Having worked for one of the major wireless carriers in Phoenix previously, I have had my choice of phones to use. Vendors like Samsung, Apple, Blackberry, HTC, LG, ZTE, Huawei, Nokia, Microsoft and Google among others wanted us to promote their products and always approached us. The best way to get business reps in Phoenix to promote your products is to get it into their hands and get them comfortable with it. It is because of these relationships that I was able to become proficient with every current device and operating system. I often recall times where I would be using one new device and have 2 more in my Phoenix desk waiting for me to try. The Phoenix market and global market is now dominated by 2 major operating systems. IOS and Android now make up 98.4% of smartphone market. Our Web Design business currently relies on IOS. Having used both of these platforms a lot, I felt it necessary to conduct a comparison of the two in my own words.

When I first started at the previous (not to be named) carrier’s office in Phoenix, we did not carry Apple products. I was constantly finding reason after reason to sell against it. Pointing out the drawbacks and benefits. After Apple products were added into our lineup, I was opened up to a whole new operating system and then I was able to examine both products without bias. We now run a Web Design business and I feel as though I could conduct business in Phoenix with either OS. Here are some advantages and drawbacks that I have noticed with both Android and Apple smartphones.

• Touch ID – Most corporations now require that your phone be passcode protected. Our Phoenix office required this. Having to key in a 6-digit passcode each time that you want to access your device is a major hassle. Samsung tried to implement a touch ID on their devices when I was there but it failed our company’s specs and didn’t work well. Hats off to Apple for implementing this correctly and efficiently. With just the press of my thumb to the home button, I could securely authenticate myself, bypass a code and could unlock my device in less than a second. This feature alone made me a huge fan!
• Face Time – I have used every major app that windows and android have to offer for face-to-face conversations via mobile. Nothing compares to Apple’s Face Time feature. When I am in Phoenix running our Web Design business, I use this whenever possible to communicate with clients and family. As long as you have a good data connection, no other app comes close.
• ICloud – ICloud is a cloud backup offered by Apple. You can upgrade your storage with Apple for a monthly fee. ICloud will backup your Phoenix photos and videos at a cost. Google offers this service for free with Google Photos. Take all the pictures you want, have them backed up at no charge with Google. We take a lot of screen shot images for our Phoenix based Web Design business. I have to give credit to Google on this one.
• Storage – Apple requires you to upgrade your on board device storage at the time of purchase. Did you buy a 16gb device and run out? Too bad, pay me! You should have bought the 64gb device in Phoenix for $200 more. Almost all Android devices have removable storage. This means you can upgrade storage at anytime with the purchase of a larger micro SD card. I love that feature! Google definitely had the customer in mind and not their wallet with this.
• Battery Life – Almost all new devices have battery life that is in the same ballpark relative to their size. The larger devices like the note and plus models get better battery life. Apple devices do not have a removable battery. Nearly all Android devices do. Many Android devices even offer a separate battery and charger. You don’t have to sit next to the wall at the Phoenix airport, just throw in that back up battery and run! Hat’s off again to Google on this one!
• Keyboard – Some will argue this with me but I think the Google keyboard is the best. Many Android devices come with a native keyboard from the manufacturer. Delete that one and install the Google Keyboard from Google Play. Our Phoenix Web Design business requires a lot of typing from mobile, I think the Google Keyboard makes less errors and the talk to text has better voice recognition.
• Widgets – Apple doesn’t really have any. Widgets are cool and allow you easy customization of your home screen on Android. Very cool feature!
• Microsoft Exchange – Any Android user in Phoenix knows that setting up your exchange email when you change devices is a major hassle. This is not the case on IOS. It can recognize Exchange settings almost immediately and requires no additional set up. No need to call your IT guy down to the Phoenix office to set up your email. Way to go Apple!
• Siri – Siri is cool for answering general questions but Google has her beat. I find this especially true because Google has access to Google maps. You can install and use Google maps on IOS but Siri doesn’t reference it. Google is the king of maps in Phoenix and the US. Sorry Siri.
• Contacts – I think finding a contact on Android devices is much easier than on IOS. My Phoenix contact list is growing by the day. Android offers a much easier way to navigate your contact list. IOS has a little lettered menu on the right that encourages you to click the wrong letter a lot and then scroll pages to find who you were looking for.
• Messaging – Imessage is awesome! It wins, end of story.
• Eco System – Because all Apple products are created and manufactured by Apple, their eco system is vastly superior. Google has made strides to compare but I think they still come up short. All my stuff just seems to work more seamlessly on IOS.

I’m not really going to keep score on this one but if you’re scoring at home it looks like the final was 7-5 in favor of Android. I am unbiased and would have no problem switching back to Android even though we run our Phoenix Web Design business on IOS. My 11 year old has used both as well. She begs me every week for a new Android device; she said I could have the iPhone back.