Androids Vs. Iphones

The competition between android devices and iphone devices is one of the most rivalrous and talked about in the mobile market. Both sides could argue for days on which device is better than the other. We are going to go into deep discussion about why androids are superior and why you should choose it over iphone. Androids have the ability to be fully customizable, while iphone offers limited customization. Second, Apple phones and Android phones have different operating systems, iOS (Apple) and OS (Android). Third, they have different markets for applications (App Store and Play Store). And lastly, the battle over who has more sales.

The biggest difference when it comes to customizing between the two is simplicity. ios was designed to be really simple, which is why iphone only has one button on the front screen, while Android offers three easily accessible buttons : backspace , home, and a menu you button just about any page or mobile screen the user is viewing. iOS has no room for the user to customize anything but the wallpapers on the home and lock screen. When dealing with iOs devices, the quote “what you see is what you get” applies. On the other hand, android is a different story. You can customize almost everything on you android if you please. There’s even apps to increase the performance of your phone such as the battery extender app. On iphone your one and only browser is safari.

However, even though androids are powered by google, they let you use a different browser besides google. For example, Mozilla firefox. Androids have multiple home screens which are each customizable by choosing from hundreds of widgets (clocks, weather updates, music, camera controls) which encourages a feeling that the phone is fit for you. iOS only lets you rearrange your apps and create folders for them. Excepting more ? Don’t. So in other words, when using iOS, you’re using and being controlled by Apple. Although iOS is simpler which means its easier to use, it lacks a lot features which android is offering, you can typically score both phones around the same price anyways, why not get the one with more to offer?

Next, we have User-friendliness of these competing Operating Systems (iOS and OS) and their contrast of amenities. Apple has limited customization in their iOS. While Android OS, allows customization to every single thing. Android user prefers Android because of the customization it has. “They could customize everything from the ground up, using third party software (3)”. Another advantage that android user has over iPhone is you can manage everything inside the phone through the phone it self because the operating system lets you. “Customizers who like to pick and choose their own elements they want to use (4)” Everything on their phone is a win; this is a big win for them. This is one thing I hate about iPhone; it is a “one-stop shop” as some people may call it. Whatever the iPhone iOS looks like and features, you are stuck with it until they release a new iOS. And when they do release a new iOS, it contains very minute changes. Another thing that the iPhone is lacking is managing media.

If you want to manage your music or photos, you have to plug your phone into a computer and from there you have to have iTunes and handle everything using itunes. Bottom line, you need a computer to manage all your files inside your iPhone. There is no third party application that allows you to do any of those inside the iPhone itself. Whereas on android, you can manage without a computer. Your media gets saved directly onto your SD card and you can download music directly to your phone without needing a computer. If Apple were to change this, it would be game chaning for them, but then again, they like to be exclusive and control everything. That’s the main reason as to why android is way more advanced.

Applications for both phones can be bought from the store. App Store for iPhone users and Play Store for all Android users. Both do require you to sign up using their email preference. Each Store is different from the other, like Baskin Robins and Hagen Daz. Each store does sell ice cream with the same flavor, but the only difference is taste, texture, and price. For the app store on each device could sell the same application. For instance, Instagram, on iPhone and Android. Both do the same on each device, but the layout of the app can have similarity and differences at the same time. “The App Store on iPhone is mostly controlled by Apple (5)”. Meaning they have full control on what they sell and it is the only method for the app to be downloaded. A majority of common apps are free for android, but iphone users have to pay for it. An example is the texting app what’sApp, its free for android, but apple users have to pay a couple of dollars to downaload it.

I guess it all depends on the creator of the app on this case. Android users on the other hand have more freedom. “Third party people could create their own app and can distribute it without approval from Google. The app could be downloaded from a variety of distribution (5)”. I know people who like Android would like the Play Store better than the App Store because they do have more free applications. In some cases it is a plus. Sales are really important for these big companies if they want to keep providing the customer what they want. During recent studies, “52% of Smart phone sales go to Android, while iPhone only has 42.7% (6)” I mean it wouldn’t surprise me how Android has 52% of the Smart phone market.

Android has over 18,000 different devices to choose from since 2008, while the iPhone has 8 devices since its release in 2007 (7). The other reason why Android phone is winning over iPhone in recent years is because of the price the Android device sells for. “Android is heading towards $200 but can be and the average iPhone is $600 (8)”. That is three times more than any Android phone. You can even get an android phone for free if you sign a two year contract with a carrier. On the other hand, the iPhone goes as low as $200 with a two year contract.

With the fast paced, never ending race between these two developers, both will always be knocking each other out of first place. But at the end of the day, android has and always will have more to offer. At the rate apple is going with their “new and updated” phone models each year, they have a long way to go before catching up. If you could customize your phone to your every liking, get a ton of free apps, and score the phone for free just by signing a two year contract, why would you make a foolish choice by choosing the very limited iphone?

Works Cited

(1) http://www.dailydot.com/technology/iphone-features-android-doesnt-have/ (2) http://www.cnet.com/news/a-brief-history-of-android-phones/ (3) https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/persuasive/android.html (4) http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-ways-the-iphone-6-could-give-android-a-run-for-its-money/ (5) http://android-phone-review.toptenreviews.com/android-vs.-apple-which-platform-is-right-for-you-.html (6)