TECH
VET
Garret Pachtinger, VMD, DACVECC
VETgirl
& Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center
Greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
OPINION
That Magic Moment:
The Switch to Apple
This self-admitted tech-savvy veterinarian was not always an Apple fanboy. I grew up watching He-Man
cartoons and dismantling my personal computer to upgrade the RAM
and hard drive during the commercial breaks. It was only during my
veterinary emergency and critical
care residency that I tired of the constant Windows updates, threats of
viruses wiping out my hard drive,
and the ever-lovely PC blue screen of
death: “Windows ate my homework.”
My switch to Apple in 2009 was a
magical moment. First came the Mac,
then the iPhone, then the iPad. Beauty, brains, and a sense of humor with
Siri. All mine.
Don’t get me wrong—I still laugh at
the “Next Big Thing” Samsung Android commercials. But I would
rather date the prom queen who has
everything than the comedian trying to compensate.
An open letter from an Apple fanboy to Veterinary Team Brief readers:
Who is the perceived Apple fanboy or fangirl?
• A person who believes in almost anything Apple says.
• A person who believes that Windows is archaic and inferior, does
not work, or just plain ripped off ideas from the Mac operating
system (OS).
• A person who waits in line, sometimes for days, for Apple keynote
speeches.
• A person who believes that adding an “i” prefix to anything makes it
automatically superior to anything else.
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veterinaryteambrief.com June 2015
So, why should a veterinary professional carry an Apple device in his or
her pocket?
Key Difference
When evaluating the iPhone’s utility in the veterinary field, of importance is the key difference between
the iPhone and Android app community: Android’s lack of a streamlined OS.
PEER
REVIEWED
The Android OS is fragmented. Certain apps work only on certain phones
and certain versions of the OS.1 Apple’s newest OS, iOS 8, was reportedly installed in February 2015 on 72%
of iOS devices2 almost 5 months after
it first launched in September 2014.
Android’s latest version (5.0 [ie, Lollipop]) was released in November 2014
and had only been installed on 1.6%
of Android devices by February 2015.3
Most Android users are still running
KitKat, which was released in October
2013, or even Jelly Bean, which made
its debut in June 2012. Because of this
fragmentation, many (veterinary) apps
are incompatible with older devices. This means that once a veterinary
application is purchased on an iOS
device, it will continue being compatible down the line, unlike on Android smartphones. Amazing Apps
The iPhone app system is full of amazing, free veterinary apps that are far
superior to Android options. Moreover, developers tend to make the best
apps for iOS first, and while you can
find most of the same popular apps on
Android, they may lack the same
design and features found on iOS
devices.4 In my opinion, it is a struggle to find good quality, up-to-date,
free Android apps that are compatible with different Android OSs.
Apple products also streamline tasks,
including video conferencing. It is
easy to reference improvements in patient care using iOS devices. In April
2014, a Los Angeles human hospital
deployed FaceTime-equipped iPads5
in its neonatal intensive care units to
facilitate communication between
mothers and newborns when face-toface interaction was not possible because of a postoperative complication
or an infection that could put the
newborn infant at risk. Physicians and
veterinarians can easily video message
or video chat with clients and colleagues to discuss cases and implement treatment plans.
For those living in the 1990s who still
believe they need an open OS or Flash
support, an Android device is for you
(and Zach Morris and A.C. Slater).
The rest of the modern world will be
working to improve patient care by
creating, sharing, and using the best
medical apps and technology on our
Apple devices.
Respectfully,
Apple fanboy,
Garret Pachtinger, VMD, DACVECC
Editor’s note: Dr. Garret Pachtinger is chief
operating officer of VETgirl and a consultant for the
Veterinary Information Network (VIN). He has a
passion for continuing education and is committed to
veterinary education through technology. References
1. http://www.zdnet.com/article/android-lollipopusers-warn-of-unusable-devices-after-upgrading.
Accessed April 2015.
2. Account Set Up. Apple Inc. https://developer.
apple.com/support/appstore/. Updated 2015.
Accessed February 2015.
3. Android Home Page. Android. https://developer.
android.com/about/dashboards/index.html.
Accessed April 2015.
4. http://www.businessinsider.com/iphoneversus-android-2015-2?op=1#ixzz3a1uwPce8.
Accessed April 2015.
5. New Moms and iPads. Cedars Sinai. http://www.
cedars-sinai.edu/About-Us/News/NewsReleases-2013/iPads-Help-New-Moms-BondWith-Their-Infants-in-the-Neonatal-IntensiveCare-Unit.aspx. Accessed April 2015.
When evaluating the iPhone’s
utility in the veterinary field, of
importance is the key difference
between the iPhone and Android
app community: Android’s lack of
a streamlined operating system.
June 2015 Veterinary Team Brief
17
TECH
VET
Caleb Frankel, VMD
Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center
Greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
OPINION
You Prefer Android;
You Just Don’t Know It Yet
1
Efficiency Through
Customization
2
Google Now
3
The App
Store Myth
4
The Future
As acting Veterinary Team Brief “Tech Vet,”
I’d bet that you would assume I am an “Apple guy.”
Educated techy types, after all, are supposed to be iPhone users, right?1
Well, after exhaustive research and tinkering with both platforms, this self-proclaimed
technology wizard much prefers Google-owned Android phones.
I’m not alone. Nearly 80% of the world’s smartphones are now Android.2
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veterinaryteambrief.com June 2015
PEER
REVIEWED
Let’s get this out of the way up front: I
do not actually think anyone can go
wrong with either machine. Android
phones and iPhones have become remarkably similar in recent years—
even the fanboys and fangirls may
concede this.3
But veterinary professionals are a perfectionistic, creative breed and do not
settle for less than the best. That
knowledge in hand, I encourage readers to let data, not slick commercials,
outdated arguments, or a black turtleneck, guide their decision.
I present 4 reasons veterinary thumbs
would be happier on an Android:
1
Efficiency Through
Customization
The top reason I do not use an iPhone
is lack of customization.
What is the fundamental difference
between Android and iPhone? Android devices are “open” and iPhones
are “closed.” An iPhone is sort of like a
Boston terrier (they are so ugly that
they are cute). iPhones are so controlling that they are simple.
And this is by design.
A recent article put it best: “If Apple
is a strict parent who claims to know
what’s best for you, Google is the
cool uncle who lets you eat ice cream
and finger paint on the new sofa.”4
iPhones run apps, offer services, and
are customizable only where Apple
says they are. Those customizations
are annoyingly limited for any Android user who tries an iPhone.5
With iPhones, default apps, such as
Apple Maps instead of the superior
Google Maps6,7 and iTunes instead
of Google Play Music, are forced on
users regardless of their functionality.
Alternatives are available, but Apple
renders these options inefficient.8
The Android ecosystem allows users
to customize everything—the lock
screen, battery (swappable and upgradeable in many Androids), phone
size, storage, notifications, and default apps. This opens the phone to
amazing innovations that can make
for more efficient practitioners.8,9
App customization and widgets are
where Android really beats Apple.
Android has unique home screen
widgets (ie, simple apps that display
live on the home screen). Users can
have weather, endless shortcuts (think
notes, charts, documents), and their
calendar display directly on the home
screen. For organization, both Apple
and Android devices allow grouping
apps into folders, but Android has a
drawer where minimally used apps
can be tucked cleanly away, while
iPhone makes you store all apps on
the cluttered home screen.8
The Android
ecosystem
allows users
to customize
everything—the
lock screen,
battery, phone
size, storage,
notifications, and
default apps.
Using Android customizations, I created home screens for various parts of
my life. I have a veterinary screen
that holds my calculator (as a widget,
June 2015 Veterinary Team Brief
19
TECH
VET
right there, ready to use) and apps all
in one spot for efficient animal caretaking. During my shifts, I live on
this screen.
completely hands-free, works offline,
syncs to your desktop computer, and
is uniquely predictive, helping you
automatically in the background.
Apple preaches that its “closed” stance
is good, arguing that users never know
what they will get with Android because phone manufacturers and users
can tinker. iPhone champions also
consistently point out that users could
buy a cheaper, and therefore inferior,
Android phone.
Google Now knows my calendar,
where I commute, flight boarding
passes, package deliveries, weather
in cities I frequent, and my favorite
TV shows, article topics, and sports
teams. It automatically delivers information before I know I need it,
such as this recent gem: “Based on
current traffic, it is time to leave for
your dentist appointment.”
What Apple conveniently leaves out is
that users could also buy a spectacular
Android phone that is much better
than the iPhone.
And that is the point. In Android’s
Darwinian culture, you get to pick,
with the belief that the best phone,
app, or service is the one that you decide is best for you.9-11 (For more on
customizations, see Read All About
It: 10 Android features that still
make it better than iOS 8.)
2
Google Now
Google Now is essentially Android’s more advanced, predictive version of Siri.12,13 It is the absolute best
feature of Android devices that very
few people talk about.
Like Siri, Google Now is your personal, voice-controlled assistant capable of opening apps, searching,
reminding you of events, and more.
But Google Now can be activated
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veterinaryteambrief.com June 2015
In true Android form, this is all
fully customizable and continually
improving.
To be clear, you can download Google Now on an iPhone, but it is again
Google Now is
your personal,
voice-controlled
assistant capable
of opening
apps, searching,
reminding you
of events, and
more.
made inefficient by Apple because you
cannot set it as your default.
3
The App Store Myth
Remember the “There’s an app
for that” commercials?14 One cornerstone of the iPhone argument is the
number of apps in the app store.
Not only are there now more apps in
Android’s Google Play Store, but there
are also more developers working on
Android than iPhone apps.15,16 I dare
any iPhone user to come up with a
veterinary (or otherwise) app he or she
relies on that is not accessible on both
Android and Apple devices.
Plus, does any of that even matter?
New research confirms that people
use fewer than 10 apps on any given
day,17 and with high-speed internet
and responsive websites, apps matter
even less.
Even the Google Play Store is far superior to the Apple App Store.16 It is
easier to search, allows app installation on a phone from a computer,
and allows you to return any app
within 2 hours after downloading,
no questions asked.
4
The Future
Here is what all those Apple
commercials will not tell you: The
brand new iPhone 6 is a lot like a
3-year-old Android phone. The simple fact is that iPhones lag behind
Android phones in many features.18,19
PEER
REVIEWED
• • READ ALL ABOUT IT
• Edwards J. I’ve Abandoned iTunes Because Google Music is So Much
Better. Business Insider. http://www.businessinsider.com/ive-abandoneditunes-and-im-never-going-back-because-google-music-is-so-muchbetter-2014-12. Updated December 2014.
• Get Going on Android. Android.com. http://www.android.com/switch/
Google’s Handy Guide to Switching to Android.
• Ion F. 10 Android features that still make it better than iOS 8. Greenbot.com.
http://www.greenbot.com/article/2686006/10-android-features-that-stillmake-it-still-better-than-ios-8.html. Updated September 23, 2014.
Here are some current Android features you will have to wait for on your
iPhone: wireless charging, built-in TV
remotes, water-resistance, expandable
memory, customizable default apps,
facial recognition, split-screen apps,
more usable notifications, and virtual
buttons.20
I will admit that this latest iPhone
boasts some “advancements,” such as
actionable notifications (replying directly from a text notification), typing
suggestions, cross-app communication, and battery stats. But if you need
help with these “new” features, as
pointed out, “just ask an Android user.
We’ve had this stuff for years.”18
Editor’s note: Dr. Caleb Frankel can be contacted
at VMDtechnology.com and at Brief Media at
[email protected].
References
1.Jones M. Apple Users Supposedly Smarter
Than Android Users. ValueWalk.com. http://
www.valuewalk.com/2015/01/apple-userssupposedly-smarter-android-users/. Updated
2015. Accessed March 2015.
2. E
dwards J. The iPhone 6 Had Better Be
Amazing and Cheap, Because Apple is Losing
the War to Android. BusinessInsider.com. http://
www.businessinsider.com/iphone-v-androidmarket-share-2014-5. Updated May 31, 2014.
Accessed March 2015.
3. W
estaway L. Why iOS vs. Android no longer
matters. CNET.com. http://www.cnet.com/
news/ios-vs-android-why-it-no-longer-matters/.
Updated May 7, 2014. Accessed March 2015.
4. K
elly H. Review: Sizing up Google’s Nexus 10 tablet. CNN.com. http://www.cnn.
com/2012/11/02/tech/mobile/nexus-10-review/.
Updated March 2, 2012. Accessed March
2015.
5. K
ellex. iPhone 6 Review. Droid-Life.com.
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/10/03/iphone6-some-final-thoughts-after-two-full-weeks/. Updated October 3, 2014. Accessed March 2015.
6. E
pstein Z. Apple's iOS Maps app is so bad
it can kill you, Australian police warn. bgr.
com. http://www.bgr.com/2012/12/10applemaps-criticism-life-threatening/. Published
December 2012. Accessed May 2015.
7. G
ruman G. iOS 6's Apple Maps: Yes, it's that
bad. InfoWorld.com. http://www.inforworld.
com/article/2615434/mobile-apps/ios-6-sapple-maps-yes-it-s-that-bad.html. Published
September 2012. Accessed May 2015.
8. Ion F. 10 Android features that still make it better
than iOS 8. Greenbot.com. (2014); http://www.
greenbot.com/article/2686006/10-androidfeatures-that-still-make-it-still-better-than-ios-8.
html. Updated September 23, 2014. Accessed
March 2015.
9. d
e Looper C. ‘Friends Furever’ Android Ad Is
Simply Adorable And Also Takes A Dig At iOS.
TechTimes.com. http://www.techtimes.com/
articles/31616/20150209/friends-fureverandroid-ad-is-simply-adorable-and-also-takes-
a-dig-at-ios-video.htm. Updated February 9,
2015. Accessed March 2015.
10. Yeaton T. In a World Without Open Source.
Wired.com. http://www.wired.com/2013/07/
in-a-world-without-open-source/. Updated
2013. Accessed March 2015.
11. Schmidt E, Rosenberg J. How Google Works.
New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing; 2014.
12. Keating L. Who is smarter? Siri and Google Now
battle for most intelligent. Techtimes.com. http://
www.techtimes.com/articles/17592/20141010/
who-smarter-siri-google-now-battle-intelligent.
htm. Updated October 10, 2014. Accessed
March 2015.
13. Whitney L. Google Now tops Siri at accuracy,
says analyst. CNET.com. http://www.cnet.
com/news/google-now-tops-siri-ataccuracy-says-analyst/. Updated July 22,
2014. Accessed March 2015.
14. There’s An App For That. YouTube.com. https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=szrsfeyLzyg.
Updated 2009. Accessed March 2015.
15. Ariel. App Store Growth Accelerates in 2014.
appfigures.com. http://blog.appfigures.com/
app-stores-growth-accelerates-in-2014/.
Updated January 13, 2015. Accessed March
2015.
16. Denielson T. Sorry, Apple. Google Play store
now has more apps than iTunes. Christian
Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/
Technology/2015/0115/Sorry-Apple.-GooglePlay-store-now-has-more-apps-than-iTunes.
Updated January 15, 2015. Accessed March
2015.
17. Alford E. Why Do Smartphone Users Download
Apps Only to Ignore Them? Clickz.com. http://
www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2379234/whydo-smartphone-users-download-apps-onlyto-ignore-them. Updated November 4, 2014.
Accessed March 2015.
18. Kleinman A. The iPhone 6 is Actually a Lot
Like a 2012 Android Phone. Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/11/
iphone-6-android_n_5803818.html. Updated
September 11, 2014. Accessed March 2015.
19. Bennet B. Why I’m glad I never abandoned
Android for an iPhone. CNET.com. http://www.
cnet.com/uk/news/why-im-glad-i-neverabandoned-android-for-an-iphone/. Updated
March 28, 2014. Accessed March 2015.
20. Hanna M. 7 Reasons why Android 5.0 Lollipop
is better than iOS 8! phonedog.com. http://
www.phonedog.com/videos/7-reasons-whyandroid-50-lollipop-better-ios-8. Updated
January 26, 2015. Accessed March 2015.
June 2015 Veterinary Team Brief
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