Considering Moving from Android to Apple

[COcheesehead]

I do not currently own a table of any kind. Any thoughts on iPad vs iPad mini? The primary use would be reading books, browsing the internet, checking email, etc.

I had a mini, it’s like a big phone. I opted for the regular iPad for my last two devices. It’s screen is easier to see and better for watching videos. The regular iPad is about the size of a book, just to give you an idea.

 

[Toast]

I had a mini, it’s like a big phone. I opted for the regular iPad for my last two devices. It’s screen is easier to see and better for watching videos. The regular iPad is about the size of a book, just to give you an idea.

I appreciate your recommendation especially given that the iPad seems to actually cost less than the mini.

 

[COcheesehead]

I appreciate your recommendation especially given that the iPad seems to actually cost less than the mini.

Memory size is a big component of cost too. I have a 64 gig. I have 9 years of photos, music, books, docs stored and I am using about a third of the storage.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Memory size is a big component of cost too. I have a 64 gig. I have 9 years of photos, music, books, docs stored and I am using about a third of the storage.

Oh!! That reminds me of an important difference to me -- most Android phones have a slot for a microSD card for additional storage, whereas iPhones do not. If you like to use your phone to play music or video offline this could be important, otherwise it probably won't matter much to you.

 

[audreyh1]

I do not currently own a tablet of any kind. Any thoughts on iPad vs iPad mini? The primary use would be reading books, browsing the internet, checking email, etc.

I recommend going into Costco or an Apple store and try them all out!

I like my iPad mini. DH loves his giant iPad Pro. I do a lot of ebook reading as well as watch YouTube videos, browsing, emails, a few games, etc. DH mainly reads articles via Apple News or Safari.

 

[COcheesehead]

Oh!! That reminds me of an important difference to me -- most Android phones have a slot for a microSD card for additional storage, whereas iPhones do not. If you like to use your phone to play music or video offline this could be important, otherwise it probably won't matter much to you.

You can buy additional storage for an Apple device in the cloud for 99 cents a month. So it’s not a big deal. I have hundreds of songs on my iPad and it uses 1.7 gigs of storage.

 

[COcheesehead]

I recommend going into Costco or an Apple store and try them all out!

I like my iPad mini. DH loves his giant iPad Pro. I do a lot of ebook reading as well as watch YouTube videos, browsing, emails, a few games, etc. DH mainly reads articles via Apple News or Safari.

I think the Pro is even bigger then the regular iPad. My wife looked at that one for photo editing.

 

[audreyh1]

BTW Apple gives a 10% discount for US Military including retired/veterans. You have to order through their Military and Veterans Program web site.

 

[braumeister]

I recommend going into Costco or an Apple store and try them all out!

Yes, this is an extremely individual preference.

We moved from full size iPads to the Mini because they have essentially the same screen (the mini uses smaller pixels but the same number) and the mini is much lighter so holding it for a long time is much easier. But that's just us -- others have very different opinions. They're happy to let you play with them in the store so why not?

 

[audreyh1]

I think the Pro is even bigger then the regular iPad. My wife looked at that one for photo editing.

Yes, it’s huge. He has the 12.9 inch screen.

 

[audreyh1]

Yes, this is an extremely individual preference.

We moved from full size iPads to the Mini because they have essentially the same screen (the mini uses smaller pixels but the same number) and the mini is much lighter so holding it for a long time is much easier. But that's just us -- others have very different opinions. They're happy to let you play with them in the store so why not?

I initially got an iPad mini because it was such a great size for traveling. Ended up using it all the time.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

You can buy additional storage for an Apple device in the cloud for 99 cents a month. So it’s not a big deal.

Except that cloud storage isn't much use if you're offline, and you should be on an unlimited data plan if you access cloud files a lot, although most of them are unlimited now. There are other more fussy, technical issues, but they're minor.

 

[Toast]

I appreciate everyone taking the time to reply and share your thoughts. Looking in-person makes complete sense so a Costco trip is in my future.

It's kind of fun looking and playing with devices. I have fond memories of dating my DH in the early 1990s. We spent many hours walking through stores looking at computers.

Thanks again!

 

[COcheesehead]

Except that cloud storage isn't much use if you're offline, and you should be on an unlimited data plan if you access cloud files a lot, although most of them are unlimited now. There are other more fussy, technical issues, but they're minor.

I run my iPad on Wi-Fi without issues.

 

[Lsbcal]

Yes, this is an extremely individual preference.

We moved from full size iPads to the Mini because they have essentially the same screen (the mini uses smaller pixels but the same number) and the mini is much lighter so holding it for a long time is much easier. But that's just us -- others have very different opinions. They're happy to let you play with them in the store so why not?

We have iPads and even an old iPad Mini. But for reading ebooks I've been using my iPhone. Works great although maybe if one is a fast reader and has poor eyesight that would be an issue. Also found that the Rick Steves guides work fine on Europe travel with an iPhone.

Recently I've been using the iPhone Reminders app a lot to structure my todo lists.

I prefer the iPhone because I think it offers good security. In the past the Google offering got the latest software update and then others like Samsung got it and folded in their customizations (as I understood the process) so there was a significant delay in responding to security threats. Maybe they have improved over the years?

 

[Car-Guy]

At one point I had both but I have drifted to iPhones exclusively. My useage/needs/interest are pretty simple. Email ~40%, stock monitoring/trading ~30%, web browsing ~15%, texting ~5% and sometime I actually makes phones calls.

 

[BH58]

I recently switched from Android to iPhone. There is a learning curve but it has been a pretty easy switch. My Android experienced sudden death and couldn't be revived by either of the tech experts I took it to so I was told that if I had ever considered switching, this was a good time to do it as I would have to load all new apps etc... anyway. I read tech articles online and talked to the IT person at work and made the switch after learning that iPhone has better security and privacy, Apple supports their phones for more years, the cameras have caught up and with the newer models are now even better, and several of my family members have iPhone so it would help for communication as I had sometimes had issues of texting with multiple iPhone users. I am happy I made the switch. I did go with the expensive iPhone 13 pro but plan to have it for a long time.

 

[Teacher Terry]

When my last android phone died while I was visiting one of my sons my ex and his wife said how much easier they found iPhones to be. So I bought a iPhone and totally agree with them. I can figure out most things myself and I find the explanations on the internet easier to follow.

 

[KarenF]

Thank you all for all of your insights and tips.

I had read that Apple privacy is better so thanks for confirming that.

If I make the decision to purchase, should I wait to see if there are Black Friday deals? I was chatting with a co-worker and he mentioned that Apple doesn't tend to have sales and discounts. Is this true?

My son has gotten 2 iPhone for half price twice on black Friday. This was through Verizon.

 

[Toast]

I really appreciate hearing from folks who transitioned to Apple devices. Thanks a bunch for sharing your experiences! I decided to purchase the 10th gen iPad with 256gb. It should be delivered in a week or so. Looking forward to receiving it.

I also looked at the iPhone 14 Pro. Wow! It's nice. My current phone is a Moto g Stylus. I think the most I've ever paid for a cell phone was probably $250 give or take. Not sure that I can bring myself to spend $999 on an iPhone.

I watched a YouTube video of the 14 Pro that provided a very nice overview. I need to stop researching because it's making me really want one!

 

[Sunset]

I really appreciate hearing from folks who transitioned to Apple devices. Thanks a bunch for sharing your experiences! I decided to purchase the 10th gen iPad with 256gb. It should be delivered in a week or so. Looking forward to receiving it.

I also looked at the iPhone 14 Pro. Wow! It's nice. My current phone is a Moto g Stylus. I think the most I've ever paid for a cell phone was probably $250 give or take. Not sure that I can bring myself to spend $999 on an iPhone.

I watched a YouTube video of the 14 Pro that provided a very nice overview. I need to stop researching because it's making me really want one!

Post back in a year and tell us how much you spent on Apple products

I'm looking for a new phone and thinking I won't pay over $150, but it's an Android one of course.

 

[Old Microbiologist]

I went the opposite direction. We are a divided family with my wife being 100% Apple with 2 iMAC's, iPhone 13 Pro, Apple Watch 6 and she is happy. I have her very old 2011 iMac for emails and web browsing and a full-blown home-built PC with the latest CPU, GPU, etc. My phone is a Huawei P40 Pro + without Android now because of US sanctions but works 99% anyway. I also have 3 computers running Linux and yes, I am a tinkerer and programmer and build stuff a lot at home.

What I can say is yes Apple is very good quality but is a closed universe and once you are in you must go in all the way. They are also roughly 100% more expensive than alternatives and give nothing more in the process other than the name. In general, Apple hasn't been innovative since Steve Jobs left with the possible exception of the recent M2 chip (the M1 had some really awful bugs) which seems excellent and very competitive. The latter is attractive to me and I am considering an iMac based on the M2 to replace my ancient one. Macs do not support any VR connectivity which is surprising so those in the VR universe that want to play PCVR games must go with either high-end Linux or Windows machines.

Interestingly the OS in both Windows and iMacs is a custom version of Linux so once you get into it they are more or less the same and the hardware basically the same as well. Many people build PC's running MACOS that are better than the Apple stuff for 1/3 the price. But for convenience, some people just pay and play and don't mind paying that much more for the products. Apples have just as many bugs (often more) than PC's so in reality it is not all that much of an advantage unless it is just the brand name a person is looking for.

There are a ton of Chinese products that are often better and less expensive but you won't find them reviewed in the US much. Apple is Chinese as well so that really is an artificial thought process thinking to avoid Chinese-manufactured products.

 

[Midpack]

I really appreciate hearing from folks who transitioned to Apple devices. Thanks a bunch for sharing your experiences! I decided to purchase the 10th gen iPad with 256gb. It should be delivered in a week or so. Looking forward to receiving it.

I also looked at the iPhone 14 Pro. Wow! It's nice. My current phone is a Moto g Stylus. I think the most I've ever paid for a cell phone was probably $250 give or take. Not sure that I can bring myself to spend $999 on an iPhone.

I watched a YouTube video of the 14 Pro that provided a very nice overview. I need to stop researching because it's making me really want one!

I don’t disagree, so I don’t buy more than I need, and I don’t upgrade often. My first iPhone was the 6 Plus and that cost WAY more than the simple Android I had. But I didn’t need to upgrade until the iPhone 12. So I assume I won’t need another upgrade until the iPhone 18 if then. Apple is reasonable IMO about supporting older devices, 5-6 years. And you can continue to use their devices after they officially quit supporting with software updates (due to processing power mostly, not arbitrarily quitting) though security won’t advance.

 

[mpeirce]

Interestingly the OS in both Windows and iMacs is a custom version of Linux

Sorry to nitpick, but while Android is based on Linux, macos - and all of Apple’s OSes - are not.

They are all UNIX like operating systems but different branches of that tree.

macOS is derived from NeXT which is derived from FreeBSD (a branch of Berkeley Standard Distribution).

Linux was developed by Linus Torvalds as a clone of UNIX.

They share many of the same low level components and apis, but not their kernels.

It’s doesn’t really matter, but it’s interesting to see how UNIX pretty much came to dominate the computing world.

 

[Dawg52]

I bought my first Apple product last year…..an IPhone 13 mini. Got it mainly for the size and better camera. Didn’t find the learning curve that hard. I like it but I was fine with android too.