I do own an android GTS5360 phone but not really a fan of it. Tried iphone 4s of my friend's and found it much smoother in terms of accessibility and the features. Of course, the design counts as well.
Now... from a different perspective.
Forget Laws. Forget patents. Forget S4. S3. S2. Lumia 920. Whatever.
Over the years, or months, there's one important thing I've observed and learned is that Apple has the best marketing team in the world.
What do marketers do anyways? Create perception, and get an ordinary fellow delve into their world of oh-so-great-products.
Which is where Apple has succeeded, and not only that, but succeeded by miles and miles. I really can't think of any other company in electronics as of now.
Think about it. Even if S3 has a good enough market share globally, even if android has more market share than iOS, why is Samsung still acting like a kid by promoting the "it doesn't take a genius...." sorta ads?
The Next Big Thing is Already Here -- Samsung Galaxy S III - YouTube
They already have the highest market share and they're still trying to get more share by hook or by crook. But this time, it's tough.
Samsung has realized how loyal Apple fanboys are. The ads actually made me laugh on Samsung. The vibrant perception that has kept the apple fanboys into, is
extraordinary. Never have I seen another company trying to break a very tough perception like this of Apple. And Samsung knows it. And it's trying wayyyyy too hard to break that perception. Whether they'll really succeed or not, is another question. But personally, I'm just amazed by the marketing tactics used by late SJ and now... Tim Cook. We all know of what happens in a keynote session now. TK -> Jony Ive -> Scott -> TK
Might be insistent for many, but still, I'm just amazed by the amount of aura they create every time, during the keynote.
Maybe that's why some fandroid coined the term - Apple Fanboys.
The only big reason why I think people are hating/disliking/jealous of Apple / iphone is cause of the price tag associated with it. But to me, it's surprising that people are willing to buy something worth that price, even today, including Indians. And Samsung is definitely jealous of Apple's $50bil cash pile. I'm a person who gives equal weights to both hardware and software. Hardware for S3 has been below par. I just... didn't like the design. Its.. it just doesn't come to the liking. I'd rate Galaxy Y way more than S3, in terms of the design at least.
I can't really comment on iphone5. Cause unlike the majority of people who are blindly posting about the negatives of it, I'd rather test it out first and then give my input. But from the looks of it, plus I'm a big fan of design, I'd certainly want to try it out once. Some people end up saying "The phone isn't meant for a design. It's meant for 2 things - calls and text. Nothing else". Guess only creative people can really understand the power of a UX and UI.
PS: Just a general post, don't turn this into some silly debate.
To each, his own.
PPS: Earlier I just used to like Marketing. But now, I love it.