The removable battery used to be the kicker for me. Also, at this point, my phone is my primary computer even though I have an M1 AIr and 2021 iPad Pro. I want to upgrade my iPhones in the next six months (still have the 8 Plus and the SE 2, yes I have two phones) because my 8 Plus literally has a hole in it lol and I want a nicer camera. Aiming to pick up the iPhone 13 Mini to replace my 8 Plus and the iPhone 14 Pro to replace my SE 2. Yeah I get it that is like $1600 in phones but they are computers these days and I use them so much that I can justify spending that much on my phones. I also realized I was abusing alcohol a lot in my 20s and I rarely blackout anymore so I am not worried about losing my phones like I did in the past. I think if you frame your phone as your primary device for accessing technology then you can spend more than $200 on it.
All of my subscription services and accessories are with Google (YT Music, Google Drive storage, Nest, Chromecast, etc) and I personally prefer the user interface more than iOS. I have an iPhone 12 for work and donāt like it as much. Why would I change?
I just donāt see a reason to spend more than $200 on a phone because a sub-$200 used phone is perfectly functional for all that I use it for. I donāt do any graphic intense phone gaming or anything that requires the latest and greatest hardware. Itās like arguing that because you use a car every day you should feel comfortable spending $45k on a luxury car.
Expandable storage is nice to load up a ton of music when Iām heading for a road trip and donāt want to be streaming a ton of data (especially when Iām doing long drives through areas with poor or no data service). I also donāt like being limited on storage space and forced to replace my phone if I want more. I prefer having the option of buying a $30 micro SD card that has more capacity if I need it.
The IPhone SE is $429 so they are definitely getting more affordable. I donāt buy the car analogy because at the heart of the switch is the operating system technology, not the hardware. I pick up my main phone over 100 times a day and my iPhone 8 Plus is still going strong five years later so again I can justify the cost. It has a fucking hole in it and it still works fine. It you breakdown the cost of the phone per day over the life of the phone, the build quality of Appleās phones make them a no brainer imo.
I think your car analogy would be better suited to gas versus electric. They are two different ways to accomplish the same thing - power your car and move you forward but they accomplish through different means.
Anyway, I get it. We all value things differently. I just think when you look at the ease of use, the build quality, and blue bubbles, you have a winner with Apple.
That being said, curious how often you replace your phone. If you replace every two years and spend $200 each time but you could get an iPhone SE and spend $430 and have it last just as long, the cost is a moot point.
And @flyfishmich, Big G has you hooked into their ecosystem. Thatās the goal of both these tech giants. To make their tech stickier and increase the friction to leave. We canāt all be @stringz and rock Linux based ecosystems so you gotta choose the lesser of two evils. After working for Salesforce and learning a lot about Big Tech over the years, Iām going to go with Apple for now.
Iāll add that my entire 10k song digital music library is available at my fingertips through YT Music. IDK, maybe Spotify and Apple Music allow you to upload and store your music libraries as well?
My dad was part of the Microsoft Developerās Network until he retired in 2001 and I was raised to hate Apple. I tried every major MP3 player before finally getting an iPod. I had a fucking Microsoft Zune at one point brah. Avoided OSX until 2013 when I got an iPad and Macbook Pro for work. Once I started using Apple technology I realized how stupid it was to pick sides and to just go with what works best for my needs. At this point, Apple is the ecosystem for me. I used to hate on Apple so much but now I canāt help but advocate for their tech because Iāve used the alternatives and Apple just works. It is amazing to me how much more reliable and simple and intuitive everything they put out is. Itās almost like they have a monopoly on good design because everything else I have used in place of Apple (I had an Android tablet at one point too) just doesnāt work as well for my needs.
The funny part is I havenāt even taken my Adderall yet today. I also need to go pick up my mood stabilizer from the pharmacy so maybe Iām just manic brahs.
