First Time User of IPhone
I have been a user of Nokia Symbian phones then moved to Android phones several years back.
I have always liked the look of IPhones but could never justify the extra cost to own one!
Recently I have been given the chance to use an IPhone 6+. These are my initial thoughts about the device as someone coming to IOS for the first time.
I am sure there are things that I have yet to find and any tips would be appreciated.
Unboxing
Opened up the retail box, it’s a big phone! Not sure if it would be suitable for my everyday use, the 6 may be more suited. I like the look and feel of the device; it feels like a quality phone, I like the screen and metal makeup of the device. A sim tray removal pin is easily visible to allow the tray to be withdrawn from the phone and the sim inserted. This was achieved easily with no problems.
There is one button on the right sight of the phone for phone wake up/sleep/on/off.
The speaker, charging socket and headphone sockets are on the bottom of the device. On the left are the volume up/down switches and the ringer mute switch (a feature I really like).
The home button is on the screen, centre at the bottom.
Switch On and Set up
I inserted my sim and switched on the device using the button on the right side of the phone.
The phone powered up and took me through an easy to follow set up procedure, including security and finger print recognition, which was simple to do and seems very effective.
I had an Apple account id which I think helped speed up the process and allowed me to synch music and TV programmes from my ITunes account.
I added my Google mail account easily which then synched my contacts etc. without any problems.
The screen is very good, nice and clear and adapts to light conditions very well, even when I went outside to have a look in direct sunlight, worked well in all conditions.
I like the keyboard for typing; it’s very responsive and even allows a poor typist like me to type reasonably quickly.
The only problem I had during set up, and it wasn’t a major one, was adding a second email account, I was trying to add it via the mail app icon but after a few minutes found that it had to be added in the settings menu. Once I found it then the second account was set up with no further problems.
Adding Facebook, Twitter etc. didn’t create any problems either.
Setting up of alarms was very simple and straightforward.
Calendar app looks good too.
Using the IPhone
I find the phone very easy to use, my only little problem is remembering that there isn’t always a back button that I have been used to with Android devices, but once I have become used to that then things have been great.
The phone works really well at everything I have asked it to do, no lag, very smooth, nice transitions; apps all do what they are supposed to.
The apps I wanted to install were all available in the App Store, as you would expect, and all the ones I wanted were free to install and use, it even let me transfer my WhatsApp subscription when I set it up.
I do miss the odd widget, but not to the point where I would say it’s a deal breaker, for example I like a weather/clock widget on my home screen but it’s only a press away with IOS anyway.
Battery life seems very good too, heavy usage including 5 hours of internet radio and the device still easily lasted 24 hours, so would expect more with lower use this week.
Sound quality through the external speaker is very good; through headphones it’s excellent, as you would expect with Apple. The screen is great for watching movies/TV.
I have found three drag down/up/corner menus to give additional functionality, double press of the home button opens up what I have been calling recent usage details, allowing them to be swiped away.
I like the notification menu, gives lots of information and can be added to or reduced as required.
Siri seems to work really well, even with my accent! I must have something not quite set correctly as I tried to set a reminder to do something when I got home, it asked me to complete a home address, which I did but I didn’t get the notification when I got home, it was in one of the folders when I looked but I had expected Siri to remind me, I may be expecting something it can’t do?
Conclusion
In conclusion I will say it’s a great device and I like to operating system too. It’s simple to use and set up and didn’t really give me any problems. Comparing it to the top Android devices, I don’t think there is much difference (in my humble opinion) all the top phones these days are very slick, they all have quick processors and are normally of a high build quality. I didn’t find too many differences in the use of the IPhone to what I have been used to with Android and the apps are just about the same to use.
So would I get an IPhone? Yes I would, the way I use a smart phone now I don’t really need the extra customisation etc. you can get with Android, it will come down to cost for me, if I can get an IPhone for a comparable price to a top Android device then yes I think I would give IOS a try.
These are my personal views, not meant to cause any sorts of arguments, just an honest piece from someone using an IPhone for the first time, any tips would be appreciated, I have the device for 2 more weeks, and if I find anything further I will post it here.
