Famed Apple Columnist Andy Ihnatko Abandons Ship For Android

Buster Heine (1:56 pm PDT, Mar 5th)

If you’re an Apple fanboy that reads a lot of tech websites, you may have come across the name Andy Ihnatko before. Andy’s been a hardcore Apple fanboy for years. He’s got a column at the Chicago Sun Times and Macworld, and he’s on a popular Apple podcast almost weekly.

Sadly, Andy’s decided that his love for the iPhone 4S has died. He’s switched to Android. The two of them are happy. But Andy wants you to know why he’s switched to Android, so he’s published a monster story to give you all the details.

Over at TechHive, Ihnatko just posted part 1 of a 3 part series on why the iPhone is no longer good enough for him. The first part weighs in at over 2,000 words, but to sum it up for you, Ihnatko likes the keyboard, text-to-speech, and bigger screen of the Samsung Galaxy S3 over the iPhone 4S.

He says the decision was a very, “slow, cautious, and careful examination” of what he needs in a phone. Ultimately, the iPhone can’t Ihnatko’s stringent needs.

Why does every person who makes the switch from iPhone to Android feel that it is their holy duty to explain why they switched, rather than just using the phone they like the most and carrying on with their life? I don’t know.

There’s at least two more features that Ihnatko thinks are way better on Android than iPhone, but you’ll have to wait till the next installment to find out what those are, but what do we make of Ihnatko’s switch? Is it just a ploy for pageviews? Has Apple really lost its edge? Or does Ihnatko just need something new to keep himself entertained?

Let us hear your thoughts on switching in the comments.

Source TechHive

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http://twitter.com/bpmarkowitz Ben Markowitz
The phrase is “pass muster”
http://twitter.com/ny3ranger Tash Wahid
I think its boredom of the OS. I have new versions of the iphone since 2007 but the OS look and feel is getting old. I think people just want a look look. Its like owning a car after 5 years you might start to look at new models. But if the new models look like the same car you have you might jump ship. I love apple and how all my things integrate with my other apple hardware. But the app icons and pages of apps is getting a bit boring.
- http://www.facebook.com/bob.smogango Bob Smogango
  A famed columnist? What do they use anything for? Writing columns which are typically not much more than a few paragraphs at most. These guys sit on their ass writing self proclaimed BS that ANYONE with a little experience can do.
  Boredom? What do you want from a device? Do you have ADD that badly that your smartphone’s OS has to be just as much of a distraction as a video game?
  Out of all of my computing devices, I use my desktop 75 to 80% of the time, my tablet gets about 15% and my phone gets about 5% of my time. It’s that way because I rely on my smartphone pretty much for making/taking calls and I purposely don’t like people I don’t know calling me. I also do NOT do much in the way of text messaging. I also don’t need to use a Navigation system tell me when to turn because I typically know where I’m going before I go somewhere.
  I think the Android phenomenon is more of a novelty. Android users tend to switch brands because they are dissatisfied with the one they bought and eventually they’ll run out of brands and then they’ll go to the trusty reliable product, which is the iPhone. It’s just a more reliable product.
- http://www.facebook.com/bob.smogango Bob Smogango
  The icons Apple has are very detailed 3D look to them. Google/Android has a 2D look to them. Hence 3D is not as boring as 2D.
  - Whim
    OMG the ICON is 2D!!!!! Nooooooo!!!!!
  - matt
    this comment is just… hilarious…
- http://www.facebook.com/bob.smogango Bob Smogango
  I am also a musician on the side, if you have investigated the shear wealth of apps for iOS vs Android, in the music industry, it’s NO CONTEST. It’s also that way for most PROFESSIONS like video production, graphics, etc. The major app developers are developing for iOS vs Android.
  I think if you have nothing better to do and you want to play around, then get Android, but for more serious minded professionals, they are going with iOS.
  Too many problems with the Android platform, it takes too damn long to get an update.
  - http://www.facebook.com/joshua.d.deville Joshua David DeVille
    I’m a musician and songwriter I use apple computers but don’t plan on using iphone anytime soon, plus sharing is extremely limited on iphone on andriod you can share almost anything using and app not to mention basic features such as setting default apps(maps,browsers ect), with apple you can’t which can be a huge pain.
- http://twitter.com/markrlangston Mark Langston
  The boredom argument is incredibly lame and your car analogy is violently weak. If you’re a 30-something then you’ve been using Windows since you stopped crapping in your pants and could control a mouse. And in all that time Windows is essentially the exact same OS it was since Windows 95. Sure the icons are a little different and they traded in the Start button for the MSFT logo but at the root the OS is EXACTLY the same. How you access files and documents hasn’t changed one bit. Shortcuts like CTRL+E generate an Explorer window, CTRL+R calls up the Run command, all of your most recently used programs appear in the Start menu, the task bar holds all of your running apps; you get the point.
  So to suggest that iOS is old after only about 6 years on the market is ludicrous.
  Having said that, could Apple add a few more tweaks and tucks? Sure, but to say you’re bored with the OS when Windows is largely the same OS and still is even with Windows 8 — the Metro interface is nothing more than a fancy wallpaper plug-in.
crateish
What a coincidence. I just unfollowed him on Twitter, because he’s become a self-important windbag as of late. Unfollowed Guy Kawasaki and Woz for the same reason.
- http://www.facebook.com/bob.smogango Bob Smogango
  Guy and Andy are both people that talk a lot but they don’t really do anything with their smartphones. Guy got a job with Google because he can’t work for Apple again as his services aren’t needed and he probably needed the money and wanted to promote himself some more. He’s been kind of irrelevant when Steve came back to Apple and since Jobs passed away Guy, Woz, and others have a chance to get into the public view again and they are just geeks that don’t really do anything. Andy writes small articles. OK, and what else does he have to do? He just likes whiz band features which are time wasters. What else do these guys do as a PROFESSION? Create music? Music production? Video production? Graphic artists? Photographers? Work in environments that use specialized apps? If you look at most professions, iOS has more and better apps and 3rd party hardware. PERIOD.
  Android is for people that just want to waste their time screwing around with some interface so they can customize it to make them happy. Yeah, and how productive is that? It isn’t. And what happens when there’s an update that fixes bugs, how fast are you getting the update?
  - Whim
    Wow u really have no concept of the Linux platform and the potential it has. The fact that u follow Apple blogs is a clear example of your ignorance. I chose Android for the customization of my UI as well as backend. Can’t do that with Apple products unless its jailbroken & even then its limited.
    Can I open the file system in iOS? Nope.
    Can I purchase music & download it directly from the artist’s site so they get all the money? Nope (oh yes u can but a PC is required)
    Can I download third party apps wo having to go through the App Market? Nope.
    These are just a few examples but I know u can see where I’m going with this. Full integration has it’s perks but u are also pigeon holed with what u can do. Look at your phone….go ahead I’ll wait…..
    This device is a computer plain & simple. Why pay for something if u can’t utilize its full potential. Makes no sense to me & a waste of money. So if u are the type of person who just wants to listen to music & look @ porn on your retina screen, go right ahead. But don’t sit there & make assumptions on individuals who like Android.
    As far as the article goes it seems to me he’s probably just Apple’d out & wants change. Curiosity I think is the main reason
    - TJ
      Linux’s potential has been touted for almost 15 years. The irony is that Linux has been most successful as an pre-integrated package. TiVo, Redhat EL, Kiosk Appliances, SuSE, Kindle Fire etc. I’ve been working with Linux for almost all of those 15 years and the no matter how advanced it gets, the reality is it’s a terrible user experience, but a great server. We’ve been hearing for these 15 years that this time, Linux will be different. Android promises this, but the reality is 3rd party apps have terrible bugs, viruses, and generally crash more often than apps from Apples App Store, the Kindle store, and other walled garden approaches. I appreciate the technical aspects of Linux, but unless you can get end users to be productive with it, it’s just a server and a geek-toy.
      Would you expect your car’s ECUs to work seamlessly with the engine management system or would you expect that you would need to calibrate o2 sensor voltage from time to time? Imagine your car stopped on the side of the road because an update to the ABS module causes a null pointer exception in the stability control unit. Well, this is exactly what Linux is unless its in a pre-integrated, and walled garden, package.
      - storm14k
        Had to stop at terrible user experience. Been using it exclusively as the daily driver for about 7 years and found it offered a better experience than Mac and Windows.
        On the Mac side I thought well maybe its just me. But when I came on to a gig where everybody was going to have to use Linux or OS X I noticed something. The Windows guys that begrudgingly moved to *nix tries Linux, tried Mac, and the came screaming back to Linux. Even the Mac guy on the team now prefers Linux. I think its time to drop the UX FUD.
      - TJ
        It’s not FUD, it 15 years of “it’s gonna get better we swear” and it never happened. As someone who cut his teeth on AIX (yes, I’m dating myself here) then moved to Linux. I can tell you that there are scripts I wrote many years ago that work on any *nix BUT Linux. And the Mac? Well they run in terminal just fine. In fact, just take a terminal window and make it full screen and it’s a better Unix OS that Linux any day of the week. And if you think KDE or Gnome can beat Windows or Mac OS, man you really have a lot to learn!
      - storm14k
        And how exactly would I learn any better than having Gnome, Windows and Mac side by side for the past 7 years? Even to this day my time with Windows as a daily driver is longer or maybe just about equal now to my time with Linux. In fact I’m typing this on a Gnome Shell laptop right next to a Windows 7 computer and this setup is often flanked by a Retina MBP. I can clearly see at any moment which one is better. Quite honestly at times the Mac has almost been as frustrating as Windows.
        Now from a UNIX standpoint you its subjective to me. I learned C many moons ago in a UNIX environment. But around 10 years ago I found myself doing much more work on Linux and even finding BSD strange and cumbersome at that point. They both work just fine depending on what you’re used to and what you’re willing to learn. But how did we get on this? I’m talking about UX FUD. And plain and simply its nothing but that…. FUD. I’ve got both Windows and Mac die hards in the cubes around me all exclaiming how much more well thought out Gnome Shell is to them. Time and time again they sit next to me and I do something on my laptop and they go to wishing they could do it as easily on theirs.
      - TJ
        Here’s the test:
        Provide three laptops to the family member that represents the average end user. A parent, a cousin, someone who thinks your a genius with computers and gets amazed by the ability for you to type a few characters in an “hack” their system to get it working again.
        One laptop is Linux
        One laptop is Windows 7
        One laptop is Mac
        Come back in 3 months (you’re not allowed to provide technical support beyond setting up the systems in the best way you can). Which one is that family member still using? I would bet my house it’s NOT Linux. So it’s not FUD it’s FACT. Know your end users, make it work for your end users.
      - storm14k
        I’ve done this already. Every desktop and laptop in my house is running Linux. My wife is a good bit above the level you described but still comes to me to fix things. She’s now been on Linux for about maybe a year less than I have and pretty much hates Windows because she has to ask me for help far less often on Linux.
        I’ve installed Linux on multiple laptops for my niece who’s at the level you described and she’s used it happily for years. The only reason she’s on Windows now is because I’m not around to install Linux on her latest whatever she has now. The only time I’ve had to help her was with the install or when she comes over with a Windows machine that refuses to access the wifi in my house which has been common.
        My nephews used to come and spend extended periods at my house, lived on the computer and quite honestly they didn’t even realize they weren’t on Windows. They just assumed I’d made it look different. They had no questions about how to use it either. They found the apps they needed and went to town. It wasn’t until one day that they downloaded something that wouldn’t install (thank goodness) and asked me to look at it and that’s when I explained that this wasn’t Windows. I then discovered they’d downloaded another app that installed under WINE and worked out of the box. Afterwards they went on using the computers with no questions.
        I know end users. And what I’ve learned is that users at this level don’t really give a crap. If they can find the menu to launch the apps they are fine. There’s only really two kinds of people that have a problem with Linux… those that have been taught specifically to use Windows (like the menu must say start or the icon must be on the desktop) and those that think they are some sort of computer guru but really only know Windows. Take them out of their element and everything “sucks” because they no longer get to look like a computer god. The users that either don’t know much or are truly OS agnostic don’t have much of a problem.
        And why should I not be allowed to offer technical assistance? I do PLENTY of it for Windows users so why would I withhold assistance from those using Linux? Surely you can’t be suggesting that Windows presents no problems for its users. Its certainly not more intuitive by any means. Hell here’s a real simple example. Stick a USB stick into a stock Windows and Gnome Shell computer sitting idly at the desktop. Which one clearly tells the user that they can access files or eject the stick? When accessing the files via a file manager which one gives you a clue that you should eject the stick before taking it out?
      - TJ
        I’m not defending Windows. I’m saying Linux has a serious UX problem, and Mac is the best of both worlds. But I’m just a nobody, ask Miguel de Icaza (the maker of Gnome) why he abandoned Linux. http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2013/Mar-05.html
      - storm14k
        I know why he abandoned it. That money MS was paying him to try and get everyone to love mono was pretty nice I’m sure. Deny it all anybody wants but the “enthusiasm” behind mono nuts was very telling.
        But why ask him. Like I said I’m right here in front of a Linux machine and Windows machine. I can see the Mac guys around here that now spend way more time in their Fedora VMs than they do in the host OS X because they like using it. I’ve just showed you where my family has no problem with it. There’s simply nothing better than first hand experience. If Linux has UX problem (don’t see how anyone would make that claim genuinely without specifying a DE) that’s fine. It appears to be less of a problem than Mac and Windows.
        Sent via Android
    - http://twitter.com/xTradaTrade JJ
      You refer to customization as a feature that enhances the user experience (UX). I agree, iOS needs to allow customization for people that want it.
      It seems that people that favor Android like to compare features vs features and assume that a lack of features means it’s worse off. It’s like comparing a jack of all trades swiss army knife to a finely tuned scalpel. They’re meant for different things. And I can’t believe people aren’t annoyed with the scroll lag, what the heck is up with that?
      Android is for people like to tinker with their machines but not do anything very productive beyond the core tasks that iOS does much better.
      I’ve got a Galaxy Note 2 and it has a ton of features. Probably the most out of all of the Android phones. It has a Geekbench score of around 2000 which is almost 3x more than my iPad 3.
      What I’ve come to realize is, most of the features are useless and it (Android) fails miserably where it counts, Apps.
      For example, the default photo gallery is horrible and SLOW. The thumb nails are blurry and only 3 columns across. This is ridiculous on such a large phone. Compare that to the iphone which has 4 columns of razor sharp thumbs. It’s so sharp you can take a screen capture of your SMS conversation and read it, in thumb view!
      So I said, fine, I’ll download something better and got QuickPic. It’s faster but still only 3 columns, ugh. And to top it off it can’t be set as the default gallery connected to the camera.
      Ok, what about the meat, like Apps. I work with a lot of spreadsheet and if I try using something with a thousand rows with 30-50 columns the Note 2 chokes up. Doesn’t matter what app I use. Know of a good spreadsheet editor? Tell me one and I’ll download it. The iPad (using Numbers) can get sluggish but works fine with what I throw at it. And remember it’s almost 1/3 less powerful! The quality of iOS apps tends to be 300% better.
      Then you have Apps like CNBC, full video streaming capabilities. Android version is a joke, basically a news feed.
      Or want to trade equities on Think Or Swim? Trying watch the CNBC live feed, it cuts out after a minute or two. And when it does work you’re treated to a stretched out video that’s ugly. Looks and works fine on my iPhone.
      It’s like this app after app. Except for Google’s apps, you’re going to find a lot of crippled apps on the Android side which makes it pretty much useless for people that want to use it for productivity.
      But I still enjoy my Note 2, it’s fun but just as a toy.
http://www.facebook.com/dtkalich Denys Tkalich
It’s simple. No opus about “switch” — no paycheck from Samsung
http://twitter.com/scottasavage Scott A. Savage
I am a hardcore Apple fanboy, and I’ve been feeling a similar pull to Android over the last six months or so. I think Tash Wahid hit the nail in his head that many of us who have used iOS since before it was called iOS are starting to get bored with it.
I think that’s actually what’s got me worried about Apple – it feels like there hasn’t been anything really, truly new with the software for a while. Notification Center is the last thing I can recall being excited about.
A re-vamp of iOS and – significantly for me, anyway – the ability to have lockscreen widgets would really reinvigorate me with iOS.
- http://twitter.com/xTradaTrade JJ
  Same w/ me, so I got a Galaxy Note 2 as my 2nd phone. It’s really cool and fun to play it. But the Apps on the Android side blows. You’ll soon realize the apps that you’ve come to love are crippled or ugly on the Android side. Probably from the hardware fragmentation from having so many variations on screen resolutions and aspect ratios. Half of the apps that contain videos look awful on my Note 2.
CarlosSW
I am on the edge about switching…and i think the folks over at apple should be concerned because allot of people ive talked to who have iphones agree with me…that the iphone has gotten stale. Its not just the phones itself…which are just slabs. Nothing innovative. Nothing new or ground breaking. Its also the OS. Yes, sure…its simple for the masses. But what if the masses are so used to simple that anything brand new (android, even windows for that matter) have features that not only appeal to us…but nudge us closer and closer to switching. I still love my phone. It does everything perfectly…and am unsure of android. And yet….that galaxy note looks really cool. Common apple…do something different.
- http://www.facebook.com/joshua.d.deville Joshua David DeVille
  Android is only getting better and better every year, apple basically stays the same every year. Especially once Samsung stepped in they have really helped make android more popular with their own little innovations and really pushing others in the market to do the same. All the things ios user will tell you about android might of been true 3 or 4 years ago but thats not the case with premium android devices anymore, lag viruses ect. Now basically non issues, and the whole ecosystem advantage is more bad than good stupid DRM coding.
smithdewey
Andy is now dead to me. HA! Just kidding, but I am growing a little bored with my iPhone and looking forward to more from iOS 7. I think Android is a flawed platform as its fragmented and Google has never shown an aptitude for interface design — I am always frustrated with their many (cool) Web projects that are not intuitive and never seem to reach a stage of Apple polish. It’s like they are always running in too many directions and never finish anything. I prefer Apple’s total integration of all pieces to the wild west of open source Android.
GTWilson
Why does switching from one consumer electronic device to another warrant a “War and Peace” length diatribe?
- lucascott
  Page hits, epecially fom other sites that will posit this as proof that android phones are better
- Glenn Gore
  Have you ever listened to Andy on Macbreak Weekly or any of the other TWIT podcasts on which he appears. He stutters and stammers, starts each sentence 3 times, finally says “Excuse me” and finishes on the 4th attempt, which might last 5 minutes. It’s almost unlistenable. Having listened to him for several years, it’s quite obvious why his post is of “War and Peace” length.
Rick Lopez
“Why does every person who makes the switch from iPhone to Android feel that it is their holy duty to explain why they switched…. ?”
Is that just click bait? Ihnatko, as you began your column, was a Mac guy who wrote columns and reviews of Apple products in a major newspaper. It makes sense for him to explain it. Random joe six-pack on the street, not so much.
“what do we make of Ihnatko’s switch? Is it just a ploy for pageviews?”
Speaking of ploys for pageviews….
As a writer it’s a foregone conclusion that one writes to entice readership. As a blogger on a site that allows comments, one of your goals is the same.
Paulakero
you can’t make a living just reviewing Apple products so its better for reviewers to favourably write about other products (Gruber calls it grading on a curve) to support them.
If every line of consumer gear becomes ‘iPod’ apple dominence, reviewers and tech writers would be out of subject matter and a job.
TJ
If you are thinking about switching, just do it and shut up. Just remember, when you realize that Apple always plays long, you’ll be back. The day I realized Tim Cook is actually the right person for the job is when he explained the “specs and price” approach to tech vs. the “user experience” approach. As far as I can tell, only Apple considers the UX above specs and (low) price. While Google and Samsung provide beta-quality products and tout new features as “innovation” and claiming Apple isn’t releasing anything new, Apple implements those features for internal testing for a long time and only release it when it’s perfect for the UX. Forstall broke that rule with Maps and Siri and now look where he is. If both were released this year in their current incarnations (i.e. the updates Apple have given it since then) they would have been touted as amazing.
Finally (ok so this is my manifesto, sorry) always remember that blogs and comments do NOT represent the user base in the slightest bit. It is SOOOO skewed to people who know these products inside and out, that it’s easy to feel like the whole world is shifting. The reality is this isn’t happening at all. Android is overwhelmingly 2nd and 3rd world country fodder and then the 0.5% of technology savvy smartphone users who feel that using a solid, easy to use piece of software is “lame” and really want to feel good by fixing their broken ecosystem every other day. “Hardcore” and “Advanced” users apparently. Well as someone who used to build custom Slackware machines in my spare time, I can assure you that I will never go back there again. The years of my life I want back thanks to fragmented software and demented “developers” who think making their code easy to use is “boring” for the sake of “open source” in hindsight was idiotic.
- storm14k
  Nevermind on the other convo. I see now this is nothing but troll nonsense out of you. Yes the whole world has shifted. Why folks keep up this third world argument outside of trolling is beyond me. The U.S. is not third world and not only is Android leading iOS on smartphones its doing so in the face of free iPhones. And on top of that 50% of Verizon’s iPhones sold at their last earnings call were the free or $99 models. Fact is that “0.5% of technology users” is somehow huge as a quick bus ride in a major city on any day will show you nothing but people using Android devices. I’m in a fortune 100 office right now surrounded by Android devices with some of them being recent converts from iOS.
  Trolling is nice and all but sometimes you guys have got to realize that people can actually see reality. Try to troll on something that’s more obscure like the Linux stuff you were doing below. The majority of smart device users are on Android and simply know better.
Gary Guess
I Hope he’s gone for good, then I don’t have to listen to his a a a a a a a a u u u u u u u u b b b b b b b b d d d d d d d d d
zviivz
I’m not switching to plastics.
George Wedding
No Android crap for this long-term Apple customer.
1. I refuse to support a foreign company that uses stolen American technology. Shame an Andy for doing so. But then again, is he of Korean ancestry? I don’t actually know, but if so, it might explain his confused sentiment. I do know that like Steve Wozniak, he’s sort of lovably geeky, and Android is for geeky people more so than for us “average” nut cases. Maybe he’s following Judge Lucy Koh’s lead.
2. I don’t trust Google. The company has violated “do not track” settings too often and has an inherent conflict-of-interest with ordinary folks since its primary business model is based on selling private tracking information to advertisers.
3. Security, security, security. And Android doesn’t have it.
4. Shopping experience. The Android Marketplace is heavily fragmented and inherently insecure. It is inferior to Apple’s App Store.
5. Carrier controls. The carriers have unreasonable control over the Android upgrade process, which is widely known to be far inferior to Apple’s.
6. I hate plastic hardware.
- http://www.facebook.com/jael.james.311 Jael James
  ” But then again, is he of Korean ancestry? I don’t actually know, but if so, it might explain his confused sentiment.”
  You’re not serious, are you?
- matt
  This is just stupid
Superfin
I think probably no one denies that iOS needs some improvements. Whether or not people get bored with an OS is one thing – I personally do not – but the truth of the matter is that Android is getting more advanced with each update and going along with the needs of its users, whereas iOS does not seem to be moving forward anymore when looking at the latest update (e.g. Facebook integration, Maps, Passbook and that sort of thing). To illustrate, I am using different apps like crazy (e.g. for my messaging I use iMessage, Whatsapp, FB Messenger, and Skype simultaneously) and I am really surprised how inconvenient, not to say clunky, the multitasking capabilities are on iOS. Also the fact that plenty of apps have shown their potential on Android (i.e. widgets and integration into other apps) makes the self-containedness of iOS apps look outdated. And lets not even begin with the fact that Apple blatantly pushes its own apps to the front while there are many competitive apps out there (e.g. Google Maps). iOS has become rigid and is patched together with solutions that serve Apple best (e.g. lack of Google+ integration or other search engines in Safari), while it is not about the freedom and interests of users anymore. The paternalistic attitude of Apple may have worked a few years ago, but Android as shown that it is completely unnecessary and dated. If there are no substantial changes to iOS this year, I am very tempted to give Android a go, even though I am quite happy with iOS at the moment.
- http://www.facebook.com/joshua.d.deville Joshua David DeVille
  not gonna lie you might not like it at first ios and android are vastly different and it might feel overwhelming at first, because there is so much to it, it can be a shock at first in fact I think thats why many people who switch from android to ios or ios to andriod end up going back to the OS their most similar with because most people hate having to relearn things, besides that if you really do your homework though android might require more learning and time investment in setting up but it’s worth it in the long run because if you really look closely and learn about all android has to offer it really has more to offer than ios.
- http://www.facebook.com/jael.james.311 Jael James
  iOS users often identify us Android folk as ones who like to “tinker” with our devices. This is true and it is also to Google’s advantage. By allowing tinkering, customization, third-party apps and open source development, in general, Android keeps a finger on the pulse of what it is users actually want. Instead of playing a gatekeeper role and telling us what it is we like/want/need, they develop inexpensive products largely for the purpose of getting them in the hands of developers and telling them to have at it (i.e. Nexus 7). With the information gained by these moves, they are able to consistently improve and offer us sweeter and sweeter products with each one. Google may be many things, some good some not so good, but at their very core they are visionaries who actually like an uphill battle.
  An earlier poster made a comment about second and third world markets, as though Android is somehow inferior in perception due to their appeal in these markets. That may be a part of Apple’s problem and why they are slowly losing global market share. The world is a big place. High sticker prices and general product-snobbery may work well as a marketing (brainwashing) technique in the west, but the world is not the “the west”. If you cannot produce an affordable operating system for everyone, you lose.
  I went straight from Blackberry to Android for one simple reason. Yes, I am a tinkerer and if I can’t do a battery-pull when my device acts wonky, then it’s a no-go for me. Of course, there are many other reasons I took this path, but that was first little glimmer that caught my eye. Sounds silly, I know, but after watching iPhone and MAC users have to visit a Genius Bar each time they experienced even the most minor glitch, I was appalled that they were being deprived of even the most basic control over their devices. Of course, Apple fans claim that this is a rarity, but after watching close family members (one works for Apple) repeatedly have to go this route, I was convinced that it wasn’t for me.
  When I sit down with Apple folk and do a side-by-side comparison of the things I need my devices to do, I simply cannot find a reason to enter the Apple camp. I think their devices are beautiful and I admire the company’s innovation overall, but Apple doesn’t offer me anything that I can’t do just as well on my phone or tablet.
  And to be quite honest with you, I do a lot more on my devices than do my friends and fam that are on iOS, so the earlier argument about tinkering vs. actual productivity is really moot for me. In my nearly two years on Android I haven’t found a single useful (for me) thing that Apple users can do on their devices that I can’t do on mine.
http://twitter.com/jaydorsey1978 Jay Dorsey
What I can’t understand is, why is this even a story? I knew the guy was a blowhard the first time I read one of his articles in MW. Oh, good for you Andy, you can make up your mind about a phone… so can a billion other people, why do you think you’re so special? I’m probably getting an iPhone when my contract is up, maybe I should write an epic about how I ultimately came to that decision? On second thought, I think I’ll just watch TV…
cwisnoski
I have to admit, I got bored with iOS and switch to Android, and even tried WP8. None of them have the polished interface that iOS does, nor do they have the 3rd party support. I have switched back, and love my iPhone 5. The customizability of Android was nice, but it didnt really HELP me with anything, it was just a geeky curiosity thing. WP* has a nice new interface, but the apps and 3rd party support is sooooo lacking. I enjoy the Apple environment, as much of a “walled garden” as it may be, it insures apps and accesories work, and have enjoyable interfaces. I don’t hate Google or Microsoft, and i don’t distrust them any more than I would any other bilion $ company. I like my iPhone and i wont be switching again anytime soon. I made that mistake once.
dcj001
“Ihnatko likes the keyboard, text-to-speech”
Actually, he likes the speech-to-text.
Macaudioz
Yes, what he says is true for the moment but what he has not admitted is that none of these other phone manufactures would not be were they are today if not for the iPhone. Just look at all the crap that came before it. It is just a matter of time before Apple comes out with something so innovative and cool that those Android switchers will come back, until the Android manufactures copy the iPhone inovations again and the tide will change once more and so forth and so forth…Apple set out to make a great product and in turn forced the other manufactures out of mediocrity.
- http://www.facebook.com/joshua.d.deville Joshua David DeVille
  you mean all the old tech apple copied and made more marketable??? Little sheep I think your confused, Ford was the first car so does that make it better than the rest? and does that make other companies copy cats??? No but you have just proven apple’s marketing with steve jobs was killer because they make most ios users and the everyday consumer believe they invented everything out in tech today most people think they created siri (lol) all they did was buy the company, don’t get me wrong apple products are nice I use apple computers its my main PC but for my smartphones android is where its at they make leaps and bounds every year trying hard to improve especially samsung, but apple just sits there the same almost every year if Google had an OS(not chrome) to rival Apple computers i would probably use them, the only reason I use apple is because I do music, graphic design and video editing otherwise if I was an everyday user i wouldn’t
storm14k
Hilarious to watch the Apple fanboys throw anyone who sees the light under the bus.
Thing is you’ll notice that each time this happens its because of the same reasons people have been pointing out for years that make Android superior. Its just been a matter of iFans finally admitting it.
And yes its worthy of being a story just as the countless uninformed rants of iFans swearing iOS domination were worthy. Can’t only publish the biased stories you know.
http://www.facebook.com/mordantchris Chris Davis
I will say that my experience talking to people on a college campus and in my professional life is that there are a lot of people abandoning the iPhone. The cool factor and the desire to continue to put out a innovative product is being lost at Apple. The Samsung phones are starting to look more enticing to iPhone users. While Apple is resting on their laurels and what has been working for several years now, Samsung is putting out beautiful looking phones. Apple needs to start stealin ideas from Samsung like Samsung stole from Apple a few years ago. My prediction is that you will find that people are going to start jumping Apple ship very soon unless they start putting out a cooler phone.
http://www.facebook.com/jael.james.311 Jael James
Slightly off topic, but why are there so many Apple folk who are anti-Android on an Android site?
matt
Just had to read the comments on this article to see all the Apple Fans go nuts. Its just a phone calm down its not your health or car reinsurance. Both OS and their companies are top of the line and built. The argument that android is the devil and iOS is genius is just idiotic and that goes for the other way around. The fact is iOS is aging, what doesn’t age when it keeps almost the same basic look and feel for so many years. People spend big money on the next generation of iphone and they see that same layout phone after phone. Calling Android Plastic is so childish seeing Android is not Hardware, is a software, stop with the hate.

About the author

Buster Heine is Cult of Android's Social Media Editor. Hailing from Roswell, New Mexico, but now spending his days in Phoenix, Arizona, he wastes most of his time eating burritos and reading spanish romance novels. Twitter: @bst3r.

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Posted in Android, News | Tagged: Andy Ihnatko, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S3 |