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I switched from iPhone to the Pixel 2: One-week report

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Re: I switched from iPhone to the Pixel 2: One-week report

#371

Post by ksk »

ubernostrum wrote: post #225
boudin wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see how Apple is better with privacy. I get it's a big part of their marketing, but it's.... marketing. Phone still comes with siri, with apps you can't remove, with location tracking. Apple cloud is, as all clouds, you giving away your data to Apple, so you end up having to trust them blindly. I know it's not part of their business model so far, but they still collect and own a lot of your data. As long as a…

Apple is "better with privacy" because Apple's model is to have you pay for things with your money instead of with your personal data. If you really have a difficult time distinguishing any difference between Apple's and Google's business models, I don't know how to even begin explaining to you.

BTW you undercut your own point because neither Apples not Google's phones are free. And Apple's services - Siri, iCloud, Mail, etc are free.

Re: I switched from iPhone to the Pixel 2: One-week report

#372

Post by kitsunesoba »

dalore wrote: post #205
nvarsj wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, as you point out, you pretty much have to use Google apps to make Android worthwhile. And you're basically opting into massive invasion of your personal privacy by doing that, turning your life into an ad-targeted money tree for Google and the other dozen pre-loaded apps on your typical Android phone. I don't think it's worth it one bit. Similarly, a lot of the inconveniences you point out (e.g. LastPa…

And with Apple you use Apple services which no doubt do the same invasion of privacy. And if you don't want to see ads it's pretty easy, buy apps without ads rather than using ad supported apps. > Similarly, a lot of the inconveniences you point out (e.g. LastPass), are also a way of protecting you from rogue apps (e.g. Facebook) from tracking everything you do on your phone. That level of integration means that any…

I have a hard time believing that any invasions of privacy Apple might be up to are anywhere near as severe as what Google does regularly. They specifically do as much as possible on device — for instance, all AI-based stuff in Photos is done with NNs on your phone itself while it’s charging rather than off in some data center somewhere and they limit data capture to the point that they cripple themselves in some ways (why do you think Siri is so lacking?)

They’re a company like any other and thus not some pristine angel, but I based on what’s visible as an end user and developer I would be shocked if Apple’s data hoovering is anywhere near as egregious as that of Google.

Re: I switched from iPhone to the Pixel 2: One-week report

#373

Post by pound »

Saaster wrote: post #168

I wish I could switch to the iPhone, and I've tried several times. The hardware is excellent. But these are my deal-breakers that keep me on Android (I've only ever had Google Nexus / Pixel phones): - Lastpass or any other password manager on iPhone is a joke, requiring multiple convoluted steps and using the "share" menu in the browser because of the Apple lock-down. Lastpass on Android? Click the password field in…

There is an issue between iPhone's (8/X) new compression format and storing photos in Google Photo - many sunny photos will end up overexposed and people's faces will have those bright white spots surrounded by orange. (forced switching to sRGB and losing some details)

Separately - the way Apple does image processing and applies noise filtering results in horrible image quality full of noise if there is even a slight hint of low light. Water-color faces surrounded by noise of brown dots.

I cannot believe how people still praise iPhone camera. 5 years ago it was the best I guess. Right now it's just one of many and often quite mediocre in comparison.

Re: I switched from iPhone to the Pixel 2: One-week report

#374

Post by thomastjeffery »

mathgeek wrote: post #341
uhhhhhhh wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've got to say I have the exact opposite experience. It got to the point I now don't do apple/iphone support for family. The number of itunes issues, osx keystore issues, technical issues with phones was taking a lot of time, and user issues with the iphone never ended. My parents, sisters, and any aunts/uncles nearby that I support are all on windows 10 with android phones. My results. 1. Time spend supporting fami…

> There is a subset of the family that uses facetime, they don't talk to the rest of us as often anymore. To me, this is one of the greatest shortcomings of video chat. We went from a universal phone system to a mostly universal SMS system (most private networks still supported SMS) to a segregated video chat system, and it hurts relationships if you're not careful.

And that is entirely Apple's fault.

That is one of my main frustrations with Apple: In order to compel more people to use their platform, they made a proprietary communication service, and preloaded it on all of their devices. Now I have to deal with this arbitrary segregation, just because some corporation decided it would help their bottom line.

This is exactly the kind of practice rms warned us about decades ago, and there is nothing any individual can do about it.

Re: I switched from iPhone to the Pixel 2: One-week report

#376

Post by snowwrestler »

ibdf wrote: post #333

It's clear from reading the threads in here that user experience on either side is not consistent. That's fine, get what works for you. If you have an android and it's not working for you, then switch to an iphone, and vice versa. Try a flip phone if you need simplicity. What I don't get it... is this fanboyism, this loyalty to a company that knows you as close as a number on a spreadsheet and a dollar amount on thei…

You should definitely buy an iPhone, and if you're wondering why I feel so strongly about it, the answer is that I have a lot of money in AAPL.

(Companies are not the only ones with spreadsheets...) ;-)

Re: I switched from iPhone to the Pixel 2: One-week report

#377

Post by thomastjeffery »

ppeetteerr wrote: post #350
patja wrote: post #313

The iPhone walled garden is what gets my goat, particularly when it comes to the impact it's had on my children. Combined with an observation that there is a distinct subset of people who buy iPhones who seem uninterested in how technology works or engaging deeply in solving technology interop problems when things go wrong. I get that's part of the feedback loop -- you buy an iPhone because "ack, technology! I just w…

The walled garden is one of Apple's strengths. I joined the ecosystem because there is a walled garden, not despite of it. There is some anecdotal evidence that Apple is heavyhaded with their approval process but, for the most part, it's a success. The parent-kid thing is a societal problem, not an Apple problem. Can hardly blame a company because the kids of their customers don't want to be inclusive (exclusivity is…

The problem here is that the walled-garden approach is being used on communication services.

It's arbitrarily impossible to send text to/from Android with iMessage. It's arbitrarily impossible to use Facetime with anything other than iOS or OS X.

You may have found this walled garden to be a feature, but that doesn't mean every person you associate with does; yet you are likely imposing it upon them.

This problem is exasperated by the target market: People who want something that "just works" are generally going to be the most frustrated when they can't communicate across platforms; and most likely to blame it on everyone else, while refusing to solve the problem on their own end. Apple is taking advantage of this mentality, and abusing us all.

Re: I switched from iPhone to the Pixel 2: One-week report

#378

Post by psyc »

cwilkes wrote: post #284
psyc wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have one pair of nice headphones. One. The adapter is an inconvenience I don't need. I've had my iPhone 7 for a year and this is still a vexing issue.

If you have one pair of headphones then leave the adapter connected to them.

Every other device doesn't need the adapter. So I have to manage keeping track of the adapter, still. No thank you.

Re: I switched from iPhone to the Pixel 2: One-week report

#379

Post by mattnewton »

ibdf wrote: post #333

It's clear from reading the threads in here that user experience on either side is not consistent. That's fine, get what works for you. If you have an android and it's not working for you, then switch to an iphone, and vice versa. Try a flip phone if you need simplicity. What I don't get it... is this fanboyism, this loyalty to a company that knows you as close as a number on a spreadsheet and a dollar amount on thei…

I think with Apple at least, it’s a sense of trusting the platform to make all the right decisions for you; it’s what you pay for in part. That also leads to the interesting problem of users feeling betrayed instead of just annoyed when something isn’t right.

I ran a user feedback tool for help documentation when I was at apple, but people would just post whatever there greivences were about the product and not the documentation. It was very different user relationship than I had experienced before - there was immense trust, and lifestyle invested in the brand, and immense pressure as an engineer to live up to all these people’s expectations.

On the ground floor, we weren’t worried about missing earnings or slowing user growth, we were worried that “Bob” who runs his media company on a Mac will be frustrated by a change in numbers or iCloud, or that the new iPhone wouldn’t make people feel like they had the best technology in the world.

Re: I switched from iPhone to the Pixel 2: One-week report

#380

Post by ruirr »

moogleii wrote: post #317
uhhhhhhh wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've got to say I have the exact opposite experience. It got to the point I now don't do apple/iphone support for family. The number of itunes issues, osx keystore issues, technical issues with phones was taking a lot of time, and user issues with the iphone never ended. My parents, sisters, and any aunts/uncles nearby that I support are all on windows 10 with android phones. My results. 1. Time spend supporting fami…

Strange. My 2012 iMac and MBA are humming along just fine. And they're refurbs. My "bought as new" stuff has been just fine as well. I still have an iPhone 5s that, save for the old battery, works normally. I haven't encountered a bricked phone via an updated iOS, but I have had android folks who weren't running flagships try to get the latest OS, and brick their phones. Lastly, when I do have an issue, the apple cus…

I do agree that Macs are built with quality. After the 5S, iPhones are not worth the premium you pay for them.
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