Android vs. iOS

[ExhibitG]

I'm an iOS/Apple lover myself. Let the debate begin!

[Angel Androgynous]

Android. Forevaarrr!

[kai99]

Android for sure

[ExhibitG]

Android. Forevaarrr!

noooo, how could you say that?!

[acid_rayne]

android because i feel it has more option and you can customise it, ios is just plain boring haha

[Ben Michael]

I've got iOS jailbroken with andriod hack lol I love it

[Skyhawk]

I only go on the forums with my 4th gen iPod touch, all of my photos are made and edited on this, and I run my life on this pretty much. The mail client on here is fantastic, I have 4 email address linked to it, acquiring a few hundred emails per week, the screen is fantastic, and everything is fast and simple to use.

iOS (4.3.3 here, non jailbroken) all the way!

[ExhibitG]

I only go on the forums with my 4th gen iPod touch, all of my photos are made and edited on this, and I run my life on this pretty much. The mail client on here is fantastic, I have 4 email address linked to it, acquiring a few hundred emails per week, the screen is fantastic, and everything is fast and simple to use.

iOS (4.3.3 here, non jailbroken) all the way!

YES. you are my savior. ps, might want to upgrade to 4.3.5 recently released. i'm looking forward to iOS 5 myself :)

[Skyhawk]

Yeah I'm nowhere near a computer ATM, and I cba to wait forever for a huge file to update it. :P

[TheMatrix]

Android for one reason: it's open source.

[ExhibitG]

Android for one reason: it's open source.

are you a developer?

[darkwoon]

Android - the platform is way more open than iOS. And its main development platform/language is Java, which is one of my favourite, so... ;)

[Suicune]

I'm more of an iOS person. My reasons are essentially those of Rogue's.

[TheMatrix]

are you a developer?
Not for Android in particular, but I suppose I could write some pretty neat stuff in Perl.

[ExhibitG]

Not for Android in particular, but I suppose I could write some pretty neat stuff in Perl.

so if you aren't a developer for Android, how is open source a benefit?

[TheMatrix]

so if you aren't a developer for Android, how is open source a benefit?
If I ever became one, then I would easily be able to write stuff for it. Plus, you can view the source to make sure Google isn't being tricky. With iOS devices, you can't do that.
Meaning, Apple can do pretty much anything they'd like.

[ExhibitG]

If I ever became one, then I would easily be able to write stuff for it. Plus, you can view the source to make sure Google isn't being tricky. With iOS devices, you can't do that.
Meaning, Apple can do pretty much anything they'd like.

lol, i suppose that's true. although Google tends to do anything they want anyway, and i'd say Google has a much worse track record with privacy than Apple does.

[TheMatrix]

lol, i suppose that's true. although Google tends to do anything they want anyway, and i'd say Google has a much worse track record with privacy than Apple does.
(This might go rather off-topic, so we might need to put this into a different thread.)
Anyways, you wouldn't believe the kinds of tracking Apple does and did.
They know exactly when you've played what game and for how long and what your scores were, all searches are sent to them, and pretty much evert\ything else.
With Android, you can look in the source for these kinds of things and remove them. With iOS, you can't, unless you jailbreak, but that's a whole different story.

[ExhibitG]

yeah i know about all that -- i can't really reveal my occupation but i can say it's in the technology field -- but i think outside of Android Google has done some pretty intense things with privacy. and while open source may benefit some, i'd say 90% or more of all Android customers don't even know what that is or where to begin with it.

[darkwoon]

yeah i know about all that -- i can't really reveal my occupation but i can say it's in the technology field -- but i think outside of Android Google has done some pretty intense things with privacy. and while open source may benefit some, i'd say 90% or more of all Android customers don't even know what that is or where to begin with it.
No, but they do know that many brands of smartphones are running Android and are contributing to its success. Being able to transparently use the same applications on a Samsung, on and HTC or on a Sony-Ericsson is a direct consequence of an open platform.

iOS, by all means, is strictly closed and proprietary - you don't know how it works, what Apple does with your data, and if someday they decide to replace iOS by something not compatible or ban/favor applications, the customer can do nothing about it. Open-source leaves more control to phone makers, allowing a true free-market competition to appear around the platform.

Also, most people also ignore the "pretty intense things" Google did with privacy and don't really care about it anyway, so it is not a factor. For the most part, they keep Google as "the guys who broke some Microsoft monopolies" and "offered many tools for free". And, of course, Apple also did such pretty intense things as well, most met with general indifference from the population.

[ExhibitG]

No, but they do know that many brands of smartphones are running Android and are contributing to its success. Being able to transparently use the same applications on a Samsung, on and HTC or on a Sony-Ericsson is a direct consequence of an open platform.

iOS, by all means, is strictly closed and proprietary - you don't know how it works, what Apple does with your data, and if someday they decide to replace iOS by something not compatible or ban/favor applications, the customer can do nothing about it. Open-source leaves more control to phone makers, allowing a true free-market competition to appear around the platform.

Also, most people also ignore the "pretty intense things" Google did with privacy and don't really care about it anyway, so it is not a factor. For the most part, they keep Google as "the guys who broke some Microsoft monopolies" and "offered many tools for free". And, of course, Apple also did such pretty intense things as well, most met with general indifference from the population.

you can't use applications on all phones thanks to that fantastic fragmentation.

[TheMatrix]

you can't use applications on all phones thanks to that fantastic fragmentation.
What is this "fragmentation" you speak of?

[ExhibitG]

plenty of apps are only released to a select few android phones, not all. fragmented experience.

[darkwoon]

you can't use applications on all phones thanks to that fantastic fragmentation.
I wonder what you mean by that.

If you meant that I cannot use a GPS app on a phone that has no GPS, then indeed, but that's not fragmentation due to OS, but due to the hardware.

If you meant that I cannot use an application designed for a recent version of Android on an older version, then indeed, you sometimes cannot - but that's true for every OS with incremental versions.

So what did you mean?

plenty of apps are only released to a select few android phones, not all. fragmented experience.
Every phone-maker customizes its interface, and that, yes, involves them making custom apps.

Nothing forces you to use those (I don't and quickly removed most of that crap), and I'm using universally available ones, which are nearly always more feature-complete anyway.

I can take ANY Android phone and know how it works, be able to use it or to customize it, because it is merely a thin layer of skin that diverges each time. So no, you won't find many users complaining about fragmented experience.

[TheMatrix]

plenty of apps are only released to a select few android phones, not all. fragmented experience.
I think you're talking about processor architecture.
This isn't as noticeable in Apple and Windows stuff, but in Unix, you will find different packages, or I mean "software downloads" with different suffixes.
For example,
software-v1.i686.rpm is for the Intel x86 architecture
software-v1.amd64.rpm is for the x86_64 architecture
software-v1.ppc.rpm is for the PowerPC architecture
and so forth.

I cannot run the PowerPC version on a i686 machine, for example.

Sorry if that made no sense.

[darkwoon]

I think you're talking about processor architecture.
This isn't as noticeable in Apple and Windows stuff, but in Unix, you will find different packages, or I mean "software downloads" with different suffixes.
For example,
software-v1.i686.rpm is for the Intel x86 architecture
software-v1.amd64.rpm is for the x86_64 architecture
software-v1.ppc.rpm is for the PowerPC architecture
and so forth.

I cannot run the PowerPC version on a i686 machine, for example.

Sorry if that made no sense.
No, because Android apps, apart those used to manage the underlying hardware itself, are running on a VM that is not dependent on the processor architecture running it. So that's probably not what he meant.

[ExhibitG]

No, because Android apps, apart those used to manage the underlying hardware itself, are running on a VM that is not dependent on the processor architecture running it. So that's probably not what he meant.

thank you. I simply mean that a lot of apps aren't released for all android devices. take Netflix for one example.

[darkwoon]

thank you. I simply mean that a lot of apps aren't released for all android devices. take Netflix for one example.
Precisely because Netflix requires "playback support", which is not available on all hardwares. And also, as a side note, because Netflix coders are obviously not very smart (and I'm using gentle words there).

As I said, that's an hardware issue, not an OS one.

[ExhibitG]

Precisely because Netflix requires "playback support", which is not available on all hardwares. And also, as a side note, because Netflix coders are obviously not very smart (and I'm using gentle words there).

As I said, that's an hardware issue, not an OS one.

Netflix is just one example. Android is just a mixed bag, though some people actually like that. For me, iOS is simple, elegant, and functional.

[darkwoon]

Netflix is just one example. Android is just a mixed bag, though some people actually like that. For me, iOS is simple, elegant, and functional.
I don't know what you mean by "mixed bag". For me, Android is simple, elegant, functional AND codable in Java ;)

You know, the issue is that it is hard to have an objective discussion on technical merits if you don't have an in-depth knowledge of *both* platforms. If not, then you are condemned to repeat what you heard about the other side without being able to cross-check if it is true, and to which extend it is relevant for users/developers/phone makers.

What's the point of your poll if you ALREADY decided which system was the best, discarding any diverging argument?

[Skyhawk]

I'll just state that I love the simplicity of iOS, no matter what Apple does with it, though I an creeped out. The only Android device that I have used was a friends phone and it kinda sucked performance wise. I know it's the hardware, so I'm pretty neutral about Android, though I am a bit of an Apple fan.

[ExhibitG]

I don't know what you mean by "mixed bag". For me, Android is simple, elegant, functional AND codable in Java ;)

You know, the issue is that it is hard to have an objective discussion on technical merits if you don't have an in-depth knowledge of *both* platforms. If not, then you are condemned to repeat what you heard about the other side without being able to cross-check if it is true, and to which extend it is relevant for users/developers/phone makers.

What's the point of your poll if you ALREADY decided which system was the best, discarding any diverging argument?

i'm not discarding anyone willing to argument. i hear your arguments and understand certain points, and i provide my own in return.

I'll just state that I love the simplicity of iOS, no matter what Apple does with it, though I an creeped out. The only Android device that I have used was a friends phone and it kinda sucked performance wise. I know it's the hardware, so I'm pretty neutral about Android, though I am a bit of an Apple fan.

i'm an Apple fan too :p but i don't consider myself biased. what was the android phone you used?


Edit(Thor): Double posts merged. If you want to quote multiple people, use the 'Multi'-quote feature of the site.
Thanks
~Thor

[jobrien510]

this was so hard for me lol. i have an android but i really want iOS5!!! cant wait to get that. but android has stuff that makes it better than iOS but iOS has stuff that makes it better than android lol

[ExhibitG]

this was so hard for me lol. i have an android but i really want iOS5!!! cant wait to get that. but android has stuff that makes it better than iOS but iOS has stuff that makes it better than android lol

iOS 5 looks quite impressive indeed.

[CantLiveWithoutYou]

Keep in mind you're on virtualTEEN where it's filled with teenagers that have parents that buy them iPod touches or iPhones because they want their kid to be cool.

[TheMatrix]

Keep in mind you're on virtualTEEN where it's filled with teenagers that have parents that buy them iPod touches or iPhones because they want their kid to be cool.
Not all of them.
I, for one, don't have an iDevice.
Heck, I don't even have a phone at all. I consider this machine (http://www.virtualteen.org/forums/album.php?albumid=3228&pictureid=19475) and my Acer laptop to be quite impressive.

Not all of us have the money to buy such nice things ;)

[DoctorWho]

Ios forever?

[ExhibitG]

Keep in mind you're on virtualTEEN where it's filled with teenagers that have parents that buy them iPod touches or iPhones because they want their kid to be cool.

that is such a false assumption.

[Maxxie]

that is such a false assumption.

I love false assumptions :D.

But, for your information, maker of said false assumption, I purchased my iPod with my own money (although $70 isn't too much considering).

[ExhibitG]

I love false assumptions :D.

But, for your information, maker of said false assumption, I purchased my iPod with my own money (although $70 isn't too much considering).

tell it like it is! haha

[JackOfClubs]

Keep in mind you're on virtualTEEN where it's filled with teenagers that have parents that buy them iPod touches or iPhones because they want their kid to be cool.
I purchased both my iPod Touch and my Android phone at full price with my own money.

I love how simple and intuitive iOS is. Its a consistent experience across every device, and you know what to expect. I can't wait for iOS5. However, the UI is getting a bit old. There isn't much you can do with it, and the Notification system is next to useless.

I also like Android. Its a nice, clean OS. I don't know if this is the same across every device/software version, but the little quirk with the accelerometer moving the files/folders in the Gallery is pretty cool. I much prefer the idea of the separation of Home Screen and application menu. The 4 universal control buttons are also better in my opinion than the single Home button on iOS devices, allowing more universal control. I also love the Notification system as it is actually good at notifying you.

All in all, I like both Operating Systems. However, I am starting to lean more towards Android. At least until iOS 5 comes out and my phone (hopefully) gets Android 2.3.

[disassociation2016]

Android has managed to make my current phone; a Droid X the best phone I've ever owned. Definite android guy. I've had an iPod Touch which seemed very remedial compared to android.

[Anthony115]

android just because i like it

[darkwoon]

i'm an Apple fan too :p but i don't consider myself biased. what was the android phone you used?
Well, if you are fan, then *of course* you have some biais ;)

I own and use the Samsung Galaxy S.

Not all of us have the money to buy such nice things ;)
True - I admit winning my phone in a contest helped a lot in my case ;).

[Echo]

Honestly, I'm gonna have to go with iOS. But I do think they're both great OS's... In my opinion iOS has a better interface and it's faster. One downside is that its not open-source. But overall, iOS is better (just my opinion).

[ExhibitG]

Honestly, I'm gonna have to go with iOS. But I do think they're both great OS's... In my opinion iOS has a better interface and it's faster. One downside is that its not open-source. But overall, iOS is better (just my opinion).

agreed.

[asdfjkluiop]

<redacted>

[CantLiveWithoutYou]

iOS runs and operates more smoothly for starters. but the kicker is that the homogeneous app store experience also gives customers a huge plus, because any app that works on one iDevice, works on another (the iPad kind of breaks that up, but not in a huge way).

Android is a great OS, but it's not well developed enough. It's laggy. It also suffers from identity issues. Android has next to zero brand value. iOS has huge brand status. This problem for android arises from cell carriers and manufacturers painting their own experience on top of android. It comes from app-exclusivity and OS fragmentation, also hardware fragmentation. Android is what it's designed to be, and that hurts it in a lot of ways.

iOS benefits from the homogeneous experience available on all iDevices, this creates a large sense of trust on the part of the consumer towards the platform. The consumer can't trust Android for this kind of experience in the way a consumer can with iOS.

If Google wants to fix Android, they need to take control. Updates should be pushed by Google, not the carrier. Android should offer a Vanilla, but customizable, experience on ALL phones, and any carrier/manufacturer that wants to paint over vanilla android would have to rebrand, this includes the addition of shitware, bloatware, disabling of any vanilla features, changing ANYTHING AT ALL about Vanilla Android. Google should also publish a hardware standard for every version of Android that any phone that has the android brand has to meet. In short, they need to make the experience more dependable. Google is good at making software, good at designing UI, and REALLY good at selling a product, but they have to take control to make it work. They have to turn android into a BRAND rather than a system.

2 cents from an iPad + HTC Evo 4G owner. I'd buy an iPhone if it came to Sprint, given android's current state.
I'll give you props for actually being a successful troll. However your argument is invalid. It's not Android that's at fault of slow or "laggy" behavior, it's the phone manufacturer/service provider who customizes the ROM to be complete and utter shit.

As for your "shitware/bloatware" argument, it takes less than 2 minutes to root and freeze the bloatware. Step, the first: download SuperOneClick; Step, the second: click root; Step, the third: Install an app manager capable of freezing apps.; Final step: Freeze the apps you don't want. This gave me a very noticeable speed boost, but obviously I can't tell you you should do it in case you destroy your phone somehow.

Another thing that will easily make it faster than iOS... LauncherPro. The stock launcher on 99% of Android phones sucks and uses up too much memory and CPU for nothing.

Basically it comes down to: Android has an endless array of applications to speed up your phone so much that it's faster than a $2000 laptop. iOS has a lot of games and comes fine stock, but you can't really make it any faster, only slower if you install a shitload of apps.. and use internal storage, which is required with the iPhone. All REAL(not Chinese knock off) Android phones can take a 32GB microSD card in addition to the 2-32GB already in the phone. And 64GB mSD cards are coming out soon.

It really comes down to being able to learn to use a slightly more advanced interface but having so many more options to customize however you want, if you go with Android. Also at the risk of the phone coming slow from the factory and not being tech-smart enough to fix it, but with iOS you can be sure if you don't know how to do much besides play with apps, it'll come reasonably quick from the factory... in China...

But in general your argument is null, Android is far more powerful than iOS in many aspects if you know what you're doing.

And also, to anyone that reads this post in full.. you deserve rep. I have a habit of posting way too much information that isn't really necessary.

[darkwoon]

I'll give you props for actually being a successful troll. However your argument is invalid. It's not Android that's at fault of slow or "laggy" behavior, it's the phone manufacturer/service provider who customizes the ROM to be complete and utter shit.
There's also an issue of underpowered phones - they are cheap, but they are short on resources to properly run installed apps.

Basically it comes down to: Android has an endless array of applications to speed up your phone so much that it's faster than a $2000 laptop.
*Cough*. I don't deny Android qualities, but let's be realistic ;). The point is that on similar hardware, with similar software, Android and iOS are playing in the same league, speed-wise.

iOS has a lot of games and comes fine stock, but you can't really make it any faster, only slower if you install a shitload of apps.
Though realisticially speaking, you'll have a hard time speeding up an Android phone that was properly configured by the manufacturer in the first place.

It really comes down to being able to learn to use a slightly more advanced interface but having so many more options to customize however you want, if you go with Android.
Ok, that's a point I constantly hear about: "more advanced interface". I own an Android phone, and I've used iOS quite a lot a few months ago (Borrowed my cousin's iPhone because I wanted to try writing apps on it ^^). Granted, you *can* fiddle with advanced controls in Android, but you are not forced to. I found the default interfaces on both quite comparable in complexity. Maybe that's because I'm used of geeky stuff that I no longer notice them anymore ;). Admittedly, I quickly replaced several of the base apps on my Android phone as I found them nice, but lacking advanced features.
So I'm interested to know, what do you think makes the Android interface "more advanced"? (no, I'm not sarcastic - I'm genuinely wondering)

But in general your argument is null, Android is far more powerful than iOS in many aspects if you know what you're doing.
Architecturally speaking, the single point where IMHO Android is decisively superior is that it runs on a derivative of a JVM - this provides a much better independence from the underlying hardware.
Other than that, I found both environments to be on quite equal levels, again on a technical point of view. Android is IMHO the best choice, as it is more developers-friendly and a more open system than iOS, but I see nothing really inferior in the basic iOS design or performances.

And also, to anyone that reads this post in full.. you deserve rep. I have a habit of posting way too much information that isn't really necessary.
LOL, I'm not the only one to write looooooooong posts, then ;).

iOS runs and operates more smoothly for starters
That's not my experience - both Android and iOS ran as smoothly for me. But it of course heavily depends on the number of apps installed, their quality, and the phone's own hardware.

but the kicker is that the homogeneous app store experience also gives customers a huge plus, because any app that works on one iDevice, works on another (the iPad kind of breaks that up, but not in a huge way).
Well, the iPad is also a very different hardware, so I think it is quite normal apps designed for iPhones don't always run properly on it.

Now, on compatibility: the issue is exactly the same for iPhone and Android when it comes to compatibility across different versions of the OS. So if an application runs on iOS 4.2, you have no guarantee it will properly run on iOS 3.1. This is quite normal anyway, as it allows the OS to offer new APIs to manage more stuff.

The issue Android currenly has is that the evolution of the platform is much faster than for iOS (probably because it is "younger"), which means that many different versions of it are very common at the same time on the market. Hence, if you have a developer and want to cover most of the market, then you have to develop for a wider range of OS versions.

Moreover, there is also another issue that nearly doesn't exist with iOS - the number of different devices supported. Google defined minimal hardware requirements for every version of Android, but those only define the lowest common base. There are various screen sizes, 3rd-party chips and connectors, etc. There are much less different iOS devices, so that problem is not really present for Apple.

Android is a great OS, but it's not well developed enough. It's laggy.
Nope. See above.
It also suffers from identity issues. Android has next to zero brand value. iOS has huge brand status.
This is an interesting point. Very interesting. But I would disagree to some extend.

It is not a question of "brand" - Google is well-known, and the dustbin-looking green robot of Android is now quite known as well. But it is, I'd say, a question of fashion item. Most people want an iPhone because it is an Apple product that is trendy and makes you part of those who "recognize quality and can afford it". Android is "for the crowds, iOS is for the others" is something you definitely see in Apple-related forums.

This is something Android definitely doesn't have - the hardware and software is of the same level as iOS, and some high-end phones offer the same level of user-friendliness out-of-the-box as an iPhone. Yet they aren't phones that automatically make you a member of the Special Guys(tm). Samsung, Sony, HTC? Everybody has got one. Apple? aaah, the intelligent phone, right?

See what I mean?

Now, the real question is: is Google/Android *really* trying to get that kind of image? I don't think so. It is like the PC vs Mac wars of the 1990s - different strategies.

This problem for android arises from cell carriers and manufacturers painting their own experience on top of android. It comes from app-exclusivity and OS fragmentation, also hardware fragmentation.
Ok, really, unless you are a coder, stop speaking about the "OS fragmentation". I know it is what a lot of websites parrot, but it has little meaning outside the developers world. And even for devs, it is not anymore a huge issue - see for example this. (http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2010/12/02/android-fragmentation-done-83-percent-say-yes/)

iOS benefits from the homogeneous experience available on all iDevices
Again, no - apps are not necessarily compatible between versions. iOS benefits from longer release cycles and tight hardware platform control, though.

this creates a large sense of trust on the part of the consumer towards the platform. The consumer can't trust Android for this kind of experience in the way a consumer can with iOS.
Most people buy phones without caring about "trust in the platform" - most people I know buy a specific phone for reasons as trivial as "I saw it on TV", "they use it in that movie", "all my friends have the same" or "I've read it's good".

If Google wants to fix Android, they need to take control. Updates should be pushed by Google, not the carrier.
As a developer, no question that "taking control" are words I don't like - Apple is "in full control" of iOS, and that resulted *also* in tight control of which apps were "acceptable" to be on their marketplace. Freedom is still higher on my values list than ease-of-use or fashion trends.

SORRY for the long post! (See, CantLiveWithoutYou, I can be LONGER :D)

[CantLiveWithoutYou]

To keep this thread from turning into a wall of text I'm not quoting your post, so you can find out which parts belong where yourself.

So... first, you say that cheap, fake, Chinese, Android phones can be crappy and say that's a valid comparison. But I clearly said something like "As long as you don't get one of those crappy fake ones". They're not officially supported by google, it's some Chinese guy in his garage that buys cheap, useless components, solders them together in a sweatshop, and then installs android 1.0 on it. I can compare fake Android phones to fake iOS phones, but there's no fair comparison.

And you say how with the same hardware, iOS can be just as fast. WELL WHERE IS THAT HARDWARE? It doesn't exist because only APPLE manufactures iOS phones. So again, invalid argument. That's like saying some old lady's Ford Fiesta is faster than a Bugatti Veyron because you COULD put a 4,000 HP engine in it. Android can be manufactured by anyone with any hardware, which means competition, and therefore far better hardware than any other type of phone.

And yes, while it'd be hard to speed up a phone that's already 100% optimized, 1st that's never going to happen from ANY manufacturer, 2nd if Samsung or someone put out a phone that was already practically at maximum speed... the same phone with iOS would be at best on par with it. There's really no arguing that current OFFICIAL(Google lists official support for various major-manufacturer phones) Android phones are better than iPhones in terms of hardware and customize-ability. CURRENT. I'm sure the first Android phone ever made hardly compares to the iPhone 4. But I'm talking about phones made since the iPhone 4.

With the interface argument.. there you go contradicting yourself again. You say "well yes it's more advanced but I only use the part of the interface that's advanced as the iPhone, so it's not more advanced because I don't use it". I didn't really understand this one at all. I know that's not exactly what you said, but that's pretty close. So I'm going to leave it at you weren't trying to argue and were giving me a good lol. But I'll answer your question. It's more ADVANCED because there are so many more options that I couldn't even start to count them, it has the iphone controls (brightness, sound, data on/off) times one trillion. You can change the launcher like I said, which alone can almost make it like a new OS. The built in music player is nearly as good as VLC, which is saying a lot. FLAC support is the biggest thing there. You can have apps easily control your advanced settings for you to save battery, speed up your phone when you need it most, silence your phone when you're in a certain location. Anything, really... iOS is kinda limited, even with jailbreak.

I would argue with your last argument but there's not much to argue about... You agree Android is far more capable than iOS.

The only advantages of iOS I see over Android are: Good fresh-from-factory speed, almost always good stability, and easier UI for idiots... er... new users.

[ExhibitG]

i'd like to point out that if comparing a 1GHz iPhone 4 with a 1GHz Android smartphone, the iPhone is significantly faster because Android is a a resource-hogging, largely sized, unoptimized OS.

[darkwoon]

So... first, you say that cheap, fake, Chinese, Android phones can be crappy and say that's a valid comparison.
I never said that. I said that some manufacturers are building budget smartphones with low-specs hardware that is obviously not a good fit for Android. I'm not speaking of China, or "fake" Android.

And you say how with the same hardware, iOS can be just as fast. WELL WHERE IS THAT HARDWARE?
Apple only makes iPhones, yes. So what? I'm saying that if you compare the iPhone with an Android phone with similar hardware specs, you'll roughly get the same speed.
That better hardware may be available in the Android world, or that there is more choice, I won't deny - but it doesn't make the *OS* technically superior (platform openness is a business issue, not a technical one).

And yes, while it'd be hard to speed up a phone that's already 100% optimized, 1st that's never going to happen from ANY manufacturer,
That has yet to be proven...
2nd if Samsung or someone put out a phone that was already practically at maximum speed... the same phone with iOS would be at best on par with it.
...which would mean that technically speaking, iOS is on par with Android - thanks for agreeing with my point.

There's really no arguing that current OFFICIAL(Google lists official support for various major-manufacturer phones) Android phones are better than iPhones
Again, I won't deny it, but I was comparing the technical merits of the two operating systems, not of the hardware they are running on.

With the interface argument.. there you go contradicting yourself again. You say "well yes it's more advanced but I only use the part of the interface that's advanced as the iPhone, so it's not more advanced because I don't use it". I didn't really understand this one at all. I know that's not exactly what you said, but that's pretty close.
Your initial post implied that the user had to learn something more difficult; I didn't find one side more complex than the other, hence my question.

I would argue with your last argument but there's not much to argue about... You agree Android is far more capable than iOS.
Again, no. I said that it had IMHO a better hardware independence. I said all along my post that the capabilities and performances of both Android and iOS were roughly similar.

The only advantages of iOS I see over Android are: Good fresh-from-factory speed, almost always good stability, and easier UI for idiots... er... new users.
People thinking a good user interface are not "idiots" - ease of use is very important when it comes to a device you use many times a day.

i'd like to point out that if comparing a 1GHz iPhone 4 with a 1GHz Android smartphone, the iPhone is significantly faster because Android is a a resource-hogging, largely sized, unoptimized OS.
Benchmarks, please, as this completely contradict my own experience.
As for your statement about the internal optimization of Android, you'd better leave that kind of arguments to those who really had a look at how it works - else, you risk loosing some credibility...

Why can't fans understand that just because they enjoy a system doesn't prevent competitors to be just as good? For heaven's sake, those are pieces of *software*, not girlfriends! :D

EDIT: For those interested in a more objective comparaison of both systems, there's a good one here (http://www.mydaily-gadget.com/reviews/3869-android-2-3-vs-ios-4-2-1-review-gingerbread).

[LoginLeo]

I had an iPod touch, and then i lost it...
I bought an HTC Wildfire with Android, and i think that it's nice... It's very nice... But still - iOS is iOS, and there's nothing you can do about it... iOS rocks :)

[CoderJeremy]

When I want a complex interface, I open Terminal (Mac user too, lul). When I want to text a friend, I just want it to work. iOS ftw.

[TheMatrix]

When I want a complex interface, I open Terminal (Mac user too, lul).
*sigh*
You can't do much with the Mac Terminal...

When I want to text a friend, I just want it to work. iOS ftw.
And this is how companies like Apple make their money. So incredibly well designed(for the most part), that the evil things are well hidden.

[CoderJeremy]

*sigh*
You can't do much with the Mac Terminal...

It's bash... iOS topic though, not OS X.

And this is how companies like Apple make their money. So incredibly well designed(for the most part), that the evil things are well hidden.
Would you rather know about them? And what's wrong with having an incredibly well designed UI hiding the evil things that all (smart)phones have?

[ExhibitG]

Benchmarks, please, as this completely contradict my own experience. As for your statement about the internal optimization of Android, you'd better leave that kind of arguments to those who really had a look at how it works - else, you risk loosing some credibility...

I don't need benchmarks, I know this from my own experience. A single-core 1GHz iPhone 4 is WAY faster than a single-core 1GHz Android phone.

[darkwoon]

I don't need benchmarks, I know this from my own experience. A single-core 1GHz iPhone 4 is WAY faster than a single-core 1GHz Android phone.
But if you have an iPhone 4 handy, then maybe you can suggest some common apps or tasks that we both could time, you on iOS, and me on Android? Although not as precise as a lab experiment, it would at least give an insight on how fast the system is relative to the other?

[ExhibitG]

But if you have an iPhone 4 handy, then maybe you can suggest some common apps or tasks that we both could time, you on iOS, and me on Android? Although not as precise as a lab experiment, it would at least give an insight on how fast the system is relative to the other?

I actually did this experiment once. I compared opening opening apps on my iPhone 4 vs. a Sensation 4G. All opened with the same timing, and the Sensation is dual-core.

[TheTrevor]

iOS! is the best!

[ExhibitG]

iOS! is the best!

YES. you're awesome.

[Rayquaza]

ANDROID!!!!! At least they let you test it in VMs

[Foamy]

I'll take the half eaten apple over that android tying any day

[Fourth Dimension]

Android ftw

[ExhibitG]

Android because it is open source.

Are you a developer?

[darkwoon]

I actually did this experiment once. I compared opening opening apps on my iPhone 4 vs. a Sensation 4G. All opened with the same timing, and the Sensation is dual-core.
"opening apps" is too vague, because it doesn't tell which apps (this is obviously a key factor). It also doesn't measure the speed of the OS, but the speed of the launcher, and furthermore is mostly bound by the storage I/O bandwidth.

You have to test a wide range of common operations if you want to have anything remotely meaningful for comparative purposes.

Just FYI, the double core of the Sensation 4G would probably not give it a speed advantage in typical application launch - that operation is usually performed by a single thread/process.

[Matt_is_Awesome]

Im an Android User I Love android and always will
my best friend had an iPhone 4 and she hated it so much when i showed her my android phone now she has an Android phone and LOVES IT!!! XD

[Joe1996]

iOS! I can't wait for IOS5 to come out of beta, maybe with the iPhone 5 ;)

[InsanelyApple]

How about WebOS, MeeGo, Bada, Symbian, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile 6, Windows Phone 7, and all the others you forgot?

[JackOfClubs]

How about WebOS, MeeGo, Bada, Symbian, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile 6, Windows Phone 7, and all the others you forgot?
WebOS is dead and Symbian is a huge, steaming pile of crap. BlackBerry is OK, though not as good, in my opinion, as iOS or Android. the WP7 UI is bland and boring, and WM6 looks and feels outdated now. And MeeGo and Bada aren't exactly popular.

[Brokeandbetrayed]

There are pros and cons to each.

Android:
Pros- more freedom with your device, everything is customizable basically.

Cons- can't seemto find many apps that are as helpful, seems to use more battery life on any device.

IOS:

Pros: apps for everything, good battery life on all devices

Cons: feel more constricted when using it.

--IOS has less cons yet I still prefer android, IOS 5 will be wicked though.

[Infidelitas]

Android all the way... How ever, I would like to see the function of changing proxies on wifi networks, because I can't use it at school :(

[Brighter.Tomorrow]

Android. I like the look and feel much better. I do love iOS' Messaging Keyboard. Best one out there.

[samb12]

i love apple for their styling of their phones and computers but i think android has better options and is more customizable

[Brighter.Tomorrow]

http://d3j223b9hjj3l5.cloudfront.net/system/cache/450x450/uploaded_files/0056/5117/nom_detail.jpg

[mrdtf]

ANDROID because the BLUETOOTH works and you can have micro sd cards and shit in the phone and when your laptop or computer fucks up and u lose your music its on your phone you cant get your music back off your iphone without special software