Android devices suffer the same disease as the PC. Everyone and their cousin makes one, and it dumbs-down competition due to nobody standing out (my opinion). There are good Android devices on the market, and a lot of down right junk. Apple's focus on their market makes them what they are. Dell makes a million different laptops/notebooks, and Apple makes 3 (not counting the Air). I have a MB Air and I can tell you its the future of notebooks. It is hands down the best notebook I have ever owned, even tho I work in a Windows world.
chaz_
This really hits the nail on the head for me.
Whether you choose Android or Apple is a personal choice. I happened to buy an LG Shine Plus because I wanted a physical keyboard and I wanted a cheaper smartphone without a data plan. I could possibly (but unlikely) buy an ASUS Transformer for the same personal reason.
However, if I were to make a mass buying decision for a business or institution (eg. staff in sales, transport or customer service or students which would benefit from using a tablet), I would choose an Apple Ipad or Iphone without a doubt. Why?
1. Proven market leader. Apple started or at least defined the competition for these products. They are still leading at this time. Competing products may surge ahead every once in a while. However, I expect Apple will still be very competitive if not at the very top in the future.
2. Proven long term build quality. You can count and compare pixels, megapixels, GHz, screen sizes all you want. The fact is Apple has been building damn good stuff for a long time. Period. My kid is still using a first generation ipod touch. The new ipods may have new features, but my kid's four year old device still works. If he breaks it or loses it or absolutely needs a new feature, I have no doubt he will want another Apple product. He is not going to care that the camera is 1-2 MP less than something offered by a competitor.
3. Ease of Use. My Android phone has always felt like a work in progress from the start. Android puts out the basic OS and phone manufacturers will tweak the skin or OS which may or may not improve the user interface. With so many models, it is hit or miss as to whether you bought a a good one. It is hard to compare them all (unless you are like some who just buy, test for a week and return). With my failing eyesight, I cannot read my contact info on my Android phone without granny glasses. I have lost hope that LG or Android will ever give me the ability to increase the font size on my phone. Even my Palm from 10 years ago had the ability to change font sizes! Don't ask me to root because that takes away from ease of use. Also, see 4. below.
4. Support. This is probably my biggest knock against the Android ecosystem. Android does not support my phone; I need to rely on my particular manufacturer (or unknown volunteer geeks on the internet). LG makes about 60 models of Android phones. Apple makes 2 or 3 iphones, both the hardware and the OS. Apple devotes all of its resources in supporting their limited but premier products. LG cannot and does not support all of its phones all of the time. Go to the LG Shine Plus forum and you can see for yourself the problem. The LG Shine Plus shipped last year with 2.1. LG promised an upgrade and after about a year, it provided a 2.3 update. After about 3 months, LG pulled the update after many phones were bricked or compromised by the update. It has been 2 months and there has been no fix. It is unlikely that there will be one because that model of phone is discontinued. Others have rooted this phone with various success and failure.
5. Long term continuity. All that Android diversity also means that there is a risk of lack of continuity with so many products. If a company were to invest in tablets for its staff, say, the ASUS transformer six months ago, it would be disappointed to learn that that model has been discontinued and that the accessories (eg keyboard) for the new model are not backwards compatible.
I do not own any Apple products, except its shares.
Hopefully some of my friends/family finally get on board with me.
ROFL
