суббота, 19 мая 2012 г.

iPhone vs. Android: the Epic Battle

Android or iPhone? The debate goes on and on. When the iPhone first hit the market, there was really no competition. The iPhone was playing in a class of its own. Early Android phones were mediocre: slow UI response, lags here and there, and the overall "do-it-yourself" idea just didn't with consumers.




iphone icons



Today, the situation has changed. With the latest iPhone being a superb device and a wonderful platform, the latest Androids leave little to be desired. Today's Androids have no UI lags, feature most of the same apps in the Android Market, and went away with the do-it-yourself, LEGO type approach. Today, choosing one system over another is more of a personal preference. Let's try to discover what's good about going the Apple route, and what advantages the Android way can bring.

Hardware and Model Selection

With Apple iPhone, you are always limited to just a few models. Or, rather, you can choose from just one current model in several versions that differ very little. There are a few older models available from the used market, but that's about it. "You can have any color as long as it's black".

Android devices, on the other hand, come in all sorts of shapes, models and colors. Different manufacturers use entirely different hardware. Different screens, processors, memory. Very different reliability and usability. Buying an Android phone will require you to do a research on what's available, while you can't go really wrong with any current iPhone. Are you a techie or a gadget guy? Look for an Android phone that flies with you. The rest will be served by Apple.

Display

The latest generation of iPhones has a superb Retina display. These super high pixel density screens will render your apps, icons and pictures so smooth it's hard to believe. Kudos to Apple: they built one of the greatest screens ever.

Android phones ship with all kinds of screens. Some of the better ones can approach iPhones in resolution, but software integration is still lacking. Many applications are still using low-resolution icons and graphics designed to be displayed on lower-resolution screens. When choosing an Android phone, you will have to look really carefully to buy a model with a good display. If you're not friends with numbers, icon resolutions, angles of view and technical specs, just leave the Androids alone.

Pre-Installed Software and UI

An iPhone is an iPhone. They're all the same. Same operating system, one user interface, the same set of pre-installed apps, exactly the same icons. You can customize it by shifting icons around and choosing a few icons on your own, but there's only so much you're allowed to do.

Androids are available in many flavors. Different firmware and dozens of OS versions, builds and codenames. Different sets of icons for same apps. Many different shells and launchers. Fully customizable: you can turn an Android phone into pretty much whatever you want (and it's not just about custom icons) - but you must know what you're doing. With such a huge variety, some models are simply better as in easier to use, more stable and working more reliable than others. If building your very own custom system is fun for you, by all means get the Android. If you like it working out of the box, get an iPhone and begin using it right away.

Maintenance and Upgrades

iPhones don't don't accept memory cards. You'll be stuck forever with the amount of memory you originally bought. If you outgrow your iPhone, you'll have to buy another iPhone, bringing more money to Apple.

Most but not all Android devices come with a microSD extension slot, allowing you to put more memory when you need it. With flash memory getting cheaper every year, you will be better off in the long run if you get an Android.

With iPhones, you can't even replace a battery. If your battery goes bad in some years (they all do; lithium batteries die in 3-4 years), you'll be sending your iPhone to Apple for a "major repair" (more dough to Apple), or be shopping for a new iPhone (even more money to Apple).

While some Android devices use similarly fixed batteries, most Androids are easy: just lift the back cover and put a new battery in. A replacement battery will only cost you a few dollars, allowing you to buy a replacement phone when you want it.

Conclusion

Android phones are more affordable to buy and more affordable to upgrade and maintain. They're more extensible and customizable. iPhones are perfect straight out of the box, and offer one of the best usage experience ever. Which one to pick? The choice is yours.

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