We’re often told, or live under the assumption, that it’s expensive to change from one smartphone ecosystem to another. Once we’ve made our metaphorical bed, manufacturers want us to believe we have no choice but to lie in it. It’s not unreasonable either: Although apps are invariably inexpensive, it’s easy to build up quite a collection, potentially costing well into three figures. The thought of switching is daunting enough without factoring in additional financial pain.
Over the last couple of months, we’ve been introduced to two new smartphone platforms: Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10. While picking up new smartphone adoptees is a key part of Microsoft and BlackBerry’s strategy, the pair also need to draw over users of competing smartphone platforms. If already you’re snuggled deep inside Apple or Google’s bed, but have exchanged flirtatious glances with the Nokia Lumia 920 or BlackBerry Z10, would swapping beds be as difficult and as expensive as we’ve been led to believe?
Before pulling the covers back and saying your goodbyes, an app spring clean will probably be in order. If you’ve been part of a single ecosystem for four of five years, then there will be plenty of apps which haven’t been opened for years, and therefore don’t need to come with you. For the sake of our test, we put together a list of 33 apps. You can see the full list at the end of this article if you’re interested, but for brevity’s sake, all you need to know is it contains an app for each major social network, a few news apps, readers such as Pocket and Alien Blue for Reddit, plus some image editors, music subscription apps, games and utilities. They are all regularly used apps, and would be missed if they weren’t installed on my phone.
The real pain of switching would come when looking for specific titles, particularly games …
How about Microsoft’s world of wonders? Surely it would perform better than BlackBerry World, if only because it has been around for longer. Surprisingly, it was worse, as only 15 of my 33 apps could be found. The omissions are serious too, as there’s nothing by Google, no Zinio, no Peggle, no GTA, Dropbox, IMDb, Snapseed, Instagram or even a decent Twitter client. There was absolutely no compelling reason to switch. The only redeeming quality was the cost, as by only choosing one Angry Birds game, the 15 apps would cost just £0.79 in total.
So the cost of switching, certainly in our test case, is minimal; providing you’re happy with the basics. It’s a myth propagated either by misunderstanding or misinformation, perhaps spread by those with a vested interest in keeping us locked into one ecosystem. The real pain of switching would come when looking for specific titles, particularly games, as I’d be out of luck. It would also be a problem to read any Zinio magazine subscriptions, check Google+, browse used car listings (Auto Trader was nowhere to be found) or enjoy a decent Twitter experience. The real reason not to switch from iOS or Android, then, is choice.
There is another reason switching is less than desirable: Laziness. As an established smartphone user, you’ll be familiar with your apps, and despite our lack of success finding the same ones inside BlackBerry World and the Windows Phone Store, there are sure to be alternatives. For example, Baconit for Windows Phone 8 is a decent alternative to Alien Blue, and both stores have unofficial Google Talk apps, plus Endomondo is just as good as RunKeeper. Put in the legwork, and you can lessen the pain. This comes only after having made the switch though, and if you’ve gone that far, then app availability probably wasn’t very high on your list of priorities.
Ultimately, chopping and changing between iOS and Android is the least upsetting experience, as they both regularly receive not only the latest, but also the most new apps. Deciding to be a Windows Phone 8 or BlackBerry 10 pioneer is considerably more brave, and despite the welcoming hardware, the app stores are still too sparsely stocked to tempt the hardened smartphone owner away from their existing ecosystem of choice.
The Apps:
Google Maps, Snapseed, Camera+, Instagram, Skype, Dropbox, Whatsapp, Google Talk, IMDb, Chrome, YouTube, British Airways (or your airline of choice), Auto Trader (or your used car database of choice), Grand Theft Auto, Angry Birds/Space/Star Wars, Peggle, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Google+, LinkedIn, Vine, Reddit Client, BBC News (or your news source of choice), Pocket, Pulse, Zinio, Spotify, Shazam, Stitcher, RunKeeper and eBay.
I’d like to see which apps were missing from each platform as I can see at least one mistake in what you did mention: IMDb has been available for Windows Phone since launch (and it indeed made it through the transition from WP7 to 8).
There’s some mistake here. There are Dropbox clients for Windows Phone, and I’m not even talking Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 7.5 has more than 1 decent Dropbox client. Twitter??? I found more than 10 tweeter apps, impossible that none of them would be worth; even the Social Integration part of Windows Phone now gives out information on tweets you’re following. I think you should revisit the app store. Yes, there are apps missing but the way each person uses its phone is very important. The way Windows Phone presents information to the user is much superior to other devices with the live tiles and the customizations you can do to your start screen. That in many cases is more valuable than a few apps, which will eventually be available anyway……….
all the other phones may look cool and have awesome features but nothing beats the reliable operating system and trustworthiness of an iphone
lie! – Go ahead, re-buy all my apps! And I do not mean Angry Birds, lol
I recently switched from iPhone to Windows Phone 8 (that’s actually my personal phone in the pic up there!) and I’m really enjoying it. While WP8 is far from perfect — IE sucks and there aren’t any good replacements in the store yet – I like it more than iOS, but I don’t think it’s as user friendly. In any case, to each their own — I’m loving my Lumia 920 and can’t ever see myself going back to iOS unless Apple starts updating itw UI; yes it’s intuitive, but it’s also very boring.I don’t have any experience with Android so I can’t speak to that, but here’s hoping all this competition breeds innovation.
iPhone and iOS forever!! Lol
Which is why Ubuntu is going to have a tough time getting into the mobile phone business. Very late to it.
i dont have one though. :’( still want me a windows phone!!
File under duh.
I can deal with missing (some) of these apps, especially since it would give me a far larger and cheaper universe of phones to choose from. However, the big price in either dollars or time for me is in my iTunes collection. I have hundreds -if not a couple of thousand – songs representing hundreds of dollars of music purchased through iTunes. While I can convert these m4p’s to mp3′s, that will take more weekends than I’m willing to forgo (for now). On the other hand, I’m still ticked off that none of my iPhone/iPod/ITouch appliances are compatible with the new iPhone 5 docking port – so I WILL be forced to make some kind of decision when my current iPhone 4 dies.
Any media player will DRM free MP4′s. If you have a lot of the older DRM’s tunes, match them with iTunes Match as it will strip the DRM.
iOS till I die!
so what this effectively boils down to is a ‘Not from Apple’ or ‘Not from Android’ mentality. You said it yourself. WP8 ad BB10 are really very much new but you have to remember that even Apple had to start somewhere. The difference is that back then there was no dominant player and the app maret place wasn’t that well established. These days it’s dominated by two major players who are hellbent in beating each other up, and anyone else who happens to want to join the party.
RIM is in a weak position at present but I also get the feeling that from a lot of the press there is massive huge prejudice toward WP8 simply because it’s from Microsoft. There are major advantages though. I (over 90% of the planet) work in PC environments, a PC in the study have an Xbox in the living room. Already there’s a foundation there.
The real problem of lack of apps and marketshare is as you say laziness on consumers but like I say, a real prejudice from journalists, that seem to really want to knock WP8 back.
Just like swapping OS’s on your computer – it’s great once the transition is over, but the transition can make you CRAZY!!