[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] NighTalon:
Apple v. RoW

For me the Apple-vs-other-PC-OSes is very parallel:

PC/Mac computer debate:

* Mac provides me with Creative Suite and UNIX on the same platform (without a reboot!). Apple-written drivers provide consistency, but any user-modification (manual GPU switching or multi-boot on EFI) is VERY difficult to execute. (A MBP is my daily driver, even if Mtn Lion hosed my triple-boot Boot Camp.)

* Ubuntu is great, but certain apps are only made for Mac&PC. (I dislike the performance/stability of WINE. No way to run Mac apps.) Proprietary hardware support is hit or miss, and sadly always will be.

* Windows has great developer support and even better keyboard/hardware support. There's just no UNIX on board! And even if I find Windows UI (7 more than 8) to be attractive, there is less UI consistency and beauty across Windows apps. That said, I still need Windows for good Excel performance.

iOS Android debate:

iOS pros:

* I still find iOS stability to be superior. If you were in a war-zone and needed something to work, I would prefer to rely on an iPhone.

* Just as with MacOS, app UIs are generally more consistent, or at least better laid out. (fixed versus dynamic resolution issue at play; fixed resolution development allows for a VERY predictable UI, but it also makes it more difficult to port apps to new form factors.)

* iOS added the swipe-down notification area like Android.

* Better dock support via the old connector. (dependent on having fewer models; new connector partly kills this advantage)

* Better media navigation UIs (I'm still looking for something I like on Android, but with Hype Machine and Spotify, it matters less and less.)

Android pros:

* Customizability (Similar to the good (bad) old days of WinMo)

* Multiple keyboards (I shouldn't have to buy a new phone or wait for Apple engineers to have a good idea to get a new kind of keyboard.)

* Good Google Maps and Navigation support

* Earlier LTE support

* Google Go

* Improving cross-version app compatibility (vs iPhone...my 3G cannot run a lot of awesome apps but my Milestone still can)

* Easy to change settings from the swipe-down notification area

iOS cons:

* iPhone 3G performance is trash with the latest update, though, and RAM is still more limited vs. Android counterparts. (yeah, I know it's out of date...but I still use one around my house to control lights and music)

* Customization is clumsy

* No way to run a full version of Linux (no loopback kernel/virtualization)

* No microUSB and new Lightning connector requires purchasing new adapters

Android cons:

* Call quality is slightly more unpredictable

* It's fairly easy to shoot yourself in the foot with a bad ROM or a misstep while you were trying to "fix" or "improve" something, renedering your phone dysfunctional

* Switching ROMs requires a somewhat manual backup of all your stuff

* Stability is just a bit more unpredictable

* SGSIII's car mount is way worse than some iPhone ones/Moto ones

* TouchWiz kills a lot of ICS/JB elegance

* Battery drain issue if I use the wrong charger and forget to reboot after

Conclusion:

I may still buy the iPhone 6 since I've never purchased and used an iOS device as my daily driver right after release. I want to learn what it's like. But without Navigation, and with so few customization options (especially keyboard), I think I'll want my SGSIII back ASAP, especially if I'm running a non-Samsung-customized ROM.

That said, the iPhone/SGSIII debate really comes down to: "How much time do I want to spend customizing and optimizing my phone? Should I spend time tweaking my phone until I absolutely LOVE it, or should I just buy a phone I can LIVE with very easily without touching it?"

I think the same argument could be made for cars. Should I be able to LOVE it when it comes off the assembly line, or should I be ABLE to modify and upgrade it if I want? I think the equilibrium is somewhere in between the SGSIII and the iPhone 5, but for me it's just a little closer to the SGSIII. I don't see that changing any time soon, but I may just have to try iOS again for good measure in the next year.