Yeah the lightning new port may become a big issue for those who have integrated Apple's old 30 pin ports into their lives (iphone and iPod) have used the same 30 Pins for the past 9 or so year.
Some people choose to wait until more adapters (cheaper) become available. Right now Apple has installed a chip into it's lightning cable that will forbid and cheap Chinese knockoff cables from working properly. Apple (and I know you own Apple stock..I also own stock). Well Apple charges a ridiculous $30 for an adapter. Something that maybe costs them $1 to make.
I have integrated iPhone/ipod adapters in the Audi that plays music. I haven't had a chance to get an adapter yet. But from what I've heard, you may lose some function even with the adapters.
As for comparing the Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 5. Android vs Apple (iOS). It's like Windows vs Mac analogy. They are both excellent phones. If you prefer a big phone with a larger screen than the 4.8 inch S3 is an excellent choice. It's got cutting edge tech inside also. The USA version has a duo core (international version has a quad core). But the USA S3 has double the RAM (2GB) which more than makes up in performance.
But at this point I would not recommend an S3. Unless ATT/Verizon were willing to sell it to you for $99 (on contract), I would not pay the $199 price on contract (Walmart has it for $149).
This is the sneaky thing carriers like ATT and Verizon don't tell their customers. ATT/Verizon all purchase high end Android phones for around $450 (at most)...and often times $300 for lower end Android phones. They turn around the try to sell it to you for $199 so you will be on a 2 year contract. So at most ATT/Verizon is only subsidizing you $250 for the phone. That's why carriers try so hard to push non-iPhones on contract.
Apple maybe at most will discount carriers 10% in bulk. So carriers end up paying close to $600 for the iPhone. They sell it to you for $199 on contract. So carriers subsidized the iPhone close to $400 for each contract. That's how Apple makes so much money. The phone costs around $200 to make but they make a $400 profit on each iPhone sold. Whereas Samsung costs them around $200 also to make, but they sell to the carriers for $450. So Samsung's profit margin are much less (And Samsung is number 2 in profit margin with smartphones). Other manufactures profit margins are even less. Apple makes 2X as much profit as Samsung does on each smartphone.
Getting back to the S3. I wouldn't buy it right now. It's because the monster Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is coming in 4-5 weeks to the USA. Why pay $199 for the S3 when the Note 2 (probably will be $299 on contract vs $700 off contract). The Note 2 if you need a big phone will be the Android phone to get. It will be the first quad core LTE phone in the USA. It's got a huge 5.5 inch screen. The screen will be even nicer than the S3.
Check it out
http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxynote/note2/index.html?type=find
Saying all this, I firmly believe for you needs, the iphone 5 is the way to go. You want a phone that's simple to use and works. Android phones you gotta tinker with it a bit. Not sure you have the patience to do that.
