I recently sold my iPhone 4S to pay for my 5 but during the long wait for it to arrive I have been lumbered with a BlackBerry. It's not until you lose it that you realise what an amazing eco system Apple has built. I joked that the motto 'it just works' and 'like magic' were marketing bull crap but the way in which all the devices work together seamlessly is magical. iCloud backups. Photo Stream. Contacts and the plethora of apps available. It makes you question people's belief that Android or Windows will catch up with Apple, yes the features are nearly there but they have no infrastructure for cross-syncing with anything! That is where Apple has it's trump card.

Your experience is similar to the one that I had with my Windows Phone. honestpixels.net It was not overly enjoyable being away from the Apple ecosystem, and I really was penalised for not having an Apple device. This mainly comes in the way of integration, with iCloud storing documents, calendar information and photo stream.

Another way that Apple shows the benefit of being within their ecosystem is iMessage. If someone you're texting through an iPhone doesn't have an iPhone, then they are costing you money, as you are paying for the text message, rather than using the exclusive iMessage service.