Well, just as the topic asks... why? Oh, and don't say "I wanted something that just works." Real reasons please.
got my iphone 4 since the android apps seemed limited in comparison to ios app store. still using it, but i don't do many apps anymore, just text call and web browse plus media. using itunes is a hassle for sure though, would probably buy an android if I wanted to bother upgrading.
I don't necessarily have one, but think that the reason they're so amazing is that they're backed by a company that constantly innovates. Yes, they could throw a 64bit of to core A8 into the iPhone, but why when everything runs without fragmentation on only two? Yes, they could give it 4gbs of RAM, but why when you can already run a ton of programs? All in all, don't get one for power, but rather the fact that everything is and will be optimised. Not saying this isn't the case on Android (I own a Droid DAN that at one point worked but then I bricked it), but my device is a little over a year old and istarted to show its age. Truly, the iPad 2 from 2011 runs things in some cases a little better, and yes, Apple's biggest appeal is "it just works" although with tradeoffs, but this is why you jailbreak.
a company that constantly innovates
That's a funny joke right there.
What I've had: iPhone 3GS, Motorola Atrix
What I have now: iPhone 5
Why: It syncs perfectly with my MBP. It has an incredible app selection, and (in general) apps come out first on iOS. It gets consistent software updates. The camera is soild. It has a nice industrial design. The battery lasts me all day.
It doesn't multitask like an Android phone, but that's fine since I never do any work on my phone anyway. The home screen is a mess and it's impossble to fix, but whatever. I'm not staring at my homescreen 24/7. it doesn't have external storage, but I'd rather carry my epic-long-battery life iPod classic anyway.
And as a side note, the Motorola Atrix is a terrible, just disgusting phone. I hated that thing. The screen randomly stopped registered touches within a year, it never got updated, and it was slow as fuck.
The "it just works" argument is very close to home for me because the versions of android that I have used have always had a beta feel to them. I am also a firm believer in using the right tool for the job. I don't usually play games on the phone, watch movies or god forbid and actual productivity (office apps). I use my phone for texts, calls and checking email and some occasional browsing, and the same for my ipad. The iphone just works. It feels great and is incredibly intuitive. On the other hand, any 'actual' work, i go to my laptop or pc. I love the feel of the iOS and the way it works, much better than the android OS.
because they wanted one derr
Thanks for a great answer. Syncing with other Apple products is a reason I've never heard before. I went to a different forum and asked this, and I got flamed and insulted. I responded to say that they weren't mature, and somehow it ended being an ethnic slur contest. I removed the post, and got banned from the forum for "instigating." I like that the iPhones get constant updates, but I feel like the small updates are to fix problems with other updates. And I like the camera they have. The industrial design feels very sturdy to me, too. But, how does your battery last all day?
If you are already rooted into the Apple ecosystem, then it is not cost effective to swap to Android or Windows platforms. Syncing across devices is a big reason why I like my Android phones, but if I had a Macbook and iPad then I would definitely get an iPhone. On Android, I use Chrome browser and when I browse on my phone I can then hop on my computer and continue where I left off. Chrome also has built in notifications with Google Now as well. And it syncs across all my devices; Nexus 5, Oneplus One, Samsung Chromebook, Custom Windows Desktop, and my Nexus 7. I'm sure that iOS and OSX have a similar feature, and if you're already embedded in an ecosystem then its much more efficient to stick with it.
I got one because regular updates and optimisation are something I want in a phone. I don't care much for customisation as I use my phone for work. I currently run a 4s but will be getting a 6 soon.
Oh, and that innovation comment earlier was just rubbish. That's not a reason to stick with them because they haven't been innovating at all lately. They are a great company to buy stock in, though, because they are premium pricing every product they release and raking in profits because of it. In general, it seems, that their products are more of a status symbol than anything else. There is a certain quality to their products, packaging, and customer service, but that only goes so far. Their pricing is the biggest reason many people will not buy into iPhone. Imagine buying a Versace, Gucci, or Hugo Boss suit instead of a custom tailored no-name suit. Same ideology applies to Apple's products.
I got a 3GS to try out my first smart phone. Bought TomTom for it at a cost of ~$100 dollars. So when it came time to upgrade I got the 4S to keep the app I invested in.
When the 4S dies I will most likely check out an Android phone app be damned. I dont see any reason to buy another phone until this one dies however.
I feel that iOS is still more refined than Android. The overall user experience feels better.
But I have an android phone already, and my plan's not over yet.
I disagree with the new iterations of iOS from 7 on up. Ever since Android 4.1 jelly bean, especially on a Nexus, I've been completely satisfied with the user experience over my iOS devices in the past.
So main reasons are that you are on the Apple ecosystem, and it is just simpler, and not worth the hassle with Android. And because of the simplicity around the UI and user experience. Correct me of I am wrong.
I didn't get an iPhone, this is just a summary of why I prefer iPhone over Android
TL;DR: I prefer iPhone because of the integration between platforms, durability in the rare cases, and because of the efficiency of the platform. Any ideas for what I can program to make my Moto X better?
Like some of the above comments, the integration with different products is great, and it all depends on which platform you've bought into more. Android may work for some who use majority Google, I on the other hand prefer Apple products mainly because of the integration across their products. I have to use an iPad for school and I have a Mac at home, so it makes sense for me to have an iPhone. Right now I have a 2013 Moto X. While I enjoy it, it's not as ideal as an iPhone would be, again, for me personally. Usage may vary.
Design is is another thing that's important to me. For example: the camera. The camera on my Moto X is a little bigger than I would like. I like the size of the iPhone's camera almost purely from a durability stand point. Recently, I just had to get a new Moto X(Motorola customer support is absolutely amazing by the way, arguably the best. Very nice and polite service in my opinion) because the rear camera stopped working on my old one. Now I'm not 100% sure about the cause but the best educated guess I can come up with is this; My brother, jokingly, took my phone and we "fought" over it. My guess is that one of us pushed too hard against the camera, and broke it(by "broke it", I mean that Android failed to recognize that there was even a rear camera installed. There was no toggle to switch the camera after the incident). My only supporting evidence is upon comparing the camera in my old Moto and my new one, I noticed an ever-so-slight difference in the direction the old Moto's camera was pointing. While I am not trying to imply that the same could not have happened to an iPhone, I am convinced that the probability is lower with an iPhone because of the placement and smaller size. With the new iPhones, the bulge may reduce the camera's durability, but we have yet to see if that is truly the case. While I'm aware there's more to design than just focusing on the size of the camera, it is an issue of design nonetheless in my opinion. I would rather take design into the 0.1% chance of an event(breaking the camera the way I did)rather than stopping at the 95% chance of an event(dropping, water damage, etc)
The last point I can come up with is efficiency. I am a huge efficiency buff, probably an excessive efficency buff. A very large attraction that I have to iPhone is that while it is a dual core, it competes with Android phones that have quad+ cores. Thus it draws less power, which roughly translates into better efficiency. Yes it only has 1GB of RAM, which will inevitably turn into a problem in a year or two(at the soonest), but iOS manages RAM very well, probably too well(the infamous tab reload). Whether this is attributed to iOS or Apple's very strict memory usage guidelines, I am not sure, though it is probably more due to Apple's guidelines than iOS itself.
That is why I personally prefer iPhone over Android. Now that I have used both platforms I can honestly say that I really prefer iPhone over Android, but I don't hate Android(keep in mind that I'm using a Moto X). Customizability is a huge bargaining point with Android, and the reason I went with Android is to learn more about programming, so if any one can give me any ideas of small, but useful things to program, that would be awesome(currently experiencing the writers block equivalent of programming). I am currently thinking about looking into coding a flashlight widget just for kicks and giggles.
What's funny is that Apple is the only huge organization I know of willing to release their source for their desktop. Microsoft doesn't care for open source and would kill it in a second. You truly can't say they aren't innovating (take Linux out of the picture) if they're willing to leave the source for SOME programs only. Like I said I don't own an iPhone, but really should as "the guy with the most toys wins". Don't have to like them or not; if you need finalcut or keynote where will you turn to? As far as I know there currently isn't an official iOS emulator. As for Google, they truly are great and yes, innovate more than any of them (besides the Linux kernel developers). By the way, when did people get the time to sit there and point others out. Seriously.
Sorry 99.9% or the population acts like a bunch of five year olds ☺. Can't find one forum where others ideas arn't embraced. Thought this was it, but alas not everyone thinks the same. Syncing with other devices is probably one of the biggest things that I left out. The cameras awesome (even on my iPad), and battery life (at least on my iPad) gets me through a day of constant use no matter what I run. The updates are intended to be minor as to prevent fragmentation.
It isn't hardware innovation, but rather software innovation. How many times have you seen a device with an OS based off of Unix crash? It's all optimisation and if that isn't innovation than what is AMD with Kaveri and Mantle worth? Think of it that way.
Touché