Should-be iPhone Killer

Technology just doesn't last like it used to. Take my iPhone 3GS for example; it's less than 18 months old and already it's a doorstop. Upgrading to the latest iOS pretty much ground it to a halt.

Trying to send a quick text message this morning, it took 21 seconds for the keyboard to open! I'm no Scrooge McDuck, but I would have expected such an expensive gadget to have lasted a little longer. Paying premium money for disposable goods just isn't on, so I'm looking elsewhere for my touchscreen fix.



I've been toying with the idea of buying an Android phone. There are plenty to choose from, they offer very similar functionality to the iPhone, and will die just as quickly. But you pay only half the price - and that makes a big difference.

It's a pretty compelling argument, and goes some way toward explaining why Android-based smartphones are now outselling Apple's device in some territories. The desktop market has always been the same; You could throw a Windows PC off the roof and it would be obsolete before it hit the pavement, but it was half the price of the equivalent Macintosh, so who cares?

But have you ever tried to buy an Android phone?

As someone looking to migrate away from the iPhone, I'm part of a tiny minority; Apple's attention to detail and superior user experience has created the most fiercely loyal customer base in the market. I can walk into my local Apple Store and try out the new iPhone for myself; I can actually play with it, and delight in its beauty and simplicity.

Try doing that with an Android phone. I did, and it was just painful. Firstly, I was mobbed by no less than four sales agents, and pressured to take a seat at one of their contract negotiation tables before I even opened my mouth. After telling them I wanted to try out one of the better HTC models, I was handed a hollowed out lump of plastic attached to an alarm chord.

My suggestion that I would like to assess the quality of the interaction and user interface was met with confused stares. "It's a touchscreen", they said. It had never occurred to them that, coming from an iPhone, I had been spoiled with an elegantly intuitive user experience, and wanted to feel comfortable that my new platform of choice would give me the same fuzzy feeling that my iBrick once had.

I can't help but feel that Android should be the iPhone killer, but until the device manufacturers, networks and resellers get their act together and start seriously competing with Apple's world class customer experience, they're only ever going to dominate the bargain basement end of the market. Or perhaps that's what they want...?

As for me, I couldn't confidently switch to a device without having tried it first, especially when I'll be stuck with it for the duration of my contract. It looks like, for better or worse, I might have to take the punt on an iPhone 4 after all, and accept that I'll have 18 months of gesture-based bliss before it becomes a glorified paperweight.