These debates seem to be a desperate attempt to sustain Apple’s iOS’s ego and discount any attempt by a Google executive to say anything good about the Android OS. This all started when Nikesh Arora, Senior Vice President at Google, said the following, courtesy of Seeking Alpha:
“I mean, look, in the history of operating systems, I think Android has been the quickest and most successful adoption of an operating system in the world. So you just sort of stop, take pause and say, oh my God, that’s crazy. Nobody could have ever predicted that we’re going to get an operating system adopted in an industry, which has so many different OEMs, manufacturing with their own operating systems having adopted around the world.”
The man simply said, “I think Android has been the quickest and most successful…in the world.” This caused people to attack what he said and the Android OS – this immediately brought out the Apple iOS people to defend their mighty ’empire.’ Nobody has ever denied that iOS has its strong points – stability, widespread and immediate upgrades, easier to understand, a tremendous ecosystem, and blindly loyal fan base – but it is those very same points that make it the weaker OS…IMHO.
The stability is because of its inflexibility – what you see is what you get. If you want another keyboard (that you can use throughout all applications), forget it. If you want a live wallpaper of your choosing, forget it. If you want to use a home screen widget, forget it. If you want to change the look of the clock, weather, etc., forget it.
Yes, if you want an easier to understand user interface – oh, you may have to use multiple taps to achieve what Android can do in one or two, but at least you consistently follow the same string of taps for each choice you make – if you call that easier, than by all means iOS is for you.
Apple has built a tremendous ecosystem that requires you to buy applications only from their App Store, music only from iTunes, and purchase and use proprietary plugs and chargers, and if you like those conditions – we used to call that a dictatorship – than iOS is definitely your thing.
Blind loyalty vs individual thinking – I have always opted for the freedom to think for myself and weigh the merits of my decision. Have you ever tried to reason with an Apple owner…there is no room for a discussion, only that iOS is better and that is that and if you ask them if they tried an Android smartphone, they look at you as if you are asking them to French kiss their sister.
Widespread and immediate upgrades – you have me there. Yes, having only ONE version and Apple’s tight controls allows for immediate upgrades that Android users cannot all enjoy because of the openness of Android and the ability of each OEM to manipulate it with their own User Interface. That has its pros and cons, but the Android ‘way’ does allow for more individuality.
The chart above clearly shows that worldwide the Android OS clearly dominates with a 58-percent usage throughout, compared with about 20-percent for iOS. Much of this large discrepancy is caused by Apple’s refusal to produce a cheaper device for the emerging nations – those many potential customers simply cannot afford one.
Apple used to dominate with their App Store, but that is no longer the case – ANY high-profile or mainstream Apps are now equally available to both Operating Systems. The App Store may still brag that they still have more Apps than the Google Play Store, but how many fart Apps do you need? The important ones are now in both stores on an equal basis.
If you study the graph below, the one place that iOS still dominates is in the gaming department, when it comes to strictly the OS. However, if you break it down to gaming on a smartphone, Android wins by a mile. People enjoy those expensive iPods and iPads to play games on, but the gaming experience on the smaller iPhone display apparently does not cut it with gamers.
So there you have it – iOS hit the market by storm in June 2007 on a small, but beautiful touchscreen iPhone and quickly captured the hearts of public. Then Android OS hit the streets in September 2008 and, let’s be honest, was certainly not as polished as iOS. However, we can see that rapid updates and changes have made the Android OS every bit as fast, smooth, and polished as iOS, as well as the ability of personalizing it to your individual needs. You also have the ability to purchase Android OS on a multitude of devices with different sized screens and features. Some may call that an increase in learning “difficulty,” but I call it “my way.” What do you call it? Let us know on our Google+ Page if you favor iOS or Android OS and why…we would love to hear your opinion.