This is what capitulation looks like.
Yesterday, I pulled out the American Express card and paid off AT&T for what I owed on my Lumia 1520. Soon, I'll be buying an iPhone, probably a 6S Plus.
Those who know me and who read my stuff know that I've been a proponent of Windows Phone for the last couple of years. I switched to Windows Phone from an iPhone 4 a few years back, in part because I wanted a bigger screen and in part because I was impressed with what Microsoft was trying to do in mobile with Windows Phone 8, and I liked the user interface. It was different and fresh, and combined some of the advantages of Android (live tiles, similar to widgets) and some of the advantages of iPhone (tight control of the UI and not allowing carriers to screw with it).
Also, I was not a fan of the Apple way of doing things, which until recently has amounted to, We know better than you what you need. You'll do it our way, or you won't do it at all. There's still some of that around.
So why am I going back?
Basically, massive disappointment with a flagship phone that turned out to be of only middling quality, a shrinking app base on Windows Phone, increasing conviction that Microsoft is not in mobile for the long haul and is not serious about competing at the top end, and the frank recognition that Apple is better than just about anyone else at putting out quality hardware coupled with excellent customer service at the retail level. Having experienced the pain of dealing with a third-party extended warranty through AT&T, I'm never doing that again.
I could go Android, but seriously? Android? With the fragmented OS, uncertain updates, and crappy OEM UI overlays? No, thanks.
Also, Apple has loosened up a bit. I still hate the stock iPhone keyboard, but now third-party keyboards are allowed, which fixes a big problem for me. And they finally started offering phones with a decent-sized screen, which was a biggie (no pun intended).
So, as soon as the crowds die down and stock levels recover, I'll be going down to the Apple Store to buy an iPhone on the iPhone Upgrade Program. An unlocked phone with AppleCare+? Yes, please!
This is what capitulation looks like. And I, for one, welcome our new Cupertino overlords.