The Microsoft/Apple Matrix
An old, old article, this. In theory it’s about Microsoft. I’m going to pretend it’s about Apple.
Cypher wants to forget the reality Morpheus dragged him out of. He wants his life back, wants to get reinserted into the Matrix without any memory of what it’s like outside. He’s sick of playing deadly games of hide n’ seek in the scorched Earth’s tunnels, wants to feel rare steak against his tongue.
I’m trying to like Android. I do like android. The restrictions of iOS annoy me a lot - obvious stuff like not being able to change the default web browser or camera application. Smaller stuff like not having apps check for new content in the background, so I have to open them one at a time and let them sync every time I leave the house. Tiny stuff like the cloud photo sync that works so well.
But I miss the polish of iOS. I miss having Instapaper and Google Reader clients that don’t make me angry just using them.
The biggest benefit of Android to me lies in being able to build my own ecosystem that isn’t entirely in the control of one company. I use Dropbox to auto-upload camera photos rather than Photo Stream. I can use my own browser and email clients. I can use software from any source, and write my own software without paying a gatekeeper.
The lure of iOS is that, is you submerge yourself in the ecosystem, everything is so nice. Just don’t leave.
There’s nothing wrong with Android that can’t be fixed by the developers of the software I use. The only things wrong with iOS can only be fixed by Apple. If I wait long enough, I’ll stop caring.
Probably.