Honeycomb vs iOS

[Davichi]

Another not so necessary thread from Android Fanboy.

My father tried out motorola xoom at local best buy and he said it was a lot harder to use than iPad.

iOS looks outdated? Okay. As long as my father and I can use it. I am happy with it.

You must be looking for an OS that looks awesome and complicated to use. We are not.

Xoom? 799 dollars? No thanks. I can buy a laptop that will have a true multitasking and play flash video right now under 800 dollars.

800 dollars is unacceptable.

 

[FruityTen]

They are both very good and thats that.

 

[spinedoc77]

Another idiotic "Android is better - nah nah nah" thread.

Apple isn't "losing" anything. Fifteen million iPads sold in the past eight months say differently. And if Motorola sells a million of the wretched Xooms to pathetic tech nerds and trolls, then I'll be surprised.

If you really think that Widgets and "real multitasking" are the reasons people bought Tablets, then you really just don't understand.

Get this through your dimwitted brains: There is NO TABLET MARKET. Apple created a market for iPads.

Such vitriol all for a piece of hardware.

 

[WhySoSerious]

I agree, the software makes the experience...

...and not one single part of the Android software impresses me. Not one. The screens look like a windows icon designer puked on glass, the multitasking is weak and limited, and the entire touch interface feels delayed and laggy. Android is the google version of MSBob, and has no place in the computing world outside the trash bin.

Now, practice what you preach, and go hang out on the android forums.

the maps software doesn't impress you?
the unintrusive notification system doesn't impress you?
the honeycomb web browser doesn't impress you?
the live widgets you can just glance at for info doesn't impress you?
the status bar and dock auto rotating because they are soft keys don't impress you?
the quick launch to key settings doesn't impress you?
the speach recognition to do web searches doesn't impress you?

did you even USE honeycomb or are you just making up excuses?

btw, i'm an apple fan and have never had the urge to use anything but apple (windows, android, webOS)...but honeycomb has actually made me question the validity and USELESSNESS of iOS on a TABLET (i'm talking tablet only). so why would i "go hang out on an adroid forum" when i'm clearly an apple fan who hangs out in the apple forum.

apple is really slacking in the tablet OS department and I'm not going to pretend they aren't. tough love

 

[ZBoater]

the maps software doesn't impress you?

Google Maps and Google Earth on the Xoom are absolutely amazing.

 

[MikeDTyke]

Exactly my thoughts.

When iOS 5 comes out, new version of Android may be out. Then these people will say wait for iOS 6. Its clear that iOS by no means is a good OS for tablet since its a phone OS. Still they defend Apple...

If you are incapable of seeing that iOS on iPad > iOS on iPhone, then you need get some new spectacles.

The point is there's a considered overlap between the two so you're not re-inventing the wheel and coding for two platforms. iPad iOS is a slight superset of the functionality.

 

[MacRy]

I agree that iOS is nice and simple for the masses and has sold by the boatload, but that doesn't mean to say that Apple should rest on it's laurels and just leave it that way. I would love to see some more innovative upgrades to the OS. Take for example someone like me who owns a MacBook, an iPhone 4 and an iPad. Wouldn't it be great for them all to communicate with each other wirelessly? Look at Webos and how it communicates with the Hp Pre 3 phone and the Hp Tablet. Sending and receiving SMS messages on your tablet whilst you're working (and receiving those messages in a discrete and useful manner whilst you continue to work - unlike iOS notifications). I had a phone years ago that would pair with my address book in OSX and allow this. Also webos allows you to share websites with it's Touchstone technology. Very nice! You'd think that an iPhone and an iPad would talk to each other seeing as how they are using the same OS and both have wireless/Bluetooth technology. It seems ridiculous to me that in 2011 if I want to get a photo from my iPhone to my iPad I have to either email it or upload it to the web and then download it the other end. In 2002 I had a Nokia 7650 camera phone that could transfer pictures via Bluetooth to my laptop or even my Compaq iPaq PDA. That was nearly ten years ago and yet to do it on my magical iOS devices I have to separately plug them into a laptop and sync them for it to happen if I don't have an Internet connection! That's crazy. I think that iOS could become a lot more useful if it allowed it's devices to become more symbiotic. Imagine being able to use your iPhone as a wireless controller for gaming on your iPad for example.

These are some of the reasons why I am becoming more tempted by other tablet devices but maybe Apple will address this in iOS 5, whenever that may come out.

 

[bossxii]

So as to not start another thread on the topic of comparing iOS to Honeycomb I'll add my comments here.

After using both the iPad 2 and the Xoom now for a week plus, the things that stick out to me.

iPad 2. Basically everything my iPad did, just faster. Airplay is nice but I don't own an Apple TV and my music is mostly ripped from CD's not locked to iTunes.

Xoom/Honeycomb give me several features the iPad simply cannot match.

-Storage expandability.
-LTE available in 2011.
-Multi Tasking vs Task switching.
-Email attachments as I would on a regular PC.

-Native chrome browsing with tabs, innovative controls, Flash and enough memory to not reload the page every time I swap from one tab/page to another.

-Not tied into iTunes, which for me is great as 90% of my content is ripped CD's or DVD's I've owned years.

-An actual notification system that keeps you aware of emails no matter what your doing. Not just a red dot, if you happen to be on the right screen of your apps.

-Actual Multi-tasking that continues processes vs Apple's Task switching.

-Stand alone device, no need to be tethered, wifi sync'n available, when needed, without a root or jailbreak.

While I find the iPad an excellent product that paved the way for tablets like the Xoom, Google's Honeycomb simply brings more options to the table. I can hope and dream Apple will open open the iOS to allow certain features, but I'm more of a realist and fully aware of SJ's history with his products. Their eco system while closed, makes it easy, safe and user friendly. I simply want more freedom to do what I want, when I want.

 

[Blakjack]

For me, there is nothing that Android could possibly offer me that would pull me away from apple as long as there UI continues to be unstable and jumpy. There is nothing that Android could offer me as long as their app quality continues to be subpar to Apples. I prefer quality. Im no techie who believes that Open is better. I care nothing for being able to go into my devices and making them do Exactly what I want them to do. I for one appreciate the fact in knowing that my device will be supported by updates close to 3 years. Android is cool and what not, but its too much going on with it. I know its been overstated, but that simplicity thing Apples got going for themselves is really where its at bro.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

I don't really care if the background of my Home screen is animated, or that it makes funny sounds when tapping, colorful GUIs or anything like that.
All I care is for my device to turn ON immediately, open and close Apps without delay, and that I can switch from App to App quickly; Plain and Simple.
Apple will continue adding more features to iOS as long as these don't affect the user experience.
And I'm OK with that. I depend on my iPad to work when I needed, and so far it's been great at that. And best of all, it helps me earn money.

 

[gatearray]

iPad 2. Basically everything my iPad did, just faster. Airplay is nice but I don't own an Apple TV and my music is mostly ripped from CD's not locked to iTunes.

Xoom/Honeycomb give me several features the iPad simply cannot match.

...

-Not tied into iTunes, which for me is great as 90% of my content is ripped CD's or DVD's I've owned years.

...

I honestly never understand what people mean when they say things like this.

I have never purchased a single solitary track from the iTunes Music Store, and have a massive iTunes library culled from CD rips. All my tracks play nice with my iPad, iPhone, computer, and yes, even AirPlay, either on the Airport Express or an Apple TV.

My music is not "tied to iTunes" in any way, but I do use iTunes as my computer's music player and for organizing my collection, etc. It does a great job at this and I would never use any other player, but from what I understand some Windows users have had bad experiences.

Regarding the Xoom and Honeycomb somehow always "besting" the iPad in the eyes of some posters around here, all I can say is that I couldn't disagree more. My iPad crushes any/all Android powered tablets out there today, regardless of whatever future promises the manufacturers have made to their users that may or may not come to pass.

 

[mkruck]

the maps software doesn't impress you?
the unintrusive notification system doesn't impress you?
the honeycomb web browser doesn't impress you?
the live widgets you can just glance at for info doesn't impress you?
the status bar and dock auto rotating because they are soft keys don't impress you?
the quick launch to key settings doesn't impress you?
the speach recognition to do web searches doesn't impress you?

...snip

I've been using Honeycomb at work on a modded Nook Color for the last two weeks, and everything WhySoSerious states hits the nail on the head.
The Notification system is a thing of beauty.
Having widgets to see the information you want to see on the home screen.
Web browsing is outstanding.

I still use my iPad at home when it's time to read books, watch a movie/TV episode or play a quick game.

Unless someone totally screws the pooch with upcoming iterations of Honeycomb, it's going to be a player and give iOS a run for it's money. I'm watching the Amazon App Store closely right now to see what direction this heads in - I"m fairly spoiled with the iOS app store, and the Android Marketplace is still uninspiring. Time will tell.

 

[bossxii]

I honestly never understand what people mean when they say things like this.

I have never purchased a single solitary track from the iTunes Music Store, and have a massive iTunes library culled from CD rips. All my tracks play nice with my iPad, iPhone, computer, and yes, even AirPlay, either on the Airport Express or an Apple TV.

My music is not "tied to iTunes" in any way, but I do use iTunes as my computer's music player and for organizing my collection, etc. It does a great job at this and I would never use any other player, but from what I understand some Windows users have had bad experiences.

Regarding the Xoom and Honeycomb somehow always "besting" the iPad in the eyes of some posters around here, all I can say is that I couldn't disagree more. My iPad crushes any/all Android powered tablets out there today, regardless of whatever future promises the manufacturers have made to their users that may or may not come to pass.

I can rip into any number of formats and drag and drop one song, 10 songs, or whatever I want. I don't have to import into iTunes, go thru any Sync process. I open a file, drag and drop done in a fraction of the time. I can download a song off any number of sites to the tablet and not be restricted to only the iTunes music store.

I don't have an issue with anyone not agreeing, that's the beauty of choice. I find the iPad is simply to limited for my needs. I don't deny the iPad is a great device with a slick UI and clearly the masses of people love it. Hell I recommend them to my sister and friends as I know they are the best fit. However I just enjoy more options such as the ability to write an email and attach multiple files. Just one of many features the iPad cannot do for me.

 

[Night Spring]

I can rip into any number of formats and drag and drop one song, 10 songs, or whatever I want. I don't have to import into iTunes, go thru any Sync process. I open a file, drag and drop done in a fraction of the time. I can download a song off any number of sites to the tablet and not be restricted to only the iTunes music store.

I give you the ease of drag&drop without having to sync through iTunes, but nobody is restricted to only the iTunes music store. As long as a song is non-DRM and in mp3 format, they can be dragged into iTunes, no matter what their source. You can, for example, buy music from Amazon and push them directly into iTunes. I just don't get where this "restricted to iTunes store" idea is coming from.

 

[barkomatic]

I don't really care if the background of my Home screen is animated, or that it makes funny sounds when tapping, colorful GUIs or anything like that.
All I care is for my device to turn ON immediately, open and close Apps without delay, and that I can switch from App to App quickly; Plain and Simple.
Apple will continue adding more features to iOS as long as these don't affect the user experience.
And I'm OK with that. I depend on my iPad to work when I needed, and so far it's been great at that. And best of all, it helps me earn money.

The tablet market is expanding beyond those who want a simple entertainment experience. You make it sound as if the only unique traits of Android are superficial--they aren't.

As a matter of fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Apple adopted some Android like features in the next iteration of iOS.

 

[dmaul1114]

The tablet market is expanding beyond those who want a simple entertainment experience.

I really hope that is the case as I really would love a tablet that I could do all the entertainment stuff and simple tasks I do on my iPad, but that I could also do real work on and not have to leave my iPad at home and take my laptop on business trips.

MS Office (or truly 100% compatible apps), USB port or accessory that I can get files beyond pictures (like word docs, powerpoints etc.) on and off the tablet to a thumb drive while traveling and so on.

 

[Reach9]

iOS 5 needs to be a big upgrade UI wise, because iOS has just become way too stale from when it was first released in 07.

 

[dmaul1114]

Xoom? 799 dollars? No thanks. I can buy a laptop that will have a true multitasking and play flash video right now under 800 dollars.

800 dollars is unacceptable.

I'm not a fan of the Xoom, but the $799 model is for 32gb and 3g. The iPad with those specs is $729. Still silly that the Xoom is $70 more, but it's not that big a difference.

And they are coming out with a 32gb Wifi only Xoom on Thursday that's priced at $599. Same price as the 32gb wifi iPad.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/16/motorola-makes-wifi-only-xoom-official-599-on-march-27th/

Point being, price isn't much different, they just don't have a 16gb model yet.

I examined both and decided to go iPad 2 mainly for current app selection. But I'll happily switch to something else that better fits my needs down the road if the iPad doesn't evolve going forward in terms of being more work friendly rather than just an entertainment/reading device.

 

[barkomatic]

iOS 5 needs to be a big upgrade UI wise, because iOS has just become way too stale from when it was first released in 07.

I hope I'm wrong, but I have a feeling we'll be looking at the same old static grid of icons until our brains bleed. Grandma loves it that way.

 

[mplex]

Information Appliance

Many people here are looking at the iPad through the lens of desktop computing, failing to understand Apple's vision for the iPad and iOS. It is a reconfigurable appliance that can become whatever it needs to be at that moment, free of distraction and confusion. The iPad comes closest to delivering on the promise of computing, fulfilling many roles (via apps) in an fun, easy and dependable way. It's about the end of system maintenance, training and security implications.

Look around you, operating a microwave confuses the majority of people, much less a computer. Most people are not like you and I, they don't even scrape the surface of potential that is their computer. Sure computers can accomplish endless tasks, but not without expert knowledge. The iPad is made for the masses, putting the power in anyone's hands.

A lot of the criticisms here are true, iOS is boring, but it's that way by design. Apple focused their energy on making the iPad instant-on, and quickly reconfigurable to whatever role the user wants it to play. If the OS seems dead simple, that's the point. It works as advertised.

When it comes to Honeycomb, the design goal seems to be to bring the desktop experience to tablets. When you unlock the screen, the desktop full of widgets comes first, not the apps. The interface itself is far from intuitive, requiring experimentation to understand its operation. Google seem to want to focus too much on the OS functionality and "chrome" verus Apple, which would like to eliminate the OS if they could.

So in conclusion, don't expect too much from iOS, that's not the goal. Expect the apps, integration between apps and the experience of using apps to improve, but iOS is doing it's best to disappear behind the scenes. I'm convinced the future of computing is the appliance model, and commodification is the natural progression of all great consumer products.

 

[dmaul1114]

Many people here are looking at the iPad through the lens of desktop computing, failing to understand Apple's vision for the iPad and iOS. It is a reconfigurable appliance that can become whatever it needs to be at that moment, free of distraction and confusion. The iPad comes closest to delivering on the promise of computing, fulfilling many roles (via apps) in an fun, easy and dependable way. It's about the end of system maintenance, training and security implications.

Look around you, operating a microwave confuses the majority of people, much less a computer. Most people are not like you and I, they don't even scrape the surface of potential that is their computer. Sure computers can accomplish endless tasks, but not without expert knowledge. The iPad is made for the masses, putting the power in anyone's hands.

A lot of the criticisms here are true, iOS is boring, but it's that way by design. Apple focused their energy on making the iPad instant-on, and quickly reconfigurable to whatever role the user wants it to play. If the OS seems dead simple, that's the point. It works as advertised.

When it comes to Honeycomb, the design goal seems to be to bring the desktop experience to tablets. When you unlock the screen, the desktop full of widgets comes first, not the apps. The interface itself is far from intuitive, requiring experimentation to understand its operation. Google seem to want to focus too much on the OS functionality and "chrome" verus Apple, which would like to eliminate the OS if they could.

So in conclusion, don't expect too much from iOS, that's not the goal. Expect the apps, integration between apps and the experience of using apps to improve, but iOS is doing it's best to disappear behind the scenes. I'm convinced the future of computing is the appliance model, and commodification is the natural progression of all great consumer products.

I do agree with all that and get that's what Apple is going for with the iPad. And that's what I use it as.

I'll just be happy when someone finally nails a Tablet PC (or Tablet Mac if Apple goes that route) and I can have a thin light Table that I can use for both an information appliance and entertainment gadget, but is also sufficient for doing real work when paired with a keyboard.

I realize that's probably a ways off (MS said not Tablet OS from them until late 2012 at the earliest for instance), so I decided to take the plunge on the iPad 2 to just have a tablet for entertainment use, news etc. in the meantime. And it is really good at that type of use. And I'm fine with it being a temporary solution for me as most technology is temporary until something better comes along.

Simplicity is great for gadgets meant for simple uses--and that's what the iPad is currently designed around. But it goes too far and limits it's utility as an actual work tool. So you're right that what I really want is someone to finally successful merge a laptop and a tablet so I can have the best of both worlds. Apple isn't going after that market with the iPad, and I respect that. Hopefully MS or someone else will come out with something that does fit my needs and I'll happily ditch my iPad 2 at that time.

 

[Runt888]

...
Xoom/Honeycomb give me several features the iPad simply cannot match.
-Multi Tasking vs Task switching.
...

I'd love to know, what sort of multitasking are you doing on your Xoom that you can't do on an iPad?

 

[henrikrox]

While this subject has been brought to many times, i have to say my opinion.

While i love apple products, i really do, i have to say Google did something good with Honeycomb. Its not 100% yet, but its getting close to it. I love customazion my device, to make it my own, i feel apple products are a little to generic, yes i can change the wallpaper but thats it, with a honeycomb i can design the screens to fit me, and its makes the device more "mine".

That being said, im not getting a honeycomb device anytime soon, im so invested in the apple product line, that the more i have the better the experiences gets.

Allthough, if i had the money, im really tempted to pick up the base 10.1 from samsung. I love that Google made honeycomb different from their phone ui, its just not scaled up version of gingerbread, its a complete revamp, and it shows.

yes it can get sluggish and freeze, but hey its 3.0, its the first release, hopefully we will see improvements. Secondly i dont want an android tablet because im afraid i will get shafted by updates, and this is a real problem google needs to adress. I dont want people to get awesome features 3 months before me. Thats just wrong.

Also, the app market is limited, and i really enjoy the app store and its apps. And if i have invested 500 dollars in apps over 4 years, it just seems weird starting over again on a different platform, cause i have invested so much into apple.

Anyways, the tabbed browsing, the homescreens, the notifications system is something honeycomb beats ios hands down. im sure ios 5.0 will adress some of this, if not thats a big let down by apple, but by then we maybe have seen android 3.2 or whatever. We have to see things as they are right now, and to me, google is overall a better os, with more tablet esque interface.

Yes i get ios is easy and my grandma can use it, but atleast give me the options to customize it. Its not for everybody, but it would be nice to atleast have the option to do it.

 

[icecrystal23]

As stated similarly in another thread (by me):

I am so tired of the totally incorrect argument that iOS was not designed for tablets or that it's a phone OS running on a tablet.

Am I the only one that remembers Apple actually started developing the iPad BEFORE they made the iPhone? They said they were working on a tablet, but then decided "wow, this would make a great phone"... so they made the iPhone. But the origin of iOS is tablets. How is it not a true tablet OS?!

Link for those who would contradict (see the last paragraph under History): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad#History

 

[tuatha]

As stated similarly in another thread (by me):

I am so tired of the totally incorrect argument that iOS was not designed for tablets or that it's a phone OS running on a tablet.

Am I the only one that remembers Apple actually started developing the iPad BEFORE they made the iPhone? They said they were working on a tablet, but then decided "wow, this would make a great phone"... so they made the iPhone. But the origin of iOS is tablets. How is it not a true tablet OS?!

Link for those who would contradict (see the last paragraph under History): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad#History

What it was originally designed for is not really relevant. Who knows how long ago or even how far they got with that project? Was there even a single working prototype? Did it look or perform remotely like it does today? Nobody has ever clarified these points.

What is relevant is that it became a phone OS. That's what it was optimised for. That's what it has been used for in the intervening years. It is primarily a phone OS

After years of optimisation for the phone form-factor, that OS was then ported to a tablet.

Don't get me wrong, I know it works pretty well, but it is still a blown-up phone OS, regardless of its origins.