Different authorities in the mobile industry offer different views as to which OS, between iOS 7 and android – takes the day home. Well, in this post, we take a close look at what these industry experts are saying, evaluate their opinions, summarize them for you and finally add our own verdict.
Avram Piltch, LaptopMag.com
Avram makes one of the most comprehensive contributions. Here is what he says, on his article ’10 Ways Android Beats iOS 7‘: Although Apple has included some really cool changes with their latest iOS, including the new notification center, Wi-Fi direct transfers and quick multitasking; these changes have been available on android devices for years. So if say you wanted to make use of these new additions to iOS, you could easily have done so on Android as early as 2011. Now, these new improvements in iOS are cool and welcome, but it is not worth waiting for ‘Tim Cook and Crew to play Catch-up’, says Avram. According to LaptopMag.com, here are 10 ways android beats iOS 7 to win not just the battle but the mobile OS war:
Multi-Window Mode – by default, both Android 4.2 and iOS 7 allow only one application on the screen at any one time. And with Apple’s iOS, that’s all you get! However, android allows their developers to create either floating apps (which appear in their own windows on top of the primary app), or to split the screen between two different apps. Universal Sharing – on Android, you get the same share menu with the same list of options for all the apps. But with iOS, every app has its unique share menu. So if the makers of your favorite video-gallery app haven’t thought of including Google in their share menu, you can’t share to Google from within your app! NFC Support – although iOS 7 has a new neat feature called airdrop, android offers much more flexible and supportive NFC chips. 3rd Party Keyboards – with Android, you can choose from more than a dozen 3rd party keyboard alternatives. But with Apple, you can use any keyboard you want – as long as it’s Apple’s own stock keyboard. Widgets and Home Screens – when you unlock your iOS 7 gadget, you get just a plain list of icons for your favorite apps. But with android, you get a couple of desktops, with your live wallpaper choice, and more importantly your choice of widgets. Working File System and Attachments – apple has adapted the habit of hiding the file system from you, making it hard for you to attach documents to email and impossible to browse folders. Android does not. Installing Non-Market Apps – Apple’s own store is the ultimate monopoly. Android allows you to install apps from at least a dozen legitimate markets. Undervolting & Overclocking – when your iPhone or iPad gets slow, it just gets slow – and there’s nothing you can do. However, if you take control of your android gadget by rooting it, you can overclock your CPU for faster performance or undervolt it to save juice and more so extend the life of your battery. Variety of Screen Sizes and Form Factors – iOS 7 powers…just a handful of devices. If you’re interested in an android device, there are thousands of them. Custom Launchers – with iOS 7, there’s only one way you can navigate through the home screens. With android, you can choose from at least a dozen 3rd party launchers.
Connie Guglielmo, Forbes.com
According to Connie, an industry expert covering Silicon Valley on behalf of Forbes.com, Apple is rising, while Android is dropping. Here is a summary of what Connie had to say: iOS 7 is much more secure than Android, which is increasingly popular and more susceptible to scores of malwares and security exploits. With the iOS, you don’t get an infected app on your iPad or iPhone. Apple was also awarded a patent system that lets users resell their digital goods. After all, once you are done with that iTunes track or eBook, you’ll soon just be able to resell it.
Nick Summers, The Next Web
According to Nick Summers of TNW, in his article “Android and iOS accounted or 92% of Q1 2013 smartphone shipments, as Windows Phone passes Blackberry”, Google is continues to add a competitive gap between Android and iOS, largely due to its plethora of hardware partners. And unless Apple launches a rather special smartphone this later this year, Nick says it is hard to see how Apple is going to beat Google’s Android as far ‘availability of device variety’ is a factor to consider.
Laura Herman, iosdoc.com
Laura acknowledges that Apple has introduced a number of new cool features that improve the entire user experience with iOS 7. However, she is quick to point out that these changes themselves have been inspired by what is happening on the android platform. As Apple itself stated, the iOS has been unchanged for too long! Laura points out that these changes will greatly improve the experience that Apple users are getting with their own devices. And that if Apple keeps making such changes, or more still add a new feature to their iOS, they could beat the innovations and updates evident with the Android platform.
Michelle Starr, CNET
In her article “iOS vs Android: The game dev edition, Michelle says it is a common complaint that the best mobile games so often release exclusively on iOS. Where’s the android love? Here is her explanation… Difference of Hardware – hardware is one reason why developers do prefer iOS. As it is, the iOS environment has persistently excellent devices, a marvelous OS that users update regularly, plus an App store where customers are willing to dip their hands in their pockets for an enhanced experience. On the other hand, when a gaming app is launched on android, it is most likely going to be buggy on some devices. For the app developer, this means having to apply fixes for a wide range of devices. Apple’s set of devices is relatively homogeneous, which means that applying a fix gets much easier. Unlike the Android marketplace, the Apple store is more favorable for developers, and thus the trend that better gaming apps will be found on the iOS platform.
Conclusion
Now, whether you have been feeling Android Love or iOS Love, opinions can only get better. Apple’s iOS 7 has its own unique advantages, and so does Android! iOS 7 provides you with enhanced security at the Apple Apps Store, a better experience with the gaming Apps on iOS, and a better hardware-software environment providing a smoother overall user experience. On the other hand, android offers multiple unique benefits that you won’t find on the iOS; including software features such as NFC support, allowing 3rd party applications, extensive support by hardware vendors and a variety of devices to choose from. And while these two mobile operating systems seem to be undergoing what could be called a fair competition, we are compelled to say ‘Android Beats iOS!’ in some ways and ‘iOS beats Android’ in some ways!
