Now, a lot can be said about the Android platform as an operating system.  Android fan boys will say ” It’s the best thing around, miles better than iOS.”

Of course, the natural retort from iOS fan boys would be to the contrasting end of the spectrum “Android is miles inferior due to it’s abundance of problems and bugs out of the box.”

 

The reality of BOTH of them as a whole is…… they are both flawed and incomplete.

 

• Android’s flaw comes from it’s open-sourced nature and the fact that, yes there are bugs to be worked out, even on the finished product that’s released to the public.

Cons— Keeping the system open and free for others to change to their liking or for others’ benefits, can allow for some not so nice things to enter into the system (Windows with malware and viruses- not to say they’re open source.   Just example of what can get in) or onto the Marketplace.

Pros— Keeping the system open and free for the end-user to change to their will/liking gives a much greater sense of control and empowerment to the customer.  Happy customer= Healthy bottom line.

That’s where its open-sourced nature plays its key-role. Yes it has flaws and bugs, yes it can be difficult at times to learn what everything does, especially if you’re coming from a dumb-phone to smart phone or jumping from iOS to Android– there is a bit of a curve to it. The beauty of open-source is…. anyone can make it better and anyone can contribute to its growth.

 

• iOS’s flaw comes in it’s complete lock-down approach of it’s ecosystem and the ideal that Apple has towards it’s customers that they are mindless and know nothing of technology and need their hands held at all times.

Cons— Locking down the entire system and thinking you’re much better than the general public, is not a good way to do business, nor a good way to promote your product.
Updates that only come once a year, and even when they do come, what’s the progress of it? Putting an “S” on the end or changing the icons to look flat and have the look of a 4th graders art project?

Pros— In turn, locking the system down and forcing developers to pass thru stringent check points before an app or program is allowed onto the system is a good way to keep the end-user safe from unwanted malware/viruses.

The beauty of iOS is that it just works. Full stop. Right out of the box, it’s simpler to use, learning curve is much smaller, and there is no shortage of after-market accessories for them. Anyone can pick one up and figure it out within 10 minutes, but if growth is to happen, you need to include the masses you are so arrogantly dismissing as fools and “have no idea how to make things better”.

 

• Android could do with a little more quality control before things head out the door.

• iOS could be a bit better with it’s willingness to let it’s customer base have more of a hand in the overall design and function of the operating system and the ability to make actual changes to for the benefit of its customers.

 

Now myself as a consumer, I prefer Android. Yes it can be dodgy at times and if you don’t use AOSP, skins that manufacturers throw into the mix can be heavy and pointless.

I prefer not to use AOSP for its stripped down nature, there are some things that Samsung adds in that I like ( from contacts menu, you can swipe left on a contact to text them or right to call them) and the S-pen is quite nice on the Note series of devices.

If Apple would just open up a bit, I feel they could have a serious effect on Android’s market share and start to make a play again at being a competitor, but for now…. Android wins out with its open-minded approach to letting the end-user have the choice of what to do with THEIR device and not be restricted as to what you can and can’t do.

 

These are my personal views and are open for debate