Hell just got frozen - my journey to iOS

Saturday, September 5, 2015 at 11:02 PM UTC

I did what I was never wanted to do: I bought an Apple device. I always said that hell freezes before I'd buy an Apple device. No matter if it was an iPhone or a Mac. These are great devices and they are crafted very well - but there are issues with working conditions against the prices this company raises to the end user. No matter what great quality you get they are more expensive than other devices compared to their performance and functionality.
Anyway, on Friday I bought a iPhone 6, my first Apple device. I am changing my cell phone every 2 years. I am using a special offer of one of my providers. It's just getting a new phone, paying for it with a monthly fee - without a SIM. My phone and data traffic is with another provider. I chose the gold one with 64GB. Though the "Gun Metal" grey one looks nice I wanted to have something "special". I don't like the white front though that much as it reminds me of my old Samsung Galaxy S2. Anyway, the reason I wanted to try an iPhone is the following: I am using Android phones for about 10 years now. I had Motorola, Samsung and HTC as my last one (a One M7). I was quite happy with all of them. Currently there are three reasons for me to leave Android:

  1. Extreme fragmentation of the systems, every manufacturer has it's own version running
  2. None of the current devices are sexy enough for me to buy. Samsung? Forget it. I want a metal case and not plastic.
  3. All of the high end devices are bigger than 5" which is way too big. I have a Galaxy Note 1 - a nice one, but I want a device smaller than 5" (4.7" fits best)

Why I wanted to change my device: I was actually quite happy with my M7. But the last 3 updates that HTC provided caused some issues though. Google Dialer was always crashing after I started a call. I had freezes of the system sometime. Some of the system applications were made worse than they were before. The performance of this device is really good, though. Anyway, I wanted something new, and if you can have it - then why not? This post is the start of a series I plan to report my change from Android to iOS.

Unboxing and first start

A wealthy box contained my golden iShiny, a charger, a cable and the headphones. I also bought a simple transparent cover which is crap. Not a silicone rubber-ish one. I changed it today.
The setup process is like on an Android device. It was odd not to setup a Google account but to create a new account, the Apple-ID. So what, another account on the internet (sigh). Directly after the first boot it told me that there was an update, so I installed it (iOS 8.4.1). Nothing special until I wanted to install "my" apps I already used on my Android. I was wondering if I can install apps like I did with Google - via the website. You can't. You have to install iTunes for Windows. With this I could search apps and install them with a single click - great! The rest of the day I spent installing all of my favorite apps.

The learning process

iOS has some functions and gestures that I am not familiar with - as an Android user. I favor the swipe gestures from the top and bottom rim as they are similar to the Android style - but the other way round. Quick settings come from the bottom, messages and infos come from the top. Ok, got it. The most weird thing is the missing "back" button. To leave an application you can't do anything but using the home button. iPhone users seem not to care about memory usage of apps running in the background. Ok, I'm fine with everything I don't have to care about. There is a task manager that I found accidently by double clicking the home button where you can swipe off the apps you want to quit. This is similar to Android.

First impressions

The hardware is really great. Metal case, an awesome display with bright colors. The performance is also good: fluent and really fast. This is a benefit of creating the software directly to one hardware environment. Android has to run on different hardware platforms and processors which may cause problems. A pro for iOS. The settings are very detailed and comprehensive though it's a bit difficult to explore every bit of them at first sight. It took me 2 days to discover the setting to get email notifications right away as the default setting is "manual". I now changed it to "15 minutes". I miss the widgets and the custom desktops though. Every app is added wherever is space for the icon. Changing the order or creating groups is just like I am used to from Android - no worries.
The best is the Touch ID feature. Unlocking the device with your fingerprints is really comfortable. I know that the latest Samsung devices have this feature, too. The soft keyboard is very tolerant. I have big fingers and I always mistyped on my HTC. I switched to Swipe keyboard though as this has even bigger keys than the built in keyboard. I also switched to the "big" version of the UI as the text size is a bit too small for my eyes - maybe I need glasses. I just looks better for me.

iTunes, sync and security

I also managed to sync some of my favorite mp3 files to the device - via WiFi. Once you connected the device to your computer with the cable and set it as "trusted" you can activate WiFi sync, too. The security settings may be a bit annoying but they make sense. You have to confirm and login everything with your Apple ID - at least once. After switching to using the Touch ID it is more convenient to unlock purchases and settings in apps and PC programs. I think this is why iOS is the prefered business environment against Android which is a bit "sloppy" regarding authentication and security.

Resume

I finished day 2 with my iPhone. With the new cover it's not that slick in my hands anymore. I am getting used to the interface and the behavior. I managed to sync apps and music files. I can read my Whatsapp messages and email. I can manage my calendars. Battery life is ok so far though I played around a lot with the device. I bought also a display protection glass foil. Not a simple foil but a glass plate which fits perfectly and protects even against heavy impacts and hits with sharp things. Buying accesoires is everytime a big fun when getting a new device. 
Stay tuned for the next posts that describe my journey from Android to the iOS world.

p.s.: I also bought a tablet/convertible two weeks ago - with Windows. I think I am going crazy Zunge







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