If you are choosing between the Android operating system and the iPhone OS (iOS), then you should first decide which features and functions are most important to you. The information below should help you decide, although if you do not know what is important to you then you might have a problem.
The first thing you should be aware of is that Apple keeps a strong hold on its operating system, while Android started life as part of an open alliance of 84 electronics firms, backed by Google, with the objective of developing a consistent operating system between them. Android is adaptable, and even though it was purchased by Google, other developers can use it. For example, Samsung uses it it the firm's Galaxy smartphone, and LG also uses the Android OS.
iPhone is specific to Apple, which puts the iOS in direct competition with all other smartphone manufacturers. This is one reason for Android to be outstripping Apple devices in sales. One of the problems with the iPhone OS is its limited compatibility with non-Apple portable devices.
Here are some differences between the two:
The Interface
If you prefer a simple interface, then the iPhone OS offers a simple and clean menu system that those new to smartphones will appreciate. It is significantly easier to navigate than an Android OS device. However, if you like digging deeply into menus to find the app or feature you are seeking, then the Android OS will make you drool! Often simplicity is not best, however, and too simple a menu system can leave many options behind – such as a QWERTY keypad.
The Android interface is ideal for QWERTY typing, rather than the type of keypad that drives many people mad when they try to be quick with their messages, making errors when hitting a glass or plastic screen. Android facilitates the use of a genuine keypad with real keys where your finger don't slip on the plastic. You can puchase a number of smartphones offering real physical keypads that slide from under the touchscreen, and of a type that the iPhone OS cannot support.
Multitasking
Android wins with multitasking. Apple's OS4 has improved multitasking from previous versions, but Apple restricts the iPhone to its Apps store, and the capability of the iPhone to multitask is dependent on the Apps store classification. This can significantly compromise multitasking speed and efficiency, and Android wins every time here. It's the old Apple fixation with its own stores that restricts the OS from being used to its full capability.
Android, on the other hand, has no such restrictions, and while this is not ideal, it is still preferable to the restrictions imposed by Apple. The Samsung Galaxy 10.1, for example, uses the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS which offers true seamless multitasking between multiple screens.
Use of Folders
The use of folders is new in the iPod Touch, but Android has offered them from the start, thus giving them a head start in this method of organizing your files on portable devices. Many people have no need for folders in their smartphone, but if this is an important feature for you, then Android wins hands down.
Applications (Apps)
Without a doubt, the Android OS beats the iPhone iOS hands down! This is not because of any technical difference between the operating systems, but simply because Android is open source. Even though it is owned by Google, the software is open for developers to use to generate apps. You will find an app for just about anything that is compatible with the Android OS, while iPhone OS apps must be approved by Apple.
Yes, there are many iPhone apps available on the market – from the Apple Store at Apple prices, though to be fair some are free. With the Android OS, however, you can go online and download unlimited apps suitable for the operating system. If you want an app to carry out a specific task, you have a significantly higher chance of finding it for Android than for any Apple device!
Which is Best: The Android OS or the iPhone OS?
Which is best between the two depends on your own personal preference. Apple fans will prefer the iPhone OS because it integrates perfectly with other Apple products such as the Apple Mac computers and laptops, the iPod and the iPad. Not only that but the unified email inbox is neat, and offers something that Android cell phones do not have – unless you find an app out there that offers this feature.
That's something you cannot get with the iPhone operating system, because it is patented and not open source as Android is. Anything else that is email related, however, is also available on Android devices. Each offers great game options, although the open source nature of the Android OS will likely push it into the lead in this respect.
With regard to games, Android lags well behind iPhone- in fact it is next to impossible to find good games for the Android OS. Flash is another problem, though in this case with the iPhone OS. Apple has always been critical of Flash, and if you use Flash or want to access sites or apps that use it, then Apple will not allow you – Android will!
In conclusion, there is very little between the two, although the open source nature of Android offers the opportunity for a more diverse range of apps, if not more in actual number. With the iPhone OS you are restricted to apps and other software that Apple approves, while Android is open to anyone that wants to use the operating system to design an application.
Android OS Vs iPhone OS: fundamentally, the choice is yours and the differences are not sufficient to place one much higher than the other. Apple fans will use nothing else, even if restricted to the current version of the iPhone, while Android users will like the availability of cell phones such as the Motorola Droid and the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Nexus.
