End of the iPhone saga, Android taking the lead?

[Lloydbm41]

The Today view is what I'm talking about. It's not even close to the information Google Now has. Flights, hotels, real information about what is on my calendar tomorrow instead of just telling me I have four events. I'm talking about real contextual information where Apple is lacking.

I assume that is why they purchased Cue last year, but I've yet to see any impact from that purchase.

I have yet to use ios8, but didn't Apple infuse calendar with Notification Center and Siri to give you upcoming events from your schedule in both contextual and verbal cues? Basically, on par with Google? I could be wrong, so maybe an ios8 beta user can tell us?

 

[Wiesenlooser]

Actually I think the iPhone is about to make a "comeback".

With the screen sizes not getting any bigger without being ridiculous, chances for android OEMs to differenciate from the iPhone 6 are getting smaller and smaller.

usability wise, Android has not come closer to iOS. It is usable, but it is not "fun to use". I have used both and while Android may do more for the tech savy heavy user, I cant see giving my mother one.

iOS STILL has the better app ecosystem. Gems like Waterlogue are still missing on Android. Apples biggest competitor - Samsung- is struggling. They wanted to be a market leader in this industry and that is what they became. Unfortunately, Samsung cant lead a market, they can only follow, they cant give new impulses. Users seem to have understood this. Samsung does not know where to go with their Galaxy S-line. The spec race is over, now design and execution is what matters. This is something samsung always was subpar with

 

[Ddyracer]

Actually I think the iPhone is about to make a "comeback".

With the screen sizes not getting any bigger without being ridiculous, chances for android OEMs to differenciate from the iPhone 6 are getting smaller and smaller.

usability wise, Android has not come closer to iOS. It is usable, but it is not "fun to use". I have used both and while Android may do more for the tech savy heavy user, I cant see giving my mother one.

iOS STILL has the better app ecosystem. Gems like Waterlogue are still missing on Android. Apples biggest competitor - Samsung- is struggling. They wanted to be a market leader in this industry and that is what they became. Unfortunately, Samsung cant lead a market, they can only follow, they cant give new impulses. Users seem to have understood this. Samsung does not know where to go with their Galaxy S-line. The spec race is over, now design and execution is what matters. This is something samsung always was subpar with

You got to be kidding. That's the one thing android has gotten better at. It gets closer to iOS in terms of usability every year. And iOS is now getting closer to android in terms of flexibility since last year.

This is practically a fact. Or a very strong opinion.

 

[Oletros]

usability wise, Android has not come closer to iOS. It is usable, but it is not "fun to use". I have used both and while Android may do more for the tech savy heavy user, I cant see giving my mother one.

Still with this myth?

 

[atticus27]

Material design looks gorgeous on the Android L preview. Way better than ios7 (in my opinion). To bad only about 5% of the user base will get it.
Carriers withholding OS updates to add there own custom apps into android really hurt it. No one uses your crappy chat apps att. Just use the default hangouts app.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

Material design looks gorgeous on the Android L preview. Way better than ios7 (in my opinion). To bad only about 5% of the user base will get it.
Carriers withholding OS updates to add there own custom apps into android really hurt it. No one uses your crappy chat apps att. Just use the default hangouts app.

Android L does look very nice. I look forward to the Android Silver program being announced. It'll be nice having hardware choices on all carriers for stock Android L.

 

[radus]

apple is losing

with losing market share apple is also losing music and movie sales = content sales.
if the don't change the will go the same way Blackberry goes
btw. there is no better apple eco-system - I can't see it. You can't even use the iphone's file system with macos's finder
for people willing to learn a little bit android is far superior compared to iOS and I don't like to say this - I own many Apple devices and I'd preferred it the other way

 

[Belmont31R]

Most of the Android phones that make up that 84% number are not flagship phones sold in western nations. There's over a 2 billion just in China and India. Most of them are too poor to afford iPhones and Android flagships. They're buying what should really be called feature phones by 2014 standards. The Lumia 520 is the best selling Lumia phone in the world and they're like $60 but considered a smart phone.

I'd be more interested in sales between phones of a similar price point that I actually care about. AFAIK no single Android phone has outsold the current gen iPhone year over year. They typically get a boost just after launch and then it's back to iPhone being on top for the rest of the year.

Apple doesn't compete in the bottom feeder segment of devices so it's really quite irrelevant to compare them to phones selling brand new for under $100 in 3rd world countries. There's plenty of car brands that don't compete in the economy class or cars. Yet no one compares their volume to high end brands. Same thing.

 

[Wiesenlooser]

You got to be kidding. That's the one thing android has gotten better at. It gets closer to iOS in terms of usability every year. And iOS is now getting closer to android in terms of flexibility since last year.

This is practically a fact. Or a very strong opinion.

How is that so? The UI has not dramatically changed since jellybean. It STILL has that weird homescreen/App launcher metaphor. It has a split pull down menu bar.

Oh and even if material design might look better (which I think it does not), you'll wait YEARS for the app developers to adapt it. Their Developers just aren't as tasteful as in the apple ecosystem

 

[Oletros]

They're buying what should really be called feature phones by 2014 standards. The Lumia 520 is the best selling Lumia phone in the world and they're like $60 but considered a smart phone.

Why they should be called feature phones and why the Lumia must not be considered an smartphone?

By the way, can you explain the market in the EU5?

 

[Ddyracer]

How is that so? The UI has not dramatically changed since jellybean. It STILL has that weird homescreen/App launcher metaphor. It has a split pull down menu bar.

Oh and even if material design might look better (which I think it does not), you'll wait YEARS for the app developers to adapt it. Their Developers just aren't as tasteful as in the apple ecosystem

The ui is still WIP. How about we wait for at least the stock Google apps to come out before we judge?

As for the home screen launcher thing, you very quickly learn it. I like it, because it allows me to hide things very easily, with iOS you have folders (not really very good at hiding) or move every app to a different page.

Only thing I don't like about it is there should be an option to uninstall an app from the home screen, not drawer. Luckily, there is launchers which remedy that.

The split pull down is gone if your referring to tablets. Phones I think never had it.

Your last point is true, I am rather skeptical about how devs are going to adopt MD. It is times like this where I think google maybe should force devs here for consistency, so we don't have (still do) pre Holo or in this case, old Holo look and feel.

 

[Wiesenlooser]

The ui is still WIP. How about we wait for at least the stock Google apps to come out before we judge?

The ui might still be WIP, but the philosophy should not - i Quote from the google design page:

Your last point is true, I am rather skeptical about how devs are going to adopt MD. It is times like this where I think google maybe should force devs here for consistency, so we don't have (still do) pre Holo or in this case, old Holo look and feel.[/QUOTE]

material metaphor is the unifying theory of a rationalized space and a system of motion. The material is grounded in tactile reality, inspired by the study of paper and ink, yet technologically advanced and open to imagination and magic.

That literally means NOTHING.If you look at the webpage its a bunch of nice colored mockups, but there is no concrete guidance...

To me, the material design metaphor - while looking fairly nice- is flawed... there is no true underlying philosophy, just a bunch of keywords. What can the developers refer to?

 

[Ddyracer]

The ui might still be WIP, but the philosophy should not - i Quote from the google design page:

Your last point is true, I am rather skeptical about how devs are going to adopt MD. It is times like this where I think google maybe should force devs here for consistency, so we don't have (still do) pre Holo or in this case, old Holo look and feel.

Well, Google does give some examples of do's and don't's on their site.

http://www.google.com/design/spec/animation/authentic-motion.html

 

[iosuser]

I've had every iPhone since 3GS. Tried the Galaxy S3 when it was the hottest thing. Back to iPhone I went in 2 weeks. Then tried the HTC One (M7) when it was the hottest thing. That one went a bit longer, a whole month before I switch back to iPhone. In both cases it was pretty much the same issues that caused me to go back - battery life, inconsistent UI smoothness (as in lag), random app crashes (most frequently Google Play store app).

Fast forward to March this year. Gave the LG G2 a try since it was free. I couldn't be more pleased. Smooth as butter, no more app crashes, and battery life the iPhone can only dream of. I held onto my iPhone 5S, sat idle for 2 months before I sold it. I actually went and bought another Android phone shortly after I sold the 5s, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. Same G2 smoothness and even better battery life, in a smaller package with build quality and material near Apple's standards. The Z1C is now my daily driver as I prefer the smaller frame.

I am intrigued by the 4.7" iPhone 6, and chances are I will burn my upgrade on it (I have 3 phones to do cross upgrades from 😀), but if I decide to switch back, it'd be as hard as the switch from iOS to Android since I've been spoiled by the niceties on Android.

The one thing that I do miss from iOS is iTunes, for its brainless one-click restore when switching phones, which is not possible on Android, and the ability to store the apps I bought locally on the PC. It is a painful process to switch phones on Android, having to redo every single setting and redownload every app, and more often than not lose the data in the app. I know it's possible on Android with apps such as Titanium backup, but it's far from simple one-click as on iTunes and rooting my phone is something I'll never do.

 

[Belmont31R]

Why they should be called feature phones and why the Lumia must not be considered an smartphone?



By the way, can you explain the market in the EU5?

Because they lack what I consider basics like a camera flash. They don't have the hardware to make use of the full WP 8 features. I'm talking specifically about the 520 and not Lumia phones in general.

I'm not very familiar with the mobile market in Europe or the EU5.

The 5C is the only iPhone Apple has ever sold that wasn't a flagship before, and that's only because of the outer plastic case. Some of the internals were improved over the iPhone 5. And the 5C is only $100 cheaper than the 5S.

 

[Oletros]

Because they lack what I consider basics like a camera flash. They don't have the hardware to make use of the full WP 8 features. I'm talking specifically about the 520 and not Lumia phones in general.

I'm not very familiar with the mobile market in Europe or the EU5.

The 5C is the only iPhone Apple has ever sold that wasn't a flagship before, and that's only because of the outer plastic case. Some of the internals were improved over the iPhone 5. And the 5C is only $100 cheaper than the 5S.

A camera flash doesn't define what an smartphone is


And not being capable of running all the apps doesn't define what an smartphone is

And, please, look. The EU smartphone market share and tell again about this countries.

 

[Hastings101]

I don't know about it being "the end" but I think they're going to slowly decline into Windows Phone/Blackberry-status outside of Western English-speaking countries. Too many insanely cheap Android alternatives are available and Apple can't seem to get manageable prices outside of these regions. Then we'll have yet another monopoly situation only now it will be Google killing off progress this time instead of Apple in the early iOS domination days or Microsoft on the PC. Technology market seems to repeat itself lately lol

 

[aneftp]

Material design looks gorgeous on the Android L preview. Way better than ios7 (in my opinion). To bad only about 5% of the user base will get it.
Carriers withholding OS updates to add there own custom apps into android really hurt it. No one uses your crappy chat apps att. Just use the default hangouts app.

5% of user base?

Are you talking entire user base including china not getting android L?

Or 5% of modern world user base?

It's all relative.

Because most of modern world android buys Samsung and HTC high end devices.

Htc already confirmed M7 and M8 One series will get Android L.

Samsung will likely give Galaxy S4 and S5 android L as well.

That's about 50% of android user base in modern world.

 

[Truefan31]

I don't understand the end of a iphone saga. It's the best selling smartphone every year it seems. It's outselling the galaxy s5, and the 5s is like 10-11 months old. Android as a whole sells more, just cuz there's like hundreds of different handsets.

Apple like blackberry? Lol c'mon.

 

[japasneezemonk]

Don't underestimate the value of the ubiquitous Apple Store and its Genius Bar. If your iPhone is acting funny, you know exactly where to go, your local Apple Store. Not only do they offer technical support, they can also repair and replace your phone on the spot, immediately. It's not Android vs iOS, its Apple Stores vs. ???.

 

[sk1wbw]

The 90s called. They want their OS marketshare arguement back.

 

[gotluck]

The 90s called. They want their OS marketshare arguement back.

Really? Windows is still more relevant than Mac..

From gaming to enterprise..

 

[MikeyMike01]

I will say that Google has done a better job at innovating the OS then Apple has. It seems through the years Apple has been reactive to the market and not proactive. Notification center, multitasking, lock screen notifications,etc.

Lock screen notifications? You mean the thing iOS has had for years and Google only properly implemented in the not-yet-released Android L?

 

[sk1wbw]

Really? Windows is still more relevant than Mac..

From gaming to enterprise..

Yeah, there are no games or networking capabilities on a UNIX-based operating system.

----------

Lock screen notifications? You mean the thing iOS has had for years and Google only properly implemented in the not-yet-released Android L?

I use both iOS and Android and the iOS notifications runs circles around Android's methodology.

 

[gotluck]

Yeah, there are no games or networking capabilities on a UNIX-based operating system.

Cool that's not what I said. Those two areas remain significant weaknesses for Mac. Far less support for gaming and enterprise on Mac