I have constantly been waiting for a reason to switch from Apple’s iPhone over to the dark-side, and join the Androidosphere, but sadly, Google and it’s minions of hardware providers have still failed to meet my threshold, for this migration. I have constantly advocated strong competition, but whereas in the U.S the case may be different, for Australians, we continue to get shafted by Google and its services, merely because they simply don’t work over here!. So, what constitutes my threshold?

System Updates

Well, for starters, I want a phone that has a guaranteed 12-to-24 month worth of system updates from the convoluted chain of Google->Manufacturer->Telco. With non-Nexus (Google-branded) phones, it is still up in the air, but if you go for the most popular phone, such as the Galaxy III, you stand the best chance. Still, why should you gamble when you have a 24 month contract on a phone, to be stuck with that. Sadly, as we turn to 2013, we still haven’t resolved this, although Google has slightly separated some of their stock apps (Google Maps) away from being bundled in the operating system to being in the Play Store, to allow for separate updates, but this still doesn’t appease me.

But even if you want to buy a stock Nexus phone, it has been sold out for ages (still checking), and from what I have heard, the battery life is abhorrent, and no bloody LTE.

Jelly Bean Features are meaningless

Well, the latest version of Google’s Operating System touts features such as Google Now, which tells you when you leave the house to catch a bus or train etc, but this doesn’t work in Australia. You want a first-class way to manage your music the same way Apple has with iTunes Match, well Google Music is the answer, but only if you live in America. Decide to use Amazon MP3 instead, to handle your music? That isn’t available here either! Google Wallet ? Nope.

In fact, most of the features you want in Google Play, such as to buy (rather than rent) movies and shows isn’t available here, and the limited selection of magazines is also worrisome.

So, let’s see if this time next year, I will find my solace, otherwise it will be another year of Apple for me.