When will Apple "open up"?

[llustig]

If the iPhone had integration with 3rd party apps you download, it would undoubtedly be the overall best smart phone to have. While iOs is very well polished, Android kills the iOS when it comes to 3rd party apps integration.

For example, let's say I take a quick photo and want to send it to my facebook; with iOS, I would have to go to the facebook app and then upload the photo from there. With Android, you are able to do this -- all from the gallery itself.

Integration is everything these days. I've owned an iPhone 4 and used an iPhone since the 3G got released. I've also owned a Nexus one, evo 4G, Nexus S, and G2 and loved every single one of them, but the fact is, iPhone's screen is simply amazing. No phones out there can beat the iPhone's touch screen's capability. The smoothness is just unbeatable, compared to any other phone, which always brought me back to the iPhone.

Of all the Android phones I have owned, the Nexus S was the smoothest as far screen smoothness goes, but the phone build itself is crap (no offense).

From the way things are going with Android, and with the integration that 3rd apps bring with Android, along with the superior notification system, it is inevitable that the Android OS will surpass iOS in the future. If the iPhone was an Android phone, it would be the ultimate phone. I'm a sucker for the iPhone's retina display and the smoothness of the screen.

 

[mad-dog-one]

Apple do seem to be slowly opening up though.

That's the perfect analogy for Apple's indifference toward their customers, but shouldn't it be a bus?

 

[rdowns]

That's the perfect analogy for Apple's indifference toward their customers, but shouldn't it be a bus?

Really? Indifferent? Do you really believe that forum users represent but a small minority of their customers? There's a reason they come in first in all these customer service polls. 98% of iPhone users couldn't care less about a more open phone.

 

[Consultant]

Apple since day one has been about integration and just works instead of made for the small number of tinkering types without a life.

The first Apple product sold was a COMPLETE computer, at a time when components and designs are open to end user tinkering and trial and error.

 

[Rajani Isa]

Camera+ isn't blocked, it's 99 cents.

So, we're all "open" now.

Camera+ with Volume Button Shutter option is still blocked, however.

You are basically saying the average user is an idiot, and its funny to me that the word franmentation was never used in here til Jobs used it when he was talking about android and now all the sudden its s favorite word in here.

Two things -

Muscle memory isn't necessarily calling the users idiots. If someone is calling someone an idiot because of muscle memory, they need to be slapped, in fact . And it can take more than a day to overcome. And it tends to strike when one is tired and/or busy and not paying as much attention.

Second - It might of become something of a buzzword after Jobs used it, but that's because it fit's Android's situation. It is fragmented - both on hardware and software.

 

[sectime]

There are people in the world who must have everything in straight lines nothing out of place. I like more Android phones= more pressure on Apple to improve.

 

[mtnDewFTW]

Closed - Faster, smoother, more reliable.
Open - Slow, buggy, and very crashy.

Developers can't be put in charge of the entire OS. I'm glad Apple are taking charge and controlling things. They have professionals working on everything to keep things in perfect balance, while Android will approve anything made by a 12 year old. I'd rather have Apple do all the thinking for me, rather than have to do everything myself. Android market is anarchy. You can't let people do whatever they want, it'll screw everything up. And by the way, Apple already wiped everyone out of the picture. If you want open, get Android and be done with it.

 

[Vegastouch]

There are people in the world who must have everything in straight lines nothing out of place. I like more Android phones= more pressure on Apple to improve.

I guess. Those who can walk and chew gum at the same time woulndnt have a problem with it. I had a iPhone for two years and adapted to Android just fine so a button one space over to my left from where it used to be is nothing.

But...to someone else, it is something to complain about. Gee i hope iPhone 5 doesnt do something crazy like put the on/off switch on the side

 

[slick316]

I am usually never satisfied with "tech" product, and my disposable income and stupidity allows me to experiment with all the current offerings.

My latest purchase was a Samsung Focus, a Windows Phone 7. I loved it. The OS was great, and you can tell MS actually put a lot of effort into the phone. I can imagine it getting really good over the next few months. I got rid of due to the battery life, it was really poor.

I have also tried out the Samsung Captivate (Android) and Galaxy Tab. Good products, but I don't really like Android, its too "PC" like for my tastes.

In the end I stuck with iPhone. But during the this process of testing out the different devices I noticed something. It looks like all smart phones on all carriers have something in common, they are catered to the carrier they are available on. Buy an Android phone on Verizon, it will have Verizon branding on it, and some silly Verizon apps preloaded, and some features that are missing/locked. iPhone has none of these short comings. Apple basically told AT&T, "We build the phone, you supply the service".

WP7 is still new, but you can already see the issues with the product availability on each carrier. High end on AT&T is the Focus, but the build quality is far from high end. The HTC HD7 is a much nicer phone, but only available on T-Mobile. Its worse on Android, the HTC and Motorola phones seem much nicer than the Samsung. I'm not even saying that all phones should be available on all carriers, but if you want 5 different companies making phones for your OS, at least make sure all of them have the same idea as to what "high end" means.

And don't get me started on the Android OS. Why are all Android devices running different versions of the OS? Why am I getting Android 2.1 on a brand new phone with no carrier option to update, yet versions 2.2 and 2.3 exist and will work on the phone? Makes no sense. Again, carrier issue.

Apple actually did something here that people don't seem to give them much credit for. Having a "closed" mindset is whats keeping them on top. I would much rather have Apple's closed iPhone than an open Android device at this point.

 

[genshi]

I agree with what others have stated that the way Apple has done things has led to a much better user experience and the proof of that is in their continued success and customer satisfaction surveys, no one can deny that at all. Until that changes, Apple should keep doing what they've been doing and the rest of the industry should pay closer attention. Just my two cents.