Controversial - Android or iOS?

[Shenandoah]

Android, but really at this point I am not married to it. I do use this specific phone (Galaxy XCover4) because it was inexpensive in 2017, has an integrated case and is IPX68 rated. And it really is water proof, swam with me many many times. Battery life is decent too.
If Apple offers an inexpensive rugged phone, I may switch to it, otherwise I won't.

Don't like tablets much (but my kids do). I can do most of the fb/forums on the phone, but if am near my Mac that certainly takes precedence.

 

[Misery]

It depends on your lifestyle. I'm married so tablets allow me to have a window to the internet whilst I'm in the living room with my wife. Most of my postings are done via one of my tablets, currently mainly my Huawei Mediapad. I also watch YouTube quite a lot, in bed and in the bath, so I have a 10" Teclast tablet I use for that. I do most of my reading on tablets (prose & comics), most of my shopping and no matter what we're watching on TV I have to have IMDB immediately at hand.

I know your lifestyle is quite different to mine so there might not be as many uses for them for you, but for me they're invaluable devices.

My phone is basically a mini-tablet for out of the house, a camera (stills & video), notepad, calculator, media player (plugs into any HDMI port with an adaptor), torch, mirror, voice recorder, video conference platform & more. My previous phone is a dedicated music player now - lives in the kitchen & the car.

It's funny, all of this stuff probably sounds common and makes total sense to many of the people on this forum, and most people in general. But it's always baffled me.

Like, my parents... in their 60s, kinda inching towards 70... are on their phones CONSTANTLY. You'd expect them to be tech inept due to age, and.... in some ways they are (normal computers, they sometimes have issues with), but those phones? ALL THE TIME. Facebook and texting and news reading and basically everything. I've frequently asked them why they even have the big freaking TV, if they're just going to stare at those shrunken screens all the time. And that's how it is with everyone in the family. Except me.

I myself am usually the keeper of the Tech Vortex in the family. All the craziest tech, the most powerful stuff, the most insane gizmos, usually are under my control. I can sit there in freaking VR with floating hologram keyboards and interact with the computer like that (hey, it spices things up a bit), and it seems normal to me. And if someone is having a tech problem with their stuff, they usually come to me (despite that me fixing stuff is like duct-taping a car back together... but hey, they dont need to know that part). Heck, even the modem and router are in my room, since if that thing goes bad, I get the hilarious fun of dealing with it.

But not those phones. Even for all of my years of tech use and having grown up with computers, I never have, and will never, understand everyone's obsession with smartphones. I just dont get it. Yet even the older people in the family do get it. It's like a paradox. Much of the family finds this absolutely hilarious.

Even having an iPhone myself, and.... yeah. I dont get it it. And it's hard to explain why.

Heck, I remember when I got the iPhone I currently have... which was due to the other one vanishing... the guy who came to the house to deliver/sell it, said something like "boy I bet you're excited to get the new model iPhone, eh?" and I said something like "It's mostly a security device, I barely touch it otherwise" and he looked at me like an entire bear had just crawled out of my ear. Definitely one of those "I didnt drink the Kool-Aid" moments.

I will say though, the phone does get used to browse memes on Imgur if I'm bored out of my mind over at my mom's house or something. So.... there's that, at least.

 

[Shenandoah]

But not those phones. Even for all of my years of tech use and having grown up with computers, I never have, and will never, understand everyone's obsession with smartphones. I just dont get it. Yet even the older people in the family do get it. It's like a paradox. Much of the family finds this absolutely hilarious.

Even having an iPhone myself, and.... yeah. I dont get it it. And it's hard to explain why.

Are you talking "getting phones" as in getting all excited the next bigger and better one or just the habit of using them?
The former many people don't have. None in my family, although we all have phones and use them a lot for online stuff like FB. But as the device itself, it's a pretty boring, usually black box. It's great when the next one solves an annoying problem such as low battery life, more legible screen or becomes waterproof. Other than that the entertainment value of a new phone is somewhere between 5 min to an hour in our family (kids excluded, but they don't get to own phones yet).

As to using them excessively...well, you know. More often than not, people you want to hear from are not near you and the ones near you are not that interesting. That's why I don't really get the addiction argument. Before phones you never had an option of communicating with your friends instead of your boring 3rd cousin at a family function.

 

[Autistamatic]

Thing is @Misery it is just down to lifestyle and needs. I'm using my laptop now because my wife's gone to bed early and it's easier to type on a physical keyboard. I use a desktop PC for some things, my laptops for others, my tablets and phones as I described above. Like yourself I'm the guy who sorts out everyone elses's tech problems, but if my lifestyle were different I wouldn't use my tech in the same way. I've tonight ordered an Echo device for my wife because that will suit her needs when I am out at work whilst I doubt I will have much use for it at all.
Because I share my life with a partner tablets are a godsend. Because I have to go out to work every weekday my phone keeps me in touch and is a valuable tool in many other ways. Your life is quite different to mine so many of those uses wouldn't apply to you, whilst I can only dream of having the freedoms you have and the space/finance to have a VR setup and the time to enjoy it.
That, I think, is the beauty of computer tech as we see it today - it's scaleable to the needs of the individual and their budget. Much of what can be done on a desktop PC can be done on a phone or tablet, though the PC will always have the raw power advantage. There are things phones can do due to their portability and discrete size that even laptops are impractical for. Phones are often more powerful than tablets too, so what you gain in screen size & flexibility you lose in processing speed & versatility.
To me a computer of any kind is a tool for communication & productivity. I enjoy gaming but it makes up a tiny proportion of my time engaging with computers. To you gaming is a much more significant part of your life, you're single and you don't go out to work anymore so your tech needs are very different. The fact that the tech exists to support both our lifestyles and all those in between is a miracle I am grateful for no end

 

[Aspychata]

My phone says Sansung on it and its a droid. And l don't know anymore except that l always buy Sansung droid phones.

This died a glass screen death and l found out this phone is more expensive now, so l paid the ridiculous amount of 200 to fix screen. And now it has a black bumper case that when l drop it , it seems to survive.

So eventually l will update,but l like this phone.

Not a techie but l usually help people out with their phones if they aren't comfortable with them.

 

[Stuart1975]

Apple all day long. I enjoy fixing broken Apple phones/tablets too but lately getting a bit irritated with how often they bring new models out. My work just upgraded my phone to a Samsung X cover, it’s better than the last Android but still prefer Apple. Depends what you are used to I suppose.

 

[Streetwise]

Apple all day long. I enjoy fixing broken Apple phones/tablets too but lately getting a bit irritated with how often they bring new models out. My work just upgraded my phone to a Samsung X cover, it’s better than the last Android but still prefer Apple. Depends what you are used to I suppose.

Ive dropped my ipad a lot do you know the typical starting repair price (im in England) I hate it not being repaired but my income is very tight

 

[leehart]

Ive dropped my ipad a lot do you know the typical starting repair price (im in England) I hate it not being repaired but my income is very tight

I took an Ipad mini to one of those repair shops due to a broken screen, they totally trashed it. When we got it back the screen was whole...but it didnt switch on or work in anyway! Now if my ipad breaks i would have to take it to apple for the repair which as you said....costly!

 

[Stuart1975]

Ive dropped my ipad a lot do you know the typical starting repair price (im in England) I hate it not being repaired but my income is very tight

I get my parts from eBay, depending on which iPad. Screen £10-£20 tool kit around £5, if you’re brave enough to try it yourself. I’ve made a few mistakes but that’s how you learn. Don’t know about shop prices but Apple did replace one for me once no questions asked, depends how old it is. Maybe worth a try.

 

[Stuart1975]

Ive dropped my ipad a lot do you know the typical starting repair price (im in England) I hate it not being repaired but my income is very tight

There are some good tutorials on YouTube

 

[Streetwise]

I took an Ipad mini to one of those repair shops due to a broken screen, they totally trashed it. When we got it back the screen was whole...but it didnt switch on or work in anyway! Now if my ipad breaks i would have to take it to apple for the repair which as you said....costly!

how much was costly I just don’t have the strength or coordination anymore to repair things my nerves have been damaged by infection

 

[Graphin]

After experiencing both ecosystems, while Android is more tolerable, I just want to throw both out of the window. I'm serious, and I mean it from the perspective of a lazy power user and developer.

 

[Judge]

The price of Apple's products whatever they may be always kept me from buying them. Though as a former Apple shareholder, I thank those who purchased their products and remain loyal to the brand.

Which do I prefer? I don't own a mobile device of any kind. Never really needed one. Though I suspect that Samsung in general would prove to be a better value. Controversial? Not particularly, that I see. Perhaps just a difference between a cult following and a consumer following. A dynamic that defines other products as well.

 

[Xerces Blue]

Never was keen on the apple mentality. Their business model is very restrictive - requiring publishers to pay royalties on anything published on their platform.
This scares away innovative projects. It's why the PC market is usually ahead of Apple and why it is more flexible - there is less penalty for trying.

 

[Rasputin]

Hi all, I love technology was wondering what folks prefer?

I have a Samsung phone which I love for many reasons and an iPad which is great too so I sit on the fence. Both are really good but have obvious weaknesses too.

I recently traded an iPhone 8 Plus on an Android Pixel 4 for use on the Google FI network. The reasons were (1) I am just tired of iPhone, (2) I hate iPhone's security processes, (3) I like the network flexibility of Google FI, and (4) I like the camera and photo stabilization capability of Pixel 4. It's just a matter of preference, but I am not a big fan of IOS.