Because everyone is finding fault with the iPhone 4 nowadays, I feel it important to explain why I returned my Droid X after 2 weeks and got an iPhone 4 back.
There is no doubt that Android has promise. This is why I was willing to test out a new mobile operating system instead of the trustworthy iPhone 4 which I already had. I went to the Verizon store and saw the Droid X, and worried about whether to switch to it or not. And finally, because of the hardware - large screen primarily, I decided to switch.
Verizon is a great carrier no doubt. But I have to say that I found dead spots with Verizon in Fremont, CA where I have never had any problems with AT&T. Walking around lake elizabeth, there are dead spots. Also, I was surprised to see no signal and complete loss of service within Target in Fremont. To be noted, I have had AT&T for a long time before, and never ever I have seen loss of service like this in a mall.
I liked many things about Android. The widgets especially - the large screen, N number of customizations, the status display from the top. It is good. However, the crucial thing which made me return it, is that, it does not have the software maturity of the iPhone 4. Android is like Windows. It is slow, sluggish, and full of holes. The browser experience was miserable compared to the taut experience of safari on iPhone. Double tap and it hangs and takes time to display the text properly. The keyboard was a pile of misery.
The iPhone always had great software. But in the iPhone 4, it has become so smooth, that the software and hardware meld together to seem like one computing slab with 0 lag between the hardware and software. Even OSX does not have that "slab" feel. It is futuristic in the complete melting of the software into the hardware.
Why am I saying this? - to point out that in Android, they have added a lot of features, but how can I trust Google to fix basic stuff like keyboard, browser and the miserable messaging app in Android, when they are running behind cool new features like live desktop background and wifi?
The Droid X update has still not come and it is supposedly coming in september. The biggest problem with Android and I have mentioned this elsewhere is that everyone shits on it and adds their lousy software on top of it. And so, a Google update can only be enjoyed on their own device the Nexus one. Coming back to one thing - I can't even search within mail on the Android like on the iPhone.
So, because of this basic reason - that Android has basic faults, and even Froyo does not address these issues, I returned the Droid X and got back the iPhone 4. And now, I can really appreciate why the iPhone is a magical device:
- It truly has the best mobile operating system in the world. It may not do everything, but what it does, it does 10/10 - so well that nobody else can come anywhere near it. Shame on Google!, Shame on Microsoft!, Shame on Nokia!!
- The keyboard on the iPhone 4 is magical. To appreciate it, you have to use the Android keyboard for a few weeks and then use the iPhone 4. Now you know why it is successful.
- I get better signal/ call quality on the iPhone 4 than on the Droid X.
- The search functionality is a dream on the iPhone.
- The browsing experience on the iPhone is unparalleled. The Android Browser is worse than IE8. A lot worse.
- Nobody has built an mobile OS which is more intutive than Apple.
- I am sure they will build a better notification system in the future OS updates. I know it will take time, but when it comes out, I am quite sure, it will blow my mind away.
- It is the only OS in the world, which supports multiple active sync accounts on a single device. This is useful because all Gmail accounts support active sync now.
To conclude, I can say safely that, I will always be an iPhone user unless someone can bring an OS which comes anywhere near it. I doubt it. I really hope, in the coming year, Apple comes out with an iPhone with a 4 inch screen - slightly bigger but not too big.
I think Steve Jobs is like Hank Rearden in Atlas Shrugged. The man who makes amazing devices which surprise and delight end users like me. Such a device teaches me to be a better engineer and to try and build software like the iOS.
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