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I like lots of things about Apple software, but feel a lot less respected than with Google's. While the price you pay with Google is annoyances through ads, th

I like lots of things about Apple software, but feel a lot less respected than with Google's. While the price you pay with Google is annoyances through ads, the price you pay for Apple (besides the hardware being 3x as expensive as comparable Android hardware) is just not being able to do things. You can't side load apps without some people with years of experience putting all of their time and energy into breaking the software! I can't make a computer I own actually run the programs I want! Add to that a complete lack of choice. Their hardware is admittedly quite good in many regards, but I'd like to charge using a normal connector [USB-C] since I don't want to carry another set of cables or adapters for the oh so special Apple, and retain the ability to play music through a damn cable without needing another expensive, flimsy and not-on-me-when-i-need-it adapter. Oh, they're absolutely hostile against repair. I could probably go on, but you might get the point. That's peak disrespect to me, so I'll despise them for that and not buy an Apple device in the foreseeable future, even though I like many aspects about them. Oh, the ecosystem lock-in and the absolute unfair promotion of their own, inferior services. Anyway.

benbristow 7y ago
Lightning cables are more popular than USB-C cables at this point. If I'm at a party or something usually someone has an iPhone cable, USB-C, not so much. To be honest with an iPhone there's not much reason to want to sideload anything. Sideloading on Android is dodgy enough with dodgy APKs. Who knows what they're doing in the background? At least with the App Store (and Play Store for that matter) being a walled garden, for both it's positives and negatives, you know an app has been vetted and is safe from malware.
- darkwater 7y ago
  > Lightning cables are more popular than USB-C cables at this point. But in 2 years at most will be the other way round (especially outside the US)
- madisfun 7y ago
  > Sideloading on Android is dodgy enough with dodgy APKs. Sideloading is what allows to use third party app stores like F-Droid and to run apps Google banned like Blokada (system-wide ad-blocker).
- maest 7y ago
  Funny, it's the exact opposite for me. What happens now? Do our anecdata cancel each other out, or?
- kuschku 7y ago
  > Lightning cables are more popular than USB-C cables at this point. If I'm at a party or something usually someone has an iPhone cable, USB-C, not so much. Of all the people in the local LGBT center, zero had a lightning cable available, one had a microUSB cable (with USB-C adapter), and everyone else (> 2 dozen) only had USB-C cables, when a person with iPhone asked if anyone had a charging cable. So maybe in the US, where due to higher wages (even if the percentage of income that's disposable is the same) people have higher disposable income, people buy iPhones. But from what I've seen in Germany, almost everyone has Android.
  - BigJ1211 7y ago
    I'm Dutch, I definitely see more iPhones in business settings. But generally it's a healthy mix of Android and iPhones when I'm at a party or somesuch.
    - lowdose 7y ago
      Owning an iPhone is almost an universal value signal.
- damnyou 7y ago
  Good job signaling that both you and your social circles have a certain degree of affluence. I live in the SFBA, hang out with people at all income levels, and I'd say over 70% use Android. Among richer people it's more 50-50. It's pretty easy to get USB-C chargers among my friends.
  - scarface74 7y ago
    Almost anyone can afford an iPhone. All four major carriers and Apple offer no interest payment plans. Spread over 24 months, the difference between an iPhone and an Android phone is negligible. If having an iPhone is a symbol of “affluence”, half of the US is affluent. Your anecdotal evidence doesn’t jibe with broader statistics. Edit: For complete transparency, I am seeing ranges from 42% - 50% market share in the US depending on the site. https://www.statista.com/statistics/236550/percentage-of-us-population-that-own-a-iphone-smartphone/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/236550/percentage-of-us-...
    - damnyou 7y ago
      Correct, the US is the richest country on earth. In the rest of the world Androids are more popular. I guarantee you that if most of your friends have iPhones, your friends' incomes are probably on the higher end, statistically. Don't those payment plans require good credit, anyway? A lot of my friends don't have that.
      - scarface74 7y ago
        Not “good credit” just “not horrible credit”. But, after you have been a customer for awhile for a carrier, they take your on time bill payments with them into account - at least with T-mobile. https://www.t-mobile.com/customers/smartphone-equality-program https://www.t-mobile.com/customers/smartphone-equality-progr...
        damnyou 7y ago
        Many of my less well-off friends have horrible credit, unfortunately. Good for T-Mobile.
- gengkev 7y ago
  Funnily enough, when I need a USB-C cable to charge my phone, I'm usually able to borrow one from a friend who uses USB-C to charge their Macbook...
Accacin 7y ago
I understand what you're saying, but at least for me it's not so bad. I started using Android from the G1, and was a massive fun of customising my phone with custom ROMS, etc. I eventually switched to iPhone and whilst I have jailbroken my phone before, I reverted it when I realised I didn't have much reason to need a jailbreak on my phone. I would still love the ability to sideload, but if that's my tradeoff for not using Google I'll take it. Carrying a cable has never personally been a problem for me but again, it depends on a few factors (most of my company uses Macs, with cables required for the keyboard and mouse so there's always one laying around). I personally use an iPod Video for music, as I prefer to either download my music from Bandcamp or buy and rip CDs. I find it a much nicer experience. I do carry the dongle around in my backpack on the rare occasion I need it, but my headphones are bluetooth (although I really only use the 35mm jack). Repairability is not an issue at all, as far as I'm concerned. I've replaced personally the screen, charging port and battery and it probably took all of an hour to do. Buying the parts was easy and quite cheap, and fitting was a breeze thanks for iFixit. Also, you're only locked in if you choose to me. The only things I have synced to iCloud are my contacts (also backed up via CalDav to my email provider) and Photos (backed up on my home network). Admittedly I'd have to buy apps again if I moved to a new platform, but that's the case with Android too.
- itsjloh 7y ago
  How do you backup your photos to your home network? Been wanting to do this for ages!
  - cgb_ 7y ago
    An app called PhotoSync is fantastic - can backup to cloud services, WebDAV, SMB and others. They recently introduced auto backup when charging. The app has really positive reviews...
  - scarface74 7y ago
    Using the iCloud Windows app. It syncs folders to a drive you choose. That drive gets backed up with Backblaze. I also have photo syncing turned on for OneDrive and Google Photos.
damnyou 7y ago
Just to add to what you said, in 2020 you still can't set a systemwide browser on iOS, something you've been able to do on every other platform since the mid 1990s.

benbristow 7y ago

Lightning cables are more popular than USB-C cables at this point. If I'm at a party or something usually someone has an iPhone cable, USB-C, not so much. To be honest with an iPhone there's not much reason to want to sideload anything. Sideloading on Android is dodgy enough with dodgy APKs. Who knows what they're doing in the background? At least with the App Store (and Play Store for that matter) being a walled garden, for both it's positives and negatives, you know an app has been vetted and is safe from malware.

darkwater 7y ago
> Lightning cables are more popular than USB-C cables at this point. But in 2 years at most will be the other way round (especially outside the US)
madisfun 7y ago
> Sideloading on Android is dodgy enough with dodgy APKs. Sideloading is what allows to use third party app stores like F-Droid and to run apps Google banned like Blokada (system-wide ad-blocker).
maest 7y ago
Funny, it's the exact opposite for me. What happens now? Do our anecdata cancel each other out, or?
kuschku 7y ago
> Lightning cables are more popular than USB-C cables at this point. If I'm at a party or something usually someone has an iPhone cable, USB-C, not so much. Of all the people in the local LGBT center, zero had a lightning cable available, one had a microUSB cable (with USB-C adapter), and everyone else (> 2 dozen) only had USB-C cables, when a person with iPhone asked if anyone had a charging cable. So maybe in the US, where due to higher wages (even if the percentage of income that's disposable is the same) people have higher disposable income, people buy iPhones. But from what I've seen in Germany, almost everyone has Android.
- BigJ1211 7y ago
  I'm Dutch, I definitely see more iPhones in business settings. But generally it's a healthy mix of Android and iPhones when I'm at a party or somesuch.
  - lowdose 7y ago
    Owning an iPhone is almost an universal value signal.
damnyou 7y ago
Good job signaling that both you and your social circles have a certain degree of affluence. I live in the SFBA, hang out with people at all income levels, and I'd say over 70% use Android. Among richer people it's more 50-50. It's pretty easy to get USB-C chargers among my friends.
- scarface74 7y ago
  Almost anyone can afford an iPhone. All four major carriers and Apple offer no interest payment plans. Spread over 24 months, the difference between an iPhone and an Android phone is negligible. If having an iPhone is a symbol of “affluence”, half of the US is affluent. Your anecdotal evidence doesn’t jibe with broader statistics. Edit: For complete transparency, I am seeing ranges from 42% - 50% market share in the US depending on the site. https://www.statista.com/statistics/236550/percentage-of-us-population-that-own-a-iphone-smartphone/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/236550/percentage-of-us-...
  - damnyou 7y ago
    Correct, the US is the richest country on earth. In the rest of the world Androids are more popular. I guarantee you that if most of your friends have iPhones, your friends' incomes are probably on the higher end, statistically. Don't those payment plans require good credit, anyway? A lot of my friends don't have that.
    - scarface74 7y ago
      Not “good credit” just “not horrible credit”. But, after you have been a customer for awhile for a carrier, they take your on time bill payments with them into account - at least with T-mobile. https://www.t-mobile.com/customers/smartphone-equality-program https://www.t-mobile.com/customers/smartphone-equality-progr...
      - damnyou 7y ago
        Many of my less well-off friends have horrible credit, unfortunately. Good for T-Mobile.
gengkev 7y ago
Funnily enough, when I need a USB-C cable to charge my phone, I'm usually able to borrow one from a friend who uses USB-C to charge their Macbook...

Accacin 7y ago

I understand what you're saying, but at least for me it's not so bad. I started using Android from the G1, and was a massive fun of customising my phone with custom ROMS, etc. I eventually switched to iPhone and whilst I have jailbroken my phone before, I reverted it when I realised I didn't have much reason to need a jailbreak on my phone. I would still love the ability to sideload, but if that's my tradeoff for not using Google I'll take it. Carrying a cable has never personally been a problem for me but again, it depends on a few factors (most of my company uses Macs, with cables required for the keyboard and mouse so there's always one laying around). I personally use an iPod Video for music, as I prefer to either download my music from Bandcamp or buy and rip CDs. I find it a much nicer experience. I do carry the dongle around in my backpack on the rare occasion I need it, but my headphones are bluetooth (although I really only use the 35mm jack). Repairability is not an issue at all, as far as I'm concerned. I've replaced personally the screen, charging port and battery and it probably took all of an hour to do. Buying the parts was easy and quite cheap, and fitting was a breeze thanks for iFixit. Also, you're only locked in if you choose to me. The only things I have synced to iCloud are my contacts (also backed up via CalDav to my email provider) and Photos (backed up on my home network). Admittedly I'd have to buy apps again if I moved to a new platform, but that's the case with Android too.

itsjloh 7y ago
How do you backup your photos to your home network? Been wanting to do this for ages!
- cgb_ 7y ago
  An app called PhotoSync is fantastic - can backup to cloud services, WebDAV, SMB and others. They recently introduced auto backup when charging. The app has really positive reviews...
- scarface74 7y ago
  Using the iCloud Windows app. It syncs folders to a drive you choose. That drive gets backed up with Backblaze. I also have photo syncing turned on for OneDrive and Google Photos.

damnyou 7y ago

Just to add to what you said, in 2020 you still can't set a systemwide browser on iOS, something you've been able to do on every other platform since the mid 1990s.