Because I like dealing in facts, I have to contest a lot of this:
Here are the reasons I *generally* recommend people steer clear of Android. Bear in mind that I'm mostly not talking about hardware here -- as plastic phones go, there are quite a few nice ones out there, the Galaxy S III being the current best of breed IMO. Here we go:
1. Updates. You won't get more than one, because the carrier is in charge of what OS version you get to run. And they have a STRONG incentive not to give you any updates, because they want you to jump ship halfway through your contract and pay to get a newer phone. So in a very short period of time (compared to the iPhone), your shiny Android phone will start not being able to use the latest apps and features.
What you say is true.. it's in the hardware manufacturer's best interest to sell you a new phone, and if they can hold back the software updates, they will, if it makes you purchase a newer phone capable of running a newer OS. But you're exaggerating here. I've never seen a manufacturer neglect incremental updates. Major updates, absolutely, but for the most part, we're talking about Verizon. They are notorious for doing this.
However, this is really NO DIFFERENT from Apple holding back software/app updates in order to sell new phones too. Siri, Maps with voice nav, a slightly better camera etc etc etc...Android handsets are not exclusively sitting on that pedestal.
2. Viruses, malware, spyware. Security firm BT says that they think up to a THIRD of all Android apps have malware on board. Mostly in the form of spyware, but there are plenty of spamware, scamware, botware and other nasties waiting for you.
Yeah, not really. It's also in said "security firm's" best interests to pad the virus/malware/spyware market. I've never met one person, who ever had a problem as such. And I know quite a few people with Android phones. And they know others and so on and so forth.
Big problem in Android-land, just TODAY in fact some doofuses paid (!!) and downloaded fake "Apple" apps from the Google Play store. How stupid would you have to be to fall for that, but they posted reviews which means they bought.
And therein lays the problem, to both this issue and the "issue" I quoted directly above. People are don't think, period. No matter the platform, OS etc.. people click on things not caring what they are. They blindly click. I'll agree that Apple is MUCH better at keeping their platform cleaner, ala walled garden style, but it's not like someone can gain root access to an Android phone without the user having put in their password and agreeing to it. Sound familiar?
3. Ever-changing, ever-obsolete. People complain about how fast Apple updates stuff, but compared to Android models it's positively glacial. The reason you're getting a good deal on the S III is because the S IV is due out in a couple of months. My iPhone 4 still runs the latest everything, but let's check with the Galaxy S I owners -- oh wait, nobody's using that phone anymore because it's a) over two years old (!), b) can't run anything newer than v2.3 and c) can't run any of the new apps.
Oye. No one cares about the Galaxy S1 because it's just not nearly as cool as the 3. But it runs quite well and has plenty of features. It also runs whatever you'd want it to app wise. Does it need anything past 2.3? Moot point, the hardware is very old compared to the newer stuff, and doesn't need to in order to run the same apps that later versions do. Also.. your iPhone 4 does NOT run the latest everything. Don't lie. Because unless your phone is different than my 4... it doesn't run Siri and it doesn't do turn by turn navigation *voice*, and it doesn't even do dictation. And don't blame that on the hardware, the 4's specs are perfectly capable of doing all of it.
4. Carrier crapware. Bottom line: Google makes Android for the carriers, not for you. That's why they let the carriers slather on their own UI and crapware all over the phones. Result? Very inconsistent experiences. If I was going to buy an Android device, I'd get the ones from Google itself (like the Nexus phone) so I might have a chance at more than one update, and a "pure" Android experience.
Mostly agreed. But Verizon puts a very minimal amount of stuff on their phones. Plus, if one wants, it takes 5 minutes to root a phone with a one click process and voila.. no more bloatware. Is that a hassle? Yeah, if you're not into any of that fancy stuff... but it's nice to have that option.
5. Google. Everything Google does -- everything -- has a single purpose: to gather information on its users in order to better target its advertising. There's nothing inherently wrong with this if users are aware, but IME they aren't. This is very, VERY different from what Apple is going for, which is software that delights the end users (not the carriers, witness iMessage as proof of that) and has no interest in collecting personal data about users except as needed by applications (such as Maps). To me, that's a huge factor.
No comment other than I love the smell of coffee.
6. Build quality. There are some excellent Android phones, but they're not typical (and not cheap). The build quality on an iPhone is just phenomenal. I like quality-built stuff. To that point:
I see just as many if not more broken/cracked iPhones as Droid phones. Are iPhones classier looking? IMO, sure. But that's also ITEOTB. And what do you mean "not cheap"? They're the same price as an iPhone when paying subsidy prices.
7. The apps and eco-cycle. I would (rightly) feel like a second-class citizen if I had an Android phone, both in terms of apps and in terms of accessories. Every single well-known app on Android (with perhaps one or two exceptions made by Google) was an iOS app first. I've yet to hear of a single Android app that so clearly surpasses anything available on iOS that I'd consider it a must-have, and I doubt I ever will -- even though the combined share of Android phones outsells iPhones by a considerable margin. I want my phone apps to run on my tablet, which is (of course) an iPad because its the best tablet by a LONG way. I like the iTunes eco-system since it also crosses over in many ways to my Mac. I like the care and attention to detail and style the best app developers put into their apps, and where do they get that sense of aesthetics? From Apple.
Eco system wise, both are quite strong and will enable the user to perform their duties equally. I'll say that iOS has many more "polished/mature" apps such as GarageBand, iMovie and the iWork suite. But Google has Google Drive, Play, Calenders, Documents, Music, Photos, Maps, Wallet, Blogger and so on.. I've had a Google music account for years now. It's free, and lets you store 25k songs on their server, from which you can stream it anywhere. And with Google Drive, you can access ANY file you want, not just proprietary stuff.
But if was going to turn away from iOS, why would I want an obvious iOS wanna-be (in the same way that Windows is an OS X wanna-be)? Wouldn't I want something that wasn't just a poor-man's iOS, like say ... ironically ... Windows Phone 8?
Sorry to say this but, similarities between the OS' are bound to be there where functionality is concerned. What exactly would you like an OS to do that one of these doesn't do already? They're competing products, and are vying for the same demographic. The Android OS looks NOTHING like iOS, NOTHING. Yeah, they both utilize icons. Here's where Microsoft is really taking advantage and leading with *sort of* new ground in their tile GUI. IMO, MS struck gold with the new GUI for a mobile system. It's visually appealing, intuitive and most importantly... FRESH. Personally speaking, I'm rather bored with icons and boxes full of icons. It's a very dated UI system, and at least the Android OS allows more options with widgets and custom launchers.
I'd go on, but I slept a max of 4 hours last night and was out all day. I'm exhausted.
I love competition and I think it keeps Apple on their toes, but let's not kid ourselves about who is leading the market. If the obvious best in class can be had for something around the same price as the wanna-bes, why not the best?
As much as I agree with you from a certain POV with this, the only person kidding them self here might be you. Numbers certainly do prove who leads in sales, and I will never say that Apple doesn't deserve it, but to make a statement so as to speak for the experience of all people as if it is a singular, collective experience is ignorant at best.
Doug