The opinions expressed here are those of Steve Birchfield. They do not necessarily reflect those of the Android Activist or its readers (but probably do). I just want to be sure we are clear that this is strictly my opinion.
I recently have gone a few rounds online with ZDNet's Ken Hess about his article "Why I'll never own an Android-based anything". I will say that he has taken some heat for it on the site, on Google+ and even from Ashley Glenn on Rootzwiki. He has stood his ground. I commend him for that. I don't doubt that Ken feels the way he said in the article at all. My only real issue with the article is that we all see writers push out these sensationalized headlines knowing it will stir anger and love for either side of the cause to get page views. He did say that it was his opinion and in fact the title suggests that. I know personally I see these headlines at ZDNet and other tech sites like this that are meant to be a commentary but lead you to believe they are factual. If this had been on Mr. Hess' personal blog I would not have even cared. But when a mainstream tech site posts it and emails me about it too, I think it might be a real news story rather than just opinion. When faced with these articles which are really opinions, it wasn't clear enough that this was only his opinion or feelings and not based on any definitive facts.
Ken Hess is a Windows and Linux system admin, so being an admin myself I have followed him on ZDNet and Google+. I have not always agreed with his articles but I have respected him. But reading the article it made me question how much of a techie he really is. I consider myself a power user. Every system that I use, I try and maximize the potential of it. My phone is no different. In fact, I am probably harder on my phone than any computer I have ever owned. I use it as a mobile laptop. I remote into servers to do work on them, I use it for my email accounts and I keep in touch with family and friends on it. Through my phone and tablet I write articles and ideas down whenever they hit me. It wakes me up in the morning and is the last thing I look at before I go to bed at night. I was this way with my Blackberry phones before it. This is who I am at my core. I am a techie, nerd and geek all rolled into one.
I am also an artist of sorts. I take a raw piece of hardware and mold it into a powerhouse of utility. I take a basic phone and operating system, customize it and hack it into something more than it was intended to be. I want to push it to the limits and when I get there go even further. I like how muggles normal people are amazed when I connect to a computer system and do things from my phone or make changes to something right before their eyes with only my phone in hand. I love utilities that easily allow me to change systems and settings without having to login to a full desktop. Geeky stuff I know, but that is what I like to do.
When I look at IOS I see a system that has tons of apps and support but limitations in how I can maximize the potential of the operating system. Sure I can jailbreak an iPhone and do more with it, but unlike Android, you really become an outcast in the ecosystem when you take that path. With Android I can root and ROM and even the carriers know that this is likely to happen. I have sent phones in for repair that have been rooted, I have called support and even though it was obvious that it was not stock, I got support. Try taking that jailbroken iPhone to an Apple store for loving support. Be sure to record the employee's reactions for me when you do!
But the article made me think that maybe Ken Hess is not the admin I thought he was. Maybe he isn't the artist I am. He wants a system that comes out of the box and does magical things without any effort. That's his prerogative and I am cool with that. I however, am not satisfied with the stock keyboard on the iPhone (and yes I support users with iPhones and set them up for Exchange and fix problems from time to time, so I do use them occasionally). I do not like that the desktop is every app you own. In Android I have my desktop streamlined for efficiency and hide the apps that I don't use often. Heck, I don't like the stock keyboard in Android but I can change it out. I add in my own browser. I root the phone and remove apk's so that I don't have apps that are pre-installed even show up!
I know if my mother bought an Android phone (perish the thought!) she would live with whatever came on it unless my sister or I changed it for her. I would recommend she get an iPhone for that exact reason. So am I saying that perhaps (in my opinion) Ken Hess has the tech savvy ambitions of my mother? Well, given the facts presented and his follow up comments, yes I am. He doesn't want to have to change anything on it. That is ok. Android isn't for everyone. I know that and I do not want everyone to have it if it doesn't suit them. But don't blast a headline on ZDNet saying how you think there is no worthy Android product. That is not true for everyone even though you may believe it. I could title this "Apple sucks and don't ever buy one" but it isn't true and even though it doesn't work for me personally I know there are some that love it and I try to understand why. Ken, Android may not work for you, but for about 350 million others it is working. And though many people that have Ken in their circle of influence (i.e. - Amazon reviewers) that have Android phones may say Android is all of the bad things listed in your article, they still don't own an iPhone now do they?
Oh, there is one more thing, I know my opinion may anger many iPhone users but that's ok. I haven't said anything bad about iPhone or IOS, nor do I believe it is a bad platform and I hope I made it clear that it is only my opinion. I know IOS has a target audience that it should be in the hands of. I also know that Android also has a target audience. If that audience is a geek-centric group then that is who should buy them. I like to drive cars but I know that a stage 3 race car is not going to fit my needs very well on a daily basis, so I bought a four door car with a turbo powered engine because I have kids to load in the car but like to go 0-60 fast when I am driving alone. No differences here either. I need a race car for my every day driver and Ken needs a Buick. But do not tell everyone that because you drive like a 90 year old that cannot see over the steering wheel, that they should all buy Buicks. That is just doing a disservice to your readers.
Thanks for listening to me rant!
Edit: He did follow up and I think we all know this article is true. At least it is based in facts.
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