Welcome to the “Unofficial-Official” iPhone versus Android match up that everyone has been waiting for! In this weeks episode, the guys go head-to-head in debating five pros and five cons of owning an iPhone and an Android. This is one you don’t want to miss – listen now to see whether Team Austin (iPhone) or Team Josh (Android) wins!
Main Talking Points
[1:57] – Brand Loyalty
[4:43] – Smartphone Statistics
[8:41] – Dad Joke of the Week
[9:06] – The Big Debate
[9:44] – 5 Things Austin Likes About iPhones
[14:27] – 5 Things Josh Likes About Androids
[20:27] – 5 Things Austin Dislikes About iPhones
[25:19] – 5 Things Josh Dislikes About Androids
[30:08] – How Would You Invest in Smartphones?
[32:06] – Should You Invest in Companies That Make or Are Involved in Smartphones?
Links & Resources
Top Smartphone Brands, By Global Sales – Visual Capitalist
10 Reasons Why an Android Phone is Better Than an iPhone – Crambler
Invest With Us – The Invested Dads
Free Guide: 8 Timeless Principles of Investing
Social Media
Full Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
Welcome to The Invested Dads podcast, simplifying financial topics so that you can take action and make your financial situation better. Helping you to understand the current world of financial planning and investments, here are your hosts, Josh Robb and Austin Wilson.
Austin Wilson:
All right. Hey, hey, hey, welcome back to The Invested Dads podcast, a podcast where we take you on a journey to better your financial future. Today, we are going to be throwing down. This is the unofficial official iPhone versus Android boxing match everyone has been waiting for.
Josh Robb:
All right. I think we ready to rumble. Gets me pumped up, but honestly, when I think about Android versus iPhone, it reminds me of … you remember those commercials? Hello, I’m a Mac. Hi, I’m a PC. You know what I’m talking about? There was those two guys standing there that represented …
Austin Wilson:
I do. Those were a big thing about what, 10 years ago, probably?
Josh Robb:
Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean-
Austin Wilson:
I’m a Mac, I’m a PC.
Josh Robb:
… it dates how old I am. Yeah. That’s what I’m thinking about is like two different things, and people have their strong opinions on one or the other.
Austin Wilson:
Very strong.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
There’s not many people who are like, “I’m in both camps.”
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
It’s very polarizing. It’s a lot like America.
Josh Robb:
Sure.
Austin Wilson:
So yes, it is Android versus iPhone, and today we’re going to specifically be focusing on the phone side of things. We could talk for weeks about computers, and tablets, and whatnot, but this is specifically talking about iPhones. We’ve got some numbers for you. The numbers might shock you, and then we’ve got some opinions-
Josh Robb:
Yes.
[1:57] – Brand Loyalty
Austin Wilson:
… because … Okay, we’re going to get this started-
Josh Robb:
Unbiased opinions.
Austin Wilson:
… but we’re going to get this started by saying that Austin is Team iPhone.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
All the way, and Josh is Team Android all the way. Are you just anti-iPhone?
Josh Robb:
No, I like my …
Austin Wilson:
Have you ever had a Windows phone?
Josh Robb:
I have owned a Windows phone.
Austin Wilson:
How bad was that?
Josh Robb:
Actually, it was one of my favorite operating systems. The apps were horrible. They just didn’t-
Austin Wilson:
Because they probably didn’t have any support. Yeah.
Josh Robb:
No, they had zero, but from an operation standpoint and for what I used it for, the integration was awesome. I loved it.
Austin Wilson:
Words With Friends?
Josh Robb:
Words With … Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
That’s what you used-
Josh Robb:
Yes. It’s all out there-
Austin Wilson:
You had to find extra people to play with, because you don’t have any friends. Yeah.
Josh Robb:
Yeah, but what it had was syncing or integrating with my Office …
Austin Wilson:
Yeah.
Josh Robb:
… software.
Austin Wilson:
Back then, it was hard, I’m sure. Now everything integrates really well.
Josh Robb:
Yeah, but back then, that phone … literally, I could just set it down with my PC, plug it in, and all my data, the spreadsheets, all that stuff was-
Austin Wilson:
Bill Gates would be so proud.
Josh Robb:
Oh, it was so great.
Austin Wilson:
Now, that was a very short-lived timeframe.
Josh Robb:
It was.
Austin Wilson:
Android has since taken your heart.
Josh Robb:
Yep.
Austin Wilson:
You are an Android lover, despite the fact that I give you a hard time, probably daily …
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
… and most of the office, actually. Are you the only non-iPhone user in our office?
Josh Robb:
I believe so.
Austin Wilson:
I think you are.
Josh Robb:
Now, I will say … so from that standpoint, and we’re going to talk about this, is … so my operating system is Android. I am not really brand loyal to the phone … maker.
Austin Wilson:
Right.
Josh Robb:
I’ve had some … I’ve had a … Well, the Microsoft phone was not an Android, but I’ve had, let’s see here …
Austin Wilson:
Obviously, Samsung.
Josh Robb:
Samsung is what I currently have. I’ve had …
Austin Wilson:
Motorola.
Josh Robb:
A couple of Motorolas …
Austin Wilson:
Huawei.
Josh Robb:
… I don’t know what that is.
Austin Wilson:
That’s that Chinese company that got banned.
Josh Robb:
Oh, okay. No, but Motorola, I’ve had some Samsung, I’m trying to think. I had one other one for a while-
Austin Wilson:
LG, maybe?
Josh Robb:
LG, yes. I did have a couple LG, and then I have a couple friends who’ve had the Pixel …
Austin Wilson:
Yeah, Google Pixel.
Josh Robb:
They really like those, and I, the times I’ve used them, I thought they were pretty cool. Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
See, I’m the opposite. I am extremely brand loyal, in all aspects of life.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
So this is where I get to be the way I am.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
I want to preface this by saying I used to be an Android user.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
I used to be a part of the dark side before the force got me and I came to the light saber. See, that was a lot of Star Wars puns …
Josh Robb:
Yeah. That was totally messed up there.
Austin Wilson:
… all at once.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
All at once. Yeah. My first smartphone in college, they were not very smart back then, but they were still a smartphone. It was an Android, a Motorola RAZR …
Josh Robb:
Oh yeah, the RAZRs.
Austin Wilson:
… Maxx.
Josh Robb:
Oh, yeah.
Austin Wilson:
… with the big battery. It was carbon fiber. It was sweet, and then the screen shattered on me because it fell out of my pocket or something, but then I ended up with a cheap Android phone that I used for a while, until I got a good deal on an iPhone 4S. Oh, and that thing took my heart.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
Took my heart, and it’s been no turning back since then.
Josh Robb:
There you go.
[4:43] – Smartphone Statistics
Austin Wilson:
So let’s talk numbers in 2020, because that was the last full year we have, and I’m going to link a Visual Capitalist article in the show notes that kind of breaks this down, but Samsung was the leader. Samsung sold 19%, or commanded 19% of the market share of new phones in 2020, with 253 million units sold. That’s a lot of units sold, about a quarter billion, but that’s actually down 14.6% from 2019. Now that’s not totally surprising considering there was a pandemic in the middle of all of that, and-
Josh Robb:
Yeah, and release cycles, too. They had …
Austin Wilson:
True.
Josh Robb:
… I know this year they released a couple. They had their new Note 20 or whatever came out, and I think their new Galaxy one came out in 2021.
Austin Wilson:
Yep.
Josh Robb:
I think they were in between market release dates, because Apple’s the same way. You kind of go in spurts.
Austin Wilson:
Yep. Second, speaking of Apple, Apple is in second as of 2020. In terms of new phone purchases, 15% of the new phone purchases in 2020 were Apple products, and that was 200 million units, representing the actual 3.3% growth from 2019.
Josh Robb:
There you go.
Austin Wilson:
So it did grow. Third place is Huawei, which is the Chinese company I mentioned earlier. They were essentially banned from United States anyway, on national security concerns a couple years ago. They had 14% of global smartphone sales in 2020 with 183 million units, and that was down 24% versus 2019, due to that ban.
Josh Robb:
Yeah. So they’re pretty popular overseas.
Austin Wilson:
Oh yeah. Especially in China, which is a huge market. In fourth place, I don’t know how to say it, Xiaomi? It starts with an X.
Josh Robb:
Sure.
Austin Wilson:
They command 11% of 2020 sales, 146 million units, 15.7% growth from 2019. APO is in fifth place, with 8% and 112 million units, down six percent-ish from the year before. There’s a big bunch of other, because there’s a lot of small smartphone makers, and that’s about a third or 33% of the overall smartphone market in 2020.
Josh Robb:
And Google would fall in there.
Austin Wilson:
Google would have fallen in there. 455 million other, and that’s down 20% from the year before. Total smartphone sales in 2020 were 1.35 billion units, and that was down 12.5% from 2019. That’s globally, but-
Josh Robb:
Blackberry, where’s Blackberry?
Austin Wilson:
I mean, I bet if you would’ve run this 10 years ago …
Josh Robb:
Oh, it was huge.
Austin Wilson:
Blackberry was huge. They would’ve been in-
Josh Robb:
I had one.
Austin Wilson:
… the top handful. Did you?
Josh Robb:
Well, years ago.
Austin Wilson:
Jenna did, too.
Josh Robb:
I liked it.
Austin Wilson:
I never had one.
Josh Robb:
It had the full keyboard, that was the one good thing about it.
Austin Wilson:
Keyboards and everything, yeah. In the US, Apple controls 50% of the smartphone market in the US. Globally, it only controls about 15%, so big difference here versus the rest of the world. China is expected to see the most sales in 2021, but the highest growth areas are actually projected to be in Western Europe, Latin America, and more mature markets in the Asia Pacific. Another article that I’ll link in the show notes from a website called Magnify, they said 91% of US households own smartphones and use them a lot, and approximately half of global web traffic is mobile now.
Josh Robb:
That surprises me. That’s crazy.
Austin Wilson:
That is crazy. There are more than 3 billion smartphone users worldwide, and the market is expected to grow by several hundred million over the next few years. So it’s still growing …
Josh Robb:
It is.
Austin Wilson:
… especially as more economies develop and mature, that’s becoming a more prevalent part of their economies.
Josh Robb:
It seems like too there’s the big push to get internet access to the harder hit areas-
Austin Wilson:
Yeah.
Josh Robb:
… and more rural … well, with cell phone coverage, it’s a little easier to get those out than to run the lines for internet.
Austin Wilson:
Exactly.
Josh Robb:
I see that being an opportunity that you could use that as a way of getting that access-
Austin Wilson:
Right.
Josh Robb:
… to farther places quicker.
Austin Wilson:
So the global smartphone market was worth about $715 billion in 2020 and is expected to surpass $1 trillion by 2026.
Josh Robb:
Wow.
[8:41] – Dad Joke of the Week
Austin Wilson:
That’s trillion, with a T. That’s a big number. All right, so we’re going to do our dad joke now.
Josh Robb:
Yes, before we-
Austin Wilson:
Before we get into our-
Josh Robb:
… so we still like each other during the dad joke.
Austin Wilson:
Yeah, so I can laugh at you without getting all mad.
Josh Robb:
Laughing at me. All right. So we’re talking technology, we’re talking internet. Do you know how trees get on the internet?
Austin Wilson:
Nope.
Josh Robb:
They log in.
Austin Wilson:
They log in.
Josh Robb:
That’s how they get on the internet.
[9:06] – The Big Debate
Austin Wilson:
That’s classic, Josh. Good job. Good job. So now is what everyone’s been waiting for.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
This is when Josh and I are going to talk about our preferences on smartphones. Yes, I prefaced it by saying I’m an iPhone user. I don’t see myself ever having an Android. Each of us are going … and you probably are kind of tied to the other side of the page there. Let’s talk about five things that we like about our current preference, and five things that we think need some improvement.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
I know you had trouble coming up with five things that needed improvement.
Josh Robb:
Yeah. I really-
Austin Wilson:
You were really digging.
Josh Robb:
… maybe a couple more phone color choices.
Austin Wilson:
Yeah.
Josh Robb:
I don’t know.
[9:44] – 5 Things Austin Likes About iPhones
Austin Wilson:
I’m going to start. Here are five things I like about my iPhone.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
Feel free to chime in and make comments on them, because you might hate them. Number one, I feel like Apple’s software is fantastic to use.
Josh Robb:
Sure.
Austin Wilson:
Josh says no.
Josh Robb:
I will agree though, and this is one of the ones, is if you found the first iPhone …
Austin Wilson:
Yeah.
Josh Robb:
… if it still works and can charge or whatever, that layout is the exact same as where you’re going to look at on iPhone 13, for the most part. It’s very consistent, so there’s no learning curve if I upgrade my phone to, “Oh no, where did everything go?” It’s in the same spot, and that is pretty nice. I will agree.
Austin Wilson:
It is absolutely great. It’s very intuitive to me because I’m used to it, and it’s similar across devices. So I’m sitting here on an iPad reading notes, it’s similar as my iPhone.
Josh Robb:
Yep.
Austin Wilson:
Josh is reading his notes on an iPad.
Josh Robb:
I do have an iPad.
Austin Wilson:
That’s a work iPad, so it’s not his jam. Anyway, I also am going to tag on as a 1A that the backup function … so when you use iCloud backup to back up your phone, and you set it up to automatically do it every night or whatever, the minute you get a brand new iPhone in the mail or whatever, you just log in with your Apple ID and it restores your phone exactly as your old one was. All the apps are in the same place, all the data’s the same, everything is the same. I’m sure Android can’t be even anywhere close to that.
Josh Robb:
They do have a … but I will tell you, the layout doesn’t stay the same because …
Austin Wilson:
Oh, really?
Josh Robb:
… Yeah. If I have my apps here or there, it loads them all in-
Austin Wilson:
Yeah.
Josh Robb:
… and all my settings get pulled in, and all my contacts, and all this stuff, but then I have to reorganize my screen. So yeah, you’re right.
Austin Wilson:
That should be one of your five things you dislike, because yeah, it’s great. All my folders are the same, everything’s the same. That’s number one. Number two, the continuity of the software across Apple devices, I believe, is perfection. Handoff is something you can do, where you to hand something off from your phone to your iPad. It’s really easy to do. Sidecar is a way that you can use your iPad as an auxiliary monitor to your Mac.
Josh Robb:
Wow.
Austin Wilson:
You can actually use multiple. I have a personal iPad, and I have a work iPad, and I have a Mac at home. So if I’m working on my Mac, I can sidecar both of my iPads as …
Josh Robb:
Three screens?
Austin Wilson:
Three screen monitors. It’s super cool. iCloud syncing, I think, is actual magic. It just syncs everything, and every setting across all your devices. All your notes, all your messages, everything. I like that a lot. All the switches and buttons, everything’s great. Airplay. Airplay is another one I love. So that’s what number two is, continuity software. Number three, I feel quality when I hold an iPhone or an iPad. From unpacking it, the packaging is beautiful. As a nerd, when I get a new product, which they last a long time, so I don’t get that many, but when I do, I’m nerding out when I’m unpackaging the package. It’s just wonderful. I keep the boxes and everything.
Josh Robb:
Oh yeah.
Austin Wilson:
Oh yeah, because they have good resale value.
Josh Robb:
The boxes?
Austin Wilson:
No, the actual products, but I feel like it improves the resale value if you have the box with it.
Josh Robb:
I gotcha.
Austin Wilson:
That’s great. I feel like the clicks, and switches, and everything that you touch just feels really crisp. Other people disagree, but to me it feels like it earns the premium price, because they’re definitely expensive. All Apple products are expensive. Number four, I really like iMessage and FaceTime. When I come across people that I have to text who are Android users … Josh.
Josh Robb:
Like me.
Austin Wilson:
… and you have to green text-
Josh Robb:
I never understood what that was.
Austin Wilson:
Oh, it’s horrible. You feel like you’re texting-
Josh Robb:
Green and blue are the thing …
Austin Wilson:
You feel like you’re texting some archaic …
Josh Robb:
Oh, yeah?
Austin Wilson:
… landline.
Josh Robb:
What’s different?
Austin Wilson:
You don’t see the little blue dots when … or you don’t see the dots when someone’s typing.
Josh Robb:
That’s security. That’s what …
Austin Wilson:
Yeah. It’s just craziness, but I really like that, and group messaging is super smooth and super nice. You can send all kinds of stuff smoothly with iPhones to each other. Video calling, so I don’t have another option on my phone because … by choice, but … to video call someone on an Android, because why would I? I shun those people. No, I just find myself reaching for the FaceTime, and I know the people that I’ve talked to recently on FaceTime, it’s usually family, they’re iPhone users. It’s super easy to do, and it’s same across my phone, my iPad, my Mac, it all works easily. That’s just the only way. Number five, and there are more than five things that I like, but this is the number five thing, I really feel like Apple products last a long time. I typically keep an iPhone until it stops getting software updates, which can actually be many, many years at this point. They hold their resale and trade-in value very well, so I like that. All of these pros, they actually extend beyond iPhone to … I have an Apple Watch and I love that, and iPads and Macs are the same way.
[14:27] – 5 Things Josh Likes About Androids
Austin Wilson:
Lots of things I like, but those are five. Josh, tell me why in the world you like an Android.
Josh Robb:
Yeah. Well, like you mentioned early on when you were talking about the phone sales, there is one company that makes iPhones, Apple. There are multiple companies that make phones that use the Android operating system.
Austin Wilson:
True.
Josh Robb:
From that standpoint, one of the things I do like about the Android is that there’re choices. From price level points, to features, to all the stuff, you do have a lot more options. Sizes, everything you can think of, because a lot of different companies make the phone that the Android is on.
Austin Wilson:
Right.
Josh Robb:
You just have a variety of choices. That’s one I do like. For instance, mine is a Note, and so it has a little stylus. I like that. That’s what I chose, because I like to take notes on that. I just have choices on where to go with that. That’s one, I like the options. Two, USB-C. Charging, charging, charging … I mean, I can understand you want to be your own unique person, but your iPad … or maybe I should say yours, yours is a little older, new iPads use USB-C.
Austin Wilson:
Oh, I know.
Josh Robb:
Everything else in the world uses USB-C, except for the iPhones. I would’ve bet money that the new iPhone would’ve switched to the USB-C.
Austin Wilson:
Oh, I would’ve too. Now I’m thinking it has to be the next one.
Josh Robb:
They’re going to-
Austin Wilson:
… which is iPhone 14.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
Next fall.
Josh Robb:
Yeah. So the USB-C, it’s compatible. I can bring one cable with me, and it charges all my devices …
Austin Wilson:
Oh yeah.
Josh Robb:
… which is nice. That is one thing I like. Here’s one thing, and again, talking about the software is customizable. There is a little more flexibility in the Android operating system than you have in-
Austin Wilson:
Oh yeah.
Josh Robb:
… an iPhone. That could be good and bad, depending on what you’re doing, but one of the things I do like is I can have on my main screen, my home screen, shortcuts to anything. Now you can have apps on there. I can actually bookmark a webpage and put it on my home screen. I’ve used that. For instance, I was at a conference that had my schedule, but it was on a website. The schedule was on a website, which is dumb, but that’s what I needed. So I bookmarked that to my home screen so I could always click it and look at what’s coming up.
Austin Wilson:
Right.
Josh Robb:
So flexibility there, customization. A lot of the actual underlying software on my Android, I can customize layouts and all that stuff. A little more flexible than an iPhone.
Austin Wilson:
Yep.
Josh Robb:
Expandable memory. Now, as they got more waterproof, some of this has gone away to some phones, but a lot of Androids still have the ability to expand your memory. You could put in those little memory cards, SD cards, and double your memory for cheap. That is, to me, a benefit, especially as people are using their phones more and more, to be able to increase your memory if needed.
Austin Wilson:
Right.
Josh Robb:
That to me is a benefit. Then the last one, and this is debatable, because it all depends on what you look at.
Austin Wilson:
Yep.
Josh Robb:
Again, with the options of phones and all the stuff, there is … comparing hardware, you have a lot more choices.
Austin Wilson:
Oh yeah.
Josh Robb:
iPhones, you get about three choices. You get the max, and the regular one, and the mini, for the new release.
Austin Wilson:
Then you’ve got the pros.
Josh Robb:
Yeah. You’re in there, kind of with hardware you could choose all of it.
Austin Wilson:
A million, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Josh Robb:
From a $200 phone to a $1,500 phone.
Austin Wilson:
Yep.
Josh Robb:
There’s a website we’ll link in the show notes. It compared the two flagships, the new Samsung S21 and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. So the two high-end, and they’re within a hundred dollars of each other price wise.
Austin Wilson:
Oh yeah, it’s the best …
Josh Robb:
It’s not cheap.
Austin Wilson:
… Quote-unquote, “best phones you can buy.”
Josh Robb:
Yeah, so they compared them. The Samsung had double the RAM, larger battery, faster charging, and 8K video shooting.
Austin Wilson:
Okay. I saw that you put that on your list.
Josh Robb:
Yes. I’m going to caveat that, because I’m going to tell you, I’m going to come to it.
Austin Wilson:
Okay.
Josh Robb:
The processor in the iPhone has a faster processor speed.
Austin Wilson:
Oh, yeah. Of course. But-
Josh Robb:
I’m not going to say any-
Austin Wilson:
I am flabbergasted with the statistics of anything that’s coming out. TVs, phones, iPad, cameras.
Josh Robb:
How did we even get to this megapixel camera?
Austin Wilson:
No eye can tell the difference between your 4K and 8K.
Josh Robb:
Preaching to the choir here, but 8K video on a phone, that technology just confounds me.
Austin Wilson:
It’s crazy.
Josh Robb:
Like you could shoot that on a phone.
Austin Wilson:
I know.
Josh Robb:
The iPhone has 4k.
Austin Wilson:
Yeah.
Josh Robb:
Again, on a screen eight inches …
Austin Wilson:
Oh yeah.
Josh Robb:
That’s irrelevant.
Austin Wilson:
It’s really funny. I would think of … 1080 was 10 years ago, and that was the biggest, baddest thing you could film in, and phones couldn’t do it.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
Big, expensive cameras could, and that was a huge step in the right direction visually, but between that and 4k, which is about four times the pixels …
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
… the human eye cannot discern a lot after 1080, and then 8K is twice that many. It’s just like, at some point …
Josh Robb:
What do you do?
Austin Wilson:
Our eyes don’t work that well.
Josh Robb:
What you do get is, and a lot of argument is, the ability to crop zoom without losing-
Austin Wilson:
Right.
Josh Robb:
… quality. So if you’re shooting in 8K, and you have your picture, but you only want to use a third of that picture-
Austin Wilson:
It’ll be really good.
Josh Robb:
… you’re going to get high quality from that, but yeah, you’re right.
Austin Wilson:
I’m watching-
Josh Robb:
But the camera, and I didn’t realize this, the backend camera … so they have three for the iPhone …
Austin Wilson:
Right.
Josh Robb:
… and this new Samsung is a quad, so it has four. I don’t even know why, but anyway. It’s got four, but it has 108 megapixel.
Austin Wilson:
That’s a lot of megapixel.
Josh Robb:
Yeah. It’s 12 megapixel for the iPhone, which again, for a phone and you’re taking pictures, you can mount that on your wall. You won’t see any problem with it.
Austin Wilson:
It’s only 12 megapixels?
Josh Robb:
That’s what it was listed online. Now the front facing is also 12, so it’s the same quality, but the front facing for the Samsung is 40. Again, it’s irrelevant at some point-
Austin Wilson:
Right.
Josh Robb:
… the quality on all those.
Austin Wilson:
Those are crazy.
Josh Robb:
Long story short, variety was my big one for all that.
Austin Wilson:
It’s true, but one of the funny … going back to the …
Josh Robb:
I know, crazy.
Austin Wilson:
… to the 8K, 4K, whatever, I’m sitting in my living room and I have a seven year old TV. It’s 1080, it’s great. I think it has a great picture. It does not matter if my TV’s 8K, or 1080, or 720, I’m watching Frasier …
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
… from the nineties.
Josh Robb:
Yeah. They didn’t shoot that …
Austin Wilson:
They didn’t shoot that in 8K so it’s irrelevant.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
[20:27] – 5 Things Austin Dislikes About iPhones
Austin Wilson:
Okay. We had to say it at some point, but here we come to the things we don’t like.
Josh Robb:
Nothing’s perfect.
Austin Wilson:
Nothing’s perfect. I’ll even admit that as an iPhone user.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
Okay. Number one, and it goes to one of your pros, where the heck is the USB-C charging?
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
Lightning was good. It was a step above the 30 pin that it replaced.
Josh Robb:
Yeah, that was dumb.
Austin Wilson:
That was really bad, but USB-C … come on, everyone needs USBC. It’s faster. It’s better. It’s more durable. It’s universal.
Josh Robb:
I feel like those lightning ones broke a lot, too.
Austin Wilson:
Yeah. I go through …
Josh Robb:
Are you in the same boat?
Austin Wilson:
I go through them all the time.
Josh Robb:
I don’t own iPhones, but my wife does, and I just feel like those broke … I have a pile of my old Android chargers …
Austin Wilson:
Yep.
Josh Robb:
… back when they had those old pin ones, and they’re still sitting there. I got to just throw them all out, but she breaks those lightning, and I don’t know if it was just her being rough on it or in general, but when I was looking it up, that was a complaint.
Austin Wilson:
I would say both, probably. I think they do break and disintegrate over time. One of the things that people complain about is then Apple went to green plastic, it was more environmentally friendly, a handful of years ago. Since they did that, their plastic has been deteriorating more on their chargers.
Josh Robb:
The heat, and-
Austin Wilson:
I have chargers last for years and years, typically as long as the phone, but my wife … Jenna, if you’re listening, I love you, but you do not place your phone at an angle typically that is good for the cords.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
If you have any kink in them, it’s no bueno, so that is a problem.
Josh Robb:
Okay, charger.
Austin Wilson:
So yes, USB-C’s charging I think should be universal. It’s good. We’re headed there, we really are.
Josh Robb:
I’ve always just been a fan of universal across … I mean, just so you need to borrow.
Austin Wilson:
Yeah.
Josh Robb:
Google, I think, was the first one to come out with USB-C. I had a Samsung, and someone at church was like, “Hey, my phone’s almost dead. Can I use?” I said, “Yeah, I got a charger in the car,” and they said, “I can’t use it.” Sure enough, I think they had a USB-C, which one of the first ones I think to use it-
Austin Wilson:
Right.
Josh Robb:
… and they couldn’t use my charger.
Austin Wilson:
Yeah.
Josh Robb:
I just think … universal charging …
Austin Wilson:
I think it’s better.
Josh Robb:
… is huge.
Austin Wilson:
It’s just like electric vehicles, it’s just like gas pumps. We all need them to work.
Josh Robb:
We want them to just work. Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
That sounds a little socialist. Europe is trying to force the USB-C thing. I think they’re kind of inadvertently going to get their way, unless Apple skips USB-C altogether and just goes to wireless.
Josh Robb:
Oh, wireless.
Austin Wilson:
It’s just going to go wireless.
Josh Robb:
Yeah. They still need a port. How are you going to get your headphones?
Austin Wilson:
They’re going to make you not-
Josh Robb:
AirPod.
Austin Wilson:
… because then they you buy AirPods.
Josh Robb:
Wow.
Austin Wilson:
Okay, so number two. Why the heck do we still have glass screens? This really goes for all smartphones …
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
… but it is a major problem with iPhones as well. Glass screens, glass breaks.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
You drop your phone …
Josh Robb:
Boom.
Austin Wilson:
It can … it doesn’t always, but it can break. One of our coworkers just dropped her phone, and broke the front and the back …
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
… recently. I’m like, we should be having other options other than glass screens for all smartphones, but iPhones specifically. Number three links to that, glass backs.
Josh Robb:
Yeah. What the crap?
Austin Wilson:
Now, glass backs are required as opposed to a metal back. iPhones used to have metal backs. Now with wireless charging capabilities, you need to have glass backs.
Josh Robb:
I don’t think so.
Austin Wilson:
Oh, is this plastic?
Josh Robb:
I don’t know what that is.
Austin Wilson:
That’s plastic. Yeah. Yeah. You can’t have metal though.
Josh Robb:
Yeah, can’t have metal.
Austin Wilson:
Metal, anything but metal. Well, iPhone instead of going to plastic …
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
… went to glass …
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
… which breaks.
Josh Robb:
Yes, unless you find a new glass that doesn’t break.
Austin Wilson:
Stop making phones of glass. Oh, it drives me crazy. Number four, no support for Apple products, like software wise on PC.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
I wouldn’t say none. You can get iCloud …
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
… linked to your PC, and I use that all the time, and I do think it works pretty well, but iMessage and FaceTime. On my Mac at home, I can iMessage people or message anyone, even with Androids or whatever. No problem. It’s linked to my phone, it’s all the same. I can FaceTime anyone the same on my computer as on my phone. It’d be really nice if that same software was available on a PC. Number five, yeah, this is where you’re probably going to have an edge on me. Battery life should be easy, full day, you should be able to use your phone and watch video for 24 hours.
Josh Robb:
Yep. I mean, the technology advancements …
Austin Wilson:
We should be there.
Josh Robb:
Yep.
Austin Wilson:
Now I know that there’s always cost parities involved, but I think that you should easily be able to have all day battery life …
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
… nowadays, and I’m not there now. I have an iPhone SE2, so it was a year old, it was like the hot rod of the phones when it came out. Biggest processor, but with the old school body.
Josh Robb:
Yep.
Austin Wilson:
I still have to charge it in the middle of the day, and I don’t even use it.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
Usually, it’s running to a low point, like 20%-ish by the time work’s over, so I charge it on the way home, but I only have a three minute commute, so it doesn’t …
Josh Robb:
You can get 2% out of that.
Austin Wilson:
… get a couple extra percent out of it maybe, but I really think we need to have battery life as an all-day …
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
Non-negotiable …
Josh Robb:
Using it. Yeah, not just …
Austin Wilson:
Using it, yes.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
[25:19] – 5 Things Josh Dislikes About Androids
Austin Wilson:
Not standby. Those are my five things. Like I said, it’s not perfect. iPhones aren’t perfect. Josh, what are five things you hate about Android?
Josh Robb:
My first one goes along with what you said, the interaction between Androids and other phones are just not ideal. I don’t know which end it is, I’m assuming because my wife will try to send me a video and I get it the size of a pea that shows up on my screen, and I can’t enlarge it. It’s low quality, and it’s through the message. She sends it to me and another iPhone user, they’re fine.
Austin Wilson:
Yeah.
Josh Robb:
It’s got to be something that I’m getting, I don’t know. So low quality, don’t like it, goes along with also interaction with iPhone FaceTime. I wish there was a way that you could accept FaceTime on Android phone because that would be nice to communicate, because you have … there’s other apps out there, but that’s again, universally accepted one would be nice. I think there was movement towards that. I know Facebook Messenger, now you can communicate between different devices on Facebook Messenger video call.
Austin Wilson:
Microsoft Teams is another way.
Josh Robb:
Yep. Yep.
Austin Wilson:
People are using that mobile-y.
Josh Robb:
I think a lot more people have Facebook Messenger, so it was a compatible … they probably already have it on their phone.
Austin Wilson:
Yep.
Josh Robb:
Anyway, so that’s one. The family, the network, I don’t know what you call the iPhone web of integration with everything, that is nice in the fact that multiple companies make Android phones, it makes it harder for it to communicate between different types of devices. I have a Samsung, and then I have a Windows computer. Although they’re closer in operating systems, they don’t always work seamlessly. Yeah, the idea that like you said, Apple has between a Mac, and an iPad, and an iPhone, they’re all integrated and communicate seamlessly.
Austin Wilson:
What if you had a Chromebook?
Josh Robb:
Probably, if I had a Google phone, that would probably communicate pretty.
Austin Wilson:
Pixel and a Chromebook-
Josh Robb:
If I use the Google web browser, Chrome, it does sync between places.
Austin Wilson:
That was something that … I don’t want to hijack your …
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
… your things here, but I have recently for continuity between PC, and Mac, and iPhone or whatever, I have ventured away from some of the native Apple services. I don’t use the Apple Mail like I used to for my email. I use Outlook-
Josh Robb:
Outlook.
Austin Wilson:
… because I can use Outlook on my PC at work, I can use Outlook on my Mac at home, and I can use Outlook on my iPhone. The same thing goes for Chrome.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
I like the Chrome browser, especially on a PC. I think it’s awesome.
Josh Robb:
Yep.
Austin Wilson:
I like how everything is saved in terms of favorites, and I’ve got folders. Well, I’ve gotten to the point where I transitioned from Safari on my Mac and on my iPhone to using Chrome, because one login and I have all of my favorites, all of my tabs. I can open something on my phone, click the little arrow thing, and open it on my iPad.
Josh Robb:
Yep.
Austin Wilson:
It’s perfect. That is one thing about Chrome, specifically.
Josh Robb:
…with it, by the way.
Austin Wilson:
Oh, it’s awesome.
Josh Robb:
So you had to go into every app that uses Safari and tell it to switch to Chrome?
Austin Wilson:
I changed my default.
Josh Robb:
Yep.
Austin Wilson:
Yep.
Josh Robb:
But you have to do that per app?
Austin Wilson:
No.
Josh Robb:
That’s the … Oh, okay. So the old iPhones, you actually you have to do it per app.
Austin Wilson:
Nope, now you … you used to not be able to set Chrome as your default.
Josh Robb:
Yep, now you can.
Austin Wilson:
Apple had a right in their software where you just could not. They have now changed it so you can.
Josh Robb:
Okay, so that’s good, because I know that was a struggle for a while.
Austin Wilson:
Yep. Sorry to interrupt.
Josh Robb:
No, that’s fine. Along with that though, speaking of apps, usually apps are first to the iPhone.
Austin Wilson:
Yeah.
Josh Robb:
Because most apps are developed-
Austin Wilson:
At least in the United States.
Josh Robb:
… here in the United States, at least … Yeah, the ones that we’re using are US-based apps. 50% of the marketplace is iPhones, the rest are spread between other. So you usually see those apps first to iPhone. You sometimes have to wait a little longer on an Android to get some of those, or the updates, those type of things.
Austin Wilson:
Yep.
Josh Robb:
One thing I hate is pre-installed software. When you get an Android phone, it is already … So let’s say you get one with 256 gigabytes of memory. You don’t get 256, because they got crap on there, and it’s usually … So let’s say Verizon or AT&T are your carrier, they pre-install their stuff on there. iPhones, they come pretty clean. They really just don’t have any-
Austin Wilson:
Just the basics.
Josh Robb:
… third-party … they have some Apple stuff …
Austin Wilson:
Yeah.
Josh Robb:
… but they don’t have any third-party. There’s Android stuff, and then there’s your carrier stuff.
Austin Wilson:
Oh really?
Josh Robb:
Yeah. You can delete them, but you got to go it through yourself. You don’t get the option ahead of time. So dumb, pre-installed stuff drives me nuts. Then the last one is for support, technology, the Apple stores, the Genius … what are they called?
Austin Wilson:
The Apple store, but they do have a Genius Bar.
Josh Robb:
Yeah. If something happens, I know where I’m going. If I have another phone, I either go to where I bought it and hopefully somebody can fix it, or you got to ship it in somewhere.
Austin Wilson:
Right.
Josh Robb:
You got people to call, you got places to go, you got the repair, it’s a little bit more convenient. Those are my five things that I came up with.
[30:08] – How Would You Invest in Smartphones?
Austin Wilson:
The next logical question is how would we invest in this?
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
Smartphones are real. They’re a very big part of our life, and they’re becoming an increasingly large part. I have some options. First of all …
Josh Robb:
Again, not …
Austin Wilson:
… this is not a recommendation, but we’re going to get to that part. Yeah, this is not a recommendation. I’m not saying go buy any of these things. Here are some options if you are interested though, to do further due diligence on, or talk to your advisor about. It’s good to be aware. Number one, obviously you could buy Apple. Apple makes the software and the hardware that makes the iPhone, number one biggest company in the world. Well, it was plus or minus with Microsoft, lately.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
Yeah. Google, number two. Obviously, they make Android software. You can also buy Google Pixels, and everything that goes along with that. Very big company. Number three, Samsung. You can buy the stock.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
However …
Josh Robb:
Kind of weird.
Austin Wilson:
… it’s a little weird because it’s a Korean company, and finding the ADR or whatever you want to do for that, you have to do your own research on that one. Another one is component manufacturers, so Qualcomm makes the cell modem chips for … really, all phones.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
Skyworks Solutions makes 5G chips as well. American Tower, they do actual cell towers. AT&T and Verizon are obviously companies that do the service.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
So kind of the whole spectrum of the smartphone-
Josh Robb:
Do NVIDIA, do they make chips too?
Austin Wilson:
NVIDIA makes chips. A lot of them aren’t going into smartphones yet, but I would imagine they’re going to be eventually. Those GPUs are the baddest things you can buy. That’s just a hot stock.
Josh Robb:
That’s crazy.
Austin Wilson:
Again, not saying buy any of these things.
Josh Robb:
Yeah.
Austin Wilson:
They are also ETFs. You can invest in ETFs-
Josh Robb:
Now again …
Austin Wilson:
Great tickers …
Josh Robb:
… ETFs are newer than mutual funds-
Austin Wilson:
Oh yeah.
Josh Robb:
… when it comes to, so there’s a lot more options. Did someone capture that? Did they take advantage of the …
Austin Wilson:
Yes, they did, and they took advantage of a great ticker, and you think that great tickers equal great ETFs.
Josh Robb:
Always.
Austin Wilson:
The ticker is F-O-N-E, fone, and it is the first trust smartphone slash is kind of transitioning more to a 5G focused ETF. So that’s one, not saying go buy that one, but that’s an option.
Josh Robb:
No, but love the ticker.
[32:06] – Should You Invest in Companies That Make or Are Involved in Smartphones?
Austin Wilson:
Josh, the question is …
Josh Robb:
Yes?
Austin Wilson:
Should you invest in companies that make or are involved in smartphones?
Josh Robb:
You know my answer all the time, it depends.
Austin Wilson:
Have a donut.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
Oh.
Josh Robb:
Well, have a donut and then think about it, and it depends. Chances are, if you own some sort of diversified portfolio …
Austin Wilson:
Yeah.
Josh Robb:
… you have some exposure to it.
Austin Wilson:
Yeah. If you own any US large cap fund, ETF, whatever in your retirement-
Josh Robb:
With Apple being a large piece, it’s probably in there.
Austin Wilson:
It’s going to be a huge … Yeah, a decent sized portion.
Josh Robb:
Yeah. Chances are, you probably have some exposure without realizing it if you’re in a diversified portfolio, but as always, look at your risk tolerance, look at your goals, look at where you’re at in life, and whether it makes sense to add these type of companies to your portfolio, and always talk to your advisor. That’s the best way to do it.
Austin Wilson:
Yeah, or get one if you don’t have one.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
Yeah. Those are some options that you can do. Think about your situation though, that’s the key point there. As always, check out our free gift to you. It’s a brief list of eight principles of timeless investing, overarching investment themes, meant to keep you on track to meet your long-term goals. We don’t necessarily talk about smartphones, but you could download it on your smartphone.
Josh Robb:
Yes.
Austin Wilson:
How about that? So check that out. It’s free on our website. Josh, how can people help us grow this podcast?
Josh Robb:
Yep. Make sure you subscribe, that way every Thursday, you get our most recent episode sent directly to you.
Austin Wilson:
Every Thursday, for over a hundred weeks.
Josh Robb:
Oh, by the way, if you want to leave a review on Apple Podcast, there you go.
Austin Wilson:
Oh, man.
Josh Robb:
Austin would appreciate it.
Austin Wilson:
I would.
Josh Robb:
That helps us rank higher, which helps more people find our podcast there, and then if you have any ideas, thoughts, or if you want to weigh in on which one’s better, then shoot us an email, hello@theinvestdads.com. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Last, if you know somebody who is still on the Apple side and needs convinced, share this episode with them and see what happens.
Austin Wilson:
I’m thinking we need to put a Twitter poll up.
Josh Robb:
Yeah, we should. That’s going to happen.
Austin Wilson:
All right, well until next Thursday, have a great week.
Josh Robb:
All right, talk to you later. Bye.
Outro:
Thank you for listening to The Invested Dads podcast. This episode has ended, but your journey towards a better financial future doesn’t have to. Head over to theinnvesteddads.com to access all the links and resources mentioned in today’s show. If you enjoyed this episode and we had a positive impact on your life, leave us a review, click subscribe, and don’t miss the next episode.
Josh Robb and Austin Wilson work for Hixon Zuercher Capital Management. All opinions expressed by Josh, Austin, or any podcast guest are solely their own opinions, and do not reflect the opinions of Hixon Zuercher Capital Management. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon for investment decisions. Clients of Hixon Zuercher Capital Management may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this podcast. There is no guarantee that the statements, opinions, or forecast provided herein will prove to be correct. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Indices are not available for direct investment. Any investor who attempts to mimic the performance of an index would incur fees and expenses which would reduce returns. Securities investing involves risk, including the potential for loss of principle. There is no assurance that any investment plan or strategy will be successful.
