Last week my colleague presented an article in which he listed 11 reasons why a layman would prefer Android over iOS. This week we shall be looking at the other side of the story and will be listing why a layman would prefer an iOS device over an Android.
Fewer choices, lesser confusion
Sometimes, less is more. There are hundreds of Android phones out there, which is great as you get more options to choose from but can also leave you terribly confused. At any price point, there will be three different Android phones with minute differences and you have no idea which one is better.
With the iPhone, there are only two phones to choose from. There's the iPhone 3GS, which is still a good smartphone and if you can splurge some more then there is the iPhone 4. If you have decided to purchase the iPhone, your decision couldn't be simpler. Not so much if you decide to go for an Android.
Timely software updates
While Google issues software updates to Android at a feverish pace, how many of them actually reach your phone? Great phones like Motorola Defy are still stuck with Android 2.1. The Nexus One, despite being a Google phone, was stuck with 2.2 until very recently Google suddenly realized they have one more phone apart from the Nexus S. Apple, on the other hand, has been regular with their firmware updates. Unless your phone is too old, it will get the new update, along with everyone. Google cannot even issue the update to everyone simultaneously and has to roll it part by part to users.
Software optimized for hardware
One advantage of Apple making the hardware and software is that they can perfectly tune the software to the hardware. Except in rare cases, such as the iPhone 3G fiasco, where the device was just too old and slow to run a new firmware, the software experience on iPhones has always been flawless.
Even in case of third party applications, the iOS developers have it a lot easier than Android developers. Unlike the latter, the former only have a handful of devices to consider while developing their applications, which means they are well optimized to the devices. In case of Android, applications, especially games, can deliver wildly different performances on different phones with varying hardware. You cannot blame the developers, there is only so much optimization they can do in case of Android by running their apps on a few devices and then just praying they work well on others as well.
Easier to use
Android fans would obviously be rolling their eyes furiously by now, but the truth is that iOS is far easier to use. Most Android users are power users who have several years of experience using smartphone and for people like them Android would be a piece of cupcake (see what I did there?). But iOS has been designed to be used by anyone regardless of whether they have used smartphones before or not.
Give a person, say, your mom who has some experience with mobile phones but not with iOS or Android and see which one she finds easier to use. Android fans would be quick to point that this is because iOS has been designed for "n00bs and chicks lolz!!1!" but do keep in mind it is far more difficult to create a software that can be used and mastered by anyone than one that can only be used by experts.
More Apps and Games
The Android Market may have a decent number of applications now but it is still somewhat like your local grocery store in comparison to the App Store, which is more like Wal-Mart. Besides pure numbers, the App Store also has better quality of applications. When it comes to games, Android has nowhere the kind of quality titles that iOS has.
iTunes
iTunes may be a generally hated software but Android doesn't even have anything for the desktop to manage your music, videos, applications and contacts. And iTunes lets you do more than sync your media files; you have access to the entire the iTunes store, which includes music, movies, videos and podcasts. You can even download applications directly on to your computer and then transfer them on to your iPhone, something you cannot do on your Android phone.
Also, as far as hating iTunes is concerned, that's only a sentiment shared by those who know their way around their computer. For those less technically inclined, the simple, unified interface would be far simpler to operate than to browse through the multitude of folders on their computers to search for their content before copying to their device.
Game Center
Game Center is the iOS equivalent to the Xbox Live. It lets you play online multiplayer games with friends and strangers, compare your scores and generally do all sorts of awesome fun that makes iOS the best mobile gaming platform. Android doesn t have anything comparable to Game Center so far
Fewer choices, lesser confusion
Sometimes, less is more. There are hundreds of Android phones out there, which is great as you get more options to choose from but can also leave you terribly confused. At any price point, there will be three different Android phones with minute differences and you have no idea which one is better.
With the iPhone, there are only two phones to choose from. There's the iPhone 3GS, which is still a good smartphone and if you can splurge some more then there is the iPhone 4. If you have decided to purchase the iPhone, your decision couldn't be simpler. Not so much if you decide to go for an Android.
Timely software updates
While Google issues software updates to Android at a feverish pace, how many of them actually reach your phone? Great phones like Motorola Defy are still stuck with Android 2.1. The Nexus One, despite being a Google phone, was stuck with 2.2 until very recently Google suddenly realized they have one more phone apart from the Nexus S. Apple, on the other hand, has been regular with their firmware updates. Unless your phone is too old, it will get the new update, along with everyone. Google cannot even issue the update to everyone simultaneously and has to roll it part by part to users.
Software optimized for hardware
One advantage of Apple making the hardware and software is that they can perfectly tune the software to the hardware. Except in rare cases, such as the iPhone 3G fiasco, where the device was just too old and slow to run a new firmware, the software experience on iPhones has always been flawless.
Even in case of third party applications, the iOS developers have it a lot easier than Android developers. Unlike the latter, the former only have a handful of devices to consider while developing their applications, which means they are well optimized to the devices. In case of Android, applications, especially games, can deliver wildly different performances on different phones with varying hardware. You cannot blame the developers, there is only so much optimization they can do in case of Android by running their apps on a few devices and then just praying they work well on others as well.
Easier to use
Android fans would obviously be rolling their eyes furiously by now, but the truth is that iOS is far easier to use. Most Android users are power users who have several years of experience using smartphone and for people like them Android would be a piece of cupcake (see what I did there?). But iOS has been designed to be used by anyone regardless of whether they have used smartphones before or not.
Give a person, say, your mom who has some experience with mobile phones but not with iOS or Android and see which one she finds easier to use. Android fans would be quick to point that this is because iOS has been designed for "n00bs and chicks lolz!!1!" but do keep in mind it is far more difficult to create a software that can be used and mastered by anyone than one that can only be used by experts.
More Apps and Games
The Android Market may have a decent number of applications now but it is still somewhat like your local grocery store in comparison to the App Store, which is more like Wal-Mart. Besides pure numbers, the App Store also has better quality of applications. When it comes to games, Android has nowhere the kind of quality titles that iOS has.
iTunes
iTunes may be a generally hated software but Android doesn't even have anything for the desktop to manage your music, videos, applications and contacts. And iTunes lets you do more than sync your media files; you have access to the entire the iTunes store, which includes music, movies, videos and podcasts. You can even download applications directly on to your computer and then transfer them on to your iPhone, something you cannot do on your Android phone.
Also, as far as hating iTunes is concerned, that's only a sentiment shared by those who know their way around their computer. For those less technically inclined, the simple, unified interface would be far simpler to operate than to browse through the multitude of folders on their computers to search for their content before copying to their device.
Game Center
Game Center is the iOS equivalent to the Xbox Live. It lets you play online multiplayer games with friends and strangers, compare your scores and generally do all sorts of awesome fun that makes iOS the best mobile gaming platform. Android doesn t have anything comparable to Game Center so far
Built-in Video Calling
The iPhone 4 has a video call camera and can do FaceTime with other iPhone 4, iPod touch and Mac owners all without having to install a single third party application. The Nexus S lets you take pictures of yourself with its front facing camera.
Higher Flaunt Value
Geeks would go on rambling about how superior their Android phones are compared to iPhones. But for a layman, all he will know for a fact is that iOS devices such as the iPhone are a lot cooler. They don't understand the meaning of rooting or NFC. All they understand is that their favorite celebrities are using an iPhone; ergo it is a cool device to have. Apple products have always had the kind of flaunt value that most other manufacturers can only dream of having, regardless of the software they are running. This for most people, especially those with plenty of money to spare, is good enough excuse to spend on them.
Better battery life
Battery life has been a major bugbear with Android phones. All that syncing with Google's servers does not really go down well with the battery, which dies faster than in the time you can spell Gingerbread . While iPhones aren't all that great by themselves, they seem to fare much better than most Android phones out there.
The preferred platform
In the desktop computer world, Windows gets higher preference, simply because it has a wider installed base. Similarly, in the smartphone world, iOS devices get all the attention from the developers. At least right now Android hasn't reached that level where it would be any developer's first choice, unless he wants to do something that won't be allowed by Apple on their App Store.
All those great apps and games you see arrive first on iOS and are then merely ported over to Android, sometimes not at all. You have websites and services optimized for the iOS browser, not for Android. Simply put, if you are on iOS, you will get everything before anyone else and there will be a whole bunch of people out there making sure that you have the best possible mobile experience. Not so much on Android.
Hardware that takes longer to get outdated
If you buy an Android phone today, chances are that three months down the line it would seem outdated. Android manufacturers are in such a fierce battle against each other that they constantly strive to outdo each other and the only way to do that is by coming up with new handsets regularly. This doesn't bode well with users who spend a large sum on these expensive handsets which start to look outdated by a newer version released by the same manufacturer a few months after they purchased it.
In case of Apple, they release hardware that have an expiry period of at least a year before they start looking outdated, which goes well with their yearly update cycle. If you buy an iPhone it would be a year before Apple would release something that would make your phone seem outdated. This means you have an entire year to enjoy your phone until something better comes along while the Android world gets their new best phone, every month.
The iPhone 4 has a video call camera and can do FaceTime with other iPhone 4, iPod touch and Mac owners all without having to install a single third party application. The Nexus S lets you take pictures of yourself with its front facing camera.
Higher Flaunt Value
Geeks would go on rambling about how superior their Android phones are compared to iPhones. But for a layman, all he will know for a fact is that iOS devices such as the iPhone are a lot cooler. They don't understand the meaning of rooting or NFC. All they understand is that their favorite celebrities are using an iPhone; ergo it is a cool device to have. Apple products have always had the kind of flaunt value that most other manufacturers can only dream of having, regardless of the software they are running. This for most people, especially those with plenty of money to spare, is good enough excuse to spend on them.
Better battery life
Battery life has been a major bugbear with Android phones. All that syncing with Google's servers does not really go down well with the battery, which dies faster than in the time you can spell Gingerbread . While iPhones aren't all that great by themselves, they seem to fare much better than most Android phones out there.
The preferred platform
In the desktop computer world, Windows gets higher preference, simply because it has a wider installed base. Similarly, in the smartphone world, iOS devices get all the attention from the developers. At least right now Android hasn't reached that level where it would be any developer's first choice, unless he wants to do something that won't be allowed by Apple on their App Store.
All those great apps and games you see arrive first on iOS and are then merely ported over to Android, sometimes not at all. You have websites and services optimized for the iOS browser, not for Android. Simply put, if you are on iOS, you will get everything before anyone else and there will be a whole bunch of people out there making sure that you have the best possible mobile experience. Not so much on Android.
Hardware that takes longer to get outdated
If you buy an Android phone today, chances are that three months down the line it would seem outdated. Android manufacturers are in such a fierce battle against each other that they constantly strive to outdo each other and the only way to do that is by coming up with new handsets regularly. This doesn't bode well with users who spend a large sum on these expensive handsets which start to look outdated by a newer version released by the same manufacturer a few months after they purchased it.
In case of Apple, they release hardware that have an expiry period of at least a year before they start looking outdated, which goes well with their yearly update cycle. If you buy an iPhone it would be a year before Apple would release something that would make your phone seem outdated. This means you have an entire year to enjoy your phone until something better comes along while the Android world gets their new best phone, every month.
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