HTC One vs. Iphone 5s

Rsox4life

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I have never had the latest or coolest smartphone because I have hung on to the physical keyboard and I am now realizing they are quicky becoming a thing of the past. Neither me or my wife have had an iphone before. I currently have a droid4 and she has the samsung s3. I dont do a lot on my phone except internet and email. I do use it to project some things in class like videos and clips (easier than using school wifi where even youtube is blocked) so would like that option. i do it through the droid4 micro hdmi to vga cord.

I know this argument has gone on forever but i am deciding between the HTC One and the Iphone5s. Someone sell me on one so i can decide! After all I will be stuck with this thing for the next 2 years.
 

jayhoz

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If you get the iPhone you will have to buy an adapter for probably $35 or so in order to project.

Edit-looks like the One only has an MHL port so you'd need an adapter for that as well.
 

Rsox4life

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The adapters aren't terribly hard to find but the micro hHDMI is nice. My biggest complaint about the driod 4 that Icurrently have is you ccan't find good cases for the slide phones. I am envious of iphoners being able to freely find peripherals like that for their phones...every store carries them.
 

Cellar-Door

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If you already have android and like it get the HTC ONE, it will be fairly familiar, easier to transfer everything from your old phone to, and is probably the better phone. Either is miles past your current phone.
Neither phone has an HDMI out, so you'll need a new adapter either way, to HDMI is super cheap for android ($15-20) to VGA is a bit more but still under $35.
 

Snodgrass'Muff

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If you aren't already a mac guy, I wouldn't recommend getting into a mac product.  You can find comparable devices at every level (phone, tablet, computer).  This is a pretty good comparison between the two.
 
http://www.imore.com/apple-iphone-5s-vs-htc-one-which-phone-should-you-get
 
Honestly, the area in which the iPhone 5s seems to shine is an area you aren't prioritizing (picture and video, photo sharing or manipulation).  The HTC One has a bigger screen, is very fast (as in very low on lag), and has very good audio quality.  The biggest knock on it is that the camera isn't quite up to par with what they hype it to be, though it's still very good.  The iPhone has an unreal camera for a phone, the first 64 bit processor in a phone and the app store is still superior to google play/android market... but these days, that advantage isn't so huge and is shrinking by the moment.
 
Since you have an android phone right now, I'd recommend you stick with android as you have accessories that will work with the HTC One.  It'll save you money and/or give you redundancies for when those accessories wear out or get lost or whatever.  The iPhone doesn't really do anything so spectacularly well that it demands a switch across platforms... unless the camera is a major selling point for you and you just didn't mention it above.
 

Rsox4life

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I guess i keep looking for a reason to switch to the iphone but the grass isnt always greener...is the HTC One the concensus for androids best phone now? If i keep waiting a little longer are any newer android phones due to hit stores soon?
 

Snodgrass'Muff

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Currently, yes, the HTC One is considered the best phone available for android users.  As for new phones, there will be a new HTC One soon, as in Q1 in 2014.  The Samgung Galaxy S5 will come out later in the year, though probably not later than the spring.
 
Here's a list of some of the phones due out in 2014 with some tidbits.
 
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/120810-best-smartphones-to-look-forward-to-in-2014
 

SumnerH

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Snodgrass'Muff said:
Currently, yes, the HTC One is considered the best phone available for android users. 
 
I don't think it's generally considered to be in the top 5 at the moment (it was for the first half of last year, but it's getting long in the tooth), and the Galaxy S4 is pretty clearly the consensus current favorite.  Several other current-gen phones usually rate higher than the HTC One (e.g. Moto X, Nexus 5, and LG G2), too, as well as some of the phablet/oversize phones.
 

Murderer's Crow

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Go try both at a best buy or retail store. Don't ask the people there what they think, just give them both a try for 5 minutes each. Try to do stuff like reset your ringtone, download an app, send a text. See which you're more comfortable with. You will answer your questions very quickly.
 

SumnerH

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Take a look at the phones I mentioned (especially the Nexus 5, Samsung G4, and LG G2). And note that there's also a Samsung G4 active (waterproof, more drop-resistant) if that's your thing. I went with the LG G2 when I looked at them all (mainly for battery life).
 

The Napkin

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How's the google map/gps/whatever thing on the iPhone these days?
My upgrade is available on 2/2 and I'm probably going to upgrade from my current RAZR XT912 (think it's the maxx?) and am pondering going with my first iPhone.
 

Adrian's Dome

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The Napkin said:
/tangent
How's the google map/gps/whatever thing on the iPhone these days?
My upgrade is available on 2/2 and I'm probably going to upgrade from my current RAZR XT912 (think it's the maxx?) and am pondering going with my first iPhone.
 
The Apple maps still kinda suck.
 
You can download Google maps for free though, and that works perfectly fine from my experience.
 

B H Kim

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The Apple maps app is considerably improved, but the Google maps app is still better and includes turn-by-turn directions (with relevant traffic info, including Waze data since they acquired Waze). I find the Google maps app on my iPhone to be much better and more accurate (with respect to estimating traffic delays and how long a trip is going to take) than the built-in GPS in my car.
 

Rsox4life

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i think i have it narrowed down...do any of you guys have experience with the samsung note. i like the phablet idea but how ridiculous would i actually look talking on it because, well, it is still a phone
 

Jer

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Rsox4life said:
i think i have it narrowed down...do any of you guys have experience with the samsung note. i like the phablet idea but how ridiculous would i actually look talking on it because, well, it is still a phone
 
I find screens this large to be extremely awkward in practice. It's not just uncomfortable to hold while you're talking on the phone, it's also impossible to reach the upper left-hand side of the screen one-handed. Tough to pocket the thing too. I know someone that has one and it's always a riot to watch him struggle with it.
 
I'm actually ordering a Moto X this week. The screen on my EVO 4G LTE just got fried and need a replacement ASAP. The Moto X isn't ideal, but the specs seem fast enough and I like the look of the teak finish they offer. I also like the form factor. It's a very comfortable phone to hold.
 

Rsox4life

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Thanks for the advice...it looks like the Samsung s4 or the HTC one...iI will go with the s4 most likely unless the price is much different. Let me know how you like the motox after a few days with it
 

jayhoz

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GS5 is due out in April/May. You may want to wait if you can.
 

sueh1

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To chime in, I've got a similar question-I'm about to get my first smartphone. Since I'm cheap, and hardly expecting to be a sophisticated user (I text, email, and surf the web), my choices are basically the iphone5c, the Droid mini or the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini. They're pretty much neck and neck in online reviews, so it's all preference. Are the iphones really better in any significant way if you're not an Apple cultist?
 

Eddie Jurak

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The 5c seems like a lousy deal to me, because it really isn't that much cheaper than its better cousin the 5s.
 

sueh1

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Eddie Jurak said:
The 5c seems like a lousy deal to me, because it really isn't that much cheaper than its better cousin the 5s.
Well, it's $100 cheaper, so the question is, what will the $100 get me that I really need?
 

jayhoz

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sueh1 said:
To chime in, I've got a similar question-I'm about to get my first smartphone. Since I'm cheap, and hardly expecting to be a sophisticated user (I text, email, and surf the web), my choices are basically the iphone5c, the Droid mini or the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini. They're pretty much neck and neck in online reviews, so it's all preference. Are the iphones really better in any significant way if you're not an Apple cultist?
 
No.
 

Jer

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sueh1 said:
Are the iphones really better in any significant way if you're not an Apple cultist?
 
Sure. The build quality, camera, and ease-of-use are all excellent. Some of the cheaper Androids are crap. They'll break, malfunction, take lousy pictures, be incompatible with apps, be sluggish, etc.
 
Downside with the iPhone is that you're joining an expensive and restrictive eco-system.
  • Apple's accessories are always unique and changing, so you'll always be buying some $35+ charger. It's kind of nice to plug my micro-usb for my phone, kindle, and other misc electronics. I also probably have a collection of 8 of the things now because they're so standard.
  • iTunes sucks ass. I hate having it on my PC. Worst software ever.
  • Apple takes a cut from media sales. This has led Amazon to not sell movies/kindle books through their app to avoid the fees.
  • App developers don't get as much access to the device as on Android. There are some cool apps on Google Play that couldn't be made for the non-jailbreaked iPhone (free tethering comes to mind).
Once you do pick iOS or Android, you'll probably get a bit locked into it. I've had Android for 4+ years and have an extensive app library that I don't want to walk away from.
 
The 5C is probably fine if you don't care about the plastic. From what I understand it's almost the same hardware under the case. My wife is still running an iPhone 4 and loving it (which has inferior specs to the 5C). 
 

sueh1

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Jer said:
 
Sure. The build quality, camera, and ease-of-use are all excellent. Some of the cheaper Androids are crap. They'll break, malfunction, take lousy pictures, be incompatible with apps, be sluggish, etc.
 
Downside with the iPhone is that you're joining an expensive and restrictive eco-system.
  • Apple's accessories are always unique and changing, so you'll always be buying some $35+ charger. It's kind of nice to plug my micro-usb for my phone, kindle, and other misc electronics. I also probably have a collection of 8 of the things now because they're so standard.
  • iTunes sucks ass. I hate having it on my PC. Worst software ever.
  • Apple takes a cut from media sales. This has led Amazon to not sell movies/kindle books through their app to avoid the fees.
  • App developers don't get as much access to the device as on Android. There are some cool apps on Google Play that couldn't be made for the non-jailbreaked iPhone (free tethering comes to mind).
Once you do pick iOS or Android, you'll probably get a bit locked into it. I've had Android for 4+ years and have an extensive app library that I don't want to walk away from.
 
The 5C is probably fine if you don't care about the plastic. From what I understand it's almost the same hardware under the case. My wife is still running an iPhone 4 and loving it (which has inferior specs to the 5C). 
Thanks, that's a big help. I do have my music in itunes on my computer, and an ipod, but that's not a big deal-I don't have a ton of music, and I'm sure I could find a way to switch it over-or just start again for my phone.  I do have a PC and cheap, non-Ipad tablet.  Starting with zero on apps, other than a handful on my tablet, so I really can go either way on my first smartphone.
 
You're right on the accessories, but I'm pretty sure I could buy most of them on ebay for cheap, I'm not picky (I already checked the cases).   Nope, don't care about the cheap plastic-the only thing keeping me from the free iphone4 is that it's not 4G, and that might matter to me.
 

Jer

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iTunes sucks because...
  • Consumes massive system resources to open & run
  • Freezes regularly and is always slow during normal usage (on moderate hardware with few other applications running)
  • Sync is a beast to configure. The defaults kick in and start syncing everything.
  • Has services running in the background even when it's off, just in case you plug in your device (and want the convenience of iTunes auto-loading).
  • Needs updating constantly.
  • Updates always try to sneak other Apple software in.
I'm hardly alone in this. I don't think I've ever seen a worst software list that doesn't have iTunes.
 
No clue about needing it or not. My wife plugs her iPhone and iPad into our PC occasionally to dump pictures or upload non-apple music (shes not using the iCloud).  Inevitability I have to go fix something for her during this process. 
 
BTW - I'm strictly talking Windows here. I'd guess it runs great on a Mac.
 

bohous

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  • Apple's accessories are always unique and changing, so you'll always be buying some $35+ charger. It's kind of nice to plug my micro-usb for my phone, kindle, and other misc electronics. I also probably have a collection of 8 of the things now because they're so standard
 
I hate the proprietary cable too but it's not fair to say they are "always changing". They have changed once since the first iPhone. You are a chump if you are paying $35 for OEM chargers. There are a bajillion aftermarket chargers available everywhere. Plus there are a lot of dock options available for iPhone.
 
 
 
  • iTunes sucks ass. I hate having it on my PC. Worst software ever.
 
What Crow said. The last time I even opened iTunes was for the ios7 update because I wanted to do a physical backup and download. Otherwise there is little reason to ever use iTunes once you get set up.
 
 
  • Apple takes a cut from media sales. This has led Amazon to not sell movies/kindle books through their app to avoid the fees.
  • App developers don't get as much access to the device as on Android. There are some cool apps on Google Play that couldn't be made for the non-jailbreaked iPhone (free tethering comes to mind).
 
 
Can't comment on the Amazon books thing.
Personally I find comfort in the fact Apple apps are vetted. Point taken however. If you like access to 3rd party apps and customization,you may be happier with an Android device. 
 

sueh1

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bohous said:
 
I hate the proprietary cable too but it's not fair to say they are "always changing". They have changed once since the first iPhone. You are a chump if you are paying $35 for OEM chargers. There are a bajillion aftermarket chargers available everywhere. Plus there are a lot of dock options available for iPhone.
 
 
 
What Crow said. The last time I even opened iTunes was for the ios7 update because I wanted to do a physical backup and download. Otherwise there is little reason to ever use iTunes once you get set up.
 
 
 
Can't comment on the Amazon books thing.
Personally I find comfort in the fact Apple apps are vetted. Point taken however. If you like access to 3rd party apps and customization,you may be happier with an Android device. 
 
That reminds me, while I'm asking you tech folks-it keeps changing, but at this point, is there any easy way to copy my ITunes music (from my PC or Ipod) onto Windows media player or the like if I wanted to?
 

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Chiming in on Itunes:
 
I have a photo catalog on my Ipad.  To copy that catalog with all subfolders (groups) I have to physically plug in my Ipad, which then has to do the whole sync thing.  The catalog changes constantly, which means that I have to plug in my Ipad at least twice a month and it's a hassle.
 
I have found no other way of transferring the catalog.  Googledrive and dropbox can transfer photos, but only individual photos and not folders, and I need the folders.
 
Plus, it takes an excessive amount of time to transer said photos even though they are not in the highest quality.
 
Also, I have twice changed my laptop and in order to properly transfer my music and video library so that info on my Ipad does not get erased I have to jump through about 10 hoops.
 

sueh1

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trekfan55 said:
Chiming in on Itunes:
 
I have a photo catalog on my Ipad.  To copy that catalog with all subfolders (groups) I have to physically plug in my Ipad, which then has to do the whole sync thing.  The catalog changes constantly, which means that I have to plug in my Ipad at least twice a month and it's a hassle.
 
I have found no other way of transferring the catalog.  Googledrive and dropbox can transfer photos, but only individual photos and not folders, and I need the folders.
 
Plus, it takes an excessive amount of time to transer said photos even though they are not in the highest quality.
 
Also, I have twice changed my laptop and in order to properly transfer my music and video library so that info on my Ipad does not get erased I have to jump through about 10 hoops.
That last part is what I'm afraid of-my PC is pretty old, and at some point soon, it will die, and I'll get a new one (probably a laptop) and have to transfer my music. What's the best way to do that-will backing up my files onto an external hard drive or flash drive be enough, or do I need to do more?
 

derekson

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trekfan55 said:
Chiming in on Itunes:
 
I have a photo catalog on my Ipad.  To copy that catalog with all subfolders (groups) I have to physically plug in my Ipad, which then has to do the whole sync thing.  The catalog changes constantly, which means that I have to plug in my Ipad at least twice a month and it's a hassle.
 
I have found no other way of transferring the catalog.  Googledrive and dropbox can transfer photos, but only individual photos and not folders, and I need the folders.
 
Plus, it takes an excessive amount of time to transer said photos even though they are not in the highest quality.
 
Also, I have twice changed my laptop and in order to properly transfer my music and video library so that info on my Ipad does not get erased I have to jump through about 10 hoops.
 
You know there's a box you can check in iTunes and it will stop it from automatically syncing devices when you plug them in, right? You don't have to ever sync it with iTunes if you don't want to, even if you're plugging in the device to take photos off of it.
 
Generally speaking, if you are a user who doesn't a. definitely want a bigger screen than the 4" one on iPhone 5s/5c or B. enjoy tinkering with your devices and love the thought of customizing your phone with the option of rooting it and loading new ROMs, etc. then you really should consider going with the iPhone. It is the best quality phone on the market, has a great camera, the best catalog of apps, and gets manufacturer software support for the longest time. You can still load the newest software onto an iPhone 4 from 2010, the day that it is released. Unless you buy a "google edition" android then you won't get timely updates on android, and even then you won't get support for it 3-4 years out.
 

sueh1

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derekson said:
 
You know there's a box you can check in iTunes and it will stop it from automatically syncing devices when you plug them in, right? You don't have to ever sync it with iTunes if you don't want to, even if you're plugging in the device to take photos off of it.
 
Generally speaking, if you are a user who doesn't a. definitely want a bigger screen than the 4" one on iPhone 5s/5c or B. enjoy tinkering with your devices and love the thought of customizing your phone with the option of rooting it and loading new ROMs, etc. then you really should consider going with the iPhone. It is the best quality phone on the market, has a great camera, the best catalog of apps, and gets manufacturer software support for the longest time. You can still load the newest software onto an iPhone 4 from 2010, the day that it is released. Unless you buy a "google edition" android then you won't get timely updates on android, and even then you won't get support for it 3-4 years out.
I am exactly that person, and I just bought the iPhone 5C. The salesguy raving about the Samsung Galaxy 4 was clearly disappointed in me.
 

Nick Kaufman

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I ve got a top of the line pc and I am not a computer novice. It took me a while to figure out the intricacies of itunes syncing and how you can add music, pdfs; videos is an all other matter.

When you ve got the simplicity of the folder structure and you can just move files from one device's folder to another computer's folder, why the fuck do i need itunes as an intermediary.

Now let's talk about bugs. For months, itunes was screwing the pooch when i was connecting my iphone to the usb. It didn't recognize the iphone. Then I had to uninstall itunes plus some apple services, plus some drivers for I don't know what and then reinstall them again. Then, if you were lucky, you got the damn thing to work.
 
Then i discovered that instead of syncing the whole music library each time I added some new songs, I could just add the songs. Then, I also discovered I could do this by syncing wirelessly. I did it a couple of times, it worked great. Then I downloaded an update. Then, when I wanted to added another couple of measly songs to my devices, syncing didn't work. Another lost couple of hours ensued. No solution. I had to sync everything anew with the cable.

In sum, the damn thing cannot work with any consistency for me. Apple forums have threads full of these problems. Fuck itunes. Seriously, fuck them.
 

SumnerH

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Jer said:
 
Sure. The build quality, camera, and ease-of-use are all excellent. Some of the cheaper Androids are crap. They'll break, malfunction, take lousy pictures, be incompatible with apps, be sluggish, etc.
 
 
iPhones have notoriously crappy build quality--the proprietary charging port in particular is prone to cracking.  Mine gave out well before the 2 year reup plan was available, with Apple saying it wasn't covered by warranty; I've had plenty of friends with that exact same problem.  The micro-USB port used by most other phones, be they Android or dumb, is much more robust.  The menu buttons on at least the first 4 generations of iPhones were pretty flaky as well, and the screen scratches a lot more easily than many alternative offerings.  They're pretty, but they're far from solidly built.
 
The ease of use thing is fair enough, but only if you give yourself over 100% to the Apple way of doing things even on your non-Apple devices--if you don't want to use itunes on your desktop, it becomes tricky at best to even just copy music onto the damned thing.  But if you're committed to the Apple ecosystem, it's pretty seamless and elegant.  It's a solid selling point, and definitely one worth considering.
 
The cameras are above average, but they're not top-tier--you can find plenty of Android (e.g. the LG G2) and Windows (e.g. Nokia Lumia 1020) options that outstrip the current iphone pretty handily.  But the iPhone's pretty good.  Good enough that the camera quality wouldn't enter into my decision to pick it, for or against.
 

Tony C

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B H Kim said:
The Apple maps app is considerably improved, but the Google maps app is still better and includes turn-by-turn directions (with relevant traffic info, including Waze data since they acquired Waze). I find the Google maps app on my iPhone to be much better and more accurate (with respect to estimating traffic delays and how long a trip is going to take) than the built-in GPS in my car.
 
I'm the weirdo who much prefers Apple maps to google. Love the interface and have no problems anymore with errors.
 

Murderer's Crow

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SumnerH said:
 
iPhones have notoriously crappy build quality--the proprietary charging port in particular is prone to cracking.  Mine gave out well before the 2 year reup plan was available, with Apple saying it wasn't covered by warranty; I've had plenty of friends with that exact same problem.  The micro-USB port used by most other phones, be they Android or dumb, is much more robust.  The menu buttons on at least the first 4 generations of iPhones were pretty flaky as well, and the screen scratches a lot more easily than many alternative offerings.  They're pretty, but they're far from solidly built.
 
The ease of use thing is fair enough, but only if you give yourself over 100% to the Apple way of doing things even on your non-Apple devices--if you don't want to use itunes on your desktop, it becomes tricky at best to even just copy music onto the damned thing.  But if you're committed to the Apple ecosystem, it's pretty seamless and elegant.  It's a solid selling point, and definitely one worth considering.
 
The cameras are above average, but they're not top-tier--you can find plenty of Android (e.g. the LG G2) and Windows (e.g. Nokia Lumia 1020) options that outstrip the current iphone pretty handily.  But the iPhone's pretty good.  Good enough that the camera quality wouldn't enter into my decision to pick it, for or against.
 
I hear the ecosystem argument a lot but you're either going to invest in one ecosystem or the other. It wouldn't make a ton of sense for anyone to use an Android tablet with an iPhone or vice versa. If I want to get rid of my iPhone, the only thing I would be worried about are my apps. I can find a way to transfer my purchased music to an Android. 
 
Also, nobody here is bringing up bloatware, software fragmentation, and other issues that hamper Android. If we're gonna shit on the music managing software for a phone, we should talk about the actual software issues of the competitor, which are equally unappealing. 
 
I think you give a pretty fair representation above by the way but some of the anti-apple sentiment above is better suited for a fanboy comment thread on cnet. 
 

SumnerH

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crow216 said:
 
I hear the ecosystem argument a lot but you're either going to invest in one ecosystem or the other. 
 
No, this is false--there's really no such thing as an Android ecosystem.  You don't have "Android music player" on your computer, a specific "Android streaming server" device to broadcast music to it, etc--you use standard tools that work with all kinds of things.  E.g. with Android phones, you can just copy around music and videos however you want--you plug in the phone and it shows up as a regular drive, or uses the media sync standard.  You don't need any particular music program on your desktop, Android approved or otherwise.
 
Apple's gone out of their way to try to force you to install their software on your desktop in order to sync to their phone.  It can be done otherwise, but you're fighting hard against the system to do it (through the 3GS days, you had to root the phone to get music onto it if you weren't using iTunes; there are a few other compatible library packages now, but it's not just "plug it in and it shows up as a folder on your Windows/Mac/Linux machine" like Android is).
 
That's a major philosophical difference.  Like I said, if you buy in completely then it's seamless, but it's difficult to do things in a way other than the approved one.  There is really nothing similar in the Android world.
 
That may or may not be a bonus, depending on how you work--the Apple way takes care of incremental syncing and some other stuff that isn't as obviously transparent on Android.  But it's a significant difference in kind.
 

Jer

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SumnerH,
 
Where I think crow's eco-system comment is fair is when talking about the app library. I might be an extreme case, but I've probably got over $200 worth of Google apps to choose from at this point. Many of them are stupid games that I used to play on the train and will likely never touch again. However, I like the idea that I could just download and play them whenever I wanted.
 
Going a bit further back on iPhone build quality. Your experience (and friends) are the first time I've heard reports like this. I've never heard of any problems with an iPhone failing prematurely. My wife's back cover glass did shatter when it was dropped flat on the driveway, but I largely put the blame on her for that one. SSS I suppose.
 
I also have an iPad and Macbook Air which have been among the most reliable devices I've ever owned, so that probably has impacted my impression of all Apple products.
 
(Yes I know I have a really weird device collection. It only makes sense with a long explanation.)
 

jayhoz

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derekson said:
Generally speaking, if you are a user who doesn't a. definitely want a bigger screen than the 4" one on iPhone 5s/5c or B. enjoy tinkering with your devices and love the thought of customizing your phone with the option of rooting it and loading new ROMs, etc. then you really should consider going with the iPhone. It is the best quality phone on the market, has a great camera, the best catalog of apps, and gets manufacturer software support for the longest time. You can still load the newest software onto an iPhone 4 from 2010, the day that it is released. Unless you buy a "google edition" android then you won't get timely updates on android, and even then you won't get support for it 3-4 years out.
 
What if I don't want to root my phone, but I do want to
 
1) Use NFC
2) Economically replace the battery, which I will inevitably have to do if I keep the phone for 3-4 years
3) Want a battery that lasts more than a day
4) Replace the back cover to make use of a wireless charger
5) Use one of the 10 micro usb chargers I already own
 

Seven Costanza

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I am as much of an Android evangelist as anyone, but the statement that the iPhone camera is not top- tier IMO is not really accurate. 
 
That's not to say that certain Android handsets aren't of a similar quality, but in no way does anything on Android blow away a 5s in terms of camera quality.
 
edit: Fundamentally, Sumner is right though- it's close enough so that the camera on the G2 or Z1 or S4 or 5S shouldn't be a real factor in decision making. 
 

SumnerH

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Jer said:
SumnerH,
 
Where I think crow's eco-system comment is fair is when talking about the app library. I might be an extreme case, but I've probably got over $200 worth of Google apps to choose from at this point. Many of them are stupid games that I used to play on the train and will likely never touch again. However, I like the idea that I could just download and play them whenever I wanted.
Ahh. I see. To me, that's just "stuff you run on the phone". The ecosystem is the whole intertwining of Apple products: you don't get a media server, you get an AirPlay. You don't just have a wifi router, you have an AirPort. You don't just drag files to your iPod, you need iTunes on your computer to sync them. You don't just use a micro-USB charger like the rest of the world, you need an Apple Lightning connector.

Lots of that is easily avoided (a wireless router will work fine), but Apple works very hard at making a ton of disparate products integrate pretty deeply. As I said, that has it's upside: if you are an all-Apple household who goes with their way of doing things, the experience is pretty seamless. But there are times when it can get frustrating if you need or want to do some things in a different manner than they envisioned.
 

Going a bit further back on iPhone build quality. Your experience (and friends) are the first time I've heard reports like this. I've never heard of any problems with an iPhone failing prematurely. My wife's back cover glass did shatter when it was dropped flat on the driveway, but I largely put the blame on her for that one. SSS I suppose.
There was a class action suit about it which looks bogus, but problems with the home and power buttons are pretty prominent if you google: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/05/15/apple-iphone-button-lawsuit/
Some of the struggles with the supply line's quality control have been pretty public: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/22/apple_returns_iphones_to_foxconn/

Anecdotally the home button's been an ongoing issue since the early iPhone days, while the Lightning charger seems to have fixed what was a fairly common problem with breaking charger slots on the 30-pin chargers.
 

bohous

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jayhoz said:
 
What if I don't want to root my phone, but I do want to
 
1) Use NFC
2) Economically replace the battery, which I will inevitably have to do if I keep the phone for 3-4 years
3) Want a battery that lasts more than a day
4) Replace the back cover to make use of a wireless charger
5) Use one of the 10 micro usb chargers I already own
 
Replacing the battery on an iPhone is $20 bucks and 4 screws. I would argue that the device that is screwed together with a metal/glass housing is going to hold up better than one whose internals are covered with a piece of snap-on plastic, especially if you are constantly removing it to use a wireless charger.
Battery life (more than 1 day) is going to be dependent on usage no matter the device. 
Do you already own 10 micro-usb chargers because you already own an Android device? I have maybe 3 kicking around for various devices. Sure, they are convenient but again, iPhone chargers are plentiful and sold pretty much everywhere you would find a micro-usb cable.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
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bohous said:
 
Replacing the battery on an iPhone is $20 bucks and 4 screws. I would argue that the device that is screwed together with a metal/glass housing is going to hold up better than one whose internals are covered with a piece of snap-on plastic, especially if you are constantly removing it to use a wireless charger.
Battery life (more than 1 day) is going to be dependent on usage no matter the device. 
Do you already own 10 micro-usb chargers because you already own an Android device? I have maybe 3 kicking around for various devices. Sure, they are convenient but again, iPhone chargers are plentiful and sold pretty much everywhere you would find a micro-usb cable.
You've now voided your warranty.  I would only remove and replace the back once to add the wireless charging accessory.
 
Can you purchase an iPhone with a 3,300+ mAh battery or are you stuck with a max of 1,560?
 
I own micro usb chargers from phones, bluetooth speakers, tablets (both Android and WebOS), kids toys, etc.
 
iPhone chargers are sold everywhere.  The issue is they are uni-taskers (thanks Alton Brown), are more expensive than micro usb chargers because every unit sold sends between $0.50 and $2.00 to Apple.
 

bohous

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If you are replacing the battery yourself the phone is going to be out of warranty anyway.
I'm not going to defend proprietary charger. It just hasn't been a problem of cost or availability and the new lightning charger is a huge upgrade from 30pin. For me having a speaker dock that works with Apple charge port is a great benefit too. 
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
17,360
bohous said:
If you are replacing the battery yourself the phone is going to be out of warranty anyway.
I'm not going to defend proprietary charger. It just hasn't been a problem of cost or availability and the new lightning charger is a huge upgrade from 30pin. For me having a speaker dock that works with Apple charge port is a great benefit too. 
 
Not if I want to have a spare battery that I can swap in whenever I'm running low on juice.  
 
Bluetooth, and Apple's screwing of the accessory guys with the Lightning connector and associated licensing fees is largely killing the dedicated speaker dock.
 

Murderer's Crow

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Ahh. I see. To me, that's just "stuff you run on the phone". The ecosystem is the whole intertwining of Apple products: you don't get a media server, you get an AirPlay. You don't just have a wifi router, you have an AirPort. You don't just drag files to your iPod, you need iTunes on your computer to sync them. You don't just use a micro-USB charger like the rest of the world, you need an Apple Lightning connector.

Lots of that is easily avoided (a wireless router will work fine), but Apple works very hard at making a ton of disparate products integrate pretty deeply. As I said, that has it's upside: if you are an all-Apple household who goes with their way of doing things, the experience is pretty seamless. But there are times when it can get frustrating if you need or want to do some things in a different manner than they envisioned.
 



There was a class action suit about it which looks bogus, but problems with the home and power buttons are pretty prominent if you google: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/05/15/apple-iphone-button-lawsuit/
Some of the struggles with the supply line's quality control have been pretty public: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/22/apple_returns_iphones_to_foxconn/

Anecdotally the home button's been an ongoing issue since the early iPhone days, while the Lightning charger seems to have fixed what was a fairly common problem with breaking charger slots on the 30-pin chargers.


I think these are all fine points with an added note that YMMV.

I've been using iTunes since I was using iPods in junior high school. The program has gotten better and it's become the easiest and best place for me to find and discover new artists, new apps, and see what books are available.

Where you see a problem with not being able to put music on the phone without iTunes (there are alternatives), I see a program that organizes my music for me and is a one stop shop. I don't have the patience for the manual process anymore. I download a song and it's on every device immediately. If I download a non-iTunes song, it's on every device immediately (iTunes Match). Same with apps, books, calendars, pictures....

The combination of iCloud and iTunes Match for me is incredibly powerful.
 

Tony C

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Right, that's my experience. Most of these complaints seem to be of the how many angels fit on the head of a pin variety (i.e., I need to prove that my system is better than your system so I'm going to go into irrelevant weeds to prove it). A few years ago after reading about all the itunes complaints I went through a gamut of alternatives one after the other. I didn't find anything particularly fabulous as an alternative. Now with how easy it is to sync my purchases/additions to all my devices, I'm back on I-Tunes. I have no idea if it's the best or the worst -- after that burst of experimentation I don't have time or the need to worry about it --  and maybe I've just been disciplined to accept its inadequacies. But it works quite fabulously: my i-remote controls it via my phone throughout the house on whatever device including my TV, all my purchases are there and easily organizable, and downloads are as easy as pie. The sound quality is still an issue which remains across the digital music world and I-tunes in particular.
 

SumnerH

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crow216 said:
Where you see a problem with not being able to put music on the phone without iTunes (there are alternatives), I see a program that organizes my music for me and is a one stop shop. I don't have the patience for the manual process anymore. I download a song and it's on every device immediately. If I download a non-iTunes song, it's on every device immediately (iTunes Match). Same with apps, books, calendars, pictures....

The combination of iCloud and iTunes Match for me is incredibly powerful.
 
Yeah, I was trying to be very careful to say that this isn't necessarily a negative with my "if you commit to it, it's seamless" kind of comments.

Tony C said:
Right, that's my experience. Most of these complaints seem to be of the how many angels fit on the head of a pin variety (i.e., I need to prove that my system is better than your system so I'm going to go into irrelevant weeds to prove it). A few years ago after reading about all the itunes complaints I went through a gamut of alternatives one after the other. I didn't find anything particularly fabulous as an alternative. Now with how easy it is to sync my purchases/additions to all my devices, I'm back on I-Tunes.
That's all well and good, but highlights another problem with being dependent on a particular proprietary infrastructure rather than open standards: I can't install iTunes on my laptop, because it runs Linux and Apple hasn't decided that's a platform worth supporting. As far as most people care, that's pretty irrelevant as far as Linux goes, but the bigger issue is that until Apple deigns to support a new platform then it's not integrated into the seamless ecosystem.

Which, again, doesn't necessarily outweigh the tradeoffs. If you're the sort of person who likes trying out bleeding-edge technology from all kinds of different sources, life is sometimes a little tougher to integrate with the Apple way. But with the bleeding edge technology from Apple, things should come together pretty effortlessly. It's a bit of a lock-in, but you do get real value for that lock-in.
 

deconstruction

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Seems like the new topic is music organization and transfer, so I'll add mine.
 
Setup: Macbook Air and Android
Organization: Exclusively use iTunes's file organization on my Air (i.e., music is automatically added there and no music is maintained outside /Music/iTunes/iTunes Music)
Use Jaikoz to standardize tags and add album artwork to folder (as folder.jpg file)
Albums are automatically uploaded from /iTunes Music to Google Music using Music Manager
Either stop there or then use Android File Transfer (USB) or Wifi File Explorer to transfer music from laptop to phone.
Play back on phone with either Poweramp or Play Music (latter for songs that are not locally stored)
 
I'm happy with it.