iOS or Android: A newbie's take
This is my first attempt to write about technology, so excuse my lack of knowledge or inability to highlight essential features which you think are great. Do feel free to comment if there is anything out of place.
I read a comic strip the other day, which went on to say that the debate on mobile platforms of Android and iOS is currently so vast that people declare their allegiance before getting into it; ready to play bloodsport to defend their choices. We should of course take this in good humor, but when you think about it, politics, poverty, famines, floods are topics that will be discussed at the water cooler for a brief period until you take that phone out of your pocket. It is the beginning of a new topic, the new age battle of specifications. For some reason, it reminds me of trump cards I used to play when I was a kid. 'Dual core processor? Lame! Mine is a quad core'. With all due respect, I'm not sure how many even know the difference. They might be perplexed when you use heavy words like physical and logical cores to shut them up! After a few minutes, you are taking shots at each other to say your phone is the greatest ever made.
All this aside, I want to express my take on this from my perspective. A long time Apple user who just bought an android device, here is my opinion.
For my own reasons, I have been with the Apple eco system for a long time now. I like the way everything works in tandem. A song bought on my phone and is on my iPad, desktop and eventually my iPod. I like the way iOS feels polished. I like the minimalism in it's design and the coherence with which it all comes together. Granted you have to go through iTunes most of the times, but that's the price to pay for a very solid and reliable experience. Rarely has my iPhone crashed, actually never has it crashed or let me down when needed the most. Same goes with the iPad. The app and game selections on iOS are hard to beat too. I use a lot of Garageband, iPhoto, podcasts, lots of google services for which apps are easily available.
Apple design has always been great from the tiny iPod shuffle upto to the iMac, they are all crafted very well with a look and feel that is sometimes considered luxury grade compared to the plastics we are used to seeing from other companies. Their products rarely fluctuate in pricing as well; something which will not leave you cursing yourself for at least a year or so. Views may differ of course and you are more than entitled to your opinion. Just don't think the other person's choice is stupid/lame.
Coming from such a background of 'i' devices, the first phone on the android platform to win me over was the Moto X. Not the highest end in terms of specifications, but I got the feeling that if Apple ever made an android phone, this is what it would feel like. They would've used more premium materials, but the overall feel and sense of polish would be there. Everything from the touchless control to the active display are thoughtful additions. They are so good in fact that I would not go back to a phone which does not feature at least one of them. The potential is all there. Motorola just need to keep working on the phone. As an operating system, android feels a lot more complex in a few areas. Depending on your inclination, you can term it customizable or well, just complex. There seem to be too many ways of doing the same thing. For example, when there is already a back button at the bottom of the screen; physical or on-screen depending on the phone, why is there another way of going back to the previous menu at the top? It just seems redundant. While my ancient iPhone 4 can run the latest build of iOS with a little lag, android needs plenty of power to skim through everyday tasks. If you're interested in installing your own ROMs to boost up the speed, then maybe you'll get more out of old hardware, but for someone like me who likes my devices stock, it is something to think about.The ability to share over different services is a wonderful addition in android. Not to mention the universal compatibility in terms of charging pins, NFC tags etc.,
Overall though, I enjoy both platforms for their own strengths and weaknesses. Android offers choice at various levels, be it price, hardware, screen size, screen type, features and others while iOS is a more walled garden. A very pretty and well maintained garden, but walled nonetheless. It also seems somewhat better designed for mobile devices where you are shielded from a lot of internal functionality, thereby saving the trouble of going into the bowels of the OS to figure things out yourself. If you are someone who just wants to get things done without fretting too much about wallpapers or colored themes iOS is for you. On the other hand, if you have plenty of time to spare, worry too much about the way your homescreen is laid out, android is tailored for you. Again, your preference is entirely subjective.
So the next time someone is pulling out a phone out, please don't judge them. After all, there is lot more to a person than a phone used to call someone!
I read a comic strip the other day, which went on to say that the debate on mobile platforms of Android and iOS is currently so vast that people declare their allegiance before getting into it; ready to play bloodsport to defend their choices. We should of course take this in good humor, but when you think about it, politics, poverty, famines, floods are topics that will be discussed at the water cooler for a brief period until you take that phone out of your pocket. It is the beginning of a new topic, the new age battle of specifications. For some reason, it reminds me of trump cards I used to play when I was a kid. 'Dual core processor? Lame! Mine is a quad core'. With all due respect, I'm not sure how many even know the difference. They might be perplexed when you use heavy words like physical and logical cores to shut them up! After a few minutes, you are taking shots at each other to say your phone is the greatest ever made.
All this aside, I want to express my take on this from my perspective. A long time Apple user who just bought an android device, here is my opinion.
For my own reasons, I have been with the Apple eco system for a long time now. I like the way everything works in tandem. A song bought on my phone and is on my iPad, desktop and eventually my iPod. I like the way iOS feels polished. I like the minimalism in it's design and the coherence with which it all comes together. Granted you have to go through iTunes most of the times, but that's the price to pay for a very solid and reliable experience. Rarely has my iPhone crashed, actually never has it crashed or let me down when needed the most. Same goes with the iPad. The app and game selections on iOS are hard to beat too. I use a lot of Garageband, iPhoto, podcasts, lots of google services for which apps are easily available.
Apple design has always been great from the tiny iPod shuffle upto to the iMac, they are all crafted very well with a look and feel that is sometimes considered luxury grade compared to the plastics we are used to seeing from other companies. Their products rarely fluctuate in pricing as well; something which will not leave you cursing yourself for at least a year or so. Views may differ of course and you are more than entitled to your opinion. Just don't think the other person's choice is stupid/lame.
Coming from such a background of 'i' devices, the first phone on the android platform to win me over was the Moto X. Not the highest end in terms of specifications, but I got the feeling that if Apple ever made an android phone, this is what it would feel like. They would've used more premium materials, but the overall feel and sense of polish would be there. Everything from the touchless control to the active display are thoughtful additions. They are so good in fact that I would not go back to a phone which does not feature at least one of them. The potential is all there. Motorola just need to keep working on the phone. As an operating system, android feels a lot more complex in a few areas. Depending on your inclination, you can term it customizable or well, just complex. There seem to be too many ways of doing the same thing. For example, when there is already a back button at the bottom of the screen; physical or on-screen depending on the phone, why is there another way of going back to the previous menu at the top? It just seems redundant. While my ancient iPhone 4 can run the latest build of iOS with a little lag, android needs plenty of power to skim through everyday tasks. If you're interested in installing your own ROMs to boost up the speed, then maybe you'll get more out of old hardware, but for someone like me who likes my devices stock, it is something to think about.The ability to share over different services is a wonderful addition in android. Not to mention the universal compatibility in terms of charging pins, NFC tags etc.,
Overall though, I enjoy both platforms for their own strengths and weaknesses. Android offers choice at various levels, be it price, hardware, screen size, screen type, features and others while iOS is a more walled garden. A very pretty and well maintained garden, but walled nonetheless. It also seems somewhat better designed for mobile devices where you are shielded from a lot of internal functionality, thereby saving the trouble of going into the bowels of the OS to figure things out yourself. If you are someone who just wants to get things done without fretting too much about wallpapers or colored themes iOS is for you. On the other hand, if you have plenty of time to spare, worry too much about the way your homescreen is laid out, android is tailored for you. Again, your preference is entirely subjective.
So the next time someone is pulling out a phone out, please don't judge them. After all, there is lot more to a person than a phone used to call someone!
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