Another Android vs Apple thread

**NickS VR4** · 04-22-2012, 01:04 PM

**stealthify** · 04-22-2012, 05:59 PM

Finally, a fact-based argument. Thank you Nick for posting this.

I agree with a lot of what he said, but just some notes, from an Apple user:

I agree that a system-wide or in-app browser selector would be nice. I, personally, sometimes use Mercury instead of Safari. Apple should implement this, as it makes sense. While this wasn't always the case, other mobile browsers are becoming more and more prevalent and choice is good.
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Regarding the In-n-Out website and parsing addresses into links: Google takes the risk and parses anything that could even remotely resemble an address (even if its not). For consistency, web standards are pushing developers towards using the "a href="maps://" instead. This is more of a website issue than a iPhone vs Android issue, but regardless Safari does parse out other things like phone numbers (which allows you to call directly, just like Android), and also date/times (ie: "this Wednesday"), which automatically opens your calendar app and creates a new appointment.
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The widgets are a hot topic among those that have them versus those that don't see the point. I'm in the group that appreciates widgets (weather, stocks, etc), but could care less about having them mixed in with my app icons. I see Apple's solution to this is to put them in the drop-down menu with the notifications. This makes sense because no matter what app I'm in, or which page on the homescreen I'm on, I can easily view the widget without closing the app or hunting around. I suspect we'll see even more widgets ended up here in the future.
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Regarding the quick search, you do not need to "swipe all the way to the left." This is a mistake of someone that doesn't take the time to learn their phone. No matter what app page you're on, you hit the home button twice, and it takes you right to the quick search. Done.
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Inconsistencies in app design lands on the plate of the individual developers. Is this guy suggesting taking away developer's rights to design their app how they see fit? I'd hope not. It's also worth noting that Apple gives developers a 'standardized' set of buttons/UI controls that help with design consistency. Most apps do use the back button that this guy demonstrated in the YouTube app. In Safari, many mobile websites use the back button in the upper left corner of their actual webpage to navigate through JavaScript-based/AJAX-style (non-postback) content. To have two 'back' buttons in the upper-left corner would be even more confusing. I've always wondered if having a physical back button on the phone itself is really the answer, but I haven't made a decision. So far I've never had a problem trying to figure out how to go back in any of my apps.
Note: I see he does end up saying: "In iOS, developers can do whatever they want" and that they shouldn't be given that power. I do agree that designers could really ruin the experience by making a crappy looking app, but so far it hasn't landed on Apple's lap to be the "design police." Let the developer do what they want in terms of design, and let the users decide if they want to use that app or not.
Note of the Note: Someone is bound to QQ, "well Apple polices other things!" (ie: Porn, snuff, etc) - and that's a topic for another day. Apple's Store, Apple's policy. Don't like it? Jailbreak it or go look up the porn in your fancy non-Safari browser.
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Regarding "true multi-tasking" - I'm sorry, but Apple made the right decision here. Until battery life gets better on mobile devices, Apple's multi-tasking method makes sense in order to not let multiple apps use 100% processing power and send your battery life crashing. Instead, they offered an elegant solution that does allow you to put apps in the background, and it does let them multi-task in ways that make sense (ie: playing audio, downloading/uploading, send/receive web service requests, etc). Where he mentions that a download stops when he switches apps, it's because that app developer has not updated his program since iOS4. This guy probably doesn't develop apps, so I don't blame him for not knowing that. Here's more info: How iOS multitasking really works | Macworld - and yes, you can have 5 apps open, all downloading, in iOS (given that they've been updated since iOS 4).
Another mistake: the app tray isn't how you "close" apps. You don't need to do that. The app tray on iOS is more or less a list of 'recently opened apps', and unless the app has registered a background-task with the system, it's as good as closed the moment you hit the home button.
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5 icons across: yes, this is annoying. In the past, I've jailbroken to get the 5-icon dock. I found this to be useful, but not a deal breaker.
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It's NOT "insane" to add a ringtone to iOS. You take an mp3, you rename the extension to .m4r, and you double-click it to easily import it into iTunes to add to your mobile devices. Simple. If there's a reason iTunes doesn't just let you use files with .mp3 as the extension, I'm not sure what it is. However, in hindsight, it's not as bad as this guy makes it out to be.
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Lastly, he mentions if you're a heavy Google user, you should go with Android. I do agree with that and would recommend that to any of my Google-entrenched friends. However, if you're a heavy Apple user (taking advantage of all iCloud has to offer, iBooks, apps, AirPlay, multiple iOS devices, AppleTV and/or using upcoming OS Mountain Lion), it'd make more sense for you to go with an iPhone. Both companies have built their system to accommodate for their individual ecosystems, and it makes sense to use the setup that's more accommodating for the environment you usually work in. As another note, iCloud does sync bookmarks, history, saved pages, etc between your desktop and mobile devices.

Anyway, the best statement this guy said was the following: "At the end of the day, you choose what works best for you."

It doesn't get any better than that.

**Mikes2nd** · 04-22-2012, 11:56 PM

im just seeing a laggy Android phone...

**IPD** · 04-23-2012, 01:57 AM

shaun, what's best for everyone is not to become sheeple.

**stealthify** · 04-23-2012, 02:55 AM

Let people be whoever they want to be, Thadd.

We can't all be like you. Nor do we want to be.

**onebadmollafolla** · 04-23-2012, 03:07 AM

People should stop worrying about what other people buy, and buy what they like. I've always found these debates somewhat funny. I can't be mad at someone that owns a Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or even the rare Windows Mobile user. If they like their phone, that's what matters.

**IPD** · 04-23-2012, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by onebadmollafolla

People should stop worrying about what other people buy, and buy what they like. I've always found these debates somewhat funny. I can't be mad at someone that owns a Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or even the rare Windows Mobile user. If they like their phone, that's what matters.

i don't hate the idea of personal choice & preference. i hate it when elitism, idiocy and illogic isn't content to exist on its own in private. shaun may like apple & defend them tenaciously...but he's rather tactful in doing so. by and large, most apple fanatics are rabid fanbois with a holier-than-thou attitude. and those of relatively low technology-intelligence swoon to become itards because it's the "hipster" thing to do.

if you like a product, great. if you want to tell me WHAT you love about a product, great. if you're going to repeatedly denigrate me because i don't subscribe to the same ideology as you--that's where i draw the line.

p.s.

yes, i know i'm an outspoken ideologue--and to some this post seems ironic. understand that i don't have a problem with others who think/see/feel differently than i. i have a problem with those who think differently than i--and lack sound reasoning as to WHY they do. and fwiw, "it has the bigger GB's" is not sound reasoning.