Switching Away From The iPhone – The Jury’s Verdict.

While the iPhone is one of the major contributors to the world of smart phones as we now know it, BlackBerries and Androids occupy many peoples’ purses and suitcases more and more even to the extent that the Android out-sold the iPhone in the first half of 2010.

What does this mean for customers? Well, healthy competition aside, it means that the iPhone is no longer the unchallenged leader of a new market. There are plenty of viable options out there, and everyone outside of Apple loyalists has no problem ditching the iPhone for another phone.

The only question that remains: are you one of these people?

Why Switch?

First off: why would anyone ponder a switch? The Apple iPhone 4, for example, is the latest in the series and is capable of doing just about anything any other mobile phone dos - and is capable of still doing many things better. As long as you’re staying up with the trends, your iPhone isn’t being put to shame by anything your girlfriend can pull out of her purse - unless her budget exceeds yours by a factor of about ten.

So why consider a ditch of the iPhone? Well, you don’t have to. For many people, there’s simply no reason to: familiarity with the Operating System is more than enough reason to stick to a brand that keeps delivering, year after year - the “iPhone death grip” of poor signal quality aside.

In many cases, there are plenty of reasons to stick with your iPhone, especially if you’re short on dough and don’t exactly have enough money put aside to cancel a phone service on one provider and start a new one with another provider. If you’ve been able to afford your iPhone just fine all this time, there might not be a reason to switch.

Why Not Switch?

Of course, let’s say you’re one of the unlucky few - and in this economy, maybe there aren’t just a “few” of us - who are running into financial problems and simply can’t afford to make a new commitment with their iPhone. Or you might be someone who could use the money off of a used iPhone sale enough to justify parting ways with your favorite smart phone. Unless you’re a true loyalist and die-hard iPhone enthusiast, there’s no actual chord attaching you to your gadget. Go ahead, sell it. Knock yourself out.

Others - we’ll call them the fortune others - might simply have come to the end of their iPhone Plan and have grown interested in other smart phones. This is perfectly fine, as well, as long as you can justify whatever new investment you’re making. Remember: even though we like to consider only the upfront cost of a phone, the true cost of the phone (and its service) depends on how much money you’re being charged every month. There’s more at play here than simply growing sick of a phone you’ve had in your pocket for too long.

Should You Leave?

Unless you find that the iPhone’s price-to-quality ratio simply gets too high for your taste, there’s no reason to give up your iPhone for something else unless you find something that really motivates you. The desire to have extra cash. Strong interest in another brand. Something. If that strong motivator is not there, then guess what? You’re fixing something that isn’t broken in your life, and we can think of much more worthwhile things to do with your time than to start browsing other smart phone web sites.

Ultimately, the choice is up to you, your wallet, and how much importance you place on brand.