iOS vs android

[Slysoft]

So I've been asking my iphone acquaintances who like to bash on my android phone what iOS offers that android doesn't, and they usually just spew some crap about smoothness and ease of use and the "finely tuned ecosystem" and other non-issues. Being that I don't actually have an iphone and never will (that would require me to install the malware known as itunes) I was wondering if anyone here could enlighten me on some of the iOS only features that someone like me will never be able to enjoy.

[GoGeTa006]

infinite discussion you are starting, I shall resume it:

It comes down to simplicity

what do I mean?

iOS has a lower learning curve, it has those "fine details" that make your life easier, its amazing how "little things" add up

Android on the other hand is pretty open, very liberal, you set your own limits. . . so for the tech savvy that wants to spend X time super-personalizing his phone, probably Android would work best. iOS by default only allows you to change background, but overall its the same arrangement of tiles and stuff, Android gives you more freedom

for that user that wants a fully working-with-everything-i-need out of the box, iOS will work better

Same deal with MacOS / Windows / Linux (arranged in order of increasing freedom but decreasing simplicity)

OSX has the most "fine-tuning" but puts more limits on you (starting with the fact that its closed architecture)
Windows gives you lots of hardware freedom, but once you get to the software you have some limitations
Linux. . .well you know linux is like freedom, no boundaries, no gravity. . .fuck it!




bottom line: its all about preferences, when your friends start talking about it, tell them you believe in god (or you dont) and change the topic to that, it will be the same schematics

[lapa321]

A file system. Everything i find android useful for is centered around that. From being able to use memory cards, to creating sub folders to organize your work files, to being able to drag and drop files into it over the network, and all the apps can access them as easily as a windows application does on the desktop harddrive.

[MTR]

infinite discussion you are starting, I shall resume it:

It comes down to simplicity

what do I mean?

iOS has a lower learning curve, it has those "fine details" that make your life easier, its amazing how "little things" add up

Android on the other hand is pretty open, very liberal, you set your own limits. . . so for the tech savvy that wants to spend X time super-personalizing his phone, probably Android would work best. iOS by default only allows you to change background, but overall its the same arrangement of tiles and stuff, Android gives you more freedom

for that user that wants a fully working-with-everything-i-need out of the box, iOS will work better

Same deal with MacOS / Windows / Linux (arranged in order of increasing freedom but decreasing simplicity)

OSX has the most "fine-tuning" but puts more limits on you (starting with the fact that its closed architecture)
Windows gives you lots of hardware freedom, but once you get to the software you have some limitations
Linux. . .well you know linux is like freedom, no boundaries, no gravity. . .fuck it!




bottom line: its all about preferences, when your friends start talking about it, tell them you believe in god (or you dont) and change the topic to that, it will be the same schematics

This sums it up very well. My fiancee tends to get frustrated at her android phone quite a bit when things don't work as they should. My response to her is usually "if you want a phone that works, get an iPhone." No matter how much marketshare it gains, Android will still be aimed at a much more tech savvy crowd where as the iOS devices are a much better choice for the general consumer. Even though I personally would never buy an iOS device over an Android one, I would probably recommend it.

[metro.]

You want to change nothing and have your phone "just work"?
Get an iPhone.

You want to spend a few hours fiddling with your phone to get it to perfection, and give yourself more options?
Get an Android.

iOS is retard proof, but, for most users, will have an upper bound for enjoyment, there's always niggling things that you can't quite fix. Unless you jailbreak, and then why didn't you just buy an Android?

Android is a hassle to set up, but if you're willing to put the time in, will ultimately maximize your enjoyment, because you can fix those little things, providing you're willing to put the time in.

What it comes down to, neither are better, simply a choice. There's the argument for better app support, but that's not applicable any more with Google's push to get devs moving to Android, and it's worked. They matched the App Store's number a little while ago, growing at an astonishing rate. Another argument that applies quite well, depending on your provider, is that Android updates don't get delivered as quickly, but with Google's Nexus line they're taking control of even that.

[AceHigh]

"finely tuned ecosystem"

Only hipsters would use a word like that when talking about inanimate object. Should have called him a faggot as soon as he mentioned that phrase and be done with it.

[MyonMyon]

A file system. Everything i find android useful for is centered around that. From being able to use memory cards, to creating sub folders to organize your work files, to being able to drag and drop files into it over the network, and all the apps can access them as easily as a windows application does on the desktop harddrive.

This 1000 times. I find it outrageous that you cannot even move a file to/from your phone without a specific iProgram. With android? Just plug it to your computer and open the folder like any other external HDD/USB drive.

[Bob2004]

See, you guys complain about Android being a hassle to set up compared to iOS, but for most people there is no real setup for Android. When I first got my HTC Desire, I booted it up, there was a quick first time setup thing where I could enter the details of my Google account to sync with it, and that was it. Everything just worked out of the box - phone, maps, internet, contacts, the lot. No problems at all. Compared to my friends with iPhones who are constantly having problems - for example discovering that all the maps/GPS had been rendered totally useless overnight (the town I lived in had vanished from the map, while the next town over had mysteriously moved to Scotland).

Android is definitely better for the more tech-savvy user than iOS, because of the potential for modding and tweaking, but for most ordinary users it isn't really all that much different to iOS in terms of complexity. Maybe a tad more complex, but not significantly so.

[Saras]

I still say that androids biggest strength is both it's biggest weakness. The fact that it runs on anything starting from a watch to   some stupid 20 inch tablet means that the apps don't look good on either.

[Slysoft]

You could say the same thing about iphone vs ipad. The devs would have to make a different version for each screen resolution, which is no different than on android.

As far as android's problems vs iOS's, I'd have to say that older versions of android were not exactly up to par with ios as far as polish goes, but 4.0+ has really leveled the playing field. Personally I think the iphone's UI looks stupid but that's just an opinion.

[megido-rev.M]

cannot even move a file to/from your phone without a specific iProgram.

[rathoriel]

good lord there are to many people that are just blinded by apple and worship Steve Jobs dead shrivled Penis.

this it nothing more than a thread like subs vs dubs.
 
 
apple is fail

[Saras]

You could say the same thing about iphone vs ipad. The devs would have to make a different version for each screen resolution, which is no different than on android.

As far as android's problems vs iOS's, I'd have to say that older versions of android were not exactly up to par with ios as far as polish goes, but 4.0+ has really leveled the playing field. Personally I think the iphone's UI looks stupid but that's just an opinion.

Yes. But including ~3-4 versions in ones design is one thing. Including 10 million is another.

[GoGeTa006]

You could say the same thing about iphone vs ipad. The devs would have to make a different version for each screen resolution, which is no different than on android.

As far as android's problems vs iOS's, I'd have to say that older versions of android were not exactly up to par with ios as far as polish goes, but 4.0+ has really leveled the playing field. Personally I think the iphone's UI looks stupid but that's just an opinion.

you havent used iOS i see. . .
the apps are completely different for iPad and iPhone/iPod  (at least the most used ones)

Android does have "enlarged versions"
but iPad does have its own unique versions that take advatange of screen size/res

here:
if you care to watch the comparison of apps
http://www.apple.com/apple-events/october-2012/
at 38:00 Tim Cook starts talking about the iPad numbers (sales, uses blah blah)
skip to 57:30 to compare the iPad mini with Android tablet

[Slysoft]

Pretty much every android device uses the same resolution. 800x480, 1280x720, and now 1080p phones are on the horizon. It doesn't matter what size the screen is. In fact, considering every version of iphone has had a different resolution screen, you could say they have the same problem.

[lapa321]

See, you guys complain about Android being a hassle to set up compared to iOS, but for most people there is no real setup for Android. When I first got my HTC Desire, I booted it up, there was a quick first time setup thing where I could enter the details of my Google account to sync with it, and that was it. Everything just worked out of the box - phone, maps, internet, contacts, the lot. No problems at all. Compared to my friends with iPhones who are constantly having problems - for example discovering that all the maps/GPS had been rendered totally useless overnight (the town I lived in had vanished from the map, while the next town over had mysteriously moved to Scotland).

Android is definitely better for the more tech-savvy user than iOS, because of the potential for modding and tweaking, but for most ordinary users it isn't really all that much different to iOS in terms of complexity. Maybe a tad more complex, but not significantly so.

When you show someone a control panel with twenty buttons, it's automatically 'hard' and 'complex' even tho you only need to push two buttons to make the whole thing work 99% of the time. What apple did is they took a chainsaw and hacked the control panel in half, and painted over the rest so all you see are those two buttons.

[Saras]

Pretty much every android device uses the same resolution. 800x480, 1280x720, and now 1080p phones are on the horizon. It doesn't matter what size the screen is. In fact, considering every version of iphone has had a different resolution screen, you could say they have the same problem.

Really? I've had three android phones. Neither of them came with either of the two resolutions you specified.

Yes. However, how many apps are currently developed with the first iPhone in mind? You only need to look at the 4s and 5, everything else is irrelevant. Same with the iPad 1, you can scratch it out. At most, it's 5 devices to keep note of and to optimize for.

To be honest. I'd say screen size factors in more than resolution and I feel the issues a lot on my nexus 7. I've yet to find a single "homebrew" app that feels and looks good on it. After all, resolution affects sharpness of the image, that is all. Screen size on the other hand affects positioning and the required size of the sensitive areas, something I'd vouch as quite a bit more important to the "touch and feel" of a system. And android phones alone, not tablets, not whatever the fuck else, just phones alone that are used today, just from samsung anywhere between 3'5 to 5'5. You need pretty fucking dynamic algorithms to account for all of that.

[MyonMyon]

Practically every app in the market has proper support for 800x480 and 1280x720.

If you got fooled to buy a $100 android phone with one of those smaller resolutions (480x320 or something) don't expect it to be on par with the $500 ones. The price tag usually tells something... And if you are talking about phones like HTC Sensation (960x540), that's pretty much HTC's fault of making an awkward resolution (and by awkward i dont mean bad screen proportions, just that it isnt really realistic to expect app developers to optimize their app for every possible screen resolution)

I understand that it may be frustrating for the people who bought one of these phones, but it isn't the OS's fault. It's like you buy a mini laptop with a, say, 640x480 display and then wonder why windows 7 looks shit, you wouldn't blame windows 7. I personally feel android isn't the best OS for cheaper phones because their hardware isn't enough to run the high-end apps anyway.

TL:DR just buy a android with either one of the most used resolutions and you won't have any compatibility problems at all with apps. Also, the majority of the most popular apps usually have support for the rarer resolutions.


In a nutshell, if you buy a android phone for $100-$200, don't expect it to be as smooth and compatible with the apps as a $800 IPhone (that's what it costs here where i live).

[Slysoft]

Pretty much every android device uses the same resolution. 800x480, 1280x720, and now 1080p phones are on the horizon. It doesn't matter what size the screen is. In fact, considering every version of iphone has had a different resolution screen, you could say they have the same problem.

Really? I've had three android phones. Neither of them came with either of the two resolutions you specified.

Yes. However, how many apps are currently developed with the first iPhone in mind? You only need to look at the 4s and 5, everything else is irrelevant. Same with the iPad 1, you can scratch it out. At most, it's 5 devices to keep note of and to optimize for.

To be honest. I'd say screen size factors in more than resolution and I feel the issues a lot on my nexus 7. I've yet to find a single "homebrew" app that feels and looks good on it. After all, resolution affects sharpness of the image, that is all. Screen size on the other hand affects positioning and the required size of the sensitive areas, something I'd vouch as quite a bit more important to the "touch and feel" of a system. And android phones alone, not tablets, not whatever the fuck else, just phones alone that are used today, just from samsung anywhere between 3'5 to 5'5. You need pretty fucking dynamic algorithms to account for all of that.

That's one of the most retarded arguments ever. You happened to buy one of the only android phones out there that doesn't use the same resolution as 90% of the other phones, and somehow that's android's fault, but when the iphone changes its resolution, "oh, they dont design apps with the old phone in mind". Their flagship phone has one of the weirdest resolutions to ever be on the phone. It's not even the same aspect ratio, and I find it hard to believe that the existing apps will be any more optimized for that than anything you'll find on android. At this point I feel like you're just trying to rationalize an issue (or non-issue, I have an android tablet and haven't noticed any problems with app resolution) that is prevalent on both sides. Screen size doesn't matter at all as far as app design goes. Resolution is the only thing that matters. The only thing screen size will change is make it slightly more or less sharp.

In fact, you can go look at all the android devices and see how a good 90% of them are one of three resolutions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Android_devices (not all of them are phones though)

[kitamesume]

i got that "rip-off" 480x320 screen android that was tagged at 150$, it was a present though, apps looks decent if not as good as the higher resolution screens, theres something called "scaling" if you didnt know, it locks in either horizontal or vertical size of the screen, no it doesn't resize the apps to outside of it's aspect ratio.

also, if you compare a PC monitor's highest pixel density models it pales in comparison to even the budget androids, the pixel densities of the android phones are beasts, cramping a full 1920x1080 onto a 10" tablet while a monitor needs at least 21.5" to get that resolution at it's densest. now tell me if you see horrid pixels on a 21.5" fullHD monitor, now lets not get into 24" 1920x1080 monitors as they have less pixel density.