It has become a question for the admittedly still young smartphone age: do you prefer openness or style? The inevitable argument of course, alludes to preference for Android or Apple, and their respective attributes and detriments.
While such discourse may continue in cafes and bars, an extended history of legal disputes between Apple and Samsung depicts a technological rivalry not conducive to sharing innovative ideas.
Recent and legitimate discrepancies however do elucidate separation between the two platforms, and lead to a question: What would you like Apple and Android to share in order to improve the smartphone world?
Each of the top mobile operating systems has some obvious features the other is missing, and it would benefit consumers if each developed its own.
For all you lawyers out there: I am not advocating patent violations.
This question was raised in Australia specifically via the ABC’s Radio National, and worldwide following a significant Apple iMessage mishap that saw messages cease delivering to people who had switched from Apple to Samsung devices.
The debate sparked CNet’s Australian news editor Claire Reilly to indicate that this ease of use to be a material factor contributing to the reluctance of some users to move from Apple to Android.
Near Field Communication (NFC) is another marked area where Apple is missing out. NFC, which comes standard in most smartphones, establishes radio communication between two devices when brought into close proximity with each other.
Reilly also stated that while Apple’s easy-to-use menu and styling means users don’t have to search for hours to find files or apps, it does restrict iPhone’s ability to act outside of its role as a phone.
Android, on the other hand, can be used as an external storage device and doesn’t require Apple-friendly files in order to work. Accordingly, the Android can be more easily integrated into everyday life outside of the Apple bubble.
This technology, though widely used in Android devices, is lacking in Apple. Potentially, this is because of legal restrictions but irrespective, NFC is moving forward in customisable technology, and its synergy with human life – reword
Moreover, the simplicity and elegance of Apple’s hard and software is consistently compared to the plethora of Android drones and won’t go amiss in other markets. No device manufacturer, however, has come close to matching the clean design of the iPhone – nor have any Android platforms been able to match the elegance of Apple’s iOS operating system.
The granular control of privacy for Apple, which inhibits the use of apps if you do not concede to their terms of use, has again become a contentious issue. While Android allows for apps to be run partially under the user’s discretion, Apple does not. Rather, apps will not run if the device owner denies the privacy function – conversely, allowed apps downloaded from the App Store have gained notoriety after small-circle social network app ‘Path’ stole users’ information.
Below is a list of features, not typically susceptible to monumental change via update, that differ between the two.
Email
Android typically comes with two email apps, one of which is strictly reserved for Google’s Gmail. If you have personal or work accounts that aren’t Gmail accounts, you have to use the second email app, which is usually somewhat stripped-down. The iPhone, however, manages to handle Gmail and numerous other types of email accounts in just one solid email app, and includes a unified inbox for all of them.
On the other hand, Android’s main email app, the one for Gmail, allows you to attach any file to an email as you are composing it. The iOS Mail app only allows you to attach photos and videos while composing a message. To attach other file types, you have to compose the email by starting in an app that creates, edits or displays those kinds of files.
Screens
Both screens are mainly filled with icons that launch apps, but Android offers more creative options. For instance, you can add a variety of widgets that give you a peek at content — news, weather, media, your calendar and more — without launching apps. On iOS, there are no widgets. Moreover, on Android you can pin, right to the home screens, any contact in your address book for quick texting or dialling.
Quick settings
Because wading through smartphone settings can be tedious, both platforms include a quick-settings feature with a subset of common settings – like turning on airplane mode or adjusting brightness — accessible by simply swiping from the top or bottom of the screen.
Android had this feature first, but I prefer Apple’s version, called the Control Centre. It’s cleaner, more logically organised, and it isn’t commingled with notifications, as on many Android phones. It even includes quick access to other frequently used items, like music playback controls, a flashlight feature and the calculator.
By contrast, on the latest Samsung, the ‘quick’ settings are so long you either have to swipe through a row of icons wider than the screen, or select an even more extensive list with 20 settings including marginal items. However, Android gets points for including an icon in its quick settings that takes you right to the full settings app.
Privacy control
On iOS, there’s a special settings section for controlling privacy. It allows you to decide which apps can use your location, contacts, calendar, photos, microphone and more — all in one place. Some of these options are available on Android, but I couldn’t find any similar, detailed, unified privacy-control panel on the latest Samsung, Nexus or HTC models.
Customisation
Apple doesn’t allow iPhone users to customise common features like the lock screen (beyond choosing a photo or design) and keyboard. You can’t even see the temperature by glancing at the iPhone’s lock screen, and if you don’t like Apple’s keyboard or auto-correct function, you’re out of luck.
By contrast, many Android phones do allow customisation. For instance, on the latest Samsung Galaxy, you can choose among four different keyboards, and show not just the time and date on the lock screen, but also the weather, and even readings from the built-in pedometer.
Battery
Apple, unlike Android, does not allow for batteries to be removed and/or replaced without their consent, contradicting Android’s customisable ethos. Not only does Apple disallow removing parts, often warranties are voided when such actions are taken.
One could argue that the true nature of competitive free markets, as David Riccardo noted, suggests that competition is a prerequisite for growth an innovation and growth. Given this, maybe it isn’t such a bad thing that Android and Apple are protective of their innovation – it does seem to encourage them to produce something new.
But what would you like to see Apple adopt from Android or vice versa?
The post Openness vs style: A smartphone odyssey appeared first on Techly.