Apple hardware continues to impress. CPU power is a multiple faster than anything available to Android manufacturers, and iPhone GPU keeps ramping up. Camera quality is excellent, now moving well beyond high quality lens and pixels into accessible computational photography, with ARkit poised to leverage the entire iPhone platform.

Service and Support are well regarded. When I have needed to resolve a problem with Apple’s help, the people have been generally excellent. In person at the Apple stores, via online support chat and telephone support. Even when traveling overseas, Apple can resolve problems in a consistent and useful manner.

On top of the Apple hardware, almost all Google services are available via iPhone. Apps for Gmail, Google Maps, Google Earth, and so on.

And of course the enormous range of third party apps and services, some of which are only available for iPhone/Apple. Microsoft’s current Word for iPad was available before it was released for Surface. A lot of Microsoft productivity apps. Every major app is available on iPhone*.

Plus all of the Apple only apps and services, and the trustworthy security underpinning them. iMessage, Apple Pay, iCloud (which includes many different services), Apple Maps, Photostream, Find my iPhone, Find Friends. Probably a bunch more I am forgetting about.

If one also has other Apple devices, such as Mac and iPad, the iPhone with iCloud allows for a variety of near seamless task/app/data interchange and hand off between devices.

Apple Watch is a functional and useful companion for iPhone owners. AirPods are impressive and work well with iPhone and Watch. Android wearables are on a different trajectory.

iMessage is a rather special thing. Much more than just SMS ‘text messages’ to mobile phone numbers. SMS is by comparison quite limited, even with MMS and the recent RCS hacks layered on. Yes, there are a variety of ‘other messaging apps’. iMessage matters, a lot.

Perhaps most important, a wide swath of humanity finds the iPhone to be useable and accessible. For many it is their primary daily computing device. People love their iPhones. And it rubs off on the people around them.


* Some apps run counter to Apple’s restrictions, so these tend to be found elsewhere. I tend to value the other positive aspects of the platform and tolerate the restrictions.