Apple's First Android App Makes It Easy To Move To iOS

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Apple's First Android App Makes It Easy To Move To iOS

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday September 17, 2015 @12:14AM from the move-it-on-over dept.

Mark Wilson writes: Apple has released its first ever Android app. No, there's not an Android version of Safari or anything like that, but a tool designed to simplify the process of switching to iOS. The predictably named Move to iOS will appeal to anyone who was persuaded to switch allegiances by the release of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, or indeed iOS 9. The app can be used to move contacts, messages, photos and more to a new iPhone or iPad, and is compatible with phones and tablets running Android 4.0 and newer. It works slightly differently to what you may have expected. Rather than uploading data to the cloud, it instead creates private Wi-Fi network between an Android and iOS device and securely transfers it.

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Quick poll by Coisiche · 2015-09-17 00:26 · Score: 4, Insightful

Rate the chances of a reverse app to assist migrating from iPhone to Android making it into the Apple store?
I'll go with never.
1. Re:Quick poll by thaylin · 2015-09-17 00:32 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I agree, and in my mind that is what makes Android a far superior ecosystem, freedom.
  
  --
  When you cant win, ad hominem.
2. Re: Quick poll by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 00:39 · Score: 0
  
  None of my iOS devices are 'entitled' to an OS update. So they're no different than my Android devices, except being slightly older.
3. Re: Quick poll by binarylarry · 2015-09-17 00:53 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Many Android devices have alternate OSes (Cyanogenmod, etc) that support the device for far longer than the OEM did.
  That's another example of the freedom you get with the Android platform instead of iOS.
  Android, Fuck yeah!
  
  --
  Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
4. Re:Quick poll by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 00:57 · Score: 0
  
  the stock, googlefied, android that virtually all android users have is not really any better than apple's ecosystem... a LITTLE more freedom in what actually makes it into google play vs apple's app store, but at the expense of shit for updates from carriers and hardware manufacturers and a hell of a lot more malicious apps.
5. Re: Quick poll by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 01:22 · Score: 0
  
  I got an OTA update yesterday for my Nexus 4 (running Android 5.1.1), probably fixing the long password hack reported yesterday.
6. Re:Quick poll by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 01:56 · Score: 1
  
  There is already one for BlackBerry -- Device Switch. It's been there for over a year. Great app. Works like a charm. I'm sure that's where Apple got the idea.
7. Re: Quick poll by Penguinisto · 2015-09-17 01:57 · Score: 1
  
  Many Android devices have alternate OSes (Cyanogenmod, etc) that support the device for far longer than the OEM did.
  To be fair, that's not a very high bar... most Android OEMs never bother to support their devices. To be doubly fair, iPhones can be jailbroken too.
  And no, I don't own an iPhone (I have an LG G2, because paying $215 for a decent unlocked GSM phone is a lot smarter than a contract or an overly-expensive new-shiny).
  
  --
  Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
8. Re: Quick poll by binarylarry · 2015-09-17 02:02 · Score: 1
  
  My comment was that it's possible to install your own variant of Android well after OEM support has been discontinued, because the OS is free software/open source.
  There are many lollipop roms for even 2010 era phones and older.
  How many iOS devices from 2010 got updated to iOS9?
  How many iOS devices from 2011 will get iOS 9+1?
  
  --
  Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
9. Re: Quick poll by binarylarry · 2015-09-17 02:08 · Score: 1
  
  What alternate versions of iOS for iPhone are out there and used by some significant population?
  Sounds interesting.
  
  --
  Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
10. Re: Quick poll by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:22 · Score: 0
  
  "How many computers from 2011 are running Windows 8 (without the user installing it)?"
11. Re:Quick poll by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:34 · Score: 0
  
  So your own speculation is the basis of your decision? That's some fine thinking there, Lou.
12. Re: Quick poll by nogginthenog · 2015-09-17 02:39 · Score: 1
  
  Mine also. I have a feeling it was for the stagefright bug. The scanner reported as vulnerable after the previous update. Now it reports OK.
13. Re:Quick poll by Schnapple · 2015-09-17 02:54 · Score: 1
  
  Rate the chances of a reverse app to assist migrating from iPhone to Android making it into the Apple store?
  Actually I bet they do let a similar app from Google in the store, should Google ever put one out, simply for the reason that it would be less of a PR headache and would save them from potential litigation.
  
  Granted, the nature of such an app would probably mean that the app really needs to come from Samsung or HTC or LG or something and they might tell those guys to fuck right off but if Google does it they might allow it
  
  --
  Schnapple
14. Re:Quick poll by sociocapitalist · 2015-09-17 03:04 · Score: 1
  
  Rate the chances of a reverse app to assist migrating from iPhone to Android making it into the Apple store?
  I'll go with never.
  Worth trying. If it got blocked you'd have a nice anti-trust suit against Apple.
  
  --
  blindly antisocialist = antisocial
15. Re:Quick poll by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 03:34 · Score: 0
  
  No you wouldn't. After the Microsoft suit from the late 90's, early 2000's, anti-trust in computers is dead.
16. Re: Quick poll by tepples · 2015-09-17 04:14 · Score: 1
  
  There's a difference between the user choosing to hold back an upgrade and the upgrade not even being available for a particular piece of hardware. The vast majority of PCs that shipped with Windows Vista or Windows 7 "will get" Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, so long as the CPU supports the NX bit and SSE2 instructions. The big difference is that Windows has a cost reason for "choosing to hold back an upgrade" from Windows Vista, which iOS and Android lack (except for early iOS upgrades on Wi-Fi-only devices while Apple was still deciding its Sarbanes-Oxley compliance roadmap).
17. Re:Quick poll by jo_ham · 2015-09-17 04:14 · Score: 1
  
  It won't make it to the App Store, but you can put one on yourself now if you like since you can now side load apps onto iOS9 as long as you build them from source without paying the $99 developer fee.
18. Re:Quick poll by tepples · 2015-09-17 04:17 · Score: 1
  
  After the Microsoft suit from the late 90's, early 2000's, anti-trust in computers is dead.
  In what country? The European Union applied more substantial penalties to Microsoft than did the United States.
19. Re:Quick poll by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 05:03 · Score: 0
  
  So this effectively makes Apple terrorists. Using the freedom enjoyed by an organization of people against them for political gain.
20. Re:Quick poll by BasilBrush · 2015-09-17 05:51 · Score: 1
  
  The chances are zero because Apple doesn't allow apps that reference Android. And because it wouldn't have any users anyway.
21. Re: Quick poll by macs4all · 2015-09-17 05:57 · Score: 1
  
  None of my iOS devices are 'entitled' to an OS update. So they're no different than my Android devices, except being slightly older.
  So, that means you have a first gen iPad, or an iPhone everything from the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4s is "eligible" for iOS 9. In fact, it's the same list as for iOS 8. I admit I don't keep up with the iPod Touch compatibility, that for some reason, seems to be not as good as the iPad and iPhone.
  
  But, NO Android Device can boast more "upgrade eligibility" than iOS devices. None.
22. Re: Quick poll by macs4all · 2015-09-17 06:04 · Score: 0
  
  How many iOS devices from 2010 got updated to iOS9?
  Um, ALL of them. (YOU asked!)
  
  How many iOS devices from 2011 will get iOS 9+1?
  Well, besides being a metaphysically absurd question, if history is any guide, ALL of them as well.
  
  Again, YOU asked...
23. Re: Quick poll by binarylarry · 2015-09-17 06:20 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  I did ask but apparently you can't read or your mac fanboy skills are lacking, let me enlighten you:
  Apple's 2010 Phone Release:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
  How many iPhone 4's are listed here, I'm just a moronic Android user so I can't tell :(
  http://cdn.osxdaily.com/wp-con...
  I see an iPhone 4S but that's the 2011 era phone we just discussed.
  Please help me Apple fan boy, I want to understand!
  
  --
  Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
24. Re: Quick poll by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:30 · Score: 0
  
  I wouldn't call that freedom, I'd call that fucked.
  It's not fucked because you have awesome altruistic people who are helping folks. It's fucked because you all paid for your devices, and your manufacturer a month later told you to fuck off or told you that from day one.
  Do I think Apple's walled garden is good? Fuck no. Do I think it's better to buy a device that at least receives security updates during its relevant lifespan? Yes. Do I think it's better for my non-tech friends who will never install another OS? Yes. Open to me would be a device I could fix on my own without having to cannibalize another device. I think you have an illusion of freedom on Android, as no phone is an open platform (well no phone being mass produced with modern parts).
  I like writing Java, I like Linux (I run it on my servers and dev platforms), but I don't like Android and it's because of shitty manufacturer support of devices. Not the OS. If there were solid manufacturers, guaranteeing support, and updates-- I'd probably give one a go.
  At this rate, I'd rather use Windows phone... just kidding.
25. Re:Quick poll by LordLimecat · 2015-09-17 06:36 · Score: 1
  
  a LITTLE more freedom in what actually makes it into google play
  Plus the ability to install arbitrary APKs, plus the ability to install third party curated app stores.
  Sort of a big difference.
26. Re: Quick poll by Munchr · 2015-09-17 06:37 · Score: 1
  
  Name one. I've searched CyanogenMod's supported devices page, and the earliest CM12 compatible device is from early 2012. Everything else is CM11 or earlier. MIUI v7 is similarly limited to devices from early 2012, AOKP hasn't yet released a stable Lollipop build for any device, and Paranoid only goes as far back as late 2012 / early 2013.
  Near as I can tell, no Lollipop Rom supports anything from before 2012, mostly because the device manufacturers are still using proprietary blobs that require specific versions of the linux kernel to compile against, limiting how much support can actually be provided by newer versions of Android. There's also the fact of CPU/GPU/RAM limitations to take into account on older devices, and whether the experience of a Lollipop build for an older device becomes so terrible that it causes harm to the brand as a whole. Apple ran into that during their previous OS update to iOS 8, with the oldest compatible devices becoming noticeably slower after the upgrade.
27. Re:Quick poll by tlhIngan · 2015-09-17 06:44 · Score: 1
  
  Actually I bet they do let a similar app from Google in the store, should Google ever put one out, simply for the reason that it would be less of a PR headache and would save them from potential litigation.
  Granted, the nature of such an app would probably mean that the app really needs to come from Samsung or HTC or LG or something and they might tell those guys to fuck right off but if Google does it they might allow it
  Well, according to the Switch to Android instructions, while it's not one app, Google recommends you switching to the cloud to do it. As in you install the full suite of Google applications to help migrate your contacts, photos and email to Google's cloud services, at which point your Android device will pick it all up automatically.
  So it's not quite one app, and it will be very inconvenient to use on iOS because of the way the OS protects users privacy. E.g., when the app migrates contacts, the user will be asked if the app can access their contacts. When the app migrates photos, they get prompted for location services (because photos can be a proxy for GPS location - take a photo, then try to access it to get GPS. iOS still treats it as the app is trying to get location information without trying to use the GPS). Email and messages, I'm not entirely sure if iOS even lets apps access that stuff...
  Then again, given the general poor quality of Google's apps, I'm sure Apple will love to approve it and have Google deal with the users who have the app crash, or failed to transfer their contacts and stuff.
  Heck, given the number of obvious crashing issues in Google's apps, one almost thinks Apple just gives Google a green light and doesn't even bother reviewing them.
28. Re: Quick poll by macs4all · 2015-09-17 06:53 · Score: 0
  
  I see an iPhone 4S but that's the 2011 era phone we just discussed.
  You are correct. I was posting from work, and didn't go back to research exactly when the iPhone 4s was released.
  
  However, for whatever reason, the iPhone 4 did not make the grade; but that reason was NOT "planned obsolescence", and in any event, is WAY better than Android's update track record. From that fact, there is absolutely no escape.
  
  Not trying to move the goalposts; just trying to get back to the actual POINT of the original poster's challenge, rather than playing temporal "gotcha".
29. Re: Quick poll by khellendros1984 · 2015-09-17 07:12 · Score: 1
  
  To be doubly fair, iPhones can be jailbroken too.
  At least a few of the Android vendors that don't bother to support their products either provide unlocking+rooting instructions, or even an app to allow the user to do that on their own. Apple actively combats jailbreaking, so I wouldn't consider the two situations comparable.
  
  --
  It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
30. Re:Quick poll by balbus000 · 2015-09-17 07:25 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, it's not that bad.
  Google Photos app on the iPhone for pictures, and iTunes to transfer contacts and music will be enough for most people.
  This was even available many years ago when I moved from the iPhone 3G to the Nexus S.
31. Re:Quick poll by macs4all · 2015-09-17 07:30 · Score: 1
  
  So this effectively makes Apple terrorists. Using the freedom enjoyed by an organization of people against them for political gain.
  What in THE FUCK have you been smoking?!?
32. Re:Quick poll by macs4all · 2015-09-17 07:33 · Score: 1
  
  There is already one for BlackBerry -- Device Switch. It's been there for over a year. Great app. Works like a charm. I'm sure that's where Apple got the idea.
  Apple has had "Migration Assistant" for years and years for OS X; long before Hackberry even existed. Works spectacularly. And at some point (can't remember when, but it was awhile ago) they added Windows migration support to Migration Assistant. Have never tried it.
33. Re:Quick poll by macs4all · 2015-09-17 07:35 · Score: 1
  
  Rate the chances of a reverse app to assist migrating from iPhone to Android making it into the Apple store?
  I'll go with never.
  Worth trying. If it got blocked you'd have a nice anti-trust suit against Apple.
  Really? Have you ever tried to migrate someone's email and contacts off of AOHell? Yes, there are third-party apps that purport to do it; but AFAIK, AOL themselves has never made it easy.
34. Re:Quick poll by macs4all · 2015-09-17 07:38 · Score: 1
  
  It won't make it to the App Store, but you can put one on yourself now if you like since you can now side load apps onto iOS9 as long as you build them from source without paying the $99 developer fee.
  Really? That's pretty cool! Does that work sort of like the way the Developer app-distribution does/did? Or what?
35. Re:Quick poll by jo_ham · 2015-09-17 10:24 · Score: 1
  
  It won't make it to the App Store, but you can put one on yourself now if you like since you can now side load apps onto iOS9 as long as you build them from source without paying the $99 developer fee.
  Really? That's pretty cool! Does that work sort of like the way the Developer app-distribution does/did? Or what?
  I'm not 100% on the details yet - it seems to have been mentioned on AnandTech during the iOS9 roundup and reviews - I'm sure someone will provide more official details soon. There was no fanfare from Apple about it, so it might ultimately turn out to be an error with Xcode. I am hoping not.
  Xcode has always been free, of course, and this new development (if accurate and not misquoted) is clearly designed to encourage app development, and even if true will be limited to those with a Mac or the ability to run Xcode in a VM.
36. Re: Quick poll by angel'o'sphere · 2015-09-17 11:13 · Score: 1
  
  The problem with iOS is no the upgrading.
  It is the downgrading to an older OS version. It is not impossible but painful complicated.
  
  --
  Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
37. Re:Quick poll by angel'o'sphere · 2015-09-17 11:18 · Score: 1
  
  Perhaps you should google what a "trust" is.
  A single company can not form a trust or be anti-trust.
  
  --
  Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
38. Re: Quick poll by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 13:00 · Score: 0
  
  I notice you didn't say "for far longer than Apple supports their devices"...
  The new iOS 9 update is available for all iPhones going back to the iPhone 4S, all iPad's back to iPad 2, and the iPod Touch 5 and 6. This is a level of post-sale software support that eclipses anything available in the Android eco-system, to include Nexus devices that are supported by Google themselves...
39. Re:Quick poll by sociocapitalist · 2015-09-17 20:15 · Score: 1
  
  Perhaps you should google what a "trust" is.
  A single company can not form a trust or be anti-trust.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/....
  http://www.rt.com/news/249733-...
  
  --
  blindly antisocialist = antisocial
40. Re:Quick poll by advocate_one · 2015-09-17 21:08 · Score: 1
  
  hey at least the Apple app store has an adblocker in it unlike Google's which kicks out anything that blocks apps
  
  --
  Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
41. Re:Quick poll by tehcyder · 2015-09-18 00:06 · Score: 1
  
  the ability to install arbitrary APKs
  For a second I forgot this was an Android story, and shuddered.
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
42. Re: Quick poll by Plumpaquatsch · 2015-09-18 00:37 · Score: 1
  
  Many Android devices have alternate OSes (Cyanogenmod, etc) that support the device for far longer than the OEM did.
  That's another example of the freedom you get with the Android platform instead of iOS.
  Android, Fuck yeah!
  "Many" meaning about 500 across all ROMs, including the sort-of and the formerly supported ones (Yes, even Cyanogen drops support for older phones). Problem is, OpenSignal found 24,093 distinct Android devices in their recent survey, up from 18,796 last year.
  So the chances that a random Android phone can be upgraded with any of those alternates is still lower than 1 in 10. Way lower.
  
  --
  Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
Reviews by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 00:27 · Score: 4, Insightful

I pre-ordered an iPhone 6S and I'm moving over from years of being on Android phones. I'm very interested in this app. I took a look at the review on the Play Store (which are mostly one-star reviews), and they all seem to be from Android fan boys about how switching to an iPhone will be the worst decision one can make. Other reviews seem to criticize the apps design scheme.
These are phones, people. It's not a religion. These things aren't your children.
1. Re:Reviews by nicholasjay · 2015-09-17 00:29 · Score: 1
  
  I pre-ordered an iPhone 6S and I'm moving over from years of being on Android phones. I'm very interested in this app. I took a look at the review on the Play Store (which are mostly one-star reviews), and they all seem to be from Android fan boys about how switching to an iPhone will be the worst decision one can make. Other reviews seem to criticize the apps design scheme.
  These are phones, people. It's not a religion. These things aren't your children.
  Damn it. For some reason Firefox had logged me out so I ended up posting this as an Anonymous Coward.
2. Re:Reviews by thaylin · 2015-09-17 00:31 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  So the captcha requirement did not tell you that you were commenting as AC? Something tells me you are a perfect fit for IOS /snicker
  
  --
  When you cant win, ad hominem.
3. Re:Reviews by nicholasjay · 2015-09-17 00:38 · Score: 1
  
  So the captcha requirement did not tell you that you were commenting as AC? Something tells me you are a perfect fit for IOS /snicker
  I don't actually post enough on Slashdot to notice the difference. Also, I'm an American. I don't read before I click. Also, your signature line seems very apropos:
  
  When you cant win, ad hominem.
4. Re:Reviews by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 00:42 · Score: 0
  
  These things aren't your children.
  Children spawn up to every nine months, while most phones are on a two-year contract. Owners therefore get attached to their phones a lot more, replacing a child is far easier.
5. Re: Reviews by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 00:45 · Score: 0
  
  Amen, sister
6. Re: Reviews by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 00:45 · Score: 0
  
  There is no captcha function when posting as a.c. with a mobile browser. Surely you've noticed many more ac posts recently because of this.
7. Re:Reviews by thaylin · 2015-09-17 00:50 · Score: 1
  
  I was joking, not seriously making an argument, the /snicker should have given that away.
  
  --
  When you cant win, ad hominem.
8. Re:Reviews by nicholasjay · 2015-09-17 00:52 · Score: 1
  
  I was joking, not seriously making an argument, the /snicker should have given that away.
  I was joking as well (hence the American joke), but your signature was too good to pass up. Beers.
9. Re: Reviews by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 01:05 · Score: 0
  
  Being an ac does not necessarily mean the poster is a human.
  Sure, the odds that we are visited by an alien from the outer space or by a highly developed ai are next to nil, but there's no way to know, so your effort of pun just shows your ignorance.
10. Re:Reviews by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 01:21 · Score: 0
  
  and more fun
11. Re:Reviews by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:19 · Score: 0
  
  Reviews on the Play store are always fucking useless. Google has absolutely no idea how to moderate content.
12. Re:Reviews by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:35 · Score: 0
  
  Please. I've rarely ever seen an iSheep rant and rave on like a Fandroid. Both camps are pathetic but one is certainly more vocal.
  
  In a way it's refreshing to see people who don't care what anyone else uses. Too many people who get their self esteem from what the badge is on their phones and laptops. These people are easy to see for what they are when you ask them; "Yeah, but what are you doing with it?"
13. Re:Reviews by LordLimecat · 2015-09-17 06:40 · Score: 1
  
  Some of the reviews are because Android apps are supposed to at least TRY to conform to the design spec of Android, and Apple crapped all over that.
  One of the big benefits of Android is that Google does not take a heavy-handed approach to filtering what makes it into their store, and Apple is slapping them in the face with an app whose function AND design would both be instantly rejected if the positions were reversed.
  You think Google would be able to get a Material-designed app into the iOS app store-- let alone if it were a migration app?
14. Re:Reviews by LordLimecat · 2015-09-17 06:45 · Score: 1
  
  Please. I've rarely ever seen an iSheep rant and rave on like a Fandroid. Both camps are pathetic but one is certainly more vocal.
  Its the idle condescension that is so irritating. Hearing someone gush about the new Apple pay, you point out that Google had NFC payments before, and you hear about how "Apple always does it second, and better". Point out counter-examples (like iOS keyboards, which took years and are still crippled and awful), and "why would you ever want to do that?"
  I have no beef with folks who can just admit they prefer the aesthetic or have some other preference for Apple. The assertions that its just universally "better"-- and the fact that so many people blindly make them due to Apple marketing material-- is why people have such a reaction to Apple enthusiasm.
  And if I hear another person tell me how Macs are more secure....
15. Re:Reviews by david_thornley · 2015-09-17 09:25 · Score: 1
  
  There's two definitions of secure here. One is whether it can be hacked effectively, and Apple really doesn't do well there. Another is how it works in practice. If I have two casual users, and give one an iMac and one a Windows equivalent, and let them surf the net for six months, who will have more malware?
  
  --
  "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
16. Re:Reviews by tehcyder · 2015-09-18 00:08 · Score: 1
  
  These are phones, people. It's not a religion.
  Burn the heretic!
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Politically correct by codeButcher · 2015-09-17 00:29 · Score: 4, Insightful

"Allegiance" is such a harsh-sounding word. I prefer "inertia-induced lock in".

--
Free, as in your money being freed from the confines of your account.
1. Re:Politically correct by AmiMoJo · 2015-09-17 02:54 · Score: 1
  
  Not just inertia. If you have a load of paid Android apps and want to switch, you need to buy them all again for iOS.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Cloud by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 00:32 · Score: 0

Why would I think it used the cloud? This is the exact same process that my Moto X used to migrate from another Android phone to my new one.
1. Re:Cloud by OzPeter · 2015-09-17 00:53 · Score: 1
  
  Why would I think it used the cloud? This is the exact same process that my Moto X used to migrate from another Android phone to my new one.
  Because for almost everything you do Apple wants you put stuff on their servers*
  And I say that say someone with a MacBook, iMac, iPad and 2 different iPods
  * A few years ago I saw the great quote of "Whenever you see the term 'the cloud', replace it with 'someone else's computer' "
  
  --
  I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
2. Re:Cloud by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:18 · Score: 0
  
  Too right. I've been warning people about "the cloud" for years. I don't trust it. Now, the likelihood of Apple going dark permanently tomorrow and everyone losing access to their data is slim, BUT, the likelihood of Apple getting cracked by malicious ithugs is not so remote. Having worked in the IT security world for many years, I am amazed at the lack of proper processes in making data more secure. Yes, yes, I understand that data is to be shared and also sometimes kept secret, sometimes the very same data. No one has gotten the balance right and they likely will not in the near future.
  I store nothing in "the cloud" save my personal email account with a provider that has proved they are trustworthy (so far). If I was to lose that account today, I'd simply move on to another provider. I pay for email since I like being a customer not a product.
  I really do like Fastmail, ProtonMail, and Tutanota for email. I don't have storage needs, so perhaps my situation is different. I don't have my mobile shunt my photos to the great server in the sky every time I snap away. Methinks we are headed for a backlash sooner or later in regards to online trust and access. It will come, and it will be interesting to see. I'm betting on my not storing anything in "the cloud" is a wise bet. Call me "old fashioned", fuddy-duddy, whatever. I've seen too much in my IT career to convince me otherwise.
3. Re:Cloud by fluffernutter · 2015-09-17 03:49 · Score: 1
  
  The thing that worries me about the cloud is that there is literally nothing preventing cloud providers from deciding that they will charge you every time you want to access a file. Won't happen tomorrow, but next year.. I guess it depends how the profit margin is doing.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
4. Re:Cloud by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 03:59 · Score: 0
  
  You've got it in one.
  Look at what's happening around us. Literally. We "rent" software now. Microsoft and others are moving to subscription models. SaaS, SaaP, AWS, Azure. No one "owns" anything any longer. In effect, your aforementioned worry about being charged for data access is not far fetched. It's coming. Providers know that stringing you along year after year is far more profitable than selling you a license to use a server that you may upgrade once every several years. The backlash is coming sooner or later, hopefully sooner.
  To mitigate this, I use nothing but open source/free software that I control on hardware that I own and service. Yes, it's more of a pain and it can be time consuming, but between my onsite and offsite backups, my data is going to survive because I own it, control it, and I keep it in formats that are open and not subject to the whims of for-profit shysters.
5. Re:Cloud by macs4all · 2015-09-17 08:06 · Score: 1
  
  Why would I think it used the cloud? This is the exact same process that my Moto X used to migrate from another Android phone to my new one.
  Because for almost everything you do Apple wants you put stuff on their servers*
  And I say that say someone with a MacBook, iMac, iPad and 2 different iPods
  * A few years ago I saw the great quote of "Whenever you see the term 'the cloud', replace it with 'someone else's computer' "
  While I agree with your "Cloud" sentiments, I cannot agree with them in regard to Apple's "Migration" Apps, which, AFAIK, have NEVER depended on the Cloud.
  
  For one thing, it would take FOREVER.
  
  For another thing, someone who purportedly has all the Apple gear you claim to possess, would surely know by now that NONE of Apple's "Migration" or "Update" procedures involve CLOUD storage. OS X's "Migration Assistant" uses a direct Firewire or Thunderbolt connection (or WiFi, IIRC). iOS Devices are "Migrated" using iTunes and LOCAL storage.
  
  I will admit that my wireless carrier, ATT, OFFERED to migrate my iPhone "wirelessly"; but I'm not sure if that round-tripped the data through their servers or not, because I ELECTED to use the iTunes method.
  
  So, Apple knows when to use the Cloud, and when to use a peer-peer connection.
6. Re:Cloud by macs4all · 2015-09-17 08:10 · Score: 1
  
  BUT, the likelihood of Apple getting cracked by malicious ithugs is not so remote.
  While I agree that "The Cloud" is generally evil, every single thing going to/fro iCloud is end-end encrypted with AES128 encryption; so NOTHING on Apple's Servers, at least as far as User's Data goes, would be useful to any reasonable amount of hacking efforts.
7. Re:Cloud by fluffernutter · 2015-09-17 12:06 · Score: 1
  
  How brilliant is it that they are setting up to sell our own files back to us.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
suddenoutbreakofcommonsense by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 00:43 · Score: 0

> Rather than uploading data to the cloud, it instead creates private Wi-Fi network between an Android and iOS device and securely transfers it.
suddenoutbreakofcommonsense?
1. Re:suddenoutbreakofcommonsense by macs4all · 2015-09-17 08:15 · Score: 1
  
  > Rather than uploading data to the cloud, it instead creates private Wi-Fi network between an Android and iOS device and securely transfers it. suddenoutbreakofcommonsense?
  No, not sudden.
  
  Apple's "Migration Assistant" in OS X has been happily transferring data between Macs (and PC -> Mac) using either a FIrewire, Thunderbolt or peer-peer WiFi connection for YEARS and YEARS.
  
  Why would they change now?
I tried it out by NotDrWho · 2015-09-17 00:47 · Score: 0

It's similar to Siri, but Siri's voice is replaced by the voice of a hipster douchebag who keeps telling you how uncool it is to not buy Apple products. He also won't STFU about vinyl records and how his handlebar mustache sets him apart for us boring mainstreams.

--
SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
1. Re:I tried it out by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 01:06 · Score: 0
  
  Can the hipster show me to buy milk at this opportunity?
2. Re:I tried it out by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 04:07 · Score: 0
  
  It's similar to Siri, but Siri's voice is replaced by the voice of a hipster douchebag who keeps telling you how uncool it is to not buy Apple products. He also won't STFU about vinyl records and how his handlebar mustache sets him apart for us boring mainstreams.
  I thought Siri's voice was already the epitome of the hipster douchebag.
3. Re:I tried it out by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 05:05 · Score: 0
  
  Milk? No.
  PBR? Yes.
Apple is feeling the pressure by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 00:50 · Score: 0

They are still making loads of money with the iPhone - but their global market share is shrinking relentlessly. This is just proof that they have seen the writing in the wall.
1. Re:Apple is feeling the pressure by macs4all · 2015-09-17 08:30 · Score: 1
  
  They are still making loads of money with the iPhone - but their global market share is shrinking relentlessly. This is just proof that they have seen the writing in the wall.
  ORLY?
  
  Then how do you explain THIS, or THIS?
misses the point entirely. by nimbius · 2015-09-17 01:05 · Score: 3, Interesting

The reason people started moving to Android, and kept using android, wasnt because iPhones migration options were hard. iTunes integration was a breeze and contact synchronization was always done through a quick vcard dump.

Mac became too expensive. it was always too expensive for a majority demographic of americans that earn minimum wage or work paycheck to paycheck, but it really got bad during the financial collapse of 2008. a $600 iphone left a very bitter taste in the mouths of most consumers, but they soon found flavours like kitkat, lollypop, and eclair that were not only just as good as iPhone, but much cheaper. Google maps came with an option to select and search for public transportation routes whereas apple maps just assumed you had a car. Googles ecosystem of phone apps also didnt require special software to sync music, whereas it was assumed iphone owners had bought into the full mac experience and already owned an itunes account. finally, durability. most iPhone users were accustomed to enduring spiderweb screens until their next upgrade, but increasingly more and more android users were finding the phones to be not only more durable, but simpler and cheaper to replace.

now the same corporation that released a ten thousand dollar wristwatch is banking on the return of customers thanks to, a sync app?

--
Good people go to bed earlier.
1. Re:misses the point entirely. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:10 · Score: 0
  
  Who missed the point? Wasn't the OP...
2. Re:misses the point entirely. by Penguinisto · 2015-09-17 02:17 · Score: 1
  
  Depends, really.
  For disposable stuff like phones, I have and recommend the Android route. You don't keep a phone for long enough (on average) to call it an investment, since 2 years is a bit of a stretch for most owners.
  For the relatively durable stuff? It depends.
  For the typical email/Facebook/flash-game user, a typical i3 or i5 laptop for $300-$500 or so is just fine, and will last 2 years on average if treated gingerly.
  Now for me, it's a bit different... I bought a 15" MacBook Pro as my primary laptop in mid-2013 and it's still rolling along just fine at full speed. I drag it around nearly everywhere I go, especially when traveling on business. It's been a smarter investment on my part by paying $2,000 up-front for something light/fast that I intend to keep for 3-4 years, instead of spending $750-$1100 every year on Dell/Samsung/HP laptops that either wear out or break down (or just literally break) every 12-18 months (I demand the speed and tend to abuse the machinery CPU-wise. Most CG artist type hobbyists do.)
  So in most user cases, it likely doesn't make sense. In my case, even if I wanted to run Windows, I'd still use a Mac to do it, if only because the hardware is top-notch and (more importantly) durable.
  
  --
  Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
3. Re:misses the point entirely. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:22 · Score: 0
  
  Mac became too expensive. it was always too expensive for a majority demographic of americans that earn minimum wage or work paycheck to paycheck, but it really got bad during the financial collapse of 2008. a $600 iphone left a very bitter taste in the mouths of most consumers,
  
  Let's be honest here, if you live from paycheck to paycheck, you are not the target market for a $600 phone. Same with any other luxury items.
  It is not to say anyone is at fault, but what's the point of saying a product doesn't fit for customers that are NOT part of the intended target market?
4. Re:misses the point entirely. by Frederic54 · 2015-09-17 02:35 · Score: 1
  
  True, my SO has a $179 Moto G2 and I have a $199 Asus Zenfone2, both bought unlocked, add a cheap 32GB SD card for music/movies and we are in business.
  I'm sure we can keep them easily for 2 or 3 years.
  The G2 runs a clean version of Android, the Zenfone2 has some bloat that can easily be disabled, and ZenUI is surprisingly fast and good.
  No way I will spend $700 on a phone!
  
  --
  "Science will win because it works." - Stephen Hawking
5. Re:misses the point entirely. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:45 · Score: 0
  
  I moved because of vastly superior hardware (AMOLED, no shitty 3GS plastic) and to flee iTunes. Most iUsers are too young to know how nice it is to drag'n'drop your music stack and be able to use it immediately, rather than convert for days, import to iTunes and maybe it'll sync if Jobs' ghost permits.
  
  These days I'm staying Android despite all the computers in my house being Apple because iTunes still blows and there's a silly, artificial limit of computers you can sync an iDevice with. Not to mention, has anybody here tried to drag and drop ebooks to an iPad? It's about a 5-step process to import into iTunes before you can sync. Bloody barbaric shite in this modern age.
  
  In short I run Android because it just works. No dicking around. Happy for those who like iOS but their needs and mine will forever diverge.
6. Re:misses the point entirely. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 03:05 · Score: 0
  
  if they have enough to spend on a car they can't afford, they're damn well going to spend on a phone they can't afford.
  being fiscally conservative is not a hallmark of a large portion of the demographic living paycheck to paycheck.
7. Re:misses the point entirely. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 03:09 · Score: 0
  
  god, itunes, like life, will find a way... to crash. Every time all the time.
  also, their menus are stupid and counter-intuitive and the mandatory sync takes a fortnight.
8. Re:misses the point entirely. by Blaskowicz · 2015-09-17 03:26 · Score: 1
  
  The laptop stuff from MSI, Gigabyte etc. looks (at least looks) good. They are motherboard vendors, and graphics card vendors too so I trust them more than HP/Dell/Packard Bell etc. at making hardware, and it's not littered with stickers.
9. Re:misses the point entirely. by jo_ham · 2015-09-17 04:23 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  That's your opinion on why people switched away, but if you use actual facts - i.e., adoption rates of phones and polls conducted asking people why they bought the phone they did the main reason that people switched away from iOS was that they didn't offer large phones and Android manufacturers did.
  When the 6 and 6+ launched the trend swung back the other way.
  I'm sure there were some converts because of price, but from the adoption numbers it's pretty clear people wanted bigger phones and went to Android to get them only to come back when Apple also offered them.
10. Re:misses the point entirely. by AzureWrathHal · 2015-09-17 04:44 · Score: 1
  
  Personally I find the fact that you lumped Samsung in with HP and dell to be borderline offensive. Of course a MacBook is going to blow a three hundred dollar netbook out of the water, a twelve hundred dollar quality laptop? Not so much. They're made of the same stuff, and assembled by slave labor, let go of the fantasy.
  That said, I'm not the kind of person that views a six hundred dollar smart phone as "disposable", so I'm not really apple's key demographic.
11. Re:misses the point entirely. by danbob999 · 2015-09-17 06:05 · Score: 1
  
  but from the adoption numbers it's pretty clear people wanted bigger phones and went to Android to get them only to come back when Apple also offered them.
  What numbers?
  Android still outsell iPhones by about 5:1 worldwide, and the launch of the larger iPhone didn't change much. In fact, Apple has lost market share since their peak of 2012.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
12. Re:misses the point entirely. by HornWumpus · 2015-09-17 06:11 · Score: 1
  
  What, the morons are the perfect market for $600 phones. You just price it into their monthly.
  Look at all the brand new cars you see in apartment parking lots. There is a reason they are living paycheck to paycheck and it's not because the check is too small. Those people will always spend 10% more than their income.
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
13. Re:misses the point entirely. by Dog-Cow · 2015-09-17 06:15 · Score: 1
  
  You're not Apple's key demographic because they don't actually value idiots. Apple wouldn't release OS updates for 5 year old devices if they viewed (or wanted you to view) those devices as disposable. The last Macbook that I owned was used for 7 years before being given away to someone who needed a better laptop than what they had. It's still in use today.
14. Re:misses the point entirely. by Dog-Cow · 2015-09-17 06:18 · Score: 1
  
  That's OK. Apple doesn't have any use for a person so stupid they can't manage iTunes. They probably don't care much for douches who consider manually managing the music on their phone to be the primary feature of said phone. Apple tends to value people who want to do stuff.
15. Re: misses the point entirely. by AzureWrathHal · 2015-09-17 06:30 · Score: 1
  
  Hey man, I wasn't talking to you. I don't view my phone as disposable, but the person I was talking to apparently does. Read and think before you open up with mindless insults. This isn't 4chan.
  Nice screen name though. Moof.
16. Re:misses the point entirely. by jo_ham · 2015-09-17 07:48 · Score: 1
  
  but from the adoption numbers it's pretty clear people wanted bigger phones and went to Android to get them only to come back when Apple also offered them.
  What numbers?
  Android still outsell iPhones by about 5:1 worldwide, and the launch of the larger iPhone didn't change much. In fact, Apple has lost market share since their peak of 2012.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
  Apple's numbers from polling people who buy iPhones. They have been tracking this for several years and have determined that an increasing number of people buying iPhones are switching from Android.
  The overall numbers of Android phones sold worldwide is irrelevant - only the proportion of iPhone users who were using something other than iOS on their previous phone.
  It's no surprise that Android phones outsell iPhones overall - Android phones cover the whole gamut from premium to basic, while iPhone is only in the premium category.
17. Re:misses the point entirely. by macs4all · 2015-09-17 08:55 · Score: 1
  
  but it really got bad during the financial collapse of 2008.
  Ya know what was really strange to me? During the deep recession of late 2008 to 2010, Apple's stock (and marketshare) SURGED, while the rest of the industry TANKED.
  
  As you mentioned, Apple products are not bargain-basement; but for whatever reason, they weathered the economic storms of the Recession with AMAZING performance!
  
  Frankly, it amazed me, too. But facts is facts, and you didn't check them. So here you go...
18. Re:misses the point entirely. by andymadigan · 2015-09-17 08:58 · Score: 1
  
  Stop using iTunes. If the eBook you want to load is hosted somewhere, download it through Safari. If not, put it on an SMB share and use Remote Files or one of the other umpteen SMB client for iOS and download it that way. "Opening" the eBook will prompt you to import it to your eBook reader (iBooks or otherwise). Same process works for everything (except, I suppose, music not bought from Apple).
  
  Once every few months I try syncing my iPad Mini with iTunes, mostly when I need to back it up. I agree, it's so blindingly difficult to use that it's a pointless exercise.
  
  --
  The right to protest the State is more sacred than the State.
19. Re:misses the point entirely. by macs4all · 2015-09-17 09:01 · Score: 1
  
  The laptop stuff from MSI, Gigabyte etc. looks (at least looks) good. They are motherboard vendors, and graphics card vendors too so I trust them more than HP/Dell/Packard Bell etc. at making hardware, and it's not littered with stickers.
  But there's a HUGE difference between getting some Contract Manufacturer to stuff a PCB and doing the industrial engineering necessary for an entire PRODUCT.
  
  Apple has a PROVEN track-record in the latter, Gigabyte and MSI, er, don't.
20. Re:misses the point entirely. by macs4all · 2015-09-17 09:11 · Score: 1
  
  They're made of the same stuff, and assembled by slave labor, let go of the fantasy.
  That statement says volumes about what you DON'T understand about Industrial Design, Contract Manufacturing, and Process Control.
  
  Apple's got it; ALL the others don't.
  
  There's a LOT more to creating a well engineered, well manufactured product than stuffing some low-quality parts on a Printed Circuit Board and punching out a case from some shit-grade, thin-ass sheet of Aluminum, or can't-wait-to-crack styrene-type Plastic.
  
  A former boss of mine went to work for Fairchild, and consequently, got to see some of the procurement and material-qualifications processes for, among other tech manufacturers, Apple. He came away completely blown-away at the much-tighter-than-average material specifications, quality tolerances, etc. when dealing with Apple, relative to their "peers". He said it was like specifying stuff for the Aerospace industry, rather than a consumer electronics company.
21. Re:misses the point entirely. by Penguinisto · 2015-09-17 09:29 · Score: 1
  
  Of course a MacBook is going to blow a three hundred dollar netbook out of the water, a twelve hundred dollar quality laptop? Not so much.
  The $800 Dell (forgot which line) lasted less than six months before the motherboard fried...
  The $1000 (-ish) HP EliteBook ran waaaaaaaaay too slow in spite of its i7, and ate three separate hard drives (and got RMA'd twice) before I gave up on it. Lasted less than a year.
  The $1100 Samsung RC-512 felt like cheap plastic (the laptop lid actually *flexed* whenever I picked it up), and towards the end of its useful life I was forced to set CPU affinity on certain applications, or else I'd blow the thermals and watch the laptop shut down (usually mid-render). It lasted 13 months.
  I'm sure there are $1200 15" laptops out there that hold up to even moderate punishment, but I saved a metric ton of time and money by not having to find out the hard way, and my 'overpriced' MBP is screaming along just fine at 26 months and counting, with no signs of slowing down or letting up.
  
  --
  Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
22. Re:misses the point entirely. by Penguinisto · 2015-09-17 09:34 · Score: 1
  
  That said, I'm not the kind of person that views a six hundred dollar smart phone as "disposable", so I'm not really apple's key demographic.
  I treat phones as disposable because they are all too easily dropped, stolen, scratched, beaten-up, lost...
  
  --
  Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
23. Re:misses the point entirely. by danbob999 · 2015-09-17 09:44 · Score: 1
  
  Apple's numbers from polling people who buy iPhones
  Yeah, of course we should blindly trust these numbers.
24. Re:misses the point entirely. by jo_ham · 2015-09-17 10:20 · Score: 1
  
  Apple's numbers from polling people who buy iPhones
  Yeah, of course we should blindly trust these numbers.
  Wow, the Apple Hate is strong in this one!
  Who cares if you trust the numbers. Apple clearly trusts the numbers enough to write and publish an app for the Google Play store because it believes it will be worth the effort (whatever small effort it costs them to assign people to develop and test it).
  I'm not sure what your point is here? Apple has said that an increasing number of iPhone buyers are coming from Android (something it mentioned after the 6 and 6+ launch, and which seems to be continuing) and so it decided to release a migration tool.
  I know it's hard not to try and frame this as some sort of Holy Platform War, but there's really nothing more to it than a company that sells a product that has identified that a migration tool is worth the effort to develop.
25. Re:misses the point entirely. by angel'o'sphere · 2015-09-17 11:25 · Score: 1
  
  Google maps "public transport" is - cough - usable since a year or two.
  Neither apple maps nor google maps are in any way great for using public transport.
  You are better of with a paper map.
  Depending on zoom level they only show stations but no routes, or stations vanish if you zoom in deeper.
  Note to Google and Apple: public transport forms a grid like roads, stations only are completely pointless.
  Speaking about Berlin or Paris, e.g.
  
  --
  Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
26. Re:misses the point entirely. by Blaskowicz · 2015-09-17 11:25 · Score: 1
  
  To be more explicit vendors that make graphics card anywhere from 20 watts to 250 watts and more know at least something about cooling.
27. Re:misses the point entirely. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 14:28 · Score: 0
  
  Apple's numbers from polling people who buy iPhones. They have been tracking this for several years and have determined that an increasing number of people buying iPhones are switching from Android.
  The overall numbers of Android phones sold worldwide is irrelevant - only the proportion of iPhone users who were using something other than iOS on their previous phone.
  An increasing number of people buying iPhones are switching from Android because Android is so damned ubiquitous now. If the proportion of people buying iPhones instead of any other type of phone is increasing, and the number of people upgrading from previous versions of iPhones isn't significantly smaller than with previous models, then you have something significant to report.
  Saying that an increasing number of people buying iPhones are switching from Android just implies that the Android share of the market has gotten pretty damned big.
28. Re:misses the point entirely. by jo_ham · 2015-09-17 15:07 · Score: 1
  
  Apple's numbers from polling people who buy iPhones. They have been tracking this for several years and have determined that an increasing number of people buying iPhones are switching from Android.
  The overall numbers of Android phones sold worldwide is irrelevant - only the proportion of iPhone users who were using something other than iOS on their previous phone.
  An increasing number of people buying iPhones are switching from Android because Android is so damned ubiquitous now. If the proportion of people buying iPhones instead of any other type of phone is increasing, and the number of people upgrading from previous versions of iPhones isn't significantly smaller than with previous models, then you have something significant to report.
  Saying that an increasing number of people buying iPhones are switching from Android just implies that the Android share of the market has gotten pretty damned big.
  But the size of the Android market itself is not the important metric - everyone knows it is large. The issue is whether Apple thinks it is worth making a migration app - the only thing that will tell them if this is worthwhile is the figure for "what was your previous phone before this iPhone?" survey answer, which Apple knows.
  The reason for that figure is immaterial - either way, Apple sells lots of iPhones and the total is seeming to rise regularly - and it wants to make the experience of owning one good for all of its customers.
29. Re:misses the point entirely. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 19:45 · Score: 0
  
  Oh I see, so on one hand we have unsubstantiated rumours about some unspecific data that Apple supposedly collects claimed by someone on Slashdot who has a history of being a rampant Apple fanboy that will happily lie for the cause, and on the other we have actual statistics showing Apple's market share is still stubbornly sat at about 14% and not growing and Android's still sat happily at about 80%.
  I'm having a hard time trying to figure out which to trust here, it's a real tough one.
30. Re: misses the point entirely. by AzureWrathHal · 2015-09-17 21:25 · Score: 1
  
  That is the idea behind buying a brand, paying a significant extra mark up for the peace of mind of getting a quality product. At least that's how it is supposed to work.
  My experience with macs has been the opposite, but I'm not going to go into detail because anecdotal evidence means less than nothing on the internet. That and a laptop would be my last resort for rendering of any kind, so we are not going to have common ground.
  They do tend to have less quality control issues, and I'm sure they aren't the only tech company with human rights issues, but at the end of the day they're just computers. I don't get the rabid anger.
31. Re:misses the point entirely. by danbob999 · 2015-09-18 00:55 · Score: 1
  
  There is probably more people switching from iPhone to Android. Why? Because more smartphones are being sold than ever.
32. Re:misses the point entirely. by jo_ham · 2015-09-18 04:18 · Score: 1
  
  Oh I see, so on one hand we have unsubstantiated rumours about some unspecific data that Apple supposedly collects claimed by someone on Slashdot who has a history of being a rampant Apple fanboy that will happily lie for the cause, and on the other we have actual statistics showing Apple's market share is still stubbornly sat at about 14% and not growing and Android's still sat happily at about 80%.
  I'm having a hard time trying to figure out which to trust here, it's a real tough one.
  Well, since you forgot to log in I can see why you'd have trouble understanding that the metric by which to judge whether to release a migration app is the number of people who have migrated to your platform from another platform, which is data you can easily collect (and has been shown during WWDC keynotes on slides), rather than the raw marketshare numbers for that rival platform, regardless of what you believe the status of the Holy Platform War to be.
  Keep up, kid! It's not difficult, at least for those of average intelligence.
33. Re:misses the point entirely. by jo_ham · 2015-09-18 04:22 · Score: 1
  
  There is probably more people switching from iPhone to Android. Why? Because more smartphones are being sold than ever.
  So?
  How does that affect the metric of "number of new iPhone users who used a non-iPhone"?
  Apple has collected this data. It has talked about this data. It has shown this data during keynotes. They obviously believe that there are enough Android>iOS switchers out there to make the release of a migration app worthwhile (or at the very least, officially support the one that has been on the Play store for some time - it is effectively a licenced version with official Apple artwork and support).
  It doesn't matter how many total android phones there are relative to iPhones. It doesn't matter how many people are switching away from iPhone. The piece of data that is necessary to evaluate whether a migration app is worth it is how many people are migrating to your platform.
34. Re:misses the point entirely. by danbob999 · 2015-09-18 04:43 · Score: 1
  
  I never talked about people who switch from Android to iPhone, or questioned the value of that application. You did.
  I questioned your claim, which is that "people wanted bigger phones and went to Android to get them only to come back when Apple also offered them". If your claim were true, Apple would have gained market share at the expense of Android since the release of the iPhone 6 and 6+. It didn't happen. More people chose Android over Apple than ever, despite the larger iPhones.
35. Re:misses the point entirely. by jo_ham · 2015-09-18 19:41 · Score: 1
  
  I never talked about people who switch from Android to iPhone, or questioned the value of that application. You did.
  I questioned your claim, which is that "people wanted bigger phones and went to Android to get them only to come back when Apple also offered them". If your claim were true, Apple would have gained market share at the expense of Android since the release of the iPhone 6 and 6+. It didn't happen. More people chose Android over Apple than ever, despite the larger iPhones.
  No, this is where the marketshare numbers fall down.
  It is possible for Apple's marketshare to fall while still gaining switchers from Android *and* for Android's marketshare to rise because it's not a zero sum system. The total numbers of smartphones are still rising, with android taking the lion's share of them since they have the whole market segment to aim at and not just the premium end.
  People switching back to iPhone will not necessarily increase Apple's share relative to Android if even more people buy an Android phone who didn't have a smartphone before - the figures for total phones sold year on year bear this out.
  And yes, your exact quote was "Yeah, of course we should blindly trust these numbers." - numbers that specifically tell Apple (collected by themselves and other polling services) about what *they* should do.
  The question purely becomes "do you trust that Apple's choice to release a migration app is a genuine use of funds and effort, or is it part of some grand conspiracy designed to make it look like people are buying iPhones" ?
36. Re:misses the point entirely. by danbob999 · 2015-09-20 15:54 · Score: 1
  
  The question purely becomes "do you trust that Apple's choice to release a migration app is a genuine use of funds and effort, or is it part of some grand conspiracy designed to make it look like people are buying iPhones" ?
  No, the question never was that. That's a straw man you are making here.
  Again, I never questioned the value for Apple to make that application.
  
  People switching back to iPhone will not necessarily increase Apple's share relative to Android if even more people buy an Android phone who didn't have a smartphone before - the figures for total phones sold year on year bear this out.
  Then your whole point becomes moot. There are more smartphone buyers than last years. Of course. The number of switchers to and from both platforms probably increased in absolute numbers.
  But of course that wasn't your point that I first questioned. Your point was that people moved from iOS to get large phones, and that the trend reversed when they released larger phones. You still haven't backed that claim with numbers, other than saying that Apple says so. Of course Apple will always say that people are switching to them. If they found out that most people didn't like their product and switched to Android, do you think they would brag about it?
37. Re:misses the point entirely. by jo_ham · 2015-09-21 10:34 · Score: 1
  
  It's not a straw man, it's the crux of the argument. My original argument centred on that.
  You then asked what numbers were used to justify that and I pointed out it was metrics conduced by Apple on its customers and you then sarcastically dismissed them out of hand as untrustworthy - in other words, Apple is so untrustworthy that it can't trust its own data when making a decision about releasing an app on Android targeted at platform switchers.
  I'm not sure what point you're trying to argue here? That Apple is bad? I understand that it's not enough that you just enjoy the platform that you have decided works for you but that you must bash opposing platforms as much as possible, but your arguments are not staying coherent.
38. Re:misses the point entirely. by danbob999 · 2015-09-21 14:57 · Score: 1
  
  It's not a straw man, it's the crux of the argument
  You are argumenting against something I never said, as if I said that Apple shouldn't release that app.
  Therefore it's a straw man you are fighting. Congratulations, you win.
  
  Apple is so untrustworthy that it can't trust its own data
  Apple can trust what they want. We can't trust Apple on their numbers. That's what I said. You said that it is a fact that people are switching back to iOS since they released larger phones. You still haven't backed-up that claim.
  
  I'm not sure what point you're trying to argue here?
  If you actually read my very first post in this discussion you would know the answer: that there is no fact about people switching back to iOS because of larger screens. You might have that opinion, but that's it. You can't back it.
Money in my bank account? by CastrTroy · 2015-09-17 01:07 · Score: 2

Does it deposit $400 in my back account? Because that's about the price difference between the lowest priced current iPhone and what I spent on my last 2 phones, which were previously Android, and currently Windows. I don't particularly like iOS, and probably wouldn't choose it anyway, but the high price of the devices is what really keeps me away from even considering it. Especially considering that my last 2 phones have been very sufficient in their specifications, and I really don't think I'd have a better experience with my phone if it was 3mm thinner, or had a slightly faster processor.
The other thing I like about Android and Windows is that with the phones I choose, I can use an SD card to expand the storage. This is something that's important to me because even a small amount of media (videos, photos, music) can quickly fill up the 16GB iPhone. For $15 I can get a 32 GB MicroSD, and be able to bring way more stuff with me than I could on an iPhone, for a fraction of the price it would cost to upgrade to an iPhone with a reasonable amount of storage.

--

Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
1. Re:Money in my bank account? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 01:54 · Score: 0
  
  That's why I dropped my iPhone and went with a Windows phone; the Lumia 640 XL. I wanted the big 6 model, but the cost with decent storage was crazy. I ended looking for a phone with SD card support, big-ish and removable battery (that's the thing that pissed me off with my iPhone 5). When the MS store was giving the phones basically away, that swung the pendulum to the Lumia.
  At the end of the day the phone does what I want: makes calls, does email and text, takes some pics, play my music (although it's crap compared to iOS or Android in that regards) and play a couple of games (the selection is terrible though). It will do for a while though.
2. Re:Money in my bank account? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:40 · Score: 0
  
  So you're admitting that you got it below cost ("When the MS store was giving the phones basically away") and that you don't really know what you're doing with a device that has a battery but you think you're making a point?
  
  Slashdot just keeps sinking to new levels of low.
3. Re:Money in my bank account? by Dixie_Flatline · 2015-09-17 04:00 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  The phone is expensive, no question, but my last iPhone lasted me 4 years and I expect this new one to do the same. I get support during those 4 years and I don't have to wait for updates. The resale value is really good, too. The cost of an iPhone is a lot less if you consider how much you can sell a phone that's still in good shape.
  But these are all trade-offs, and I won't pretend they're not. I get a lot of things that are important to me by buying an iPhone, but I trade off being able to buy a new, cutting edge phone every year because it costs way too much. If I want to sell it, I can, but I have to go through the ordeal of selling it.
  I *do* regret buying a 16GB phone (I thought I would be okay because 16GB was always plenty on my iPhone 4, even with a healthy music playlist), but streaming music and some smart cloud offloading definitely make this phone liveable, even with games and apps and podcasts. If there's one complaint I have--and that the Apple community and pundits have--it's that stupid 16GB tier.
4. Re:Money in my bank account? by CastrTroy · 2015-09-17 05:36 · Score: 1
  
  Updates are the reason that I went with Windows this round over Android. My last Android phone never saw a single update, and was stuck on 2.3 for the 3 years I owned it, even though it was released 6 months before Android 4 came out. Windows Phone seems to be much more likely to get updates than most Android phones. I've already received 1 update on my current phone that I've had for 5 months, so it's already a better track record than my last Android phone. As long as it gets Windows 10 (which it seems it will from what I'm hearing) it will have met my expectations for updates.
  I don't mind the fact that Apple sells a 16 GB iPhone. My current Windows Phone is 8 GB. What I do mind is that there's a 16 GB phone without expandable storage. 16 GB would be fine if you could offload the music, movies, and pictures to an SD card. Even if that was all the SD card functioned for on an iPhone, it would be a lot better than the current situation. But the 16 GB of storage for everything that you want on your phone is a huge limitation.
  
  --
  
  Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
5. Re:Money in my bank account? by thegarbz · 2015-09-17 05:51 · Score: 1
  
  The phone is expensive, no question, but my last iPhone lasted me 4 years
  
  That's cute. I had the same phone all the way through highschool and 3/4 of the way through my uni life. And I changed degrees halfway through.
6. Re:Money in my bank account? by Dog-Cow · 2015-09-17 06:21 · Score: 1
  
  I bet that phone made phone calls and maybe supported SMS. People upgrade smartphones for the same reason as conventional computers -- they want to do more with them.
7. Re: Money in my bank account? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:36 · Score: 0
  
  Well, little cocksucking apple fanboi, some of just like, *use* the phone instead of making a fashion statement.
  In the meantime people like are blowing fat dudes in the alley or getting fucked in the ass (literally) to get rent money because you spent it all on an overpriced gadget that you will replace in a year's time.
  Basically you are an exploited tool and I'm savvy consumer who bucks trends and makes sensible choices.
  I feel bad for you being stupid and easily led. Hard life ahead of you. Ask them to wear a condom at least when they ream you.
8. Re:Money in my bank account? by macs4all · 2015-09-17 09:22 · Score: 1
  
  The other thing I like about Android and Windows is that with the phones I choose, I can use an SD card to expand the storage. This is something that's important to me because even a small amount of media (videos, photos, music) can quickly fill up the 16GB iPhone. For $15 I can get a 32 GB MicroSD, and be able to bring way more stuff with me than I could on an iPhone, for a fraction of the price it would cost to upgrade to an iPhone with a reasonable amount of storage.
  So what? You're going to carry a wallet-full of SD cards around, just waiting to lose, break or corrupt one (whoops! I guess I shoulda backed that up...)???
  
  SD Storage-expansion SOUNDS like a good idea; but in practice, it really doesn't fit well with the idea of "my phone goes with me everywhere".
  
  And with a 128 GB iPhone being available, do you REALLY need more than that WITH YOU at one time? If so, make it available via a home server over VPN. Honest, that's a MUCH more REASONABLE solution than carrying around a pocket-full of plastic potato chips with precious data on them.
9. Re:Money in my bank account? by macs4all · 2015-09-17 09:25 · Score: 1
  
  At the end of the day the phone does what I want: makes calls, does email and text, takes some pics, play my music (although it's crap compared to iOS or Android in that regards) and play a couple of games (the selection is terrible though). It will do for a while though.
  Yeah buddy! Sounds like QUITE the upgrade over your iPhone (rolls eyes)...
  
  What a ringing endorsement of Windows Phone (pun intended).
10. Re:Money in my bank account? by Zontar+The+Mindless · 2015-09-17 10:06 · Score: 1
  
  You have a profound misunderstanding of the use case. And you grow increasingly annoying.
  
  --
  Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
11. Re: Money in my bank account? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 11:04 · Score: 0
  
  Or, you could just get a job that pays over minimum wage and then you can have nice things, too.
12. Re:Money in my bank account? by angel'o'sphere · 2015-09-17 11:41 · Score: 1
  
  I rather have a keyring full with SD cards to put into my iOS device than a server in a VPN.
  First of all: without iTunes you barely can not "install" / download anything onto you iPhone, so a VPN is pointless.
  Secondly, I don't have the hardware nor time, nor knowledge to install me a VPN at home.
  Thirdly: I live in Europe. And I'm not a german but a european, in other words, I spent perhaps 50%, perhaps even only 30% of my time in germany.
  So: cellular connections are so expensive I never use them. The idea that I have to connect to a server (even if it is my own) to grab a few photos, when I simply can put in an SD is simply brain dead stupid. Hint: I grew up with floppy disks.
  
  --
  Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
13. Re:Money in my bank account? by thegarbz · 2015-09-17 21:07 · Score: 1
  
  I'm still trying to figure out what "more" my company issued Galaxy S5 does that my original Galaxy S didn't. No really. Maybe it plays better 3D games, but I have a computer for that.
  People upgrade phones because people masturbate over features, style, and specifications. Very few people are doing anything "more" now.
14. Re:Money in my bank account? by CastrTroy · 2015-09-18 01:08 · Score: 1
  
  The great thing about SD card expansion isn't that I can swap out cards, but rather than I can choose the amount of storage I have available on my phone without paying ridiculous amounts of money for it.
  That's the problem with the iPhone. I would have to spend $200 more, totaling $850 to get the 128 GB version. Instead, I could buy an Android or Windows phone with SDXC support for $300, and spend $60 for a 128 GB Micro SD Card. $360 total for the Android or Windows setup, or $850 for the iPhone. That's a $490 difference.
  Apple tells you that their internal memory is faster than SD cards, and it may just be, but most people don't need extremely fast speeds when they're just playing movies or music off of it anyway. SD Cards are even fast enough to record 1080p video. So it's not like most people have a use case for faster storage on their phone.
  
  --
  
  Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
15. Re:Money in my bank account? by Dixie_Flatline · 2015-09-18 02:35 · Score: 1
  
  My phone is also my in-car GPS, my primary camera, my facebook/twitter/tumblr/rss machine, the device I do my home budgets on and the device I'm most likely to turn to for entertainment, since I don't really have enough time to sit at a computer to play games.
  Most of that was possible on my iPhone 4, but my iPhone 6 does all of it a lot better.
  And when I say my iPhone 4 'lasted' 4 years, what I mean is that I gave it to my Mom after 4 years. It's still in use, and because what she needs is just a phone and SMS and a few small apps, it still works fine. I think the iPhone 4 will be remembered as Apple's most iconic phone, honestly. It was great in so many ways.
16. Re:Money in my bank account? by thegarbz · 2015-09-18 07:34 · Score: 1
  
  Most of that was possible on my iPhone 4, but my iPhone 6 does all of it a lot better.
  How?
  No it's a legitimate question. Opening an app slightly faster is a very VERY liberal use of the word better. The original Galaxy S did just as good a job at navigating as my new one does some 6 years later. The camera is marginally better but for quick snaps no different. But I'm not one of those crazy paid for blog hit seeking studio photographers who did a model shoot on an iPhone either, and quite frankly every new Facebook "feature" such as auto playing videos that I've come across over the past 6 years I've disabled.
  I think you're too liberal with your use of the term "more". The only thing "more" we're doing with our current phones is spreading the same content across "more" pixels and consuming an ever increasing amount of battery and CPU power to do so.
17. Re:Money in my bank account? by Dixie_Flatline · 2015-09-30 03:34 · Score: 1
  
  Given that I said it's also a gaming device for me, that's one way where 'more' is roughly equivalent to 'better'. And actually, per clock, we're using less power. The new Apple processors are a lot more efficient than the old ones.
  The camera in this phone isn't just 'marginally' better, it's a lot better. Better optics, faster focusing.
  Browsing the web is faster, which is meaningful because of how bloated and bad the web has gotten.
  I can use TouchID, which doesn't sound like a big advance, but it really saves me a lot of time and gives me a measurable amount of additional security. I've upgraded from a 4 or 6 digit passcode to something that's more than 15 characters long, and I don't have to type it in every single time I want to do something on the phone. My thumbprint is theoretically something someone could duplicate, but when you look at the people that have 'hacked' the phone that way, it's incredibly time and resource intensive. If someone wants my phone that bad, there's nothing I could've done to stop them anyway. They certainly would've cracked any passcode I had.
  But basically, arguing against the progress in phones as good or useful or noteworthy is just shouting at clouds. The phones are better the way our PCs are better. Does that mean we should upgrade every year? Or even every two? Probably not--this world has enough waste as it is. But I do do 'more' on my phone than I ever have before. It's the central piece of technology in my life, and I perform more tasks on it than I used to. I don't use my desktop computer as much because I can lean on my phone more heavily. How is that not 'more'?
An Android version of Safari by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 01:07 · Score: 1

No, there's not an Android version of Safari or anything like that, ...
Holy effin ess, I think the only browser I would dread using more would be a GNU Hurd port of IE6.
le fantom demographique by Pseudonymous+Powers · 2015-09-17 01:08 · Score: 1

The predictably named Move to iOS will appeal to anyone who was persuaded to switch allegiances by the release of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, or indeed iOS 9
I know money can be a powerful motivator, but how many people could that be, really? I feel like everyone has pretty much picked their side at this point. I'm genuinely curious... though that doesn't mean I'm not being snarky.
1. Re:le fantom demographique by Camembert · 2015-09-17 01:52 · Score: 1
  
  well over here in Asia the last 2 years saw a big flow back. People like their iphone 4 and iphone 4s, but then they liked the big screens of certain new androids more, with the 6 plus I noticed a good number of people switching back.
2. Re:le fantom demographique by jo_ham · 2015-09-17 04:25 · Score: 1
  
  The predictably named Move to iOS will appeal to anyone who was persuaded to switch allegiances by the release of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, or indeed iOS 9
  I know money can be a powerful motivator, but how many people could that be, really? I feel like everyone has pretty much picked their side at this point. I'm genuinely curious... though that doesn't mean I'm not being snarky.
  More than you think. Apple's own numbers are showing that there are still a lot of people switching, hence the release of the app. It will likely tail off somewhat now that the sizes of the iPhone are set - they had a lot of converts when they released the 6 and 6+ last year.
3. Re:le fantom demographique by macs4all · 2015-09-17 09:30 · Score: 1
  
  well over here in Asia the last 2 years saw a big flow back. People like their iphone 4 and iphone 4s, but then they liked the big screens of certain new androids more, with the 6 plus I noticed a good number of people switching back.
  So, what that means is that, they ended up HATING Android, and would rather go through the PITA to move BACK to iOS than to suffer with Android for one minute more.
  
  Thanks! That's VERY interesting. Especially since people generally will defend their platform choice, even if they don't really "feel" it.
4. Re:le fantom demographique by Camembert · 2015-09-17 18:02 · Score: 1
  
  I know many not so technically inclined people who don't hate either platform. In general they liked the uncluttered iphone 4(s) experience but then large screens were even more attractive. Those that I know who moved back did it not out of hate for Android, simply they liked the elegant usability of the iphone on a big screen. Also, in general friends did like the quality of the iphone photo camera.
  So this is more detail about the people I know; I don't know about others but it is quite obvious in the metro that big 6Plus iphones have snatched back market share from big android phones.
Once you go Android... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 01:11 · Score: 0

You never go back :)
Why would anyone do that? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 01:14 · Score: 1

Moving to iOS from Android.. why would anyone do that? Just no no no no no!
1. Re:Why would anyone do that? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:00 · Score: 0
  
  For many disabilities, iOS is still superior to Android. VoiceOver wipes the floor with Talkback. For example, blind iOS users can use VoiceOver with Siri just fine. Blind Android users can't use Talkback and "Ok Google/Google Now" at the same time.
2. Re:Why would anyone do that? by nicholasjay · 2015-09-17 02:07 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  My last several phones were flagship phones from Samsung and Motorola.
  I don't want to turn this into an 'Android vs Apple' debate, but I'll list my current grievances with Android:
  Updates. Updates suck and are always cause for panic. Sometimes they work well, sometimes they don't. And if they don't, it takes a long time for a fix to come out (if at all). I had this problem with my Galaxy S3. There was an update that killed the battery life. No fix for it ever. The S5 recently (February) had an update to 5.0 and it caused tons of issues. Most people are still dealing with those issues.
  Anywhere in the Google/Manufacturer/Carrier chain updates can be blocked because someone doesn't want to support or test them, or because they just want you to upgrade to a newer phone. The Moto G may skip the carrier portion, I'm not sure.
  Every day I need to cancel the scheduled update to my phone. It pisses me off. I don't want it. But evey morning I need to stop it from happening or I'm going to get it anyway. And if I accidentally hit the wrong button in a waking up fog, I'm screwed.
  I don't like the way Notifications work in the newer Android OSs.
  Google Play Services & other Google apps seem to start eating into my battery life.
  Apple solves a lot of these problems:
  Updates. Apple has gotten these wrong in the past, for sure. But at least they fix them and do it quickly. Tons of people bitch and it makes the news. Things get fixed.
  Updates come right from Apple to the phone. They don't have to go through the carrier at all. Apple's current (and upcoming) iOS work on devices all the way back to the iPhone 4S (which dates back to 2011). That's product support. Hell, Verizon still sells iPhone 5Ss new and CPO iPhone 5s. That's not to say that I'd have an iPhone that long, but knowing it'll be supported is good and help resale value quite a bit.
  I can choose when updates come in. I don't get bugged every day. If I deny an update, it doesn't ask me again and again.
  Notifications/Silence/Vibrate works a lot better than on Android Lollipop. I know it's a feature that they originally stole from Android.
  Decent music/album art/photo syncing with a computer.
  It sucks that the latest crop of Android devices don't have removable batteries anymore. I really liked that feature.
  Things I'd miss on Android phones:
  The blinky light LED on the front. I really like the notification light. I like being able to glance at the phone and see what I've missed.
  The goddamn 'Back' button on the hardware. There's no reason not to have it.
  Removable external storage.
  Install apps from anywhere. I hate Apple's 'walled garden' approach.
3. Re:Why would anyone do that? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:21 · Score: 0
  
  Maybe Android confused them, and they needed a simpler OS.
4. Re:Why would anyone do that? by advocate_one · 2015-09-17 21:13 · Score: 1
  
  Every day I need to cancel the scheduled update to my phone. It pisses me off. I don't want it. But evey morning I need to stop it from happening or I'm going to get it anyway. And if I accidentally hit the wrong button in a waking up fog, I'm screwed.
  what da phuk???scheduled phone update? Nah, just turn the bloody thing off... turn off 'allow automatic downloads' - that's the option in my Sony Xperia and it's unchecked by default...
  
  --
  Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
5. Re:Why would anyone do that? by nicholasjay · 2015-09-18 00:12 · Score: 1
  
  Every day I need to cancel the scheduled update to my phone. It pisses me off. I don't want it. But evey morning I need to stop it from happening or I'm going to get it anyway. And if I accidentally hit the wrong button in a waking up fog, I'm screwed.
  what da phuk???scheduled phone update? Nah, just turn the bloody thing off... turn off 'allow automatic downloads' - that's the option in my Sony Xperia and it's unchecked by default...
  That only works for applications, not for the OS itself.
Love my Android but... by mrops · 2015-09-17 01:41 · Score: 2

I have never owned an iOS device, in fact I stick to Nexus devices with a 3 month S4 stint few years back.
I still don't want to move to iOS, but I am pissed at the android manufacturers.
Why can't they give me better battery life, LG G4 has a 3000mah battery, iPhone 6 has 1810mah, then how the hell does it manage to last longer than the G4.
Fortunately Camera's are starting to compete and exceed, but the battery life still sucks.
Yes, I know the android's do more, the services from different apps keep running, but thats the wrong design IMO. All apps should rely on push from servers which Google should take ownership, how it will work in the most efficient way.
So basically, few years of nexus from one to 5 and a few tablets like 7 and 10, I am at a loss.
Wife has the iPhone, and clearly, I don't like what I see there and the Android guys haven't got their act together where they can give me a price/feature benefit as well as a device "better" in all respects to iPhone, which fortunately ot unfortunately is still the king.
1. Re:Love my Android but... by binarylarry · 2015-09-17 01:51 · Score: 2
  
  I think it's because iOS is much more lightweight than Android, especially pre ART Android which was doing JIT optimization on every app at runtime.
  iOS's design is very Apple at a technical level, less is more. Android uses the "Everything and the kitchen sink" type of design.
  They both have pros and cons as you've noticed.
  
  --
  Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
2. Re:Love my Android but... by Penguinisto · 2015-09-17 02:04 · Score: 1
  
  Dunno - my wife has and loves her iPhone, but I bought a G2 earlier this year...
  I actually prefer my little G2, and it has better battery life than my wife's phone. I have the same 3k mAh battery you do (which is why I bought it); it puts up with a day of very heavy use, and almost always has 33% or so left when I charge it at night, in spite of having Airwatch on the thing ($@#%ing corporate email security requirements...)
  If it helps, I disable/delete the shitware (especially things like Facebook), and am extremely picky about what goes on my phone and what does not.
  
  --
  Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
3. Re:Love my Android but... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:38 · Score: 0
  
  in spite of having Airwatch on the thing ($@#%ing corporate email security requirements...)
  You install employer-provided crapware on your own phone?
4. Re:Love my Android but... by Penguinisto · 2015-09-17 03:58 · Score: 1
  
  It's a cheap phone I bought for the purpose. And yes, it works wonderfully.
  
  --
  Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
5. Re:Love my Android but... by macs4all · 2015-09-17 06:18 · Score: 1
  
  Why can't they give me better battery life, LG G4 has a 3000mah battery, iPhone 6 has 1810mah, then how the hell does it manage to last longer than the G4.
  Two reasons:
  1. Apple is the hands-down master in both battery technology AND power-management techniques. For example, just LOOK at the hoops they jump through on OS X to eke every erg out of their batteries (this article is now two OS-generations old, so the techniques described therein have gotten even better). And for another example, look at the new iPad Pro. It even changes the screen and digitizer refresh rates (separately) for better battery life and improved performance when needed.
  2. They make the WHOLE widget; which REALLY makes a difference when it comes to power-budgeting and power-saving techniques, and synergy between software and hardware. Berate Apple all you like; but you have just demonstrated EXACTLY why that makes a difference...
6. Re:Love my Android but... by macs4all · 2015-09-17 07:16 · Score: 1
  
  it puts up with a day of very heavy use, and almost always has 33% or so left when I charge it at night
  Wow. That's UNimpressive!
  
  Admittedly, I don't know what you classify as "heavy use"; but my (now 1 gen old) iPhone 6 plus usually lasts at LEAST 3 to 4 DAYS before I have to charge it.
Pointless by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 01:55 · Score: 0

People rarely move from Android to iOS. It would be far more useful if they made a utility to ease the move from iOS to Android.
Why not give it a better name? by wardrich86 · 2015-09-17 02:03 · Score: 1

Like "Downgrade To iOS" or "Enjoy our limited appstore"
This app will come in handy... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:09 · Score: 0

... when I want to dumb down my life. Maybe when Alzheimer's sets in.
Shame on you all by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 02:23 · Score: 0

Android, Fuck yeah!
Get realistic. The Android motto is more like "Android, 60% less suck!"
Android sucks horrifically. It just doesn't suck anywhere nearly as horribly as iOS. As of 2015 we are still very forgiving of handheld shittiness for which we would normally have zero tolerance.
Just look at this very thread, where people are bragging about installing an OS update on merely 5 year old hardware, and then also pointing out situations where they can't. And when they can, they talk about it as though someone did them a favor or they're fortunate.
Now look at the wider discussion. It's news worthy that someone has written a program that gives you access to your own files, and can export them on one machine and import them on another.
Imagine people saying these very same things 25 years ago. You would have laughed your ass off. And outside of the scope of handhelds, even today all these discussions would be hilariously pathetic.
Our mobile devices suck. Because they're intended to suck. And we keep buying them, because we suck. There shouldn't be any "fuck yeah"s in this entire embarrassing anachronism of a 1965-IBM-mainframe-hostage Helsinki Syndrome story.
1. Re:Shame on you all by binarylarry · 2015-09-17 02:52 · Score: 1
  
  So you're saying you think Android sucks? How so?
  
  --
  Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
2. Re:Shame on you all by Blaskowicz · 2015-09-17 03:12 · Score: 1
  
  Well 25 years ago you might have run some ultraportable with a variant of MS-DOS in ROM and a five year old home computer that doesn't run an OS at all, with the option of running CP/M.
  Only in the 90s the DOS/Windows computer with hard drive became the almost universal standard so everyone could read the same floppies and you could upgrade or change OS.
iPhone to iPhone app? by Malc · 2015-09-17 02:52 · Score: 1

The only options when one replaces an iPhone with another is to start from scratch or do a complete copy of the old phone. Admittedly the latter is a doddle with iTunes, but I'd actually just like an option to copy messages and call history. The rest I'm happy to start from scratch with, but I haven't found an easy way to do it.
1. Re:iPhone to iPhone app? by viking099 · 2015-09-17 03:45 · Score: 1
  
  There's a company called Macroplant that makes a product called iExplorer, which I'm pretty sure does exactly what you're wanting to do.
  I have no formal affiliation with the company, but I've been using iExplorer for years to back up various stuff from my iDevices.
  It even makes it really easy to copy game save data from one device to another, so if you want to give someone a boost with Angry Birds or some other non-cloud based game, you can copy your game data over.
  IIRC someone even figured out which bits to hack in the original Plants Vs. Zombies to get various things. iExplorer made it super easy to grab the save file so you could tweak it.
Hotel Cupertino by njnnja · 2015-09-17 03:28 · Score: 5, Funny

On the information superhighway, cool wind in my hair,
Warm smell of Doritos, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a touchscreen with light
My laptop's too heavy and my dumb phone sucks
I had to stop for the night
There she stood at the genius bar;
I heard The Joshua Tree
And I was thinking to myself,
"This could be Heaven or this could be Siri"
Then she swiped to unlock it, and she showed me the way
There were hipsters down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

Welcome to the Hotel Cupertino!
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely interface
Plenty of apps at the Hotel Cupertino
Every other year
Have to buy new gear

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of app developers she calls friends
How they code like some monkeys, in a shop filled with sweat.
Some code to remember, some code to forget
So I called up the CEO,
"Please bring me my 'i'"
He said, "We haven't had that spirit here since 2009"
And still those hipsters are calling from far away,
Amber alert in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...

Welcome to the Hotel Cupertino
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely interface
They livin' it up at the Hotel Cupertino
Alibis you bring...
There's just one more thing...
Selfie sticks now with bluetooth,
Instagrams look like ice
And she said "We are all just prisoners here, of the Apple device"
And in the Apple store,
Nobody ever feels fleeced
They trade in all their old device,
But they never pay the least
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the OS I was on before
"Relax, " said the genius,
"It is programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!
1. Re:Hotel Cupertino by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 11:00 · Score: 0
  
  Lame
How I read this: by ledow · 2015-09-17 05:13 · Score: 1

How I read this:
"Company releases tool that utilises its competitor's openness in order to suck in your data into a system that doesn't have that same ease of transfer functionality in return."
It sounds very much like a one-way-street to me. But I don't use Apple, except in my job, so I may be unaware of some great export tool that makes it really easy to bring all your contacts etc. out of an Apple device to put it in standardised formats for you that need anything but the device you're using to export from and some storage device?
The nearest I can see on a quick Google is to iCloud them, then from a computer with iCloud Contacts (which might require Outlook or Mac software?) to manually export a vCard which you can then import somewhere else on your own. The other FAQ's I've stumbled across for this imply things like syncing to a computer and/or installing third-party apps.
Tell me... do you want to migrate to a system that's REALLY easy to migrate into from others, but doesn't offer that in return?
1. Re:How I read this: by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 09:02 · Score: 0
  
  Tell me... do you want to migrate to a system that's REALLY easy to migrate into from others, but doesn't offer that in return?
  No personally. Unfortunately the general public (at least my friends that don't work in the tech fields) doesn't care or are oblivious to this concern. All they care is 1) how beautiful and clean the iPhone looks. 2) how stupidly easy to pick out an iPhone vs. an android phone out of so many vendors.
  Even my wife laughs at me when my Nexus 5 hangs, citing how her iPhone 5 never has the same issue. She was willing to pay almost double the price for the added stability (plus and other stuff I mentioned previously).
Thanks Apple! by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 10:58 · Score: 0

It will come in handy very soon for me when my 6S plus arrives!
LED notification by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 12:17 · Score: 0

THere's a workaround through its accessibility features - it uses the camera's flash to blink whenever there's a message.
But I agree with you about the 3-layered barrier to get updates. I had the original Galaxy S and held onto it for as long as I could, even soldering the stupid GPS connection so it would work. Jump straight to iPhone and it's been a dream on how much time I saved not having to deal with android updates or mods. I'm still a PC user, but now I understand when Apple folks say when you buy an Apple product, it "just works."
What useless reviews by 91degrees · 2015-09-17 20:06 · Score: 1

Fun fact 1 - some people do want to switch to iPhone. No idea why. Maybe they think the iPhone is cooler. Maybe there's something specific about it that isn't available on Android. Whatever the case, they are entitled to their decision.

Fun fact 2 - people who want to switch want to transfer their email, photos and other data. This app helps. Or maybe it doesn't. It's impossible to know because of the idiots giving one-star reviews.

All the one-star reviews are from angry android fans who have no desire to transfer so aren't going to find it remotely useful. No kidding! How about letting other people make that choice though? Do these same people trawl through Google play looking for other apps that they have no use for? "Fishing app - I hate fishing. 1 star. French dictionary? I'm learning German - 1 star!"

So all the idiots supporting "choice" - you're actually reducing it!
Would an Android user ever want to switch to iOS?? by IZIKart · 2015-09-18 13:53 · Score: 1

I don't think an Android user would ever want to migrate to iOS... as we have more applications available to use on Android in comparison to the iOS... i am using Android since last 5 years and wish to stick to it for next 15 years atleast... while i tried using Windows Phone which is a failure to me.. it has nothing to offer when you are offline.... Apple on the other hand is still focusing on size while others have got several other things to offer.... I just read that about 19% comments are coming in favour of Move to iOS app while Android users are giving it 1 Star rating...Apple should understand now that it has no place in the pocket if an android user.... First ever app from Apple for Android was to make it easy for we people to switch to iOS but Apple forgot who the hell here wants to switch to iPhone when we have something better.....