Why iPhone.

People are talking about competition hurting Apple, that new Android phones are stealing their lunch.

That Apple isn’t innovating, that the new iPhone is no different to the last. That the Galaxy S IIII has a larger display, lets one control it by hovering a finger over it and has a plethora of other “S” branded features.

My year old iPhone 5 doesn’t feel like a less superior product with the latest release. It’s as solid as the day I bought it. People are still buying its predecessor the 4S in stores today.

Yet if you buy Samsung’s latest offering you can bet that they’ll release a refreshed product six months later, maybe sooner in a different line of theirs. The device could go unsupported with splashy features abandoned.

Previous iterations of iOS weren’t working in that the limitations of the platform were getting in the way of developers. With the M7 chip, new API’s and a completely redesigned interface, developers can do a lot more. It’s incredible that they were able to do so much on a platform that remained so closed for so long. Apple is opening up intelligently, where doing so improves the experience more than it could degrade it.

iOS7 wasn’t a release to compete with ever-changing Android phones but a new groundwork for developers to build upon for years to come. Apple cares about building a solid experience so that developers can build beautiful, functional apps.

A week after launch iOS7 had surpassed 60% adoption. An unprecedented rate on any other platform. On iOS the software is far more important than the phone itself. Though the great hardware lets the software function seamlessly. Overnight millions of people essentially had a new phone and everyone was talking about it.

I remember when Blackberry was cool. They had a keyboard, seemed professional and like a luxury item but once the hype died down users were left with crappy software. BBM was the only thing that kept them alive for a few years. Apple doesn’t have such a problem, there are new competitors that have more hype but a consistently killer, experience keeps them there for the long term.

I don’t doubt Android, I owned an Android phone but once it was outdated I realised that I care more about the app layer than customising the software. iOS developers are somehow able to deliver unrivalled and often exclusive experiences.

Google is definitely catching on with high-end Android phones (mostly the unskinned, Google editions) focusing on refined and engaging experiences over gimmicks. The problem is that many of the rest of the Android phones out there don’t ship with Google Play or run heavy carrier and manufacturer added skins.

I can’t imagine why my Mum would want to use alternative app stores, custom launchers or want to root her phone. She just wants to take & send photos, texts, email, check the weather and surf the web. The iPhone just works for this and that won’t change.