Why My Sister Chose iPhone For Christmas
I helped convince my parents that it was time to buy a phone for my 13 year-old sister. A few months before December I tried to convince my sister to choose Android — and showed her some phones online that I thought would be excellent options. I came very close…and under the conditions that I would pay for half or all of it, she agreed that she would be happy with a Google Pixel. I thought “Great, that was easy.” However, that would not be the final decision.
In November as the discussion expanded, my sister realized that if she could convince mom and dad to buy the phone for her — she could choose whichever phone she wanted. She was no longer confined to deciding between Android devices. When this realization hit, she immediately wanted an iPhone 7. Apple iPhone is the household name when it comes to smartphones. No doubt Apple has done a great job with the iPhone brand. When I learned that my sister no longer wanted an Android — and was dead set on getting an iPhone. I pestered her with questions so that I could understand and learn why she made this choice. The reasons were as follow:
- My friends own iPhone
- I know how to use iPhone already
- I don’t want to learn how to use Android, it sounds complicated
- iPhone is better
- I want an iPhone
- Most people have iPhones
I knew I had already shown her specification sheets, product features, and YouTube reviews of various Android devices earlier in the year. I guess I can understand her first three reasons. Those are manageable, and expected. After all, both my parents have iPhones — and I used an iPhone for a year. So my sister knows iPhone quite well and she had spent a lot of time on my parents’ iPhones already. I don’t know why someone would want to use the reasoning of not understanding something as solid reasoning not to use or do something. That would be like saying “I don’t know how to read — so I’m not going to read books, articles, magazines, or the newspaper.” Sure that is an extreme metaphor, but I think she shouldn’t rule out Android phones just because she hasn’t learned how to use them. Her next reason is obvious, and her last reason is the bandwagon approach. I can’t really deny bandwagon support either; as far as iPhone sales go. Although total smartphone sales not limiting to specific flagships does put Samsung and Android at the top.
What I tell friends and family about iPhone and Android.
I believe software is king. You need good software long term to have good phone experience. When new software comes out, you want to be able to use it. Apple and iPhone do the best overall job at distributing new software. Android has the long term fragmentation problem that is slowly being fixed. The Android smartphone that is most like an Apple iPhone in nearly every aspect is the Google Pixel and Google Pixel 2 (previously the Nexus smartphone line). If I were to advise the purchase of a new phone — I would suggest either an iPhone or a Google Pixel. Both phones have amazing cameras. Both phones get software direct from the company creating the software. Both phones are reliably future proof. Both phones have product ecosystems and smart solutions to eliminate the technical stress in your life. Both phones are widely supported by third party software and hardware. Both phones are flagship caliber with excellent build quality and performance. Personally though, I prefer the over-sharpened photos that the Google Pixel 2 takes, the dedicated machine-learning imaging chip, Google Assistant, and built-in Google experience that is being offered. I came from iPhone — but I’m a Google Pixel fanboy now.
