I've been using Android for 10 days now. I fully think it is the superior OS, but unfortunately the one feature that makes Android, well, Android is it's biggest downfall:
Open source.
Like Communism, being open source sounds like a great idea on paper. Nobody can top a plethora of active community members who tinker with the phone to make it the best that they can, right?
Wrong.
When we hear open source, our first thought is something along the lines of Linux, which when used correctly by capable hands, trumps any OS, any day of the week. The difference between a computer and an phone though is that your computer isn't tied to another company providing you with the device; ie phone carriers.
Android nerds wet their pants at the sound of open-source, and how it appeals to them, but forget that being open-source is extremely beneficial to the phone carrier. Since our phone runs on their system, they're in control 24/7. You want froyo running on your phone? Good luck, wait 6 months and you might get it, but guess what? Google just rolled out Gingerbread, and HTC with a new phone, making the one you just bought obsolete. They don't even bother to update your own one, and to add insult to injury the rate in which they're coming out is 3-4 months. You're locked in a 2 year contract. There goes $400 to buy a new phone that too will be replaced in 3-4 months. It's an endless cycle that benefits only the hardware manufacturers and the cellular providers. The customer is left in the dust with a crappy phone.
People often use the term "walled garden" to describe Apple and their iPhone. But lefts face it, inside those walls are a pretty nice garden and you're taken care of pretty darned well. Sure there's some flaws, but nothing is perfect. You get one phone, and that phone will be getting plenty of updates and improvements for the next year guaranteed. Even as Apple unveils a new phone come summer, they still provide adequate support for another year. Your iPhone gets it's full 2 years, unlike many Android phones. My dad is still using his 3G and has no complaints. That phone was released in 2008. Remember the "iPhone killer" of 2008? The HTC G1? See any of those anywhere?
No, because Android has allowed the mobile carrier to take control of Android and doesn't provide updates for it anymore. They replaced it with a new phone months later anyways, and now they have that phone to sell.
Android is a great mobile OS. My absolute favorite. It multitasks, it's a fast bugger, and Google is a great company. However, I'm not willing to go through Samsung AND AT&T, and wait MONTHS just so I can get something as simple as a GPS fix. I will more than likely be taking back my Captivate so I can get an iPhone 4.
Google can fix these problems with Android. Have a more direct control (which Gingerbread seems to do), and encourage phone makers to release one or two GOOD phones a year instead of 6-7 sub-par every other month. Until then, I'm back with Apple.
