Apple versus Android. It used to be a valid debate back in 2012 when comparing them was like choosing between an apple (pun not intended) and a banana; it was a matter of personal preference. However, six years later in 2018, the apple seems rotten and molded over while still being sold at a higher price. Any rational person would choose to eat a banana rather than a moldy apple, even if they liked apples more. So why is it that longtime supporters of Apple choose to stick with them even after the company continuously produces failures and makes people spend more on unnecessary products that other tech companies don't require?
People still seem to be willing to spend their money on a rotten apple rather than a perfectly fresh banana simply because they're afraid to try something new. As Apple has systematically failed to keep up with the competition while neglecting its consumer's best interests, the reasons Apple users give for liking it better than Android seem much more contrived or complicated than ever before. And this seems to reflect a general trend throughout the past few years. Even despite Apple's obvious screwups, they still manage to con loyal consumers into paying more money than they should by using nice advertising, branding, psychological tricks, trends, popularity, celebrity endorsements, long-held social norms and outdated conceptions of Android phones.
In today's technological sector, it seems like Apple's products have barely any competitive edge or distinguishing features that Samsung or other smartphones can't match at a much cheaper price. The most common reason I hear Apple users give for not switching to Android is because of iMessage and fear of not knowing how to use Androids. And while the right phone for a person depends on what qualities they value, these all seem like trivial reasons to preserve the status quo.
iMessage is a pretty nice aspect of Apple. However, contrary to popular opinion, losing it does not mean falling out of touch with everyone who has an iPhone and consequently, the "entire world." Group chats with people who have Androids are still possible, and any messaging apps such as Group Me, Snapchat or Instagram are all still ways of communicating in a group. By losing iMessage, the most someone loses is a few stickers. The entire fear of losing iMessage seems to be based off the psychological construct instilled by Apple that a green message is somehow worse than a blue one. It's literally just a color.
In addition, Androids are not unnecessarily complex more than they have to be. Even I switched from Apple to Android with no prior experience in Android products and I was able to navigate it and use it after just a couple hours of exploring. While they aren't as oversimplified or minimalistic as iPhones, they are in no way hard to use. This stereotype probably arises from the fact that there are more settings or adjustable features on Androids rather than a default set by Apple. This customization, while complicated, also gives people more choice and freedom in personalizing their phone to their liking which I view as an asset of Androids.
In addition, people seem to overlook the fact that the oversimplification of Apple products actually leads to more confusing outcomes. People with Macs and iPhone Xs have to learn and memorize countless gestures because Macs lack a left click button and iPhone Xs don't have a home button. It took me countless google searches to learn how to do seemingly simple things on an iPhone X like taking a screenshot, finding control center and closing app windows which I still can't remember to this day.
And while charging people more than something is worth is already quite despicable, Apple adds insult to injury by removing key features they then force people to buy or use. People are having to continually make more and more compromises to keep with the phone they're had for their entire life.
With the removal of the headphone jack, people either have to use a dongle or buy air pods for a jaw-dropping $159, both of which are easy to lose. The newest MacBooks also seem to have the same problems with the removal of the USB ports in addition to failures with their newest butterfly keys which get stuck and make obnoxiously loud slapping noises when typing because they're so thin. On top of that, the iPhone X has no way to unlock itself other than with face ID and passwords, compared to Samsung with Face ID, touch ID, passcode and retina scans, giving people more options to choose what they want.
All in all, based on the unimpressive features of the new iPhones along with my personal experience, I'm extremely happy I switched from an iPhone 6 to a Samsung Galaxy S9, especially since I found out that my phone was lagging because Apple knowingly decreased the performance of their devices to preserve battery life without the informed consent of its consumers. Even after seeing my mom's new iPhone X, I don't think I'd trade my phone for hers considering the price she had to pay for it and the limited benefits it brought. It is these business practices and extra accessories that make me unsatisfied with where Apple is today.
Though it is undeniable that Apple revolutionized the smartphone and technology industry, Apple seems to have either peaked or plateaued at the iPhone 5 or 6 with nowhere else to go but downhill. The last few models of phones they came out with have barely any discernible differences between them. As popular repair technicians such as Louis Rossman are exposing Apple's mechanical and design flaws in great detail, other companies are slowly catching up and times are changing, perhaps Apple is best left in history where it belongs with the Sony walkmans, the cassettes and VHS tapes.
