Apple or Android as your smartphone or tablet OS?

[snooks]

snooks that's a bit disingenuous. You are comparing developing for android with using an iphone/pad/pod.

I agree, it was a bit of text about Android (that confused the hell out of me which I could cut and paste) I was looking for, as example of how I see the differences.

There's lots of talk that Android is better for developing apps for, I'm sure it is, but in reality that doesn't concern me...I just want to use the phone.

 

[colingr]

Just because it's a sweeping statement doesn't make less true. In my experience which is currently 27 years in IT, pc / android users are more technically aware than mac / ios users. Maybe it's because they have to be?
maybe it's because mac's are a one stop shop where as PC's / android users have more places to 'shop' around and therefore more aware?

You could be right, or maybe because they want to be. (spoken as an IT developer since 1979 and an android user/developer).

 

[colingr]

I agree, it was a bit of text about Android (that confused the hell out of me which I could cut and paste) I was looking for, as example of how I see the differences.

There's lots of talk that Android is better for developing apps for, I'm sure it is, but in reality that doesn't concern me...I just want to use the phone.

say no more. In that case either would do equally as well.

 

[colingr]

So the vote is currently 56 Android to 42 iusers.

Based on that the larger target market is Android but ipc are choosing to ignore the needs of the majority.

Is it because journos are more likely to believe the hype and stlye and, therefore, cannot see the world outside?

 

[Flying Penguin]

So the vote is currently 56 Android to 42 iusers.

Based on that the larger target market is Android but ipc are choosing to ignore the needs of the majority.

Is it because journos are more likely to believe the hype and stlye and, therefore, cannot see the world outside?

Well that's all well and good, but the question is flawed. It fails to determine what form factor they are developing for, a lot of things that work on tablets are too small to be effective when ported to the smart phone equivalent, whatever flavour the OS.

So, another pair of polls, iPad vs Android Tablet, and iPhone vs Android Smartphone?

 

[colingr]

Good point

 

[Flying Penguin]

Good point

But life is too short.....

 

[Tintin]

It never ceases to amaze me how polarised mac peeps are against any other OS. It has always been the way in my experience, which is a shame.

In my business we run win-PC's, win-servers, linux servers, android phones, crackberry's, and two macs for the creatives (bless them).

I use mostly an android phone and a win-laptop, but occasionally use the mac I bought my girlfriend, or step-daughters iPhone.

Back in the day it is true, Macs were easier to use out of the box, but I find no difference now. In fact the mac is more frustrating because I have got used to a right mouse button for simple quick access to things I want to do.

I'm reading all these horror stories from mac peeps, of their experiences with android, and I am wondering how many have actually given them a go, or actually spent more than a few hours, because every single android device I have ever bought has been very easy to use, and my staff report the same.

I find it frustrating using a mac because some things work different (right click), but after a day of use it’s natural. Then I switch back to win and I have the same issue in reverse.

The only differences I can really see between iphone and android phone (and I'm talking the Samsung's - my GF's Xperia is sh&te), and mac and win-pc is that the mac has better looks. And you pay a premium for it. Which is fine because we are all used to paying a premium for good looking things (GF's, cars, jewellery etc...).

 

[Supine Being]

Just because it's a sweeping statement doesn't make less true. In my experience which is currently 27 years in IT, pc / android users are more technically aware than mac / ios users. Maybe it's because they have to be?
maybe it's because mac's are a one stop shop where as PC's / android users have more places to 'shop' around and therefore more aware?

But this is a straw-man argument. It is not 'accepted' that iPhones are easy use and android less so. My counter argument to that is that Mrs Supine loves her Nexus S and has no complaints whatsoever. What is key here is that Mrs Supine believes that most technology is witchcraft and has no desire whatsoever to get involved in the gubbins of her phone. But she emails, texts, chats, plays games and does everything she wants to intuitively and efficiently. Trust me: this is a minor miracle for a technophobe such as she.

If I were to take it away and replace it with an iPhone, there would be trouble!

 

[snooks]

So the vote is currently 56 Android to 42 iusers.

Based on that the larger target market is Android but ipc are choosing to ignore the needs of the majority.

No what that actually shows is that out of the users of this forum who have voted in the poll, 40% use Apple 55% use Android

Not every reader uses the forum, and I doubt it's representative of IPC's entire readership It might be a good indicator, but there are of a lot of users on here who confess to not reading the magazines, they might be the Android users

And as it has been said before, far more navigation apps are available on the iPad than on Android, so IPC are just following the trend of the charting app manufacturers.

 

[colingr]

And as it has been said before, far more navigation apps are available on the iPad than on Android

OK I'll bite - really?????

Plenty of tracking, chart, anchor watch, logs etc. etc. on Android (I've writeen a few myself )

 

[snooks]

OK I'll bite - really?????

Plenty of tracking, chart, anchor watch, logs etc. etc. on Android (I've writeen a few myself )

More navigation apps

i.e. apps to navigate with, not boatie related or pointless apps like boating dictionaries, or anchor watchers...

There might only be Navionics, Memory Map, Imray, iChart, iNavX, Fly to Map, but that is more than is available for Android, or it was the last time I looked

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

Bit of a strange poll really.

Apple is one user interface.

Android has several different user interfaces as it depends on the implementation and features offered by the phone manufacturer.

What should be compared is iPhone versus any other single phone. iPhone would win by miles.

 

[zikzik]

I suspect most tech minded people actually prefer platforms like Android and Microsoft because they can play with them. I think early users of MSDOS and Windows helped Microsoft gain growth by shipping software that was 'buggy'. We all loved it and loved moaning about it. It was a challenge to work it out, even with very limited ability. The mac / iOS lot, (thats also me nowadays) no longer, or never cared about getting 'into it, they just want to do things with the available software. I now think thats why I stayed with macs after the initial feel good feeling. Deep down I wanted to do stuff, not explore the technicalities / idiosyncrasies of the gear.

A bit like buying cameras because you love the gear more than taking good pictures maybe? (I love the gear but still take c**p pictures incidentally).

 

[Tintin]

No what that actually shows is that out of the users of this forum who have voted in the poll, 40% use Apple 55% use Android

Not every reader uses the forum, and I doubt it's representative of IPC's entire readership It might be a good indicator, but there are of a lot of users on here who confess to not reading the magazines, they might be the Android users

And as it has been said before, far more navigation apps are available on the iPad than on Android, so IPC are just following the trend of the charting app manufacturers.

Bite 2.

Snooks, your attempt to claim that loads of non-forum iPC readers use apple compared to android, to somehow justify the complete apple bias shown by your mags, is really a load of old tosh. There is no way on earth that your readers differ so much from what is happening in the market.

So let me just destroy the iPC-Apple love-in with data rather than your mac-centric fantasy (and I forgive you 'cos your a mac-head, and it has already been shown that mac-heads are blindly loyal).

Q3 2011 smartphone data from Gartner (industry respected)
- Android have 52.5% of market for smartphones
- Apple is third with 15% (behind Symbian)

Latest data / opinion on tablet sales (Jan 31 2012)
- Apple has 58%
- Android has 39% and is increasing rapidly

Gartner estimate (Q2 2011) that Apple OS had 10.7 of computer usage share (link to article in wiki)

So snooks, in trying to justify why IPC have a love affair with all things apple, and write articles about nav applications excluding the android platform entirely, thus clearly demonstrating an appalling commercial bias, you are trying to build your defence thus:

a) that the forum has way more android users than mac, and in reality (in your mind) far more people really use mac based stuff.

and

b) you've ignored the fact that the pre-eminent nav app (navionics) runs superbly on android. so when you do your nav reviews why do you not even mention it - even one line?

With regards to a), you are very wrong because all stats suggest there are far more android / Win users than any other OS for smartphones and computers, and with tablets Apple share si dropping as Android advances rapidly (did I read correctly it had tripled in a year?)..

This rough poll just backs up what is happening in the real world outside IPC-Macintosh Towers.

Sadly I think you and your colleagues have been afflicted with the iBlinkers, iLust, and iFacts (all fo which com in a shiny white package)

At the end of the day your focus on all things Mac, based on very very shaky mac-centric assumption by mac-users, seriously compromises your magazines, and turns any app or software review into a bit of a joke really, rather than an article worth cutting out and keeping for future reference.

And (whether you believe it or not) that is the sort of thing that turns readers off.

And then you compound it by digging deeper into an entrenched position.

Why can't someone at iPC grow some, and just say something like....

"you know what, we made a mistake, and in future when we do such reviews we will be sure to cover other platforms as comprehensively as we cover macs"

 

[Tintin]

More navigation apps

i.e. apps to navigate with, not boatie related or pointless apps like boating dictionaries, or anchor watchers...

There might only be Navionics, Memory Map, Imray, iChart, iNavX, Fly to Map, but that is more than is available for Android, or it was the last time I looked

So, 6 for apple - a quick search on android market threw up 4 - Marine charts, marine navigator, navionics, Fly to Map

Granted the two former ones are US centric, but it won't be long before a euro version appears, so I make that 4 vs 6. Mmm.

 

[lustyd]

So the vote is currently 56 Android to 42 iusers.

Based on that the larger target market is Android but ipc are choosing to ignore the needs of the majority.

Is it because journos are more likely to believe the hype and stlye and, therefore, cannot see the world outside?

All we've shown is that iPhone users buy an app and quietly use it while android people like to fiddle and moan. As a developer the iPhone user who is content and pays for content is the ideal market. The android user that tells you everything that's wrong with your app and asks where the free version is is less desirable.

 

[Tintin]

What should be compared is iPhone versus any other single phone. iPhone would win by miles.

mmmm. No, I don't think so. Sales data reported by Gartner for Q3 2011 shows Samsung Galaxy having 20.9% share vs iPhone 14.8%

There's nowt so blind as an iFan.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

mmmm. No, I don't think so. Sales data reported by Gartner for Q3 2011 shows Samsung Galaxy having 20.9% share vs iPhone 14.8%

There's nowt so blind as an iFan.

I think you will find that is all Samsung phones, but anyway, Apple surpassed them in Q4.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/27/us-smartphones-idUSTRE80Q06V20120127

Samsung users have old phones and old data!!

 

[Tintin]

I think you will find that is all Samsung phones, but anyway, Apple surpassed them in Q4.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/27/us-smartphones-idUSTRE80Q06V20120127

Samsung users have old phones and old data!!

but it's still neck and neck

"Apple sold 37 million iPhones and Samsung sold 36.5 million smartphone handsets"

hardly an (iData) win hands down.