For Apple users that like and use Windows and Android

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Dreal

418 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 177211 26-Jul-2015 14:55

What are the merits and disadvantages of iOS devices?

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745 posts

Ultimate Geek

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# 1352023 26-Jul-2015 15:32

5 people support this post

merrit of ios

great battery life on newer devices compared to android
frequent os upgrades, and you dont miss out on them becuase company x cant be stuffed deploying an update.
secure, no sideloading apps that could be malicous
full app catalouge
I have an ipad air that i use on occasion and my battery last ~ 1 month
accessories galore, youll always find a case and a screen guard and all the other common acc. only flagship droids can say the same, but most places have a massive ios range and a tiny droid range.
stable os, because "you cant touch this" approcach to security, for 99% of people they are okay with that.

disadvantages of ios devices

no full size usb, it doesnt bother me cos I use the cloud but old people still like the full size usb port for some reason,
no file explorer, you will never see the root of your devices
copying data from ios to pc and vice versa is app depenednt, so if you have a pdf app thats where you pdfs would live, all via itunes.
they cost more, but if you budget concious there is always apple online store refurbshed units that they knock ~200 off.

- Steve

I use ios/android/windows on a daily basis so im not too byast.

Voice gives context

dusty42

111 posts

Master Geek

# 1352028 26-Jul-2015 15:45

8 people support this post

Itunes will make you long for the sweet embrace of death - it is Satan's own software. And no flac support.

Other then that, things are fine.

Dreal

418 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1352033 26-Jul-2015 16:05

sdavisnz: merrit of ios

great battery life on newer devices compared to android
frequent os upgrades, and you dont miss out on them becuase company x cant be stuffed deploying an update.
secure, no sideloading apps that could be malicous
full app catalouge
I have an ipad air that i use on occasion and my battery last ~ 1 month
accessories galore, youll always find a case and a screen guard and all the other common acc. only flagship droids can say the same, but most places have a massive ios range and a tiny droid range.
stable os, because "you cant touch this" approcach to security, for 99% of people they are okay with that.

disadvantages of ios devices

no full size usb, it doesnt bother me cos I use the cloud but old people still like the full size usb port for some reason,
no file explorer, you will never see the root of your devices
copying data from ios to pc and vice versa is app depenednt, so if you have a pdf app thats where you pdfs would live, all via itunes.
they cost more, but if you budget concious there is always apple online store refurbshed units that they knock ~200 off.

- Steve

I use ios/android/windows on a daily basis so im not too byast.

Seems like a pretty reasonable summary. I grew up with things like the amstrad, and commodore, so for me even android feels a bit 'tight' sometimes in terms of getting into the deeper options. On the other hand there are advantages to having a unified software and hardware system in terms of internal compatibility and such.

How does iOS go with things like recognising windows networks, or network printers and so on? Compatibility etc? I read that it doesn't stream via windows networks.

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Dreal

418 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1352034 26-Jul-2015 16:10

On a side note, the cloud is pretty darn slow. I've been clouding my FLAC collection recently, and it's taken about a week, and I've needed to do it at night, because it slows my internet to a crawl. I'm not even sure if I want to bother with my movies and tv shows, or the rest of my music.

I've got about half a terrabyte of media on my PC, even transferring files directly over wifi is often a pain. But microUSB is fine.

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sdavisnz

745 posts

Ultimate Geek

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# 1352036 26-Jul-2015 16:14

Ios is a mobile platform,

android is a mobile platform,

windows 10 mobile will really be the only beacon in terms of networking things together.

if you want to print on an ios device, buy an airprint printer
if you want to print on droid, buy a google cloud print printer

if you want to network your devices, use a computer.

Voice gives context

Dreal

418 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1352058 26-Jul-2015 17:16

Well I found that I can stream from a Windows network on Android, and connect to a Windows network via Android with ease. And I can print to a Windows network, from a Windows tablet, obviously (Windows 8.1) (I am sure you probably can with an app on Android or iOS). Windows 10's app platform is a universal one, device independent.

For mobile platform, I am not sure Android is exclusively. You can get Android desktops and laptops, and Android PC on a stick, android TV etc. Not that this is where it shines. Perhaps the same is true of iOS? IDK.

I heard that iOS can't stream from a Windows network, so I am guessing iOS doesn't play as nicely with the other kids in the playground (you also mentioned you need an app to do file transfers). That might be another disadvantage, compatibility.

Maybe thats because googles office is opposite microsofts?

I am not familiar with iOS though, so I really don't know.

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Dingbatt

3946 posts

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# 1352089 26-Jul-2015 18:10

One person supports this post

Interesting comment about battery life on newer iOS devices compared to Android. My newer Android device, an SGS6 gets 2 days out of one charge. My previous generation HTC One M7 just over one day. Note 4 owners might like to chime in here because I understand its battery life is pretty good (and can be swapped out).
A friend who works for Apple admitted he pretty quickly got into the 'recharge whenever able' habit.
Granted, iOS devices now have better battery life than previous generations, but so have Android devices.

Areas of Geek interest: Home Theatre, HTPC, Android Tablets & Phones, iProducts.

michaelmurfy

Mr Snotty
8763 posts

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# 1352090 26-Jul-2015 18:13

3 people support this post

If you've had a decent Android device and go to iPhone you'll feel limited... Well, that is how I felt.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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shk292

1710 posts

Uber Geek

# 1352096 26-Jul-2015 18:52

I'm not a big Ios user but have to occasionally because my son has one.

I find Dropbox is a good way of circumventing the totally annoying control-freakish limitations that Apple put on sharing and transferring files. I'm half surprised they allow a dropbox app on Ios

MikeB4

14035 posts

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# 1352097 26-Jul-2015 18:53

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An Apple device will make you go oh cool, ok wow then oh $%!& and !!#&% they will please you then frustrate the heck out of you. After a honeymoon period you will be screaming mad at them.

Mike
Retired IT Manager.
The views stated in my posts are my personal views and not that of any other organisation.

Using empathy takes no energy and can gain so much. Try it.

Inphinity

2538 posts

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# 1352099 26-Jul-2015 18:58

sdavisnz: merrit of ios

great battery life on newer devices compared to android
secure, no sideloading apps that could be malicous
full app catalouge

Disagree on these ones - battery life, I have a Galaxy S5 (personal) and Iphone 5s (work), and batery life is very comparable under similar usage levels. Secure, well, you have to explicitly enable sideloading on Android (I'm not aware of any manufacturers or standard build that have it enabled by default, at least), and the app catalogue, well, while some apps may launch of iOS first, I'm yet to find anything on iOS that isn't on Android, or at least a near-identical alternative. There is more 'chaff' on play store, in terms of a high quantity of lower quality apps, though.

Handle9

2306 posts

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# 1352107 26-Jul-2015 19:20

Dreal: Well I found that I can stream from a Windows network on Android, and connect to a Windows network via Android with ease. And I can print to a Windows network, from a Windows tablet, obviously (Windows 8.1) (I am sure you probably can with an app on Android or iOS). Windows 10's app platform is a universal one, device independent.

For mobile platform, I am not sure Android is exclusively. You can get Android desktops and laptops, and Android PC on a stick, android TV etc. Not that this is where it shines. Perhaps the same is true of iOS? IDK.

I heard that iOS can't stream from a Windows network, so I am guessing iOS doesn't play as nicely with the other kids in the playground (you also mentioned you need an app to do file transfers). That might be another disadvantage, compatibility.

Maybe thats because googles office is opposite microsofts?

I am not familiar with iOS though, so I really don't know.

You can browse smb shares fine on iOS, with the appropriate app, both for streaming and / or file transfer. For USB transfer iTunes is still the main show in town.

Dreal

418 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1352135 26-Jul-2015 19:48

Handle9:
Dreal: Well I found that I can stream from a Windows network on Android, and connect to a Windows network via Android with ease. And I can print to a Windows network, from a Windows tablet, obviously (Windows 8.1) (I am sure you probably can with an app on Android or iOS). Windows 10's app platform is a universal one, device independent.

For mobile platform, I am not sure Android is exclusively. You can get Android desktops and laptops, and Android PC on a stick, android TV etc. Not that this is where it shines. Perhaps the same is true of iOS? IDK.

I heard that iOS can't stream from a Windows network, so I am guessing iOS doesn't play as nicely with the other kids in the playground (you also mentioned you need an app to do file transfers). That might be another disadvantage, compatibility.

Maybe thats because googles office is opposite microsofts?

I am not familiar with iOS though, so I really don't know.

You can browse smb shares fine on iOS, with the appropriate app, both for streaming and / or file transfer. For USB transfer iTunes is still the main show in town.

Oh, cool, perhaps I got that mixed up then. Or perhaps it just doesn't come natively, and third parties created work arounds.

iTunes - Do you mean that its the main means of USB transfer? I assume there must be other means.

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BlueShift

1436 posts

Uber Geek

# 1352307 27-Jul-2015 09:31

Its the lack of expandable storage that rubs me the wrong way. I can buy a 32GB microSD card for $30 and put it in my Windows phone, but if I want to go from a 16GB iPhone 6 to a 32GB iPhone 6, that costs $170. Exactly the same phone, with slightly more RAM, that likely costs Apple about $2.50. And the jump from 32GB iPhone to 64GB iPhone is another $180. A Class 10 64GB MicroSD card costs a normal person <$100. To get a 64GB iPhone costs $350 over the base model.
Of course that goes for the Samsung Galaxy S6 as well, they charge $250 for 64GB extra.

NZSpides

145 posts

Master Geek

# 1352309 27-Jul-2015 09:34

One person supports this post

I had been using IOS and Android devices for years.

I have found IOS far less frustrating than Android, for many reasons.
Yes the IOS platform is constrained and limited, for good reasons, but in 99.9% cases people are happy with them. I am.

The thing that gets me hot under the collar about Android is it's crazy settings, they are all over the place, nothing is standard.
Try doing a seamless upgrade from a Samsung to a Nexus, good luck.
Then there's the stupid phone manufacturers putting their own user interface over the top of stock android - no wonder people get confused.

As you have probably guessed, I don't bother with Android anymore.

Then there's the naysayers with iTunes - I have never had a major issue with it.
I have moved from XP to Windows 7 and am about to move to Windows 10 soon, I've never experienced any serious error that I couldn't easily resolve.
Any complex application will have issues with the number of platforms it has to deal with, but I have never lost my music collection or audio books for example...

Once you work out how iTunes does things it's not really an issue.

I would agree that the Android platform is more flexible, however this is reflected in it's more susceptibility to malware and hacking.
Yes the iPhone is more limiting, but it's easier to get things to work, or at least that's been my experience.

Essentially it's up to the owner of the device, you will be making a compromise no matter what platform you choose.

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