Mobile OS Wars: A comparison between iOS and Android

“Technology depreciates at a rapid rate and it is really better for human kind. With modern technology, our life becomes easier. The days have gone, when a computer machine was treated as a symbol of aristocracy; now it is a must for every person or profession. New era smart phones or tablets are gaining overnight popularity and replacing the computer machines due to their unmatched user experience and portability nature. The touch screen is simply a greedy thing for everyone and everyone tries to own one. This smart phone industry is backed by IT giants like Google, Apple and Microsoft with their smart operating systems i.e. Android, iOS and Windows; but, still customer demands more because, the industry is at its infancy stage. There is a tough competition between Android and iOS recently because they are the leaders of the smart phone operating system industry. One is the grown-up player having an undisputed track record since inception and other has gained tremendous popularity in the industry due to its effort and continuous learning process. Let’s see which is really better and why?”.

Faster response: This is one of the most important feature of any operating system may it be desktop OS or Smart phone OS. The response time should be less so that the user will not feel annoyed. Apple's iOS stands ahead in this department than Android. This is because of the high effort from expert Apple team, well-organized framework and highly optimized hardware inside the device. Even a dual core iPhone runs smoother than a quad core Android smart phone.

User Experience: User experience is the success mantra of any application, product or operating system. So, both the player tries to give optimum user experience through valuable feedback from the market and the users as well. The iOS's materialistic design is simply outstanding but again, Google has come up with the same design with its latest Lollypop version. In fact, Lollypop is having some additional features within itself to provide better user experience. So, it’s like a tie between the two. We want to keep this open for few days more when the iOS 9 and Android M will release in the industry.

Customization option: Customization is the feature of any application or OS to provide better access to the user. It provides adequate scope to the user to customize the interface of the operating system and hence improves the user satisfaction. Apple does not provide much customization option for the user; because it believes that the user interface is already highly advanced and user friendly. Apple also doesn’t like to modify its flagship interface through more customization options. So iOS app developers don’t have to do anything extra on the customization front. On the contrary, Android provides enough room for customization; in fact, it is an open source operating system and hence it is easily customizable. Moreover, many Android license holders create their own customized user interface over and above the Android OS for better user experience. Few examples of Android customization are Xiomi’s MIUI6, CyanogenMod etc. These customized Android OS are extremely attractive and beautiful to impart better user experience. Other manufacturers like Samsung, Lenovo, Micromax etc have also built their customized OS with Android for better look and feel.

Quality apps: Undoubtedly, Apple is having the best in the industry quality apps because; it has been its priority since its inception. But, things are getting changing over time; we are not saying that Android has better apps than that of iOS; but, it is trying to achieve the same level with more effort from the Android developers and more encouragement from Google. On the contrary, the number of apps in Google play store is much higher than that of iOS and it is still growing at a faster pace. This proves the potential of Android in the industry and hence it enables the user in getting more options for their needs. When there are more options already available, it will definitely trigger the new developers or existing developers to improve the quality of their Android apps to attract the users. We can clearly foresee a bright future for Android users in coming days though currently Apple is dominating the industry with quality apps.

Hardware device limitation: Apple produces both OS and hardware device to run its in-house iOS i.e. iPhone or iPad. So, a user must purchase from these limited devices to enter into the iOS ecosystem. The worst thing is that, the prices of these devices are much higher from a common user’s prospective. On the other hand, Google only focuses on its software part i.e. Android OS. Though it has a small time venture with Motorola Mobility but it has withdrawn the same now. To reach at more number of users, Google is associated with many smart phone manufacturers to provide low cost devices for every user. Yes, it also has many high end devices but, it has kept its door open for small manufacturers to provide budget smart phones with a wide range of hardware specifications.

Source code availability: Google’s Android operating system is like an open source for those who have their association with Google like Android device manufacturers. As a result, they can modify the source code for better user interaction and more penetration in the market. Almost all the manufacturers of Android devices are modifying the core operating system to offer more access to the user. It is really creating a win-win situation for both manufacturer and user.

Budget: As discussed, Apple devices are costlier than that of Android devices. This is because of the monopoly of Apple whereas Google kept this space open for the manufacturers to decide their smart device price depending upon the hardware specification and other related parameters. So, from user’s point of view, an Android user will have more options for budget devices to get the experience of smart operating system and it is really helpful for developing countries like India and China etc.

Security system: The security system of iOS was always better till now. But with the breakthrough of Android Lollypop, Goggle has given a tough challenge for Apple. Experts are already assuming that, the next Android version i.e. Android M might be more secure than iOS9. But, till date, iOS8 is the winner in this department.

Support service: Due to single support unit of Apple for its LIMITED devices, we can expect better support service. On the contrary, Android is way behind for support service since it has open association with different manufacturers throughout the globe. The problem can’t be ignored by Google unless until all the manufacturers come together to provide better support which is impossible due to a wide range devices with different hardware specifications. 

At Mindfire Solutions, we have always been early adopters. We were one of the first companies in India, to join the smartphone bandwagon: We have been doing it since the day of Brew, J2ME and Palm and were one of the first ones to launch iOS app development services after Apple launched the SDK in 2007. We also have been doing Android app development. We develop elegant and intuitive apps for the Windows Phone, Android, iPad and iPhone, fully leveraging their corresponding OS capabilities. We can turn your ideas into engaging smart apps – apps your users will love. Please free to contact us if you have an existing app that needs a new life or a new app idea, we can turn it into the next big thing. You can also avail our limited period Risk-Free Trial offer now.