I work in the web technology space and have for years now. The random by-product of being around tech for most of my whole professional career is that I become the go-to-guy for fixing people’s computer/phone/iPad/tablet issues. It is also something that I actually geek out on so it’s usually a win for close friends and family as I actually like this stuff…
Across the board, where I see people have the greatest issue is when they try and “cross-breed” their technology when they really don’t even know how to use any of it to begin with. They see a cheap deal on a laptop over here, then someone gives them an iPad as a gift, then they buy an iPhone because it’s what the cool kids are doing, but then they get a Nook from someone. And it goes on and on.
Think of that one example above (and believe me, I’m not exaggerating – this is happening all over the place) and then try and answer a question like, “Where are my contacts stored?” or “How can I get my pictures all in one place?”
You are in for a world of hurt especially if you have a hard time just navigating the basics of setting up a phone or using a laptop.
Here’s my recommendation: keep it in the family.
If you go Apple, go ALL Apple. If you go Android, go ALL Android. The primary reason is they are designed to work together.
Take Apple for example. We are 100% Apple in my family (except for a random Nook my daughter got, but that’s her Netflix viewing toy now…) so simple things like sharing pictures or videos to AppleTv so we can all watch the recent sledding outing is simple. It just works. We can all charge our devices without having to over-buy random plugs since we all share the same stuff. With the family sharing iCloud option enabled we can all share music and apps and all that. It’s a major win for us and keeps the headaches at a minimum. I know Android has the same experience if you go that route.
I do know this to be true as well: if you don’t get a hold of it now, it will only get worse. The sheer number of devices that are running around most households today is staggering and is only going to grow. It still means that you have to dig in and really learn how to use what you have, but once you start to “think” like the family of technology that you have chosen, you win.