When I check out their phones and ask about this feature or that, or tell them how surprisingly light their device is, or that I like the weight, or the casing, they ask me which phone I have and I pull out my iPhone. I get a look that makes me feel like giggling. The confusion is immediate, followed by a furrowing of eyebrows that clues me in to the fact that I have just been labelled as one of the enemy. I can see the question right there on their faces, “Why would someone who owns Apple hardware have an interest in Android products at all?” Sadly, not a single person has ever bothered to ask it aloud because the answer is a good one, and it would blow their minds.
The answer is, I’m not a member of the “Cult of Apple.” I buy Apple hardware, because it works. I buy Apple hardware because Apple software and Apple hardware together are fully supported by a company that is happy to answer my questions, no matter how moronic they seem. I can schedule an appointment, talk to a person who speaks English and walk out the door with a solved problem. Then there’s the longevity of the hardware. I have owned my Apple laptop for 3 years and only had one PC laptop last as long as my current Macbook Air. My 2008 Macbook still works just fine too, it’s a five year old machine that is still happily doing what computers should do when you pay a thousand dollars for them. I paid a thousand dollars plus for each of my PC laptops too (though often the price tag on the shelf at Best Buy read 799$), and only one of them lasted for more than 18 months. That one PC Laptop that ran for three years? It was a 1500$ machine. So, while cool features and new tech are awesome, it’s more important to me that my stuff lasts. If I’m going to shell out a thousand bucks for a computer, it had better live for more than 18 months before a 30$ part, that the manufacturer refuses to ship to me, even if I paid for it, takes the machine out of commission.
For the most part, when it comes to my Apple products, I can upgrade when I feel like it. I have never had a piece of Apple hardware explode in my face while I was using it, I have only had one experience where a bad logic board took a Mac out of commission and Apple sent a repair guy to my house, free of charge, to fix it and when he left, he made sure it was fixed and he called me back a week later, to make sure that it had stayed fixed.
When I call Apple to ask questions, I get to talk to people that are native speakers of my language. No question is too stupid. Customer service is friendly. That’s it. When an Android phone maker can give me that kind of experience with their products, then maybe I’ll get one, but since there is not cell phone manufacturer that provides this level of after care to its customers other than Apple, I think I’ll pass. Yeah, sure, your phone may have some features mine doesn’t, but can you call Samsung at 3 am, and expect to get an English speaking customer service rep who will happily tell you that you pushed the wrong button, and not to worry about it, because everyone makes that mistake at least once? I don’t think so! You can’t even call Samsung after 2 AM, CST on a weekday.
Ha! You’re thinking about Amazon, aren’t you? Amazon’s customer service is as good as Apple’s, so, I agree, that’s something. I’m also noticing that Amazon doesn’t make a laptop or a smart phone though, so I guess I won’t be buying any hardware from them any time soon. I would have totally bought a Kindle Fire, except I already had an iPad that does all the same stuff, and more.
I don’t think most Android fans (and oh yes, you ARE fans) will ever understand that there comes a point in your life, where not having to spend hours upon hours of your day, repairing broken stuff on your device, that shouldn’t be broken to begin with, so that you can do anything with it at all, is totally worth the so-called “Apple Tax” (though I would point out to you that the Samsung Galaxy S4 costs the exact same price as the iPhone 5S of similar capacity and it doesn’t even have a 64 bit CPU, let alone a 64 bit OS to take advantage of it).
That’s fine! You’re entitled to like what you like.
So am I.
Just understand that I am neither blind, nor foolish in making my decision. I made a choice that fits with my lifestyle and with how I want to spend my time. I get more done with my Apple hardware than I ever did in my Windows PC/Motorola Razr days. In fact, I’ve accomplished so much that I adopted two extra dogs, because I have the time necessary to care for them, isn’t that cool?
Apple stuff fits perfectly into my natural workflow. If Android fits into yours, I’m glad for you. As long as we’re both getting stuff done in a way that suits us, I’m not sure why it is that the tools we use to get there matter so much that we have to resort to mudslinging and childish name calling and passing judgment on each other simply based on the device in our hands as we pass each other by.
