I use Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Watch). I’m not trying to offer a defence of Apple, rather just offer my single data point experiences and thinking.
The Apple iOS ‘ecosystem’ is very intuitive to use. My first iPhone was a 3GS and I clicked with it immediately. On the numerous times I’ve tried to use an Android device I just can’t find my way around easily and give up very quickly and ask someone else to do it for me. All Apple devices work with each other flawlessly.
Apple devices don’t break if you make even a vague effort to look after them. Not one of mine, or my wife’s, devices has ever broken. I’ve had three phones in ten-plus years (3GS, 5S and XS). The only reason I upgraded when I did was because the capability was too far behind the new ‘normal’. Often, just a case of screen resolution. I then sold the old phone for a not unreasonable amount despite its age.
Regarding updates. People use this to knock Apple saying that Apple kill old phones deliberately through updates not being compatible etc. Sorry, but I don’t buy this. As new technology emerges and chip architecture improves software must be updated to make use of these new capabilities. At some point the old hardware simply cannot keep up and has to be dropped. Apple do not allow people to upgrade to a new iOS if it will compromise their device. If the device is not compatible it will refuse to update and remain running a stable iOS.
Apple sell a premium product at a premium price and are not embarrassed about doing so. I appreciate this honesty (if that’s the right word). I trust them as far as I can that their intentions are good and revolve simply around me buying their products. Android, Huawei etc. claim to offer me the same, or better, experience for much less. I don’t trust their intentions and believe, perhaps incorrectly, that they make up the difference by using my data, reading my emails, bombarding me with advertising and selling less robust products that will need to be upgraded more often.
More on topic though… Mooney Driver does raise a very important issue. Regardless of what devices we use and why, I suspect most of us, myself included, would suffer a similar experience if our phone, tablet, laptop or whatever was broken, stolen, lost or whatever. We train and practice emergency procedures in our aircraft on a regular basis yet how often do we practice or plan for phone disaster recovery? It is crazy how dependent our lives are on our phones and their data and apps. It deserves more thought that it gets. Thank you MD for posting this.
Really?
Its word of the mouth of some of the people whom tried to revive my Note 4. Each of them has seen lots of cases like mine, where the last deadly update stopped in the middle and then there was no way of reviving the phone other than to change the mainboard. It was never proven as much as I understand, but that is what most people think. The 7 series apparently suffered a similar effect.
My company provides iPhones and I find they last 2 years as my only phone, assuming what I’ve found to be the usual charging plug failure mode. If it’s the screen and touch functionality you can get up to 3 or 4 years of full time use, at least that was my experience with my wife’s ex-iPhone 6, which my company does not buy. The replacement is typically a model that is recently discontinued or nearly so, for about $300 on line with reasonable memory.
I have two categories of material in my life, disposable junk and forever stuff. iPhones and new cars are the former, bought as cheap as possible, thrown away and forgotten after a few years. Houses and planes are within the latter category, the place where I’d rather spend my money. 
I’m still using my iPhone 6 (early model) in daily use. I replaced the battery once as expected (replaced it myself), it has a cracked screen but it still runs just fine.
I have a Samsung XCover 4 which I use for Skydemon and for putting foreign SIM cards in and using as a WiFi hotspot (we don’t get free roaming, as the Isle of Man isn’t part of the EU and our two telcos abuse this greatly with absurd roaming costs).
My Dad still uses my old iPhone 4 which I think might have already passed its 10th birthday. I think it’s on its 3rd battery.
Sure, an iPhone is expensive, but if you can get 10 years out of it, it’s cheaper than some cheap phones that snuff it after 18 months.
Install it and the device burns the mainboard and is dead
Really?
This happens with both IOS and Android. An older IOS device cannot be upgraded to a later OS version.
That is still short of killing them with an upgrade. Install it and the device burns the mainboard and is dead. happened to me and many people with the Note 4.
the batteries, which are mostly not economically serviceable, also lose capacity. When I look at why I upgraded various devices, it was mostly due to (a) mechanical damage and (b) the battery lasting barely a day.
I have yet to come across one Samsung device whose battery brand new lasts more than one work day. And yea, they are expensive to change at those devices, which are sealed, but there are services which will do it for about 50 € including batterey. Actually, I will take my old Note 8 to Bulgaria and try exactly that.
Samsung tries hard to get rid of older phones which have more than about 3 years on them
This happens with both IOS and Android. An older IOS device cannot be upgraded to a later OS version. And many apps require the later OS. I found this with Foreflight for example. In the end, the old Ipad becomes useless, except as a simple web browser to kick around the house.
But the batteries, which are mostly not economically serviceable, also lose capacity. When I look at why I upgraded various devices, it was mostly due to (a) mechanical damage and (b) the battery lasting barely a day.
At any given price level, the internals looks more or less identical regardless of the OS.
It is also worth noting that “security issues” supposedly associated with not being able to apply the latest OS upgrade are mostly bunk. IOS and Android devices run apps in a “compartment” and it is difficult to spread a virus the way it is trivially done under Windows and the various versions of Unix (Linux, OSX, etc). The risk of running some old IOS or Android device is minimal, especially as the only way in is going to be via www or email, not by inserting infected storage media or via a local LAN.
Day 2 of installing the Note8. Lesson learnt: Getting a 4 year old phone will mean to install updates one by one since the phone was first released on the market. All in all, 35 if my count is right, each of which takes about 30 minutes. Add to that, one of them about half ways point had an UI update, after which all the Samsung apps must be updated too, another hour. Just installed this one now, another 14 updates to go.
Wonder why they never thought of getting a collective update for everything… this takes a lot of time.
what worked really well was the backup restore from the Samsung Cloud as well as the re-import of contacts e.t.c. from Google.
The strategy seems very clear: Samsung tries hard to get rid of older phones which have more than about 3 years on them. If they go as far as they did with the Note4 which was killed in most cases with an update, I hope not.
Dimme wrote:
Have a crappy phone with your password and ID stuff on the side as standby.
I have those and I have a crappy phone :) despite it giving me some grief over the days, it will get a place of dry storage and honour after my “new” Note 8 is in commission (it’s been restoring data from the Samsung cloud for the last several hours and is at about 30% now) . The password file is of course saved in different places.
The bigger problem are apps which connect with your credit cards for 2 step authorisation, some via SMS (solved) others via proprietory apps which need to be set up. The latter I did not even attempt to set up on the intermediate phone, as it takes more time than 2 days of use are worth. Will see how it works once the new phone is working.
The 2nd hand Note8 is still far away from being finished. Once the restore is done, the Samsung updates will have to follow, the phone is with Android 7 at the moment but will need to update to Android 9 eventually. So probably I will still get the Note 10 I can take on Monday (3 months old, owner upgraded to 10 plus and 5G) which is up to date and then transfer with Smart switch. So the Note 8will be my new backup.
Just to pick up on one thing that was mentioned
Currently I see a £45 (was £30) limit on contactless with a card, and £150 (determined empirically) on contactless with a phone.
I believe any limit would be set by the vendor, and IME most do not have limits set. I paid a 5 figure amount with my watch recently (I had my card as well, but wanted to try it) much to the amusement of the salesperson.
I carry a credit and debit card from separate issuers with me, but I would say I actually take them out of my wallet maybe once every few months and use my phone/watch any other times.
