Lets start this thought process out by admitting something: I’ve used Apple computers exclusively since 2006. When the Dell laptop my parents bought me for college died, I started looking around at my options. I loved my new ipod and the software that came with it, and was intrigued by Apple’s “It just works” buzz amongst people. So I bought my first Mac in January of 2006 and left Microsoft behind without any regrets.
Now lets admit something else: I love Google. Love it. I was an early adopter of gmail, and quickly jump ship to any new product they put out. Google Maps? So long Mapquest. Google Music? Love it. Google+? I tried it but teaching my Mom to use 1 social media website was tough enough.
I loved Apple because they did what they did well and didn’t worry about being anyone’s fastest shiniest option. Could I have bought a more powerful laptop for less money in 2006? Absolutely. Would it have lasted as long or worked as well as my little iMac? Hell, no. That was what was so great about Macs. I left the rat race of faster processors, endless software options and virus protection for something that was easy to use, did everything I wanted and didn’t worry about being the fastest kid on the block. “Do what you do, and do it really well,” seemed to be the motto and I’d be lying if I didn’t internalize it a little bit.
Google, on the other hand, was about innovation and giving me things that I didn’t know I even wanted. When Gmail came out with enormous storage capacities, I remember shrugging my shoulders as to why anyone would need extra gigabytes of storage or why I’d need to search for individual words within one email out of thousands. Two things, now, that feel absolutely necessary. Not to mention the specificity and simplicity of it’s search engine, which is something we now take for granted. They redefined online functionality and raised the bar as to what a website could be and do for it’s users.
Lately, though, everything’s been getting screwed up.
Apple and Google both seem to have disregarded my original love for them (reliability & functionality) for new directions that feel hollow to me. Apple suddenly wants to be the shiniest fastest kid on the block. To their credit, they’ve retained the reliability that originally drew me to them, but it suddenly feels less that I’m making an informed decision when I buy their products and more like I’m just doing it b/c that’s what people do. That lemming mentality bothers me and, quite frankly, pushes me to look at rival products more closely just to make sure I’m not going with the flow of people too easily.
Maybe this is why I bought the Samsung Fascinate in 2010.
My overall Android experience has been okay, but not great. I find myself back in the software updating world where each update brings it’s own mixture of solutions and problems. Also, the overall feel of the Android OS system feels a bit more techy than than my comfort level allows.
So when my upgrade rolled around this fall, I spent a lot of time looking at the Galaxy S III and the Iphone 5, and barely recognized the qualities that drew me to these companies in the first place. Sure, the Iphone is sharp, works and is endlessly aesthetically pleasing. But you know what? I distrust people the minute people tell me I should trust them. Same thing with food. When you have to advertise the health benefits of a food, it’s probably not that healthy at the start. So the fact that Apple needs to tell us over and over and over again how special the Iphone 5 is going to be and how they really worked hard to make the ultimate phone makes me suddenly wonder why they’re trying so hard.
And Apple Maps? Do you think I would have spent my hard earned post-undergrad money on an ibook G4 if there was a chance that one of the Apple made programs (iphoto, itunes, garage band, etc) was an abysmal failure?
And Android? The endless tweeks that have gadgety people going nuts about doesn’t do much for me. Neither does having to read endless reviews about the 8 different Android phones, their similarities and what makes each so unique. Day dreaming about my ideal Android phone (if only I could combine the HTC One X with blah blah blah) is not how I want to spend my time. Ever. Where’s the Google that made everything so easy to use? The Google that told me I wanted unlimited email storage (or close to it) without me asking for it? Or where I could upload 20,000 songs for free to listen through a browser? I sure as hell didn’t start using Google as a search engine because of the endlessly techy things I could do to personalize it.
So I put in an order for Iphone 5 and kind of hate myself for it. The thing that finally pushed me in that direction is that last year when I finally dropped my iBook G4 one too many times I decided to buy an iMac. I love it, it’s big, it’s pretty and, most importantly, it just works. The ability to sync everything up was too appealing, especially now that my wife decided to enter the smartphone world with a $50 Iphone 4 from Best Buy (which, of course, became free several weeks later when the Iphone 5 came out, but that’s life). Plus, the ever expanding screen size of Android phones makes it more and more likely that it won’t fit in my pocket, which is still a deal breaker for me when it comes to cell phones.
Apple: I love your products but hate what you’ve become. Google: I feel bad, but the ability to sync up with our home computer won out in the end. Maybe we can reconnect one day, but for now I’m with Apple, but not exclusively. We can still see each other on the side.
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