Despite being and iPhone user since 2008 I have decided that my next phone will be the Google Nexus 4. While I still really enjoy the iPhone and switched from Windows to Mac back in 2006 I believe the open Android platform will provide even greater opportunities for innovation. The iPhone interface is still the same as it was when it was introduced and many productivity apps that are available like app switchers provide functionality that is native to the Android OS. Unfortunately, much of the really unique functionality is only available if one jailbreaks the phone. I have repeatedly stated that I don’t care who makes the device and that I am committed to using the most innovative smartphone that is available.
Right now that phone is the Google Nexus 4 because only the Nexus 4 has, and will continue to have, the most recent version of Android. While Samsung makes great hardware, they don’t update the OS quickly enough for my liking. Furthermore, I find that Samsung’s added software features they include in their implementation of Android simply wastes battery life (at least this is the case with my Galaxy Tab 10.1) and decreases the device efficiency. Since I have been preparing to make the big switch I have been noticing more and more data that shows that I am not the only one who sees that Apple is loosing its lead in many different respects.
Source: MBAOnline
I have come to exactly the same conclusions as you on this topic. I have been using an Android phone for 2 years now and although I love it I am frustrated that it doesn’t update the OS pften enough and the
extra apps installed are essentially useless and gobble battery life like there is no tomorrow. Google Nexus is going to be my next phone because of the updates.
As far as tablets are concerned I still like iPad over the Android fare. Although getting better I feel that the Apple ecosystem is still superior to the Android one in the tablet realm as most apps work natively on an iPad with retina whereas there have been many apps that are scaled to work on and android tablet. Also I have found that the same apps on an Android are more prone to crashing and sluggish performance.
Great points! I too have noticed that the Android on the tablet really isn’t a reliable as the IOS. The battery life and reliability on Galaxy Tab 10.1 is so poor that I seldom use the device. I also noticed that Android apps will become sluggish but that may be the result of true multitasking is happening on the Android and the fact that there is a limited amount of RAM on the system. Apple really doesn’t do multitaking in the same way but actually suspends or shuts down the app as soon as you hit the home button so there is no chance of the app in the foreground being adversely affected by another app. See this article for full details: http://www.extremetech.com/computing/112013-how-multitasking-works-on-android-and-ios
Anyway…I am looking forward to getting the Nexus 4 and will be writing about my experience on the device. All of my mainstay apps like Evernote, Google Maps, Google Mail, Kindle, Kobo, LinkedIn, and the like are available on Android so I shouldn’t miss a beat. I am looking forward to the configurability and other unique features of Android that aren’t available on the IOS devices.