I don't use the technology you use. But that's fine.

Other techies use Android phones, and speak of it like it’s just a given. Of course we will use Android, that’s what we do.

Other techies use Linux. Of course they do. That’s what techies do.

I use Linux every day on my work laptop. When 5pm rolls around, I close the lid and jump over to my Windows desktop or Windows tablet. When I get a phone call, it rings to my iPhone. Is it because I haven’t heard of the great things that Android can do? Is it because I don’t care about free software? Is it because I don’t trust Google (which… I really, really don’t trust Google).

I liken it to techies running out and buying a Tesla. You can’t put your own turbo on it, you can’t do much to improve the performance or customize it, you can’t repair the engine in your garage, you can’t drop in a new transmission when yours goes out, and it’s not a manual transmission, so you’re giving up a lot of control in driving it.

That’s what an automotive-minded person might believe. Why would you buy an electric car that you can’t control when you could have a 1989 Volkswagen Golf getting 30mpg that would last you forever with just a little bit of maintenance? You would make that choice because you don’t want to have the responsibility of doing something that makes the car unreliable or unsafe. You don’t have the knowledge or the tools to fix it when it does. And you can’t be late for work, or fail to pick up your daughter from school because your car wouldn’t start. So even though you could get a car perfectly tailored to you and controlled by you for just $5,000, you buy a $60,000 electric car knowing that there’s hardly any moving parts, so all you need to do is turn the car on and put your foot down and it will work. You plug it in when you get home, and unplug it when you leave for work. That’s all you need to know.

That’s how I liken the debate between Android and iOS, or Linux and Windows. People say to me “look at all the customization I can do!” and all I see is a maintenance nightmare. I use Linux at work because that’s what it’s best at. When I get home, I’m playing video games on my Windows desktop. On the weekends, I’m driving down two-track roads in my custom-built 1998 Toyota 4Runner, but my daily driver is a Fiat 500. When I’m playing around with developing apps, I’ll sideload them onto my Nexus 4. But when someone calls my phone number, it rings to my iPhone, which I know will always ring no matter what software I manage to install.

As a consumer, it’s not that I don’t care. It’s that I don’t even want it. I know it’s there. I know it’s cheaper and I know it’s more powerful and I know it can be customized. But none of those things are at the top of my list. Reliability, compatibility, and simplicity are my three biggest requirements.

And you know what? I trust Apple. Their goal is simple: they want to get as much of my money as possible. I like that. It’s honest and up-front, and not something you see in the tech world all that often. Google’s goal is a lot different. They want to make money, yes, but it’s not entirely obvious that they want my money.

So when techies see me pull out and iPhone or a Windows machine and sneer or snicker… what is it that you’re using? Does it enhance your life, or does it instead define it? Because I’m not ready for that kind of commitment.