Saying all smart phones have the same amount of 'must have' features is like saying that all cars are the same as they all get you from A to B. Travelling to your destination in style is also very important.
I will agree that the differences between the many Android phones isn't that wide, but between IOS and Android there is a gulf feature-wise.
The main (and for me, important) differences between IOS and Android... (read: Android has them and IOS doesn't):
- Widgets.
- Mass storage functionality... i.e. syncing/adding content, media, etc to phone without the need for itunes.
- Being able to plug your phone into ANY pc to copy files without the need for itunes. And even if that PC does have itunes, without it trying to delete your entire library because your phone has been sync'd with another PC!
- Being able to download ANYTHING from the internet using the phone's browser, not just what Apple sees fit.
- Ability to replace any stock app (email/sms/phone dialer/etc) with 3rd party apps with more functionality.
- Downloading stuff via torrents
And the list goes on, but for me the above are must have features.
And as for Apple hardware... being limited to a choice between the small screen of an iPhone or the huge screen of an iPad/iPad mini is not good for me. I need something in between.
ALSO... Apple's insistence on non expandable storage (lack of memory card slot) is ridiculous. Ok, it suits them because people are forced to spend big to buy the largest capacity iphone if they don't want to risk getting caught short.
Again, I could go on but I won't, as I'm boring myself now.
The next time you're on a bus/train/coach/etc have a look around at what people are fiddling with, and you should notice that gone are the days of iPhones in every hand. They are a Tethnic minority now.