And now, Chapter 834 of "Shit No One Cares About"

My current cellphone is a Nokia Lumia 830 Windows Phone (WP10). Say what you want about it, I still find it a very quick and secure system (when MS isn't moving things around when certain updates hit). It makes and receives calls and texts, has some decent games and other apps (an ever-shrinking number, admittedly), and most times, the OS doesn't get in the way of what I'm trying to do. I like it quite a bit.

However, the problem was mentioned above. Very few developers are creating apps for WP, and those who have made apps for it in the past are pulling support for them. Amazon, eBay, Amtrak, among others have already removed their "official" apps from the Windows Store. The lack of apps is disheartening for those who still utilize those phones. Even MS believes their phones are on their last legs, and only a select few models will be getting future updates (more specifically, those phones branded "MicroSoft" and not "Nokia").

So, if a person like me wants to stop being on the outliers and join a pack, there are two main choices: Android, and iOS. So what matters to me? What am I looking for in a phone?

Historically, before I got the Nokia, I was using a Motorola V600 from about 2005 to 2016. That is a LONG TIME in phone years. It served me well through my job, cons, and life in general. In today's world, I fully realize expecting a smartphone to last 11 years is a bit unrealistic (although it shouldn't be). That said, longevity is fairly important to me.

With smartphones, like many other computers, comes OS updates/upgrades. having the latest patches and updates in today's connected world is crucial. To me, Android fails pretty harshly here. There are still Android phones in use today that are two or more versions of the OS behind, and very rarely do they get patched (if ever). Even then, support usually ends within two years from the phone's release date. Granted, the Android market is larger and has more diverse hardware to try to manage with their updates; even phones with a direct line to Google can have a difficult time getting relevant updates and, more rarely, upgrades.

Apple has a pretty tight say on what devices run iOS... namely, only Apple products. This "walled garden" approach means the OS developers know what hardware is out there and can program accordingly. My research tells me that support for iOS devices can be upward of three (or more) years. And yes, I know it's not all sunshine and roses there, like that whole "Home button error" thing after an update came out that one time. Still, there's that longevity thing again.

As for apps, there's really very little difference between the two camps. Apple's App Store vs. Google Play, iTunes vs. Google Music, etc. Whatever app you want, you can usually find it regardless of which one you own. You see signs and commercials for "Get [Our App] in Google Play and the App Store!" Car audio is supporting both Apple Play and Android Auto. Whatever one can do, the other follows quickly afterward. Something I just can't say with my Windows Phone.

So after all that, I think I can say the next phone I'll probably get will be an iPhone. Not that I'm an Apple fanboy (I'm not), not that I dislike Android (I don't), I'm more interested in keeping my phone a little more secure than if I have to wait for a patch to a vulnerability that will never come because my phone is no longer supported (or at least to hold off that occurrence for a bit longer).