Well...I've been a confirmed Android guy for many years. I've had several Android phones and tablets. Currently, I have a Droid X2, a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" and a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10". All my devices are rooted and I know the Android operating systems (there are lots of versions) very well. I've always been very pleased with the Android world but frequently found myself frustrated and envious of "those who have drunk the Apple kool-aid". Specifically, being a musician (guitar and keyboards) it was frustrating that there were almost no apps available on the Android platform. All my "i-friends" were gushing about the music capabilities of their i-devices. Also, from time-to-time I would see an app that was really cool only to find that it was only available on....you guessed it....an i-device.
I'm the Senior Network Administrator for a Federal Court. I spend my days immersed in Windows Servers, Windows PC's, Networking equipment and audio/video equipment. For many years I've been able to keep our offices clean....all Micro$oft and Linux stuff....none of that stuff from the "fruit company". Then, it started happening....some of our Judges decided that they wanted to replace their "Crackberries" with....eeeek.....iPhones. Fortunately, one of our IT guys has some experience with "those" devices so we assigned him the task of setting up their iphones. But, it didn't stop there....the "disease" started spreading....now they wanted iPads. So, we got all our Judges iPads. The number of devices in our inventory from "that" company started to grow. What's even worse, occasionally the "Apple" guy wasn't around and a Judge would call with a question about their i-device. In that world, when a Judge wants help, you don't say no. One infamous day, I got a call from my boss that I had to go to the Apple store to get some accessories for one of the Judges' phones. Now, I had never been in an Apple store. Oh my...when I walked in, I felt like I had entered a parallel universe. (I still feel that way when I go into the Apple store even now) Well...being the consummate professional that I am, I HAD to embark on learning the dreaded iOS. I'll admit...initially I was not impressed. I'm used to being able to totally configure and personalize mobile devices. I know how to dig down into the operating system and manipulate things within the file system. I found that capability very lacking on the i-devices. I did find, however, that some of the apps that were cross-platform were MUCH nicer on iOS than on Android. Slowly-but-surely, I started finding things about the i-devices that I was liking. Then, Apple HAD to do it...they released the retina display...OMG, is that display beautiful. Suddenly, the screens on my Galaxy tablets looked like old TV sets from the 60's. But...I'm a confirmed Android guy...I am strong...I WILL resist...
Unfortunately, I have discovered that Apple is like the Borg....resistance if futile....you WILL be assimilated. Well, black-Friday came around and there's a Best Buy less than a mile from my house. The Siren-Song was loud. Somehow, I fell into a trance and the next thing I knew, there was a Gen 4, 64G beauty sitting in a Zaggfolio on my lapdesk. It has now become attached to my body and I can't seem to go anywhere or do anything without it. I noticed on my last sync that my app count is up to 70...oh....maybe that explains why I keep seeing stuff showing up in my Visa account from something called the iTune store. I'm in love!!
Music....well, I got an Apogee Jam interface to hook my guitars up and an iRig Midi interface to hook up my keyboards. With the AmpliTube app I can go on-stage with my guitars and have great sounds. And...yesterday...they came out with a new bank of presets to produce Jimi Hendrix tones. Oh man....this is wonderful!! With the Garage Band app, I have an entire recording studio with me wherever I go.
Bottom line....I'm loving this iPad. I haven't touched my Android tablets since I got it. But, I will say that there are some things about it that I don't like and find very frustrating. Not being able to dig down into the file system is at the top of that list. With the Android devices I'm used to being able to connect up via USB to a PC and mount the entire filesystem as a mapped drive. With iOS devices that ain't happening. On Android's it's common practice to download music, videos and other types of files directly off websites. Try that with your average iOS device. Being the hacker that I am, I have learned how to get around the iOS restrictions on this and now, regularly download whatever I want. (BTW...I'm not jailbroken.....yet...). Another frustration is not being able to customize the screens. On Android devices there are all kinds of themes, widgets and personalizations you can do. The best I've come up with on my iPad is to set up a bunch of folders and group stuff in them, resulting in only one home screen with a picture of my Harley as the background...not very fancy. Still, I love this thing and suspect that my Android tablets are soon likely to be introduced to a fellow named Craigslist.
Sorry for the long post but, at least, you can feel like you've gained a brother...
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