Comparing the OS without the eco-system that surrounds it may mean voting for which OS more efficiently enables development of sophisticated applications, but doesn't answer the question of which OS enables a greater user experience. Apple has a developer community & control over a broad solution stack that Android will struggle to battle against.
The developer community is a combination of a head start and frictionless commerce via the AppleStore. Resolving the application sales/delivery/support channel for a variety of carriers on the Android OS is nontrivial. Not sure even Google has the pull to make that happen. Plus free developer training via the Stanford U podcasts? Where are those partnerships that create a vibrant developer community for Android? Or will Android focus on Enterprise applications and the big contracts their mobile partners have with Fortune 1000 firms? Until Android has a compelling model for ensuring a new stream of competent developers who have the ability to take their applications to market, that OS will suffer from too few applications.
Apple's control of the vertical stack means they screen applications for some value contribution, they provide an effective and knowledgeable (albeit somewhat cocky) support team available in a local retail store, and Apple can provide any missing elements to a total solution story that allows all sorts of complex, multi-media interactions between phones & TV's & Macs. I think about things like the remote control application on my iphone that permits me to run the iTunes server on my mini as well as the downloaded movies on my AppleTV or watch the recorded EyeTV television via my wireless network on my iphone. These are all things that require the coordination and testing across an entire stack of solutions that a multi-vendor solution will always struggle to deliver.
To compete, Android has to negotiate agreements with partners who don't have much incentive to assist each other. Until the cable companies and cell phone companies are losing significant share by not providing these sorts of solutions, they have little motivation to move. And the early adopter smartphone users, who also tend to love technology gadgets in other categories, will find their devices don't play well together.
Kudos to Apple for a broad, deep, long term vision that thinks about how people will use these products. Good luck to Google and all their cohorts who will be in lots of meetings struggling to figure out how to unseat them.
Ryan - 14 years ago
this is a joke. your comparing a brand new phone that has seen the flaws of a competitor that is about a year old and has fix them. when Apple comes out with their new iPhone they will have the better phone because they will know what the Droid lacks. It will go on and on for years untill computers are implanted in our bodies. than Apples will only work on people that have the name Mac. lol.
Ryan - 14 years ago
this is a joke. your comparing a brand new phone that has seen the flaws of a competitor that is about a year old and has fix them. when Apple comes out with their new iPhone they will have the better phone because they will know what the Droid lacks. It will go on and on for years untill computers are implanted in our bodies. than Apples will only work on people that have the name Mac. lol.
I'm guessing this'll be more of a fan related question atm. I'm an Apple fan. I use iMac for work, I've got a MBP at home and an iPhone.
The difference lies in the differences between the companies. Everything Apple creates follows a strong vision that Google lacks. Looking at particular things individually is irrelevant. Google creates great stuff that I personally love but they'll never go by the vision Apple is based on. It's seamless. It's where design meets it purpose and software lives in harmony with it.
People who doesn't understand/care about this, will more likely choose another OS than iPhone OS.
michael - 14 years ago
even i am android addicted and really satisfied with it i feel i phone may win at this time. anyway i feel you can not compare them with this question as the iphone is sold for some years now and has a lot more user, apps, and content compared to the android plattform.
seeing the growth of android i wonder how the result may look like after 6 or even 12 month when there is a real android community. than the i phone will be far behind
I think the Iphone is sh.. for several file formats. Its often a hustle to copy something on it and leech it from it later to another computer.
android obviously won here.
of course iphone is better.i think non of the android fans taste iphones design talent and great apps...
Comparing the OS without the eco-system that surrounds it may mean voting for which OS more efficiently enables development of sophisticated applications, but doesn't answer the question of which OS enables a greater user experience. Apple has a developer community & control over a broad solution stack that Android will struggle to battle against.
The developer community is a combination of a head start and frictionless commerce via the AppleStore. Resolving the application sales/delivery/support channel for a variety of carriers on the Android OS is nontrivial. Not sure even Google has the pull to make that happen. Plus free developer training via the Stanford U podcasts? Where are those partnerships that create a vibrant developer community for Android? Or will Android focus on Enterprise applications and the big contracts their mobile partners have with Fortune 1000 firms? Until Android has a compelling model for ensuring a new stream of competent developers who have the ability to take their applications to market, that OS will suffer from too few applications.
Apple's control of the vertical stack means they screen applications for some value contribution, they provide an effective and knowledgeable (albeit somewhat cocky) support team available in a local retail store, and Apple can provide any missing elements to a total solution story that allows all sorts of complex, multi-media interactions between phones & TV's & Macs. I think about things like the remote control application on my iphone that permits me to run the iTunes server on my mini as well as the downloaded movies on my AppleTV or watch the recorded EyeTV television via my wireless network on my iphone. These are all things that require the coordination and testing across an entire stack of solutions that a multi-vendor solution will always struggle to deliver.
To compete, Android has to negotiate agreements with partners who don't have much incentive to assist each other. Until the cable companies and cell phone companies are losing significant share by not providing these sorts of solutions, they have little motivation to move. And the early adopter smartphone users, who also tend to love technology gadgets in other categories, will find their devices don't play well together.
Kudos to Apple for a broad, deep, long term vision that thinks about how people will use these products. Good luck to Google and all their cohorts who will be in lots of meetings struggling to figure out how to unseat them.
this is a joke. your comparing a brand new phone that has seen the flaws of a competitor that is about a year old and has fix them. when Apple comes out with their new iPhone they will have the better phone because they will know what the Droid lacks. It will go on and on for years untill computers are implanted in our bodies. than Apples will only work on people that have the name Mac. lol.
this is a joke. your comparing a brand new phone that has seen the flaws of a competitor that is about a year old and has fix them. when Apple comes out with their new iPhone they will have the better phone because they will know what the Droid lacks. It will go on and on for years untill computers are implanted in our bodies. than Apples will only work on people that have the name Mac. lol.
Definitely the iPhone; they play dirty!
I'm guessing this'll be more of a fan related question atm. I'm an Apple fan. I use iMac for work, I've got a MBP at home and an iPhone.
The difference lies in the differences between the companies. Everything Apple creates follows a strong vision that Google lacks. Looking at particular things individually is irrelevant. Google creates great stuff that I personally love but they'll never go by the vision Apple is based on. It's seamless. It's where design meets it purpose and software lives in harmony with it.
People who doesn't understand/care about this, will more likely choose another OS than iPhone OS.
even i am android addicted and really satisfied with it i feel i phone may win at this time. anyway i feel you can not compare them with this question as the iphone is sold for some years now and has a lot more user, apps, and content compared to the android plattform.
seeing the growth of android i wonder how the result may look like after 6 or even 12 month when there is a real android community. than the i phone will be far behind