negatives:
-Screen quality lacked something to be desired, specifically for an $800 device. While it was usable, the nearly year old iPad still had a superior display.
-There is still some work to be done on the software side. The built in browser did not do well at all with large images in websites. ESPN home page was very jumpy and really choked up when zooming in on images, Where as the iPad and my Gtab running Dolphin were relatively smooth.
-The Market is currently lacking many tablet optimized applications, as we all know too well.
-We couldn't determine the sound quality because of an apparent bug. Either the device as 100% volume and very distorted or the sound was off. Changing the volume up or down made no change until you had gone all the way down and the sound turned off.
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From an enterprise support perspective, Honeycomb still has a ways to go before we could deploy Android tablets as a supported enterprise class device. Much for the same reasons that we do not deploy iPads. I hope that they address enterprise class authentication with user control so we can look at deploying these as enterprise devices. A small side note, Continental has both iOS and Android applications for customers to use but we also have in house iPad applications for ticket agents to use in assisting customers. The application is supported on the enterprise but the iPads themselves are treated like a dumb terminal and are not an endpoint on our network.
From a user/consumer perspective, the device certainly has potential but I feel that the price tag combined with the lack of application support and general software polish make this a niche product for uber geeks at best.
Cory did not end up walking out of Best Buy with the Xoom after all. Instead he decided to keep waiting patiently for a tablet that is more refined with a higher quality screen at that price point or to see what software updates may bring in conjunction with a price drop.
I personally will be hanging on to my Gtab for the time being, patiently waiting for a Honeycomb ROM (I'll certainly be donating to the devs who bring it to us)! I would like to see what the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 and the LG tablet bring and/or a sub $500 Xoom option before making the switch.
Edit: Steve Jobs had already informed Nick that he will be purchasing an iPad2... and Nick does the bidding of Steve for he is an iSheep under the watch and care.

bmangold said:
From a user/consumer perspective, the device certainly has potential but I feel that the price tag combined with the lack of application support and general software polish make this a niche product for uber geeks at best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remember that the Tegra 3 will be out second half of this year which will be the equivalent of a Quad Core chip. I "personally" was happy enough with my G-Tab (which replaced my iPad) to recently buy a second one. I think this will tide me over until Thanksgiving when you can expect Android 4.0 on a Tegra 3 to truly wipe the floor

Thanks! Good stuff....

EwanG said:
Remember that the Tegra 3 will be out second half of this year which will be the equivalent of a Quad Core chip. I "personally" was happy enough with my G-Tab (which replaced my iPad) to recently buy a second one. I think this will tide me over until Thanksgiving when you can expect Android 4.0 on a Tegra 3 to truly wipe the floor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't wait for Tegra 3 plus Android 3.1. I've been saying that Android 3.1 could be the beginning of the end for Windows in the consumer space. When people have a phone powerful enough to replace their Windows machines, that has a UI that scales from phone form factor up to tablet/netbook scale... not many people are going to care about buying a new computer.
I'm too much of a PC gamer to ditch Windows currently, but if Android tablet game development takes off... watch out.

Android: Does the OS sell the hardware? or is the hardware selling the OS?

When it comes to android, you know that you have an outstanding range of hardware. From the low-end Optimus T/S to the titans of the OS such as the Galaxy S2, and everything imaginable in between. These days, you can even find generic china phones running an, often dated, android. Every carrier has it, they come in all price ranges, and they're available on demand. The question I pose to you, "Is android's key selling point the hardware?"
I understand that numerous XDA members and even some outsiders enjoy the limitless customization options made readily available in android and that's awesome. However, the general consumer is happy to end customization at setting their own ringtone. It's not a breaking factor for the majority that you can swap out kernels. Overall, android is a decent enough platform, but for the masses, I see little that it offers, hardware aside, that it's competitors don't.
Here recently, a thread was posted regarding the ASUS Transformer 2, a pentacore processor in a tablet. Now, most people have yet to exhaust the resources on their dual core phones. A penta-core device seems to be pushing the limits. Considering that it is running a mobile OS, by the time those cores could be utilized, wouldn't the tablet be long outdated? However, I know it will sell well because the word "Penta-core" sounds too awesome for the masses to pass up.
Another occurrence I've seen, having worked in retail shops for some time. A lot of customers, when asked about what OS their phone is running, will reply, "HTC" or, "Samsung." A lot of them have no idea what our little green friend is. Another point towards my personal opinion that the hardware is a huge selling factor.
Overall, android is a very complete platform. It is not my daily driver, but I do enjoy it whenever I have time to tinker. I am inquiring about this matter to get your opinions, what sells? Hardware or software?

I think for me its a little bit of both. I like the fact that the hardware is there in my 3d when I need to push the system really hard. Its not often I do, but its good that when I do, it executes the tasks with ease.
On the same hand there are huge software benefits for me. I love the UI and that I can set swype gestures to open particular apps or settings. It makes multi tasking tthat much easier and fluid for me.
Also, at least from what I have seen with iOS5 (my girl has the 4s) is that android seems to be ahead in certain areas of functionality. For example it is not an innovative thing (to me anyways, being an android user) to be able to back up your device without the use of a computer... I have been doing wireless backups and internal backups since I bought my first android phone.
I think one thing you mentioned before... I think it was you, anyways... was pretty much right on when you said that android is capable of meeting so many different needs in the sense that you have a wide range in variety of devices to choose from and at different costs. There are high end phones available such that perform to today's standards in the mobile world, and there are lower end ones available that are more cost effective.
I feel if you yourself are innovative and creative, you are way more capable of taking an android phone and building the UI to what you want/need. I don't sacrifice functionality for speed, ever. In the end it is still just a phone, but I prefer this platform because it caters to that need I have to customize my phone the way I want it to be, not what somebody else feels it should be.
---------- Post added at 02:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:13 AM ----------
And to address your comment about the bajjillion core tab....
Seems the hardware is way ahead of the software in this case... therefore, I am not impressed by it.
I have a Motorola xoom and it has plenty of power to do what I need it to do. I will not be taking it back to simply have two more cores under the hood. And somebody else mentioned the new kal el device only has 1gb of ram? In my opinion that is really disappointing for a device with that kind of processing power.

i buy phones based on hardware specs
the OS is optional
I prefer to load my OS of choice
just like my PCs / Laptops

z33dev33l said:
When it comes to android, you know that you have an outstanding range of hardware. From the low-end Optimus T/S to the titans of the OS such as the Galaxy S2, and everything imaginable in between. These days, you can even find generic china phones running an, often dated, android. Every carrier has it, they come in all price ranges, and they're available on demand. The question I pose to you, "Is android's key selling point the hardware?"
I understand that numerous XDA members and even some outsiders enjoy the limitless customization options made readily available in android and that's awesome. However, the general consumer is happy to end customization at setting their own ringtone. It's not a breaking factor for the majority that you can swap out kernels. Overall, android is a decent enough platform, but for the masses, I see little that it offers, hardware aside, that it's competitors don't.
Here recently, a thread was posted regarding the ASUS Transformer 2, a pentacore processor in a tablet. Now, most people have yet to exhaust the resources on their dual core phones. A penta-core device seems to be pushing the limits. Considering that it is running a mobile OS, by the time those cores could be utilized, wouldn't the tablet be long outdated? However, I know it will sell well because the word "Penta-core" sounds too awesome for the masses to pass up.
Another occurrence I've seen, having worked in retail shops for some time. A lot of customers, when asked about what OS their phone is running, will reply, "HTC" or, "Samsung." A lot of them have no idea what our little green friend is. Another point towards my personal opinion that the hardware is a huge selling factor.
Overall, android is a very complete platform. It is not my daily driver, but I do enjoy it whenever I have time to tinker. I am inquiring about this matter to get your opinions, what sells? Hardware or software?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First time I have to agree with you pal.BUT:
i)Those guys/gals whose customisation needs end with setting the ringtone are the ones who won't care or even won't realize if the OS is different between an iPhone and an Android device.
ii)Android offers most(if not all) of the things other OSes offer,plus the infinite customisation capabilities no other OS has.Now this is what matters for those of us who can do more than changing the ringtone.
Other than these two things,I generally agree.In the end,though,it's user preference that matters.And people's idiocy in fact.Hell,many people buy their phones depending on how many megapixels their camera can do!

AllGamer said:
I prefer to load my OS of choice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd prefer that too, but mobile hardware is pretty much completely closed, so this is not really possible in practice, except maybe on very very few models.
To answer the title question: I don't know about others, but for me it's definitely the OS. Android is the closest to Linux as I'll probably get on a phone, people are free to cook up their own ROMs (not completely free in many cases, there's closed components in every ROM, but oh well), vast customization capabilities, for getting software you're not limited to one store with draconian rules and sometimes arbitrary decisions.

Certainly a combination of software + hardware with a little bit of company preference.
But considering the range of manufacturers for android based phones, I find it hard to lag behind hardware wise.

1) I look for a device that I think will last me the three years of my contract or at least the majority of it
2) I look here on XDA and see what the dev community is like
3) I buy the phone

I would guess that for 80%+ of phone buyers the main factor is price. Sure they know about the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy devices, but for most those phohnes are out of their price bracket. So they find the device which has the same sort of idea but in a cheap package, which has helped Android no end since there are low end Android devices, and Apple have little interest in that.
For myself as a more techie person, I use Android becuase of the freedom to do what i want with my hardware. At least that's why i got into Android. Now I will continue to buy Android devices, but the major reason is I've invested in the app market, I have tens of pounds worth of apps for Android. To jump to anotehr platform now would mean having to start over with that. That's the power of these stores and markets, once you are invested changing platform is a lot more of a jump that just deciding which you like the most at the time.

countstex said:
I would guess that for 80%+ of phone buyers the main factor is price. Sure they know about the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy devices, but for most those phohnes are out of their price bracket. So they find the device which has the same sort of idea but in a cheap package, which has helped Android no end since there are low end Android devices, and Apple have little interest in that.
For myself as a more techie person, I use Android becuase of the freedom to do what i want with my hardware. At least that's why i got into Android. Now I will continue to buy Android devices, but the major reason is I've invested in the app market, I have tens of pounds worth of apps for Android. To jump to anotehr platform now would mean having to start over with that. That's the power of these stores and markets, once you are invested changing platform is a lot more of a jump that just deciding which you like the most at the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen the price comment being made multiple times but aren't these devices pretty close to each other in terms of price after a 2 yr contract? In fact if you shop around, you can find some of these highend units for nearly nothing from online stores such as amazon
As for me, overall package is what sold me to galaxy s2. Form factor, hardware specs, overall implementation of the OS (gpu acceleration various places), etc. Version number really doesn't really bother me (2.3.3 vs 2.3.4/5/6/7) as long as there aren't any key features missing in the current revision that exists in the newer revisions.

Gusar321 said:
I'd prefer that too, but mobile hardware is pretty much completely closed, so this is not really possible in practice, except maybe on very very few models.
To answer the title question: I don't know about others, but for me it's definitely the OS. Android is the closest to Linux as I'll probably get on a phone, people are free to cook up their own ROMs (not completely free in many cases, there's closed components in every ROM, but oh well), vast customization capabilities, for getting software you're not limited to one store with draconian rules and sometimes arbitrary decisions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HD2 was a great example
then there are many other HTC devices that did the same
and a few Samsung devices as well
and there's the HP Touchpad
and...

For most people it's both.
They're attracted for the first time by the look and find the OS easy to use.
Despite people stating that the iphone is for people who just want to use a smartphone for the first time etc and Android is for techies and geeks to customise, if that were actually true then that would mean that there are a hell of a lot of geeks out there, which obviously isn't the case.
I would guess the majority of Android users' extent of customisation is changing the picture of their wallpaper, and that's the thing, with Android you can do that, it's easy to use, with the extra buttons it can seem more logical to new users compared with the single button on the iphone for instance.
It has the "apps and the wifis" that average users want, it looks good and you can make it look pretty much how you like.
Being able to just plug it into another computer and transfer files is a huge boon too, something a colleague was very disappointed with the iphone4 because of it's lack of ability.

There is 500+ android devices on the market globally, its the brand name and hardware specs that sell. Not the os.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

I'd rather say that that none of those sell the other: it's actually the price selling both, plus the "status symbol" factor thatbhas to do with Apple things. Androids are generally cheaper then both the iPhone and WP7 phones. This, plus the fact that most people don't seem to like WP7 tiled ui, basically because it doesn't "look like an iPhone" enough. That might sound harsh, like saying that most people are dumb, but it's not (only) that actually: people got used to icons since the day they got their first pc, no wonder they go for something that looks more familiar to them when they wanna buy a smartphone. Maybe Win8 will totally change the name of the game, but that's it for the moment (sadly enough I dare say).

I think we have to remember that 'most' people don't include the tiny fraction of the consumer market that are active on XDA. We make choices on a range of factors as we are better informed about both hardware and software. When we walk into a phone shop we want to assess the phone on build quality, size, Android version, display type, etc.
When the average punter walks into the same shop their buying choice usually boils down to no more than, 'Oh look, a shiny thing. I want that one'.

.
Thread moved to Android. Would advise you to read forum rules and post in correct section.
Failure to comply with forum rules will result in an infraction and/or ban depending on severity of rule break.

Do you review the content of my threads before moving them or do you see my name and play pin the tail on the donkey with the final location of the thread?

[Q] Nexus (pure Android) vs iOS simplicity

I know for a lot of average phone users, the argument is always, "Apple is so much easier to use!" It's understandable why people claim it's easier with Apple's focus on simplicity, unchanged UI, and locked down user environment on their OS. I've been using the latest jellybean and I'm trying to be as fair as possible giving my opinion for a non-techie/average phone user. I really think that Nexus (pure Android) is now as simplistic as iOS. Yes, there is a file system on android and other additional features, but average phone users mostly only explore home screens and other basic features. Jellybean UI only has the on-screen three navigation buttons with the three dot menu access either located at the top right of bottom right.
Apple only has the home button, but some times the back button is located in different areas of an app or to access shortcuts, you have to click the home button a certain amount of times which can not be very user friendly for people that just want to 'see' the button to access what they want. I've been using my parents' phones (HTC EVO 4G) and I agree gingerbread or other older android versions for that matter are hard to use for an average user. There's too many navigation buttons, phone's touch input is bad, plenty of needed improvements on an unsupported android version, and gingerbread is slow. I believe new comers can adapt very easily to Jellybean; everything is fast, fluid, attractive, and has become much more simplistic for setting up or accessing everyday features on the phone.
What do you guys think? Have you convinced family or friends to convert to the Nexus line of Android?

Ive been trying so hard to convert my gf from her icrap... Geez she had a droid bionic before i knew her but that had old gingerbread and skinned with blur(the worst ui for android) aosp or nexus is way to go
Sent from an Apple killing JellyBean

moparfreak426 said:
Ive been trying so hard to convert my gf from her icrap... Geez she had a droid bionic before i knew her but that had old gingerbread and skinned with blur(the worst ui for android) aosp or nexus is way to go
Sent from an Apple killing JellyBean
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. I need to sit down with some people who own iPhones and just show them side-by-side everyday tasks on Nexus (aosp). For example, telling them to show you how to attach a photo to a text message and then showing how to do it on Android. It's virtually the same and everything is much nicer on Android.

I'll say up front that I've owned Apple products and would consider doing so again.
iOS is a flaming heap of crap when it comes to the UI. It was what the user-base needed when smartphones where new, but we have so much more functionality now that it's ridiculous not to integrate it.
iOS is that person that still thinks it's the 1980s. Really garish and outdated, but not old enough to be classic and cool - or at least make people smile at how quaint it seems. It's everyone in Bruce Springsteen's Glory Days - those people that had an awesome time in high-school and now can't think of anything else.
I understand wanting to keep things the same for "non-tech" people who don't want to learn a new system every time they get a new phone. This is why they need to integrate small changes and improvements over time and teach people how to use them by explaining in a tutorial/greeting on the phone. I feel that Google does a very good job of that.
3/4 of my parents and step-parents have Android devices - and they have all picked it up pretty quickly.
My mom has a dumbphone on which she doesn't text and probably uses less than five minutes a month and still asks me how to attach files in an e-mail. I helped her pick out, buy, and set-up a TF700. She seems to be doing really well with it - a lot of people I've spoken with feel that an Android tablet is more "tech n00b" friendly than even a traditional computer - it's simple, everything is easy-to-find (and you usually don't need to go mucking around in the file-system), and you can reach out and touch what you want to do which is more natural for many than using the mouse.
She originally was thinking of an iPad, but it honestly wasn't the best choice for her. She needed a good camera (work-related) and the iPads that were in her price-range didn't have very great ones - and having a microSD card slot means that she doesn't have to worry about her video-recording taking up too much internal space even if she forgets to delete them when she's done. And she has the processing power and RAM that what she does isn't skipping and struggling when going back and forth through frames of HD video (something she specifically mentioned being worried about).
I think she would have been fine with an iPad, but she didn't have the budget for a newer one. Android offers options, customisation, and competition. Manufacturers are willing to take chances and try new things that might fail - whereas Apple plays it safe. I give credit to Apple for being the force to really push tablets into the mainstream - I just hope that iOS can get some much-needed innovation.
I believe my friend's "tech impaired" mom got an S3 and is doing fine. Touchwiz might be more bloated than Stock, but it does a pretty good job of being simple and teaching new users how to use it without overwhelming them. I think Samsung has done a great job with the S3 and their push behind it - offering something that appeals to many users and many different needs, allowing everyone to get what they want out of it. To me, that's what Android is all about - options, choices, and finding what's best for yourself.

Pennycake said:
I'll say up front that I've owned Apple products and would consider doing so again.
iOS is a flaming heap of crap when it comes to the UI. It was what the user-base needed when smartphones where new, but we have so much more functionality now that it's ridiculous not to integrate it.
iOS is that person that still thinks it's the 1980s. Really garish and outdated, but not old enough to be classic and cool - or at least make people smile at how quaint it seems. It's everyone in Bruce Springsteen's Glory Days - those people that had an awesome time in high-school and now can't think of anything else.
I understand wanting to keep things the same for "non-tech" people who don't want to learn a new system every time they get a new phone. This is why they need to integrate small changes and improvements over time and teach people how to use them by explaining in a tutorial/greeting on the phone. I feel that Google does a very good job of that.
3/4 of my parents and step-parents have Android devices - and they have all picked it up pretty quickly.
My mom has a dumbphone on which she doesn't text and probably uses less than five minutes a month and still asks me how to attach files in an e-mail. I helped her pick out, buy, and set-up a TF700. She seems to be doing really well with it - a lot of people I've spoken with feel that an Android tablet is more "tech n00b" friendly than even a traditional computer - it's simple, everything is easy-to-find (and you usually don't need to go mucking around in the file-system), and you can reach out and touch what you want to do which is more natural for many than using the mouse.
She originally was thinking of an iPad, but it honestly wasn't the best choice for her. She needed a good camera (work-related) and the iPads that were in her price-range didn't have very great ones - and having a microSD card slot means that she doesn't have to worry about her video-recording taking up too much internal space even if she forgets to delete them when she's done. And she has the processing power and RAM that what she does isn't skipping and struggling when going back and forth through frames of HD video (something she specifically mentioned being worried about).
I think she would have been fine with an iPad, but she didn't have the budget for a newer one. Android offers options, customisation, and competition. Manufacturers are willing to take chances and try new things that might fail - whereas Apple plays it safe. I give credit to Apple for being the force to really push tablets into the mainstream - I just hope that iOS can get some much-needed innovation.
I believe my friend's "tech impaired" mom got an S3 and is doing fine. Touchwiz might be more bloated than Stock, but it does a pretty good job of being simple and teaching new users how to use it without overwhelming them. I think Samsung has done a great job with the S3 and their push behind it - offering something that appeals to many users and many different needs, allowing everyone to get what they want out of it. To me, that's what Android is all about - options, choices, and finding what's best for yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This post is excellent. Apple does integrate small changes in the software every year, with the same minor upgraded phone that, "Changes it all." Problem is, is their platform is not moving fast enough and every software upgrade is poorly integrated leaving lag for multitasking and the notification bar to name a few. Apple definitely started the revolutionizing of smartphones and tablets into the mainstream, but I feel like they are no longer as innovative or exciting to hear about. Android has many phones across their platform with different themed phones that can deter users to go and choose an iPhone, but like you said it also gives the user many options and customization.
How come you didn't just buy your mom a phone for hd photo/video and rendering? Tablets are kind of awkward to hold for users who want to do that. I know that Apple has more apps optimized for their tablet, but on a budget, they're not the best buy. The best buy right now is the Nexus 7 or 10, but no sd card slot. You think she would need more than 16-32gb and additional cloud storage? Many "tech-impaired" people are still able to use old android phones quite well - more than I would want to. If they could just see what newer android phones offer, they're so much easier to use and it should no longer be said that, "Apple is so much easier to use than Android!" It's simply not true anymore - especially for the Nexus (pure Android) devices I'm talking about.
Google does do a great job of user-interactive tutorials first setting up the phone. I hate to be completely biased; I've had Apple devices in the past and am around them nearly everyday. They don't have that excitement or new features that have been on Android for awhile now. Not to mention how locked down their hardware and software is - slowing down development. I've also heard recently that Apple's new approach for their devices and software, is what they feel is the best for their interest and not the communities interest. That right there completely turns me off of ever owning one of their devices and I'll continue to support Google as they're my favorite company.
Another argument you'll always hear is, "Well Apple just has so many more apps and they work better." Well, they been around longer than Android and recently Android announced they have around 675000 apps now which is nearly identical to the Apple store. Pretty impressive considering how much longer Apple has been out. Also, saying they work better is entirely not true. There's been many tests on apps on both platforms and apps perform better on newer versions of Android. I just bought a Nexus 4 for $300 off-contract featuring a quad-core cpu, 2gb ram, true hd ips+ lcd screen, and the latest purest version of android. Does it get better than that?

The future of mobile operating systems OR why we can't upgrade Android like any PC OS

I know this discussion has been around for quite some time, and I have read, for example, this and this. But I think that some aspects haven't been discussed yet.
All the arguments mcapozzi gave in the first thread I linked are very true, but, except for the kernel building on the device, which would not necessarily have to be done (there), they are all man-made. And as we all know the system works well for PCs, i.e. I installed Win 10 at the release day on an eight year old machine and everything worked perfectly fine, except for minor issues with the GFX driver, which had been resolved within a few weeks. And, in principle, a modern smart phone is not much different from a PC.
Of course the device manufacturers would be, let's call it reluctant, to agree to something like we have on the PC market. But, wouldn't Google by now have the power to force such a system on the manufacturers? I mean, if they don't play along Google could easily prevent them from using the Play Store and, with a licence change, even future Android versions. Both would probably prevent most companies from selling any more mobile phones.
And in the end I don't think it would be that bad for the manufacturers; obviously they would be selling less phones, but on the plus side they'd:
have greatly reduced software development costs (at least if they do Android upgrades properly right now)
be able to charge more for their phones, as they are actually worth more
sell more higher-end devices, because people would be willing to invest more money, if they knew that they could use their phones for as long as they like (or at least as long as the hardware is powerful enough to run the newest OS and apps)
still be able provide custom UIs as some sort of "app", if they wish
And, apart from that, phones will still wear off (physically) and there will still be hardware innovations that will make people want to by new phones, even if their old ones have the newest OS; and we must not forget the built-in batteries
Looking at this from the Google perspective: it would make the Android ecosystem much more attractive, and after all Google makes it's money with Android phones being used, not sold.
Now, I don't think I have to list the advantages for the users, do I?
So, what do you think this? I'd be glad to hear.
-Julian
P.S. No, I don't think Google is bold enough to actually do something like this, would be cool though.

Curiosity kills the cat: Eager to know what the considerations of new buyers are in choosing a new device, either be it an Android one or an Apple.

Hi all, I fully realize that this is a difficult question in this forum of mainly Android adepts, but nevertheless I'm just curious what people drive to buy an Android device or an Apple one. Wherefore then this question? Simple, at this very moment there are two incompatible worlds, the Android one versus the Apple one, e.g. either you're an Android adept and hate Apple or vice versa. But there is since a short while a change in the stubbern Apple's philosophy to determine what you can do with it's devices, meaning nothing at all. Apple used to determine how you use the device. Since the release of Apple iOS14.5 there is a slight, but significant change, in this philosophy. Now you're able to customize your own home screen with widgets, etc. You're even able to get your Apple's home display look like an Android one (see attachment). I have been for many years an Android adept who always stated the Apple is for dummies. After the release of the iWatch 6 and noticing all of it's capabilities, I wanted one but neglected it cause I did not want an iPhone for the above reasons. This changed after the release of iOS14.5 and certainly after the release of iOS 15. I now own not only the iWatch 6 but also the Apple 12 Pro Max and customized my iPhone to my needs. So all in all, I'm just curious if this kneel from Apple towards it's users leads to a sort of "in between world", instead of two incompatible worlds. Kind regards kuzibri

IMO you can't compare Apple with Android, but at most Apple's iPhone with Android phones from different manufacturers, Apple's iOS with Android OS which is different from manufacturer to manufacturer.
My resume with regards to difference:
Phones with Android OS can be expensive, phones with iOS always are, although both are based on an unix-like kernel.

Hi, thanks for your post. It's not my intention to compare Apple with Android or vv, but just curious what drives people to either buy (one of the many) an Android device or an Apple one. Both sides have very great devices but the world between them is immense. Kind regards, kuzibri

In September, 2021 the worldwide market share of Apple iPhones and Android OS based phones in terms of devices with a mobile OS was
73% Android OS based phones
17% Apple iPhones
what I think says all.

jwoegerbauer said:
In September, 2021 the worldwide market share of Apple iPhones and Android OS based phones in terms of devices with a mobile OS was
73% Android OS based phones
17% Apple iPhones
what I think says all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These % do not mean a lot IMPO. There are lots of Android devices on the market (Samsung, Reno, Huawei, Google, Sony, etc, etc, etc) compared to Apple. So it's completely logical that Android sells more phones than Apple.

kuzibri said:
Simple, at this very moment there are two incompatible worlds, the Android one versus the Apple one, e.g. either you're an Android adept and hate Apple or vice versa.
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Click to collapse
That's not entirely true. There are simple people and people who prefer simplicity, but it is not necessarily that simple. Until this year, I've always had both. The only reason I don't now is unfortunate circumstance (factory defect), not choice.
Realistically, there are a decent number of people with Android devices that went after an iPhone and either couldn't get it because it was sold out, found a novelty feature about an Android device that caught their eye, or were sold on how much cheaper it was to get something that the clerk said was "fundamentally identical" (where it mattered). Some go back immediately, some later, and some find they were actually fans of Android that just never knew it.

twistedumbrella said:
That's not entirely true. There are simple people and people who prefer simplicity, but it is not necessarily that simple. Until this year, I've always had both. The only reason I don't now is unfortunate circumstance (factory defect), not choice.
Realistically, there are a decent number of people with Android devices that went after an iPhone and either couldn't get it because it was sold out, found a novelty feature about an Android device that caught their eye, or were sold on how much cheaper it was to get something that the clerk said was "fundamentally identical" (where it mattered). Some go back immediately, some later, and some find they were actually fans of Android that just never knew it.
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Click to collapse
Many thanks for your objective answer. This kind of answer is the sole purpose of this thread. Kind regards kuzibri

kuzibri said:
Hi, thanks for your post. It's not my intention to compare Apple with Android or vv, but just curious what drives people to either buy (one of the many) an Android device or an Apple one. Both sides have very great devices but the world between them is immense. Kind regards, kuzibri
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My preferences are simple. Expandable storage, and the ability to unlock the bootloader (proves manufacturer has nothing to hide/true ownership of the device), and dark mode. Blinding white screens were the dumbest idea ever. Anything else is a bonus.

kuzibri said:
Hi all, I fully realize that this is a difficult question in this forum of mainly Android adepts, but nevertheless I'm just curious what people drive to buy an Android device or an Apple one. Wherefore then this question? Simple, at this very moment there are two incompatible worlds, the Android one versus the Apple one, e.g. either you're an Android adept and hate Apple or vice versa. But there is since a short while a change in the stubbern Apple's philosophy to determine what you can do with it's devices, meaning nothing at all. Apple used to determine how you use the device. Since the release of Apple iOS14.5 there is a slight, but significant change, in this philosophy. Now you're able to customize your own home screen with widgets, etc. You're even able to get your Apple's home display look like an Android one (see attachment). I have been for many years an Android adept who always stated the Apple is for dummies. After the release of the iWatch 6 and noticing all of it's capabilities, I wanted one but neglected it cause I did not want an iPhone for the above reasons. This changed after the release of iOS14.5 and certainly after the release of iOS 15. I now own not only the iWatch 6 but also the Apple 12 Pro Max and customized my iPhone to my needs. So all in all, I'm just curious if this kneel from Apple towards it's users leads to a sort of "in between world", instead of two incompatible worlds. Kind regards kuzibri
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can read about my exploits with my Android phone here:
Any help rooting or unlocking bootloader on the incredibly unpopular Blu Life One X3?
So, here's my problem: I bought a Blu Life One X3 late last year since it was on sale for $150 ($100 lower than the current MSRP). Since it was still a new release, I thought that the modders would come after it eventually, so I just waited it...
forum.xda-developers.com
I chose Android because it's infinitely configurable... I've got mine to the point that there's no logging, no aGPS, no ability to remotely enable aGPS or any tracking 'features', no Near Field radio spying, no ads, no ad tracking, etc. My phone doesn't even have an Advertising ID. There's no 'phoning home' to Google or any of the advertising trackers whatsoever.
Everything 'Google' is either uninstalled or disabled completely except for the phone app (I can't find one that works well with this phone), and even that is neutered so contacts and phone calls aren't tracked by Google.
As such, my phone runs a long, long time. Even when using it, the battery only decreases by ~3% / hour. So I could literally talk for 30 hours straight and still have battery left.
Before I modded the phone, the CPU always ran warm because of all the corporate spyware stuff. Now I've got it throttled so when it's plugged into USB, it can run all 8 cores at speeds between 299 MHz and 819 MHz, and when it's unplugged, it's throttled to a single core limited to between 299 MHz and 442 MHz, with little noticeable lag.
My wife, on the other hand, got an iPhone... she's constantly plugging it in to charge, it tracks everything she does and says (and now they're perusing people's cloud storage, purportedly for CP), she gets all sorts of ads for stuff she's mentioned verbally. We've noticed the Siri 'creepy laugh' twice, and the camera came on by itself once... her phone isn't allowed in the bedroom.

Hi @electrofryed and @Lusty Rugnuts, many thanks for your posts and considerations on buying which phone. Your answers I was looking for when starting this thread, kindest regards kuzibri