Smart phones are enjoying great fame due to technological advancement and user’s demand, It has become a basic need for people, just like a television or a desktop computer. As the technology is improving, so is the competition. Two strongest and biggest competitors in the market right now are Android and iOS.
Which one is better is a debatable topic and requires study of a number of variables. In this article I have attempted to throw a light on the most important features of both these systems.
#1. Number of Applications
Both Apple and Android are strong players of the market and areconstantly fighting to get the #1 position.
In the race between both these companies, users are reaping the benefits as they are being served with a variety of applications on their smartphones.
Apple was not the first app store nor was it the biggest, it started with only 500 apps in 2008 with the launch of its iPhone 3G. But within a short span of three months the number of downloads reached 100 million and the number of apps reached to 3,000. But it was nearly impossible to get a hold of Apple.
Google also started in 2008 with a handful of apps, but it grew quickly with 2,300 apps in 2009 and 80,000 apps available in 2010, and the total number of downloads had surpassed the coveted 1 billion mark. However, it was still a long way behind Apple’s App Store.
If I talk about the current statistics Google Play Store leads with 1.6 million applications closely followed by Apple with almost 1.5 million apps in its app store.
#2. Interface
If you are someone who prefers simplicity, then you would prefer to go for an iPhone rather than an Android smartphone. iPhone is clean, sharp and easy, for anyone who is starting to use a smart phone, learning to use an iPhone would be much easier.
On the other hand, if you are somebody who likes to dig into your phone and then find the app which you need, you would definitely like Android.
Although, iOS and Android are distinctive from each other, but there are still many differences between both. Let’s talk about the notifications first, Apple lets you see the notification on an App-by-app basis, while Android makes it easy for you to see and clear all your notifications one by one.
Android provides you the freedom to customize your phone, its looks and features. On the contrary, Apple does not offer any customization, either you like it the way it is or you may choose to drop it and go for some other phone.
Something unbeatable which Apple possessed till now was its Do not Disturb feature. Enabling this do not disturb feature will help you to silence all the calls, messages, notifications received during this time. With the advent of its priority mode, Android has made it loud and clear that they are a perfect competitor. Android’s priority mode is easy to enable and facilitates you to select time for this mode. You can either put your phone on Priority mode for an indefinite period or you can also choose it for a number of hours.
#3. Security & Performance
App security is a common point of discussion between Android and iOS. There is no second thought about the fact that Android isn’t as locked as iOS is, so there is always a question of security in Android.
Apple has its own app store and is very specific about the types of apps present in the store. Apple’s review process is not limited to the vulnerability tests such as software bugs, but also tries to protect privacy issues. They also keep an eye on children by safeguarding them from exposure to any inappropriate content.
On the other hand, Android users can download the apps from a common market place called the Android market, where apps are available in millions. The app will ask permission to use the user’s data once it is installed on the phone. Google has left this option to the users to decide whether the app actually requires those capabilities or not.
#4. Google Now v/s Siri
Google Now and Siri both works as your personal assistant and help you to instruct your mobile phone to perform various tasks.
Google Now does not work as a separate app and always keep running in the background and anticipates what you might want to ask.
For example, if you are reading a text which mentions a movie, Google Now can show you all the movie screenings near you.
In the past, Siri could only be called upon by holding down the home button, raising the phone to your mouth, or when your iPhone was plugged in. In iOS 9, Siri will be ‘always listening’ – meaning that you can say “Hey Siri” at any time to activate it.
Siri is more like a proactive assistant now. For example, If you receive a text message, you can just ask Siri to remind you about it later, or you can save event invites from your emails directly into your calendar.
#5. Battery Life
Battery life is something very crucial for the users. Everyone wishes to be connected all the time. On my way back home after a long day at work, I still feel the urge to check all the updates posted by my friends on Facebook, and all the personal emails I received throughout the day. Whatever purpose it may be, I want my cell phone to be working all the time.
I would definitely choose a phone which would have a strong battery backup because I may not get an a chance to charge my phone all the time.
From my personal experience, I would definitely pick an Apple phone over Android. Apple provides a better native platform for battery performance. As a matter of fact, most Android smart phones come with higher mAh ratings than an iPhone. Therefore, Android should have a better battery backup than iOS.
Some of the Android phones have been able to catch up with the iPhone’s battery, but most of them lag behind.
Let’s take a look at the figures of the most competitive companies in the market right now, Samsung and Apple. Both companies are giving us detailed and directly comparable official figures for Wi-Fi browsing, LTE browsing, video playback, and Music playback longevity. Samaung Galaxy S6 claims to be better than iPhone 6 but cannot beat the figures of Apple iPhone 6 plus.
The below image shows a general comparison of the iOS and Android battery performance.
#6. Google Fit v/s Apple Health
There are a number of indicative differences between Google fit and Apple health. Google fit is easier to start with as it keeps track of your basic activities like walking, running and cycling. It automatically enters this data as soon as you start performing this activity. A lot of other points can be added manually, which may include swimming, snowboarding and many others. This data is represented in a very clean and clear format. Google Fit is concerned whether you have hit the target steps each day or not.
Now let’s talk about Apple health, which surpass all the features Google Fit has. Apart from tracking all these basic activities like walking, running, Apple Fit tracks your sleep, calories burnt and blood glucose levels too. Apple health lets you track everything from the amount of fiber in your diet to your body temperature. Apple Health facilitates you to create a medical ID of yourself which can be a fully featured picture of your health and medical history.
Conclusion
Both of the mobile OS are distinctive and hold a typically different segment of the market. People who are used to using iOS will any day prefer an Apple iPhone over an Android phone. And those who are happy with Android don’t think much about iOS. Both have their pros and cons and it is next to impossible to crown either of them as the best.
What do you think?
Images “Author’s Own”
________________________________________________________________________________
Tweak Your Biz is a thought leader global publication and online business community. Today, it is part of the Small Biz Trends stable of websites and receives over 300,000 unique views per month. Would you like to write for us?
An outstanding title can increase tweets, Facebook Likes, and visitor traffic by 50% or more. Generate great titles for your articles and blog posts with the Tweak Your Biz Title Generator.
