People always have favorites. Some people might like classical music, while others may like rap. Personal preference effects a lot of what we buy today. When you watch the news, do you watch Fox or ABC? It all depends on preference. You could say the same about iOS and Android too. The Internet is full of “trolls” who just love to hate on each other, and the wars just never end. You can go to any tech blog and see a post on iOS or Android and immediately see people hating on one or the other. Each operating system (OS) has its pros and cons, and neither one is perfect.
Usability
iOS has a reputation for being “locked down” or “unusable”. Some people don’t like having their OS locked down to something as simple as iOS. People that like customization should go for an Android. You can do much more and with less hassle (i.e. no jailbreaking required). Android’s open source platform allows developers to make programs that make better use of the phone’s capabilities. But the openness comes at a price. Most Android phones are also prone to infections from viruses and malware. Some programs aren’t compatible with all phones as well. iOS’s simplicity allows users to be safe from malicious applications that will harm your phone.
Applications
Most smartphones these days can run applications and games. Apple’s intuitive App Store lets users browse from hundreds of applications and games, most of them free. The Android Market also provides Android users a way of downloading and installing applications and games. The downside is that the App Store has more free apps than the Android Market. The reason for this would have to be because on the App Store, a developer can set an application to be free for a day (by changing the price of the app). In Android market however, a developer can change a paid app to be free but this is only a one-way process. They cannot change a free app to a paid app. Most applications are on both platforms (i.e. Netflix or Facebook app).
Stability
A good operating system is a stable one. We know for a fact that iOS is one of the most stable operating systems out there. Since Apple and only Apple can use its OS, they can utilize all of their phones functionalities. For example, right now Apple only needs to focus on utilizing their OS on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and soon to come out iPhone 4S/5. On the other side, Google needs to make it where almost ALL of their devices can run Android smoothly. There is no way of telling if one phone can run the same OS as fast as another.
So which side should you join? There’s no way of telling but either way, you can’t be wrong. Both OSes are spectacular, amazing technologies we can use every day. Companies like Google and Apple give us helpful applications and fun games we can download from the application store. In the end all that matters would have to be the type of phone you are going toward. If you want an iPhone, you’re going to get iOS. There’s no way around that. If you want a phone like the Samsung Galaxy II or Motorola’s Droid Bionic then you have to take the Android path. The internet needs to stop all this madness with “OMGOSH APPLE SUXS,” or, ”Googles sux and tries to b like apple.” Everyone should just get along!
Burak works on the staff at Manual’s RedEye website.
