Oh, hello iPhone 6
(and iOS 8)
So, it finally happened - I've completed the circle and got my first iPhone today. Why / how have I waited over 4 years to get one? What's different now that has meant I've made the switch from being a happy Android users all those years?
3rd party keyboards.
A long time iPhone friend messaged me yesterday asking what was the new keyboard I used - "Swiftkey - it's the number one reason I've stuck with Android all these years". The stock iPhone keyboard really was that awful. There's a reason whole websites dedicated to "auto-correct fails" are full of iPhone screenshots. Aside from a minor cosmetic change in iOS7, it's not changed since the first iPhone in 2007.
Until now.
This really was the main reason I had no interest in iOS before now.
Bigger screen
Back when I had an HTC Desire, with the same screen size as an iPhone 3, I also had an iPad which I used all the time around the house. When I upgraded to the Samsung S3, that extra screen space meant I stopped using the iPad literally overnight.
Whilst Steve Jobs famously made fun of bigger screen sizes, it would appear everyone else wanted more. More recently, Apple seem to have become more attentive to users and more willing to respond to what consumers are after.
And so we have bigger screens, at last.
Apps that talk to each other.
Old Android ads would often poke fun at iOS apps as being represented as closed rooms - they never spoke to each other; each app would have it's own web browser to open links in, ironically leading to a far more fragmented expereince. With iOS 8, Apple have opened that up to allow one app to communicate with another and make for a far more integrated experience.
The notification drawer has also become a lot more flexible allowing for interactions to take place within it.
And the other stuff
Much better cameras.
LastPass / 1Password integration.
Save web pages straight from Safari / Chrome to Pocket, Pinterest or Evernote.
Seamlessly handing off an email you're writing or a phone call from your phone to your laptop.
Also a whole bunch of stuff to do with fitness apps… I've no idea what that's all about.
Anything bad to say about it?
I won't say it's perfect - there seems to be one glaring design issue I've found with it - the camera lens sticks out the back of the phone by a milimeter or so. Put your iPhone 6 on a flat surface, and you'll find the top left corner wobbles as if you have something like a paperclip under one corner of your phone. It's a bit annoying but as I already have a bumper case on order, shouldn't be an issue much longer.
Aside from that one niggle, I'm very happy with the iPhone 6. I've been a very happy Android user to date, but have no regrets in giving the iPhone a chance - think I've waited long enough!