“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
For over a decade, my enthusiasm for Android never waned. One of the biggest reasons I love this OS is its infinite potential. Not only does it allow you to customize its home screens with launcher apps, such as Nova launcher, but also it allows you to install Android-based custom ROMs if you have a slight knowledge of CLI-based command experience. Additionally, if you have ever programmed in Java, you can create your own apps and even release them on Google Play Store. And what’s more, if you have some knowledge in Java/XML/C/C++, you can even program your original OS on top of AOSP (Android Open Source Project). This OS with infinite potential never ceases to make me excited.
So, here is the question. At least in North America and Japan, why do Gen-Z prefer iPhone over Android? Why is teen iPhone ownership on the rise? I believe there are two reasons: peer pressure and iSheep-loyalty. And I do want to point out the fact that those who love iPhones without having any deep tech knowledge, known as iSheep, are missing significant points.
As is often the case in the first world, including US, EU5, and Japan, teens are exposed to peer pressure. Since everyone else uses iPhone, they eventually give in to peer pressure. To be welcomed into their circle of friends, they want to share pictures by Air-Drop, and send messages via iMessage. If they have multiple Apple products in their possession, they may enjoy Apple’s system-wide integration that provides them with a better user experience. Particularly in Japan, girls ask their boyfriends to change their device to iPhone if they are Android users.
But wait. Think about it. iPhones may look sleek, cool, and even sexy. BUT. Yes here is a big fat BUT. What are they doing with their fancy and expensive iPhones? Watching videos on TikTok? Keep scrolling Instagram feed? Snapchatting?
Ohhhhhh, man!!! That’s so pathetic! Simply pathetic! And you know what? What they do doesn’t spark joy. Think about it. Their iPhones may cost $1000+, but owners’ level of intelligence to take advantage of the full potential of their fancy devices usually doesn’t deserve it.
From here, let’s get into today’s main discussion. Think about what you can do if you have a $400 Android device, such as a Pixel 4a. The Android developer community is huge. It’s super huge that developers all around the world contribute their engineering skills to develop custom ROMs/Android build based on the Android source code provided by Google. (Amazon’s Fire OS could also be considered an Android’s custom ROM. Instead of being backed by volunteers like many other custom ROMs, it is backed by a corporation)
Therefore, the message I want to share with the world is this. Once you purchased a fancy-and-expensive iPhone, it’s over. There are a few engineering and tech skills you can acquire via interacting with its OS. However, if you purchase an Android device that may cost way less than an iPhone, what you can do and learn through interacting with the OS is immense.
If you have a Windows/Linux laptop or a Macbook, you can connect your Android phone to your machine and install community-based custom ROMs on your phone by unlocking the bootloader. You don’t know how to do it? As I said, the Android developer community is HUGE. You can search YouTube tutorials, and there are tons of them. And through the experience of installing custom ROMs on your phone, you can learn some basic command lines and even give you a chance to learn the relationship between the OS and the bootloader.
One of the most interesting custom ROMs I’ve ever used was Maru OS which is developed by Mirai Labs LLC. The main focus of Maru OS is productivity. When you enable the desktop mode and connect your device to a monitor as well as pair it up with a wireless Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, you can interact with the full Linux desktop environment. Don’t you think this is amazing?
Not only that but if you have experience in coding (preferably in Java/C/C++), you can build your own android custom ROM and distribute it to the community. Imagine a situation where you build your own custom ROM and wrote your experience in your resume. What would someone in charge of the HR department of the company where you applied think? Wouldn’t it be exciting?
And do you think you can create your own custom ROM of iOS? Absolutely not! You can’t!! As I mentioned above, with Android, you can install custom ROM on your device by unlocking the bootloader and building your own custom ROM. And it might give you a valuable chance to demonstrate your tech skills. Notable.
That’s not all. Google provides us with free app-building software, called Android Studio. It doesn’t have to be an expensive machine to install it. Not only can you program your original Android app on a Windows machine, but you can also build it on other OSes, including macOS, Linux, and even Chrome OS. What is interesting about it is that you don’t have to install the programming language, such as Java/Kotlin, by yourself. Those languages are pre-installed on the software so that you can instantly start coding an app once the installation is finished. On the other hand, if you want to code an iOS app, you have to purchase a Macbook and have to keep paying a yearly Apple Developer Program membership fee, which costs $99 in local currency. Unbelievably ridiculous!! How much money do they want?
So, now you see it. You can learn a wide range of technological skills with an Android device. Apple products are sleek, modern, and cool. But what you can do with them is significantly limited when compared with Android and other Google products.
Think about it. If you purchase an iPhone, you can only be a user. And the value of your device will decrease from the moment you opened its box. On the other hand, if you purchase an Android, you can be a creator. And those technical skills you can acquire through installing custom ROMs and building your apps will eventually land you a job that makes you shine in the cloud. While your iSheep friend keeps scrolling through Instagram photos, you can gain valuable skills with your device that costs much less than an iPhone.
Here, let me tell you my story. Ever since I became a programmer three years ago, I’ve been coding in Java for my work. Since I familiarized myself with the language, it was quite natural for me to be interested in coding an Android app of my own with the language. My tech universe has always never been thrown out of Google orbit. Everything Google does entertains my life, and I’ve always wanted to be a part of their huge global community. Android gave me a chance to participate in the community by coding my first-ever Android app. Probably by the end of this month, I can finally release it on Google Play Store. And you know what? When I shared my GitHub page of the app with a professional Java programmer whom I met online, not only was he impressed with my work, he even told me that he would like to connect me to his tech friend who owns an Android app business. Can you believe it? I proved the undeniable fact that my enthusiasm for Android can land me a job. Since I can do it, you can do it too.
So, here is the last question for you. Which do you think is more valuable to possess – a device or a skill? Just watching TikTok on your expensive iPhone doesn’t land you a job. Or maybe you can be a TikTok video creator and share your videos on the platform. But is it a sustainable career? If you have technological skills, the opportunities ahead of you are immense. Just think about it.
Thanks.
