If you know me at all, you know I dislike Apple for many reasons. Without touching on the company, I still would not fall under being a fan of iPhones and iPods. This is probably extremely biased, as I'm a big fan of Linux, but Android has to win.
I'm also a long time fan of Google, and they keep getting better and better. Linux is much more open and customizable than the iPhones allow, and provide you with a bit more customization. I'll admit that I root my Android, so having to jailbreak isn't exactly an issue, but when you throw in things like Busybox, Android feels much more at home. With Xposed, you can very easily customize the phone with new "built in" options and features.
Just a note for pd. I had a Galaxy Epic 4G and didn't use a case, screen protector, or anything. I've dropped it geocaching, rock climbing, on concrete multiple times, and much more .. It had one tiny little scratch that you could barely see at a perfect angle. Sturdy fucking phone, and it was Samsung running Android. I can't say the same for my S4, but whatever .. The different models are built differently, though it wouldn't surprise me if Apple put more into it. They always tend to focus more on looks than anything else.
In the end, it's personal preference. There's not much you can do on one that you can't do on the other when you get into it. I would say Android lets you do a little more as Linux is very open, but I've never gotten far enough into iPhones to give a real opinion about that.