I've been an Android guy all my smartphone life.
Thinking of making the switch to Apple.
Not sure why...maybe just shake things up some.
I don't do smart speakers, so that's not a factor.
I've heard maybe better data privacy with Apple, but other than that don't have a clue.
Any big reasons pro or con for either platform?
Apple tends to do one thing very well with the iPhone, which is all the “like-magic” ways it’s able to pair with and then interact with other Apple hardware.
That includes not just smart speakers, but also other iPhones/iPads, desktops/laptops, headphones, Apple TV, I’m probably forgetting something but you get the idea.
If that’s not appealing, and you’re satisfied with Android, I can’t think of anything else off the top of my head that makes my iPhone particularly compelling. Perhaps if one also uses it for work or another organization that manages the phone or some of its apps (or one needs access to an app that’s iOS only).
Retired, That's the problem: too much time on my hands. 
Although another problem is the fixed-income thing, lol.
Apple hardware is not kind to the wallet, that’s for sure.
I’ve never really liked MacOS, so I won’t use a Mac or MacBook at home. But the iPhone, which I’ve had since about 2008 I think, has really gotten me hooked on Apple’s other offerings over time.
For example I only recently tried out an Apple TV for the first time in my bedroom, and the way it can seamlessly pair and unpair with my headphones, or the Sonos speaker in our master bath (because it natively supports Apple’s AirPlay), is pretty f’ing cool.
IMHO, Apple is all about the ecosystem and how services, software, and hardware all interact together. They release software on various platforms together and every year it just keeps becoming a 'tighter' integration story. So if you are a MacOS user, an iPhone makes sense.
Otherwise, if you mix and match Windows, with Android, with Roku, with whatever, the real Apple advantage is lost.
I was a Windows developer years ago, switched to Mac and never looked back.
As an outsider looking in, having never owned or used an Apple device, the impression I get is the "it just works" element resulting from their tight control over the ecosystem and integrations is what sets them apart. I'm not kidding myself that it's all roses for everyone, I'm sure there are stories of frustrations people have or have had with Apple, but that is at least the impression I have.
That said, a phone often has a quicker turnover rate than say a laptop, so the extra $$$ may counter some of the more intangible benefits if you have to keep shelling out for a new one every 2-5 years.
Having done that experiment a couple years ago, I can share my experience. As folks have said previously, the real advantage of using Apple devices is the interoperability of those devices. In a mixed environment, there were more than a few frustrations (sharing between devices being the biggest). Apple's biggest problem is their biggest advantage in an all Apple environment - draconian control over everything. That control makes things "just work." However, the things that "just work" are things that they ALLOW you to do. Anything outside of that is a roll of the dice. Maybe you can multistep hack your way to accomplishing it, but it's gonna be ugly. Don't get me wrong, they allow you to do a lot of things. Just don't try to go outside of those things.
I tried to give it the best chance and got the latest and greatest Pro version iPhone at the time and an Apple Watch to go with it... It lasted 6 months before I couldn't take it anymore.
That was MY experience as a "power user" in a mixed environment. YMMV.
For me, apple just works. They are very privacy oriented as well (bonus). I tried android briefly but the isp controlled the firmware updating and refused to update it. Updates kept happening to the apps though and eventually the phone slowed to a crawl and became unusable. Went back to and stayed with apple. (I don't like mac os but know how to use it). IOS is just solid and just works
How long ago was that? Slowdown and lack of updates was definitely a thing in the Android world, but not in the last few years as long as you were getting decent devices. Samsung, in particular has been silly fast in getting the updates out. Mind you, not as fast as Apple due to their ability to bypass ISPs, but pretty dang fast.
I always got around that by buying unlocked phones outside of the cell providers, but I understand that I'm in the minority (by a lot).
My brother had the same experience and went from 10 year iOS user to a Galaxy Z Fold 4 and hasn't looked back. Granted, the form factor difference had a lot to do with it.
Also, I'm not sure if I'm an outlier, but I experienced non-Apple iOS apps crashing way more than Android apps panicking and just closing on me.
The Apple ecosystem has "Apple Home" (formerly called Apple HomeKit, but since the arrival of Matter, they renamed it Apple Home, to try to avoid confusion with their protocol called which is still called HomeKit.) Apple probably has the best implementation of Matter at this point in time. I have found it very easy to add a Matter device to Apple Home, and then share it with other Matter Controllers. I find the Apple Home user interface to be very nice, and very well integrated with the whole Apple platform. I really don't use Hubitat Dashboards any longer, as the Apple Home app is always readily available on both mine and my wife's iPhones and iPads. It 'just works' especially for non-technical users. I have also integrated my UniFi Protect cameras into Apple Home using Scrypted. I am pretty impressed with Apple's Secure Video image processing to let me know whether a person, car, or animal has been detected. It also performs facial recognition (if desired) and is very good at properly identifying people. I have my Apple TV devices configured to display a pop-up when specific video motion events are detected. It is nice to see those while watching TV. Those notifications also pop-up on my iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. I use Apple Home for my Geo-Presence detection with Hubitat. It was trivial to create a virtual Hubitat "Presence with Switch" device, and then share that with Apple Home via Hubitat's HomeKit integration. Then an Apple Home automation simply changes the value of this device's 'switch' attribute whenever we arrive or depart. This has been very reliable. I can't recall it ever not working, now that I think about it...
We currently use iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, Airpods, and Apple Watches everyday. I also have one HomePod Mini, which I bought to compare versus my fleet of Amazon Echo devices. There is nothing wrong with the HomePod, however I really have no compelling reason to replace my Amazon Echo devices. They have been very reliable, and we are very used to them at this point. Replacing all 10 of them would also not be cheap. Also, I like the display on Echo Show 5s and Show 8s. It is nice having a visible clock on a end table or night stand.
I used to be somewhat anti-Apple, due to what I perceived as the price-premium one had to pay for 'just a name'. That all changed once Apple released the iPhone. My first iPhone was the 3GS. Ever since, I have slowly incorporated more and more of the Apple ecosystem into our home. Apple has a focus on user data privacy and security. While I pay more for the Apple products, but I believe that is because my data is not the real product - like it is with Google, Samsung, Amazon, etc... Apple truly does have a plan and strategy to make everything in their system work seamlessly together, which I now take it for granted. I believe I would have a hard time switching away from it at this point.
(LOL, this topic easily becomes one of the classic flamewars, right up there with XBox vs Playstation and Ford vs Chevy. I'll try to play nice. 
)
I used to be an all PC guy, but after getting my first iPhone in 2010, I tried out a Macbook Air. Loved the macbook... 14 years have passed... and my house now contains, between my wife and kids and I:
Not much, eh? LOL
Regarding the cost... no doubt a lot of the devices look/are pricey. However:
If taken care of, iPhones can last over 5yrs easy and really age well performance wise. Apple is really good about providing software updates for 7yrs. I think the 7yr mark is actually official.
I’m not sure of the Android device manufacturer support timeframes, but I think Google with their Pixel phones are the only one that come close. Pixel phones are pretty expensive if I remember right.
I have been debating on switching out all our Echo devices for Apple HomePods/HomePod mini and FireTVs for Apple TV.
I really want to replace my FireTVs with Apple TVs, I am sick of the “Sponsored” content and interface these days.
The cost, lack of Echo Show type device, lack of Ring integration (without HomeBridge) has kept me from doing it.
I thought about using iPad Minis to replace the Echo Shows, but that’s a huge cost, but there isn’t an iPad that supports Qi charging yet.
I hope that Apple can come out with something like the new Pixel tablet with wireless dock that or at least something comparable to the Echo Show.
My wife and I made the switch to an iPhone when the 11s came out four years ago. Before that we were primarily a Pixel/Nexus. No real reason, we just wanted to try it out. Since then, we have stayed with iPhones, but could easily go back to a Pixel if desired. During this time, I have found that the phones are fairly similar, apps generally are the same, and updates (while slightly different) are consistent (as long as you stay with a Google Pixel).
When I beloved Roku TV kicked the bucket last fall, we tried Google TV before purchasing an Apple TV to test. We now have Apple TVs on all of our TVs. With that said, we do not Airplay, so the iPhone/Apple TV integration is just okay. The best part is being able to use your phone to type in usernames and passwords. I just wished the Apple TV would be able to be integrated into Hubitat. @jwetzel1492 had a great thread on his work. I'm just not interested in spinning up Homebridge or Home Assistant for that one device.
We have no interest in Homepods or Siri. The house littered with Nest Hubs (and Maxes) since their connection to Google Photos is amazing. They play our Youtube Music, answer questions, set times, and serve as our voice control to Hubitat. We also only use PCs at work and home, so no need for a Mac.
Basically, this is a long way of saying, if you want to try it go ahead. It's a phone that will open apps and browse the web very similar to your current phone or any other android phone you get. I do recommend getting a Pixel if you stay in Android, but that is a different story.
We use Iphones and Ipads, but our TVs and soundbar are newish Samsung. Is there a benefit to getting apple TV? The TVs already have built-in streaming and support AirPlay.
Agreed, rarely does a choice of two systems cause so much debate and opinion. I'm all Apple. I love the design, the simplicity, how everything 'just works' together and the services. I decided a few years ago to try Android and within a couple of months I'd switched back again.
1 - An Apple TV box (or HomePod) acts as a hub without any setup so you can use Homekit as a dashboard while away from home.
2 - As it links to your iCloud account, if you use iCloud Photos they all sync across for viewing ('everyone back to mine for a slide show lol')
For current iPhone users that have iOS 17, there is a new feature called “Standby”.
It kinda turns your phone into a smart display. It’s a little limited right now as far as options and things you can do. But it’s something.
If you have a general phone stand or Qi charger that lets you charge your phone in landscape mode, Standby will activate.
I'm still very happy to continue using my pixel 2XL I bought in Jan '18, though I lost o/s updates about 3 years ago...
Anytime you put vs in the title, it's going to be a sharply divided conversation.
I used work in IT support full time. I know my way around Windows and that's where I made my money. At home, I've always used Apple (unless forced into Windows by a company or to gain access to software not available on MacOS) becuase I have never wanted to work hard on my own time at keeping my own system running smoothly. My personal opinion about the iPhone is the same. I once bought a used Android phone (I think it was 2 years old when I bought it if I remember correctly) for testing and it was too far out of date for OS update within a year. Now this wasn't a top end model, so that explains a lot, but the iPhone XR I bought in 2018 is now in my son's hands and still running the latest iOS like a champ. Apple supports iOS on their devices for an average of 7 years.
No one but a serious luddite has ever asked me for technical support with an iPhone. Android users approached me many times over the years for support. That's not a slight against Android, but more a testiment to the thoughful effort put into iOS so anyone can use and configure it without needing a teenager on standby.
If you want to get into using HomeKit, then an iPhone is an indispenable tool. We're all iPhone in this house, so it's our "dashboard" of choice.
If none of this matters to you, then you may not be impressed with what you get for the price.
I dunno. It's been pretty tame in here. A lot better than some comment sections.
Edit: Nevermind! I spoke too soon. The fanbois have arrived.
Download the Hubitat app
