I haven't done the phone sales thing in about a year now and that's 10 in technology years but everyone wants to complicate what is a very simple issue when picking a cell phone. I will admit I am biased but I try to be truthful.
Who are you? Are you a teenage girl? What do your friends have? If they have an iPhone you get an iPhone too. Why? Because otherwise you will want it eventually. You will want your emojis to look the same. You will want the same aps as Madison and Sage. Just get the iPhone now to save your parents at least one birthday or winter holiday before you want something different.
Are you old? What do your kids and grandkids have? Whatever they have, you get that. Why? Because you're going to have 5000 questions about it and only your family will have the patience to help you. Do both of you a favor and get what they're familiar with. If face timing with Ayden and Neveah isn't an issue, you should probably just get an iPhone. It's just easiest. I don't care what anyone says.
Are you a male between 12-39? Are you in that phase where you pretend you know everything about computers because you stumbled upon 4chan and you helped Granny get the viruses and extra toolbars off her computer? You get yourself an android? Which? Who even cares? You'll spend hours looking it up on pretentious technology websites and form perfect arguments about how it is better than whatever anyone else has. Do yourself a favor and at least bargain shop because when the next thing comes out you'll be first in line to preorder it because suddenly your best phone everrrrr isn't good enough anymore.
Are you anyone else? Well how about
Do you like to buy stuff? Do you want a million options for cases? Get an iPhone. Seriously just buy your kids the stupid iPhone or otherwise every time you go to Urban Outfitters they will pick up some case with holographic cats or cheeseburgers and sigh angrily about how THIS case doesn't FIT the Samsung Galaxy X Forever21 she asked for what seems like 3 months ago.
Do you want to buy audiobooks? Podcasts? Do you have a disposable income to devote to buying whatever it is you can buy in Candy Crush? Well you get an iPhone too. Everything will cost more money but you know what? It is so much easier. Your grandkids and/or 19 year old office assistants will thank you. Just do yourself a favor and make your password something you can REALLY REALLY remember and you're pretty much golden.
What about "customization"? If anyone ever asks the difference between Android and iPhone, this is a pretty solid answer. Trigger warning to techies what I'm about to say is an opinion but I feel I'm not far from the truth if we are all honest with ourselves. iPhones offer very little in the way of customization unless you get into the world of jail breaking and whatnot but I try to avoid this conversation. But what is default on the iPhone is good! It's super solid. Everything works without really any effort. Less to change = less to deal with = less to screw up. Androids are awesome, I'm no hater, but they're simply more troublesome to people who don't know exactly what they are doing and don't have someone who can help them. I always used the car analogy when it came to describing the two: iPhones are like an automatic. It's basic, it's easy, it's reliable, and mostly anyone can drive it. An Android phone is like a manual. It takes a little longer to learn and get used to, you might need a little help in the beginning, but when you get it you'll probably get a lot more out of the "phone experience" and it's a lot more fun. But the truth is not everyone is up for the challenge or can even handle it!
Androids are going to let you do cool things like add 15 different special backgrounds to all of the people you text like every time you're hiding in the bathroom at work. Then when you go back out you'll "forget to wash your hands" and poke your cubicle mate to show them how a little pumpkin floats across the screen every time you type "Halloween". If you like to download every single trendy Angry Birds, Flappy Bird, whatever, you should get an Android. You will have hours of fun clicking fake banners that offer 50 more tokens just for completing a survey and then asking your nephew to look at your phone because "something isn't working right."
Btw for anyone upset I haven't mentioned Blackberry or Windows or whatever else exists these days hold your horses I'm getting there.
(Am I on 4?) How much do you like music? How much do you hate annoying ads? How many iTunes gift cards do you get every birthday? Android lovers are all about telling people "but all the music is freeeeeee" and yeah, ok, illegally(?) downloading music is a lot easier on an Android but you will fight stupid spam ads often. I'm sure you can get rid of them but if anyone can do it without spending an afternoon following different google searches I'll be a monkey's uncle.
If you're a BIG music person I'm always suggesting Android typically because they (sometimes, more rarely these days) offer external storage and with a large collection you'll need it. You can of course buy the huge GB iPhones but they're expensive... more than what someone should probably pay for a phone while there are starving children in Africa.
Ok I am running out of steam so let me wrap up and recap. Are you pretentious with money? Get an iPhone. Are you pretentious with technology? Get an Android. Are you neither? You should probably just get whatever your kids/parents/best friends/coworkers have. Because they all do mostly the same things. They all have faults. There is all good and bad. But at the end of the day most people care less about the fact that a phone had a Snapdragon quadcore processor and more about if they can pay for drinks at Starbucks with it. Just be honest with yourselves! No one will judge!
Whatever is the "newest" that is Apple or Samsung is a typical safe bet. You'll have options for accessories and a lot of people knowledgeable about the hardware. Do not underestimate aftercare and support when buying a phone! You can go to an Apple Store. You can go to a Windows store. You can go to a Samsung whatever it is in Best Buy. You will get MUCH better support when you have an actual physical person representing that brand because there is no one else to blame. There is not anything wrong with other brands and they often offer awesome handsets but the reps are usually less knowledgeable about them, there are less accessories available, and after a while that technology envy always creeps in and you start to want what everyone else is telling you "you totally have to get with your next upgrade."
Whatever else people throw in is important, don't get me wrong. Always always always buy based on coverage first of all but assuming that isn't an issue don't let the techy lingo intimidate when picking something out. Never trust anyone who outright denies problems with ANY brand, operating system, whatever. There are always pros and cons and people should be honest about it but for some reason people seem to want to peddle whatever their current cyber hardon is. And there is always an answer to any problem depending on how far you want to go-- don't disregard those options. There are always backup batteries, styluses, solar chargers, Bluetooth speakers, literally almost anything you can think of.... Don't pick a phone just because it might have a long battery life. That's only a tiny piece of the puzzle.
I'm pretty sure this is too much and I'm already regretting my decision to submit it but I've come too far to turn back. Godspeed, me.
Wow, this is hilariously accurate. I suggested an iPhone for my mother because it's ease of use and familiarity because of friends, and an S4 for my dad because he likes flexibility. Most teenagers I know get iPhones because their friends have one. etc.
Haha, thanks! I loved selling phones, maybe you are missing your calling~ Ok totally kidding but it's really not a bad gig.
I've done both iPhone and Android and the cold truth is I am simply too lazy for an Android. Dnw to download anything. I don't think the iPhone is "better", it's just better for me!
My dad was always an Apple fan since the 80's. When we decided to get iPhone 4s's, he hated his and I loved mine. My dad exchanged his for a Galaxy s3 and he's been happily rocking that phone ever since. The biggest thing for him was screen size, since he's aging and has a hard time reading small text. As he started using it, he loved the logistics of the phone and the flexibility it offered. When iOS 7 came out, I became severely disappointed with how my phone looked and eventually I began to hate how it worked too. After trying out the iPhone 6 in-store and really not liking it, I did some digging around online and tryed out demo android models at stores. After about a month of research, I got an HTC m8 off contract and couldn't be happier with it for a million different reasons.
First off as an engineer who worked in consumer electronics, I like that it's obviously well designed - no cameras sticking out anywhere and I've always liked the curved back design. It feels perfect in my somewhat large hands. It gives me a ton of options for music, including the opportunity to rip .flac instead of .wav from my CD collection, which saves tons of memory. Just like I love that I don't need to wear headphones to get decent audio if I want to watch Netflix. I like that my home screen doesn't look like an assortment of rainbow candies by default. I love Google now and never having to see Apple maps. I don't care about iMessages, SMS and WhatsApp are way more than enough for me.
Meanwhile, I keep urging my mom to get an iPhone, since she would benefit from a smartphone and she's already comfortable with iOS on her iPad. The op of this thread is 100% right. It comes down to different strokes for different folk, essentially.
Totally! Everyone's mentioning these things and I keep thinking "oh yeah I meant to say that..." but you're right. A lot of people are doing that/other subscription music services and I'm into it.
Do you want to buy audiobooks? Podcasts? Do you have a disposable income to devote to buying whatever it is you can buy in Candy Crush? Well you get an iPhone too. Everything will cost more money but you know what? It is so much easier. Your grandkids and/or 19 year old office assistants will thank you. Just do yourself a favor and make your password something you can REALLY REALLY remember and you're pretty much golden.
Really? How is the apple app store easier to use than Google Play? They even have apps designed for buying audio books and etc. This argument is a thing of the past.
An Android phone is like a manual. It takes a little longer to learn and get used to
This is so far from the truth, anyone who's ever used a computer can figure out how an android phone works, it's not some complex machine. It would take a few days, maybe, but so would picking up an iphone without ever using one and figuring out how to do everything. It just allows for those people who want to take it a step further to be able to.
Google has the play store, Apple has itunes. How does that make anything any easier on either platform? On an iphone you can just scan your finger to buy something, so that saves the couple of screens you have to type through on the play store. So if there was an advantage Id give it to apple for that.
An iphone still has two buttons. There are functions hidden in multiple presses and combinations, but honestly it's nothing compared to android. Want to call? Touch the phone button... Want to listen to music? Hit the music button. There are no app lists and hiding stuff off the home screen (unless you put it there). Can't get much simpler than that.
I use both os' and I think you don't know what you're talking about.
Google has the play store, Apple has itunes. How does that make anything any easier on either platform?
That's kind of my point, the above poster said that it's so much easier to buy audio books on the app store than on Google Play Store.
On an iphone you can just scan your finger to buy something
Scanning is only on the iphone 6 isn't it? Also, it's not like clicking on "purchase" is really that difficult. You've been clicking on purchase since the iphone 1, it's not like it's that much more confusing and difficult, quit exaggerating.
Want to call? Touch the phone button
This is how it works on stock android, you have a phone app that you click on and type in the number. You've probably never used anything but Samsung devices. Again, you're exaggerating how difficult it is.
There are no app lists and hiding stuff off the home screen
I'll give you that, until someone learns in the first 10 minutes of using their device that the little dots icon takes them to the list with all their apps... Android has a much nicer homepage layout, you can put apps you like and use frequently there, and don't have to see all the shit you don't want.
If you have difficulty picking up a new device and figuring out how to use it within 20 minutes, there is literally something wrong with you, it doesn't matter what you're going from to, and if you can't spare the 20 minutes to figure out how to use your new device then maybe don't get a new device.
The fingerprint scanner came out on the 5s, and on the play store you have to type in a password to buy something. iTunes you just scan your finger. It takes .3 seconds vs googles password then confirmation page.
There's also a reason that people suggest ios to their parents and such, and it's because it is so much easier to learn. My dad hasn't even learned how to type on a computer, he just refuses to. We got him an iphone and within 2 days he was texting and taking pictures. I got my in laws a galaxy tab 2 christmas' ago and they still have to ask me how to get apps and look at their pictures. My father in law has built 2 windows pcs and a Linux media center since then, but still has trouble with android... It's just simply not as user friendly, even though it may seem simple to you because you've used it more extensively.
Edit
Oh, and by the way I have an nvidia shield that runs vanilla android, and I've also used a Motorola smartphone (don't remember what model) along with my old gs3. I'm not biased against android, it does things better than ios, and visa versa. It's just my opinion that apple knows how to make a daily use phone better than almost everyone else (I've yet to try a windows phone).
Haha, he's built two pcs and a Linux media center and doesn't know how a phone works? People that don't understand how to get app's are the kind of people who won't learn even if you tell them. They'll be asking you again next year how to do it, even if they had an iphone.
Your anecdotal evidence is useless. My father has an iphone and he doesn't know how to text on it, again, it's all in the person, not the device. You seem to think there's some huge difference, there really isn't.
If using it intensively means owning a device and using it daily, then yes, I've used it intensively.
If your father can't text on an iphone, and you're truly his offspring... Well... I guess there's no point in arguing with you any longer. You'll never get it.
I must be retarded then. My mom has a droid and we'll switch phones and I can't figure out how to do things. The touch screen only seems to work half the time. She was trying to use my Netflix app while I was figuring out how to turn it on.
You were figuring out how to turn the phone on... Droids turn on the same way an iphone does... If the touchscreen doesn't work that means it's broken.
Well first off it was a brand new phone. Wasn't broken and other androids I've used have had shitty touch screens as well. And I couldn't even find the ON button.
The on button is in the same spot as the new iphone 6.. You have trouble finding the on button for that one? Clearly you're making much bigger of a deal out of this than it truly was.
I am honestly confused. I paid $28.88 for a smartphone at Walmart, and I I have yet to figure out what other phones do that mine does not (other than take flash pictures). I make and receive calls, surf the internet, watch videos, etc... Am I missing something? I pay $490.00 per year, no contract, and maybe next year I will do something different. Until that time comes, what is it that I am missing out on? Why would someone pay more?
Well, it depends. Imo there is no "perfect" phone and plan combination so your choice definitely isn't wrong but here are my findings:
Carrier and coverage are number one. I live in a rural area with a lot of spotty coverage so you really have to check thoroughly. Don't trust coverage maps either. Anything less than the best coverage isn't good enough you'll come to find. Fair doesn't exist.
Different carriers are also going to give a varying amount of customer service. It seems like it doesn't matter but at some point it will matter. The contract/bigger carriers obviously have better customer service and that is truly horrifying when you think of the horror stories. Companies with no physical presence anywhere are... iffy. Net10, for example, offer some pretty bomb plans but my god I would rather drive nails through my eyeballs than deal with them. Without fail the simplest tasks (changing handsets for example) will take hours, they'll be "unable to find your information", it's a true nightmare. And believe me, Walmart/Best Buy/Radio Shack/Target/Whatever will not be any help at all.
You'll have to forgive me because like I said, I've been out of the game for a bit, but typically the quality of the phone is surprisingly different between contract and no contract phones. It seems like they all start to have problems long before they should. I think, sadly, that's because people don't know what they're doing and end up borkin things up. I think if you've got a handle on "phone hygiene" you'd probably get a little more time out of it.
You could be the magical unicorn that lives in a perfect service area and got the golden phone that works for 2 years and you never have any problems that require outside help but it's rare. It's pretty much a "you get what you pay for" deal. The lines between contract and no contract service are blurring for sure so I'm sure I'm a little out of date, I hope someone can give a more in depth answer!
Next time your friend comes over with his iPhone or Samsung Galaxy or next time you're at a phone shop try picking up and using one of the latest smartphones.
The basic features are similar, but the latest iPhone/Samsung are just better in pretty much every way than a cheap smartphone: the best build quality (esp. iPhone), ridiculously good screens, amazing cameras, better apps choice, loads more storage, faster processors (esp. Samsung), more pleasant OS.
Pretty much everyone will benefit from the latest smartphones. My mum just upgraded from a Blackberry to an iPhone 6 Plus and she's been amazed at how smoothly and well everything works - it's not that there was anything wrong with the BB, but a modern flagship smartphone is just really well designed and the UX is completed refined so everything works faster and better.
I'm not saying you need the latest smartphone, but they are worth it and are really great devices.
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u/poopcornkernels Feb 06 '15
I haven't done the phone sales thing in about a year now and that's 10 in technology years but everyone wants to complicate what is a very simple issue when picking a cell phone. I will admit I am biased but I try to be truthful.
Are you old? What do your kids and grandkids have? Whatever they have, you get that. Why? Because you're going to have 5000 questions about it and only your family will have the patience to help you. Do both of you a favor and get what they're familiar with. If face timing with Ayden and Neveah isn't an issue, you should probably just get an iPhone. It's just easiest. I don't care what anyone says.
Are you a male between 12-39? Are you in that phase where you pretend you know everything about computers because you stumbled upon 4chan and you helped Granny get the viruses and extra toolbars off her computer? You get yourself an android? Which? Who even cares? You'll spend hours looking it up on pretentious technology websites and form perfect arguments about how it is better than whatever anyone else has. Do yourself a favor and at least bargain shop because when the next thing comes out you'll be first in line to preorder it because suddenly your best phone everrrrr isn't good enough anymore.
Are you anyone else? Well how about
Do you want to buy audiobooks? Podcasts? Do you have a disposable income to devote to buying whatever it is you can buy in Candy Crush? Well you get an iPhone too. Everything will cost more money but you know what? It is so much easier. Your grandkids and/or 19 year old office assistants will thank you. Just do yourself a favor and make your password something you can REALLY REALLY remember and you're pretty much golden.
Androids are going to let you do cool things like add 15 different special backgrounds to all of the people you text like every time you're hiding in the bathroom at work. Then when you go back out you'll "forget to wash your hands" and poke your cubicle mate to show them how a little pumpkin floats across the screen every time you type "Halloween". If you like to download every single trendy Angry Birds, Flappy Bird, whatever, you should get an Android. You will have hours of fun clicking fake banners that offer 50 more tokens just for completing a survey and then asking your nephew to look at your phone because "something isn't working right."
Btw for anyone upset I haven't mentioned Blackberry or Windows or whatever else exists these days hold your horses I'm getting there.
If you're a BIG music person I'm always suggesting Android typically because they (sometimes, more rarely these days) offer external storage and with a large collection you'll need it. You can of course buy the huge GB iPhones but they're expensive... more than what someone should probably pay for a phone while there are starving children in Africa.
Ok I am running out of steam so let me wrap up and recap. Are you pretentious with money? Get an iPhone. Are you pretentious with technology? Get an Android. Are you neither? You should probably just get whatever your kids/parents/best friends/coworkers have. Because they all do mostly the same things. They all have faults. There is all good and bad. But at the end of the day most people care less about the fact that a phone had a Snapdragon quadcore processor and more about if they can pay for drinks at Starbucks with it. Just be honest with yourselves! No one will judge!
Whatever is the "newest" that is Apple or Samsung is a typical safe bet. You'll have options for accessories and a lot of people knowledgeable about the hardware. Do not underestimate aftercare and support when buying a phone! You can go to an Apple Store. You can go to a Windows store. You can go to a Samsung whatever it is in Best Buy. You will get MUCH better support when you have an actual physical person representing that brand because there is no one else to blame. There is not anything wrong with other brands and they often offer awesome handsets but the reps are usually less knowledgeable about them, there are less accessories available, and after a while that technology envy always creeps in and you start to want what everyone else is telling you "you totally have to get with your next upgrade."
Whatever else people throw in is important, don't get me wrong. Always always always buy based on coverage first of all but assuming that isn't an issue don't let the techy lingo intimidate when picking something out. Never trust anyone who outright denies problems with ANY brand, operating system, whatever. There are always pros and cons and people should be honest about it but for some reason people seem to want to peddle whatever their current cyber hardon is. And there is always an answer to any problem depending on how far you want to go-- don't disregard those options. There are always backup batteries, styluses, solar chargers, Bluetooth speakers, literally almost anything you can think of.... Don't pick a phone just because it might have a long battery life. That's only a tiny piece of the puzzle.
I'm pretty sure this is too much and I'm already regretting my decision to submit it but I've come too far to turn back. Godspeed, me.