Got a pixel 2, swapping to iPhone X tomorrow, change my mind

[James331]

So with my swap to Google fi I needed a Google phone to activate the sim, got a pixel 2, had it for a few days and despite the better carrier hopping (I'll be stuck with the T-Mobile part of Google fi with the iPhone), and the better Bluetooth and fingerprint sensor on the pixel, I can't stand it. Though I do think going face I'd vs the awesome fingerprint sensor was a mistake by apple

I can't drag and drop in calendar

There are no good aviation apps, nothing close to foreflight

It doesn't feel like a expensive phone, it feels and looks like a track phone or something especially compared to the glass and stainless iPhone

The spell check is actually worse than iPhone

The USB c cord isn't exactly as common as a normal USB or iPhone cord

And more over it seems the android sends a ton of personal info to Google, including it wanting to link everything to a Google account by default, combine that the history of apple telling the feds to f off vs googles pro anything they ask for and recent push for government contracts, which took their own people protesting to stop.

Of course no FaceTime or imessage.

So tell me what I'm missing, why should I keep the pixel over the iPhone X?

 

[falconkidding]

File system management. Right now im browsing through movies downloaded on my pc and gonna cast them to my xbox all from my phone. Dont have to work with dropbox as a work around to shuffle stuff around. Can put whatever apps you want on ur phone outside of an app store, can torrent,

Android is great if your a power user its almost pc like. apple annoys me with its constraints but i understand if ppl like the walled garden.
I do get annoyed when apple does stuff that ppl act like is new. No home button... Oh like LGs done for years to quiet acclaim lol.

Aviation apps might be lacking but i like avare. All the stuff you pay foreflight for except free.

Also the 1k$ thing. Lot of money, for something that doesn't have a killer app worth 500-700 more over a mid-top tier (non samsung galaxy series) phone.

 

[James331]

True but I've always jail broken my iphones, not sure what ios the X will have for jail break status.

The casting is cool, we have those at work, though at home with my smart TVs it's not as needed.

 

[kayoh190]

I have an X, and I like it well enough. I feel like it boils down to iOS vs. Android - the high end hardware on both sides is very nice. I get my geekier side satisfied by my desktops and laptops, so my phone just needs to be a phone and media consumption device. My fianceè also has an iPhone and we have an Apple TV, so there’s also the added pressure of sticking with the ecosystem.

denverpilot will be along shortly to give an overly emotional rant about how much Apple sucks, but as much as Apple has disappointed me over the years, Android still hasn’t given me a reason to switch.

EDIT: I jailbreak too, but haven’t on this phone yet. Plan to soon though!

 

[Heftiger]

Apple for me.
I deal with enough technology at work. I understand the appeal of Android. The additional customization etc etc.
I just want my phone to work. Period. No fussing around.

Edit: by jail breaking you are “breaking” security features, removing the protections that were put in place to protect your data.

 

[Hank S]

It all boils down to two things: 1) you enjoy the "status" you think you get for buying apple products; 2) you like being told what you are allowed to do and how to do it (apple) versus doing what you want, when and how you want to do it (android).

 

[kayoh190]

It all boils down to two things: 1) you enjoy the "status" you think you get for buying apple products; 2) you like being told what you are allowed to do and how to do it (apple) versus doing what you want, when and how you want to do it (android).

Or maybe someone just prefers the iOS interface over Android. It's my phone, not my computer.

 

[James331]

Also the 1k$ thing. Lot of money, for something that doesn't have a killer app worth 500-700 more over a mid-top tier (non samsung galaxy series) phone.

Doing the math it's like $250 more, and foreflight is kinda a big deal, being able to reach into my pocket and make a go no go decision is worth a bit, especially because I keep my phones a loooong time.

I tried wingX, fltplan, etc on the pixel and no bueno

 

[Hank S]

Or maybe someone just prefers the iOS interface over Android. It's my phone, not my computer.

That's what I said. There are many ways to accomplish a task, but only one way with apple (ios).

 

[James331]

That's what I said. There are many ways to accomplish a task, but only one way with apple (ios).

Please explain

I'm not really seeing much of a difference between a rooted Android and a jail broken iphone.

Like what crazy cool thing can I do with a rooted pixel that I couldn't with a jail broken iphone

It all boils down to two things: 1) you enjoy the "status" you think you get for buying apple products.

Yes and so do you, that's why you have a photo of your expensive plane in your profile pic, we all do it's just a matter of if we are honest enough to admit it.



One thing I will say about the pixel 2 and the odd ball charger is the phone does charge FAST.

 

[CC268]

I used to be a die hard android guy and to be honest I don’t know if I could switch back after using the iPhone

 

[kayoh190]

That's what I said. There are many ways to accomplish a task, but only one way with apple (ios).

Fair enough. But I don't see my phone as much different than any other appliance in my house - Sony dictates how I interact with my TV, Marantz with my stereo, and so on. I don't need an appliance to be complicated for the sake of being complicated unless the device is incapable of doing what I need. Which in that case I get something else. It's not like I'm trying to run vim on the damned thing.

 

[JGoodish]

Every time I need a new phone, I look at the Android options. Never have I been impressed. If you're a "geek" and like to fiddle with nerd knobs, Android is probably better. From the standpoint of security and privacy, there is no contest: Apple wins. Apple's position on privacy alone is reason enough for me to prefer them, in addition to the fact that they are not in the business of knowing my business. I'd rather pay Apple's premium for the hardware than permit an easy way for Google to collect and monetize my personal information and behaviors.

There are other reasons that I prefer iPhone, such as iMessage and being free from carrier control of updates, but the lack of privacy in our electronic world is a threat that not many people fully understand.

 

[FastEddieB]

That's what I said. There are many ways to accomplish a task, but only one way with apple (ios).

Not true.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

I use both daily. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Except for dealing with iTunes to get GPS tracks onto a computer.

 

[oregonboy109]

If it weren't for imessage I'd have android.

 

[Hank S]

I'm not really seeing much of a difference between a rooted Android and a jail broken iphone.

The iPhone 7 I carry for work isn't (and won't be) jail broken. The Samsung that I have for myself is also off-the-shelf, the way almost everyone uses both. There is a tremendous difference in capability and procedures between them, and my Samsung is definitely more flexible.

But if you jailbreak an iPhone, which removes many of apple's limits and restrictions, it may be a nicer user experience. Personally, I don't know anyone with one for comparison.

 

[Rushie]

I switched to iPhone a year or two ago and for the most part I like it. It is easy to use. But at the same time I miss the ability to geek into it and control stuff myself. My biggest beef is I have no comprehension of the whole iCloud thing. I cannot find my music, pictures, contacts, etc. that are supposedly stored in "the cloud" but there seems no way to manage them. On the other hand, my music magically appeared on my iPad when I didn't ask it to, I thought it was only on my phone, and (maybe) "backed up" in the cloud. Okay so this cloud thing ties all my Apple devices together. Does that mean if I delete photos from my phone, they are also deleted in the cloud?

I spent a whole day figuring out how to get my music onto my PC (it's not Apple!) so I could transfer it to Google Play because the people I work with share play lists on Google Play. They are all Android people. So I am seriously considering going back to Android. But I am aware of the privacy issues and hate Google collecting all my data. And while I love the geeking ability, I'm getting old now and my time on earth is finite. I don't know how many remaining hours of my life I want to waste fooling around with my phone. I just want my phone to be a phone. And a flashlight. And a camera. And a video recorder. And a weather reporter. And a compass. And a level. And a radio. And an internet browser. And a GPS navigator. And a mirror. And something that can tell me the name and band of any song it hears but a couple bars of. And a language translator. And a pedometer. And my address book. And a notepad. And a calculator. And my grocery list. That's all.

 

[Allahdin]

You could get Garmin Pilot for Android, that would solve your FF problem!

 

[Everskyward]

And while I love the geeking ability, I'm getting old now and my time on earth is finite. I don't know how many remaining hours of my life I want to waste fooling around with my phone. I just want my phone to be a phone. And a flashlight. And a camera. And a video recorder. And a weather reporter. And a compass. And a level. And a radio. And an internet browser. And a GPS navigator. And a mirror. And something that can tell me the name and band of any song it hears but a couple bars of. And a language translator. And a pedometer. And my address book. And a notepad. And a calculator. And my grocery list. That's all.

Haha. I've been that way since I was young. I'm much better at adapting to the way something is than spending hours trying to force it to do exactly what I want it to do. I don't get the concept of wanting to jailbreak a phone...

When I can't figure something out about my phone or the computer, most of the time I can google a solution to the problem, or find out that that's the way it is.

 

[denverpilot]

denverpilot will be along shortly to give an overly emotional rant about how much Apple sucks, but as much as Apple has disappointed me over the years, Android still hasn’t given me a reason to switch.

EDIT: I jailbreak too, but haven’t on this phone yet. Plan to soon though!

I don’t have to say a word with all you people jailbreaking to get control of your devices.

And no, I’ve never said iPhone “sucks”. I’ve said Cook hasn’t innovated since he took over and wants too much money for what they are.

$1200 for a phone is asinine. And nobody sane buys their low end phones, that’s just a way to be obsoleted by iOS slowness at least a year sooner.

If they’d done something truly innovative enough to go from the roughly $600 I paid new for this one to $1200, I’d be fine with it. There’s not $600 more value in the hardware on the new one. Amortizing $600 over three years use is a no brainer. $1200? Pushing the “not worth it” point. Especially when you buy two for the household each time.

 

[James331]

So I'm still interested in what a rooted Android can do that a jail broken iphone can't

Or a stock unrooted Android vs a stock unjail broken iphone.

 

[FastEddieB]

Yes, $1,000+ for a phone is a lot of money.

I suppose I rationalize it by weighing usage against daily cost of ownership. I tend to keep a phone for 3 or 4 years, then sell it on eBay when I upgrade. Last time was from a 6+ to the X. And iPhones do tend to fetch a good price when it’s time to sell.

Doing the math, I figure under $1/day to have what I want. Though this applies to most other phones as well, to have a great camera, a GPS navigator for both driving and flying, a music player, a web surfer and so much more for a buck a day seems like a bargain. Though admittedly there are cheaper phones better at individual tasks that satisfy many people’s needs.

To expand on my terse answer about Apple only giving you one way to achieve a task, a visit to the App Store puts a lie to that, at least in a general sense. For instance, Apple has a podcast app, but there are a slew of alternatives available (I use Downcast). Apple has Photos in the cloud - which I have passed on, but Google Photos and Flickr and many more are viable options.

I agree Apple’s cloud services have always been clunky, though now they work fairly well most of the time. Add a contact, take a photo, make an appointment - they all pretty seamlessly sync across devices.

But I guess my somewhat defensive general point is that $1,000+ for a phone is not insane. It’s just another choice that others may or may not choose to make.

 

[midlifeflyer]

It ain't about what they can and can't do. It's about the apps and what we like.

I've never owned an iPhone and probably never will. OTOH, I have both an iPad and Android tablets. In that form, I prefer my iPad overall.

 

[Unit74]

Doing the math it's like $250 more, and foreflight is kinda a big deal, being able to reach into my pocket and make a go no go decision is worth a bit, especially because I keep my phones a loooong time.

I do that for free all the time..... 800WXbrief. Don't see why you need a 1 amu phone to do that unless it makes weather disappear.

 

[kayoh190]

I don’t have to say a word with all you people jailbreaking to get control of your devices.

Heh - that's a good point. Here I am comparing my iPhone to any other appliance and then I go and jailbreak the thing. One of my more worthless hobbies is writing pointless assembly code for various platforms (usually MIPS on ancient SGI hardware), and my iPhone provides a convenient way to dick around with the ARM architecture. I could do this through Xcode without jailbreaking of course, but the whole point of hobbiest assembly is to get close to the metal, so I find it more satisfying to compile and debug on the device.

But regardless, while I agree with you about Tim Cook and his lack of any kind of vision, for me it still boils down to a decision about a piece of hardware that at the end of the day isn't really that big a deal. A thousand bucks is a lot of money for a phone, but it's not the kind of money that'll get me all emotional about it, especially when the price delta from Samsung's high end offering is less than three hundred bucks. So while I feel that Apple is constantly squandering whatever advantage it used to have, there's still enough of an advantage (however slight) for me to stick with them. As soon as I feel that Android provides a superior experience, I'll buy one of those. ::shrug::

 

[Unit74]

That 30% margin is refered to as The iTax. You gotta ask what you get as an user that warrants it.

?....... thousand bucks is a lot of money for a phone, but it's not the kind of money that'll get me all emotional about it, especially when the price delta from Samsung's high end offering is less than three hundred bucks. So while I feel that Apple is constantly squandering whatever advantage it used to have, there's still enough of an advantage (however slight) for me to stick with them. As soon as I feel that Android provides a superior experience, I'll buy one of those. ::shrug::

 

[kayoh190]

That 30% margin is refered to as The iTax. You gotta ask what you get as an user that warrants it.

Absolutely - I agree completely. I find iOS to be less clunky and better integrated with the hardware than Android, and it integrates more seamlessly with other devices in my household. I'm also far less trusting of Google, but I realize that it'd be prudent to trust Apple just as little. I also have some apps that are better supported on iOS (or simply don't exist on Android). I'm no Apple fanboy, and every time I buy a new phone the decision gets harder because Android gets better while iOS gets worse. But at least right now, the pendulum hasn't swung the other way for me quite yet.

The iTax would be more relevant to me if everything else were equal, but I still (barely!) enjoy the iOS experience more, so I pay it. It'd also be more problematic if we were talking about bigger sums of money, but I'm not a broke college kid anymore. It's a toolish comment, but I'm talking to folks with the means to own and fly airplanes so I'll say it anyway - a few hundred bucks is financial noise.

 

[ktup-flyer]

Not changing your mind. I love my X

 

[James331]

I do that for free all the time..... 800WXbrief. Don't see why you need a 1 amu phone to do that unless it makes weather disappear.

Lol
800wxbrief

 

[RudyP]

One counterpoint from someone who has had every variant of the iPhone since launch until the X (except for those 5c or other lower end ones). I tried the X after my 7 and really did not enjoy it. Facial recognition and the weird new gestures that iOS put in place to bring back functionality that died with the home button intruded on the ease of use too much for me. I found the experience frustrating and switched back to an iPhone 8. First time I’ve ever ‘downgraded’ in tech and I’m much happier with the 8

 

[Mike Smith]

I can’t really help you @James331 , my experience is the iPhone/iPad platforms (in stock configuration) just work better. I have never had an android tablet though, so no experience there. I do agree that the tech has slowed with apple, but I believe it has slowed in most tech sectors. It’s like we have hit a plateau and some new thing is needed to start the next climb. 1200 clearly is NOT too much to pay for an iPhone because they sell a bunch of them. The market sets the price. When I want to ***** about the cost of my phone I remember just how much I depend on it for things that are more than just a phone.

 

[kayoh190]

Facial recognition and the weird new gestures that iOS put in place to bring back functionality that died with the home button intruded on the ease of use too much for me. I found the experience frustrating and switched back to an iPhone 8. First time I’ve ever ‘downgraded’ in tech and I’m much happier with the 8

I had the same issue with the lack of a home button - years and years of muscle memory made the new gestures awkward. But I figured this was the direction everyone (not just Apple) was going and powered through it. It's been two months now and while I'm still not 100% onboard with it - things are significantly more natural now than they were before, and I think it'll get to the point where I no longer miss it. As far as the facial recognition, I still see it as a gimmick, but it works fine for me. Of course it's possible than *anyone* that looks like Mr. Clean can now unlock my phone - I dunno.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Mr. Clean, ha! (I wasn't going to say it)

 

[RudyP]

I had the same issue with the lack of a home button - years and years of muscle memory made the new gestures awkward. But I figured this was the direction everyone (not just Apple) was going and powered through it. It's been two months now and while I'm still not 100% onboard with it - things are significantly more natural now than they were before, and I think it'll get to the point where I no longer miss it. As far as the facial recognition, I still see it as a gimmick, but it works fine for me. Of course it's possible than *anyone* that looks like Mr. Clean can now unlock my phone - I dunno.

I did give it about 2-3 months on the X before I decided to swap for the 8 because I figured I just needed to give it time to adapt (and I did to a certain extent) but I still would find it a marginal user experience in certain circumstances. It felt like it went a bit too far in the direction of "demanding from you" vs. "doing for you" - you have to look at it directly in the eyes to unlock it, you have to swipe up, pause, then left to swap apps, you have to...etc... Stuff that was seamless and completely unnoticed on every iPhone until the X became a "maneuver" that you had to perfect. I have enough complicated hobbies that require precision and proficiency without my iPhone turning into one.

(and yes, I am being a bit facetious but you do notice little things when it's on the device you use hundreds of times every day)

I will say that it is definitely a nice piece of hardware and the screen and cameras are terrific.

 

[wsuffa]

Think of Apple as the modern-day IBM: ok performance, a well known brand, and great marketing. Support, but you pay for it. Not the top price-performance, but it works. And it can be locked down better than the competition.

Think of Google/Android as the NSA. Collects every piece of personal data and doesn't talk about what they do with it. May be better performance, but less support in the long-run because both data collector and network supplier must agree to updates.

Which is the lesser two evils?

 

[CC268]

iPhone iPhone iPhone! Take a selfie at the Apple store plz.

 

[CC268]

Think of Apple as the modern-day IBM: ok performance, a well known brand, and great marketing. Support, but you pay for it. Not the top price-performance, but it works. And it can be locked down better than the competition.

Think of Google/Android as the NSA. Collects every piece of personal data and doesn't talk about what they do with it. May be better performance, but less support in the long-run because both data collector and network supplier must agree to updates.

Which is the lesser two evils?

Amazon is the worst of them all!

 

[Rushie]

Think of Apple as the modern-day IBM: ok performance, a well known brand, and great marketing. Support, but you pay for it. Not the top price-performance, but it works. And it can be locked down better than the competition.

Think of Google/Android as the NSA. Collects every piece of personal data and doesn't talk about what they do with it. May be better performance, but less support in the long-run because both data collector and network supplier must agree to updates.

Which is the lesser two evils?

Google / Android is far worse than the NSA. Believe it or not, we know exactly what the NSA is collecting on us (everything), but it is anonymized and how it's used is constrained. The private sector has no such protections. Just as you say, they don't talk about what they do with it. Unlike what the NSA collects there is no masking your identity and it is available to law enforcement with only a police warrant, whereas your NSA file can't be unmasked without going to the FISA court with proof of supposed foreign power plots or terrorist intent originating in a foreign country. Yes this has been abused but it's looking like the perpetrators aren't going to get away with it, and it's not the NSA that abused it, but a couple of their clients and the bad actors are getting ready to be called on the carpet. When Google sells your personal data, or allows law to see it, there's nothing you can do about it because you probably agreed to their terms just "by using this product".

 

[denverpilot]

Another data point, iPhones are now essentially unrepairable. Glass back, no way to replace it, not even by Apple.

They’ll “discount” you a refurbished one for over $300 if you bought AppleCare and then your “discount” to replace a $15 piece of glass jumps to over $500.

If you think you’ll be getting repairs done at the local Mr Phone Fixit shop after iPhone 8, nope. Not happening.

Because Cook loves gluing things shut that weren’t.