In a wonderful article titled ‘It’s Not a Church, It’s Just an Apple Store’, Walt Mossberg calls out to the “cultists” who would sooner stab you than hear about how their iPhone might not be a work of God.
We’ve all been there. We’ve all come across some die hard Apple (or Android) fan-boy who refuses to see reason, let alone accept constructive criticism.
But at AppleSutra, we are all about the parity. Here are a few reasons why Apple fanatics are wrong about Android. And vice-versa.
The best of both worlds
Both operating systems have their strengths and weaknesses. Yes, even the iOS is weak. In fact, almost 4/5th of the entire smartphone market is Android. So yeah, there are a lot – a lot – of people who really like Android.
That’s why it’s good when the two learn from each other. Google products like Maps, Drive, etc are extremely productive tools. The Google Now cards and the “OK Google” personal assistant ecosystem is way ahead of Apple’s Siri. It would be a welcome move, indeed, if Apple wanted to replicate some of that.
Similarly, concepts like Photos, Health App, Air Play, etc were clearly inspired from Apple and incorporated into Android. It is a two-way street after all.
Customization is not for Android alone
The opinions on customization are divided. Some find it good, some bad. But the thing to notice is that it is built right into both operating systems.
While Android lets you completely throw out your stock UI and build a new one from scratch, Apple is a bit more rigid; but it does let you tweak your UI a fair bit.
Basically, irrespective of whether customisation is good or bad, you have to remember that, if done right, it is a pretty useful tool. Besides, you always have a choice not to do it. So stop complaining!
Android helps experimentation; iOS provides security
Once, Apple had openly declared that “phones bigger than 4 inches were not suitable for human hands.” And based on that philosophy it had refused to make bigger phones for years. But then, market demand got its way.
Google lets manufacturers play with their OS, and that’s the reason we now have those gorgeous phablets. If Google had been as stubborn as Apple on screen sizes, we would still be stuck with 4-inch minions.
But that freedom comes at a cost. Google is fundamentally a big-data company and it wants as much of your information as possible, to provide you with all the personalization you could possibly ask for. Apple is more secure because they don’t keep any of your data.
NOTE: : Let’s make one thing clear here. Just because you oppose BJP doesn’t mean that you automatically support Congress. Similarly, just because you’re giving data to Google doesn’t mean it is not secure. Google has loads of security features and it doesn’t share your data with any third party without your express permission.
Competitive pricing
This is one of the best things to come out of the rivalry. Android phones help keep in check Apple’s insatiable need (greed?) to price their products exorbitantly high. The recent price-cuts in iPhones we have been talking about are a clear indication of Android phones driving the prices to a competitive level.
Going Wireless
If you are an iPhone user, chances are you’ve had at least one infuriating moment when your phone would just not connect with any of your other gadgets and you didn’t have the right connector on you.
Apple loves to keep its consumers hooked to its ecosystem. And the way it does that is by using proprietary connectors — Dock Connector, Lightning Connector, Firebolt converters, etc. And frankly, it’s quite frustrating.
Android, meanwhile, tries to make things as seamless as possible. It encourages multi-party wireless connectivity and is proud of how accommodating its software is. Why else did you think the Chromecast is priced so cheaply!?
The downside of that convenience is lack of standardisation. Which in turn leads to fluctuating results. If you own an iPhone, you know you can do exactly as much (or as little) as everyone else who has that phone. Same thing doesn’t hold true for Android.
All things considered, we would like to reiterate that no gadget is perfect; nor can it ever be. Perfection is a process to be undertaken only by the constant and relentless. And in that journey, there is no place for those who cannot keep an open mind.
To quote Walt Mossberg, “All you fanboys and fangirls out there: Calm down. Enjoy your phones and tablets and laptops and software. But don’t overlook their flaws, and don’t hate people who like other stuff.”
Peace.
