Today we are going to talk about a difficult topic. It's a long debated topic. You can hear the arguments anywhere. It is something that many of us have a strong opinion on. No, it's not the election. No it is not whether the toilet paper should go over or under (cough over cough). It is iPhone vs. Android.

Yes, today we are going to talk about the long debated topic of which is better. Is it the iPhone, or is it the android. What I did was go around and talk to a lot of my fellow Odyssey writes, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers and ask them not only which they prefer, but also why. I feel like I hear the argument all of the time but I don't always hear people’s reason WHY, and I feel like that is an important factor. I am go to compile my findings here.

IPhone

Things people like

One of the things that I found people like the most about iphone is that it is simple. The iPhone is extremely user friendly. It doesn't have all the extras, and really it doesn't need it. Another thing that people like about it is that Apple is the only company that makes them. They do not have to worry about twenty different variations on the iPhone 7. Going along with that because iPhones are limited to just Apple they are always getting updated. One of the common complaints with androids is that they may get a couple updates here and there when they first come out, but that stops pretty quick. iPhones constantly receive updates to fix bugs, and even the major updates, for example iOS 10 just came out and even people with iPhone 5’s got the update.

One other thing that Apple’s iPhones has going for them, and one of the most common things I heard was compatibility. iPhones are not Apple’s only product. They have Macs,

iPhones, iPods, iPads, Apple Watches, and Apple TV; and they all are compatible with each other. I can tell you from experience, as someone who has an iPad and iPhone, one of my favorite things about it is that I can access my texts, not just my iMessages, all of my messages and I can receive and send messages from my phone number on my iPad. It is one of the coolest things.

IPhone is also really safe. They are very hard to break into, steal information from, or do anything with if you are not the owner. I mean come on, even the government was trying to get into an iPhone, and they had to ASK APPLE. That should tell you something.

Things people don’t like

One of iPhone’s biggest flaws is that it is not universal. They have special phone chargers, special HDMI hook ups, and special docking stations. And now, with the release of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus, they have special headphones. Not only is it inconvenient but there is no reason for it other than to drain people’s bank accounts. Did you break your new iPhone 7 lightening headphones? Well you are now going to have to drop the cash to purchase the apple specific ones, or the money for wireless headphones. Oh, and don't forget that for about $150 you can soon purchase the AirPods. An issue that android users do not have.

Some people really do not like that you can’t customize iPhones as much. Apple has made little widgets in the notification panel and if you swipe right enouh, but you cannot put widgets throughout the home screen. As well you have all your apps on the main screens. There is no way to hide them and then add them as needed like you can with android.

Android

Things people like

Androids have a lot of people on their side as well. One of the most common things I heard about android that people liked was that they are universal. Android’s chargers are the same kind of charging cables that go with most portable devices. Well, most android chargers are the same. Some Samsung chargers are a little different. But for the most part it is universal. I am also going to mention headphones because of the whole iPhone issue with no longer having a headphone jack. That means that if you buy a docking station/alarm clock with a dock and then get a new phone then there is a pretty good chance that it will be compatible with the phone. Also, if you have friends over if they have different androids your cords, docking stations, radios etc will most likely still work with their phone.

Android phones also have a wide variety of different products that work with them, unlike apple who is very limited when it comes to external products. Most of Apple’s products are actually made by Apple, or they are hard to find. Android doesn't have that problem. There are so many products that compatible with androids and they are easy to find.

You can also customize Android's to insane levels. You can make apps bigger, put widgets on the home screen, change the size of some widgets, download new ones, and do a bunch of other things with androids. People love that they can personalize them.

Things people don’t like

They are super busy. There is so much going on with Androids. They are not user friendly, and if you switch from one phone, let's say an LG phone to a Samsung phone, you are going to actually have to relearn how to do certain things. The phones have odd little differences that can make it complicated to switch, unlike Apple’s phones where the iOS is basically the same (the biggest differences coming from things like force touch).

They can actually be very easily hacked. They do not have Apple’s security. It take a lot to break into an iPhone, I’ve seen what it takes to get through just the passcode portion when you are trying to trade a phone in. I used to forget my android passcode a lot and I found it very easy to bypass that feature.