Why Android is a bad investment and why Apple is better.

[OzExige]

From Seekingalpha, interesting logic on the best investments in the booming 'smart phone' market and it's not Google/Android, HTC, Motorola or NOKIA!

" The first criterion is that the company controls both the hardware and the operating system. We think firms that control both aspects are able to provide a more controlled, consistent user experience and allow them to drive customer loyalty. "

Read it here;
http://seekingalpha.com/article/199...should-stick-with-what-they-know?source=yahoo

 

[maflynn]

I disagree with the premise that was written. Google is on to something and as each version of android becomes more feature complete and polished, they will have an advantage that apple does not.

Scale: Google gives android away to that end, android based phones will typically have more advanced features then the iPhone. This is because the iphone is updated annually, where as android phones are being released almost on a monthly cycle which they can then take advantage of the latest and greatest technology.

Choice, you can choose what carrier you want, what model of a phone (physical keyboard, virtual) size, memory etc. The choice extends to the software as well. You don't have some company dictating what is worthy to enter their hallowed application store.

Frequency: Google is doing a better job at updating android. How many updates has OS3 3 seen? One major and a handful of minor ones in a years time. For google in the few months that version 2 has been out, they've released on major one and it appears version 2.2 is already out so it will be in the wild very shortly.

 

[eaglesteve]

Invitation to discuss this in more details
I've started a thread to compare Android against iPhone, and would like to invite anyone interested to contribute to the thread here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=665257

 

[maflynn]

This thread and the others here are sufficient to discuss the pros and cons.

Just see the very large nexus one thread here to see for yourself.

 

[Outrigger]

" The first criterion is that the company controls both the hardware and the operating system. We think firms that control both aspects are able to provide a more controlled, consistent user experience and allow them to drive customer loyalty. "

If thats the case, then Palm should be at the top instead of at the bottom.

 

[FSMBP]

If thats the case, then Palm should be at the top instead of at the bottom.

They would have been if they promoted their product better and launched on Verizon.

They have a solid product line.

There seems a be a new Android product weekly, so as a customer - it seems hard to tell which phone is the latest/greatest. Also, since updates aren't issued consistently, it's hard to tell when my phone will get an update or if it even will get the update.

That's what's stop me from getting an Android phone. AT&T's Android came out this year and doesn't even have the latest software as I recall.

When I buy the new iPhone, I know I'm getting the best iPhone released with the latest software. Plus, I don't have to research 10 different iPhone's to know which one is the right one for me.

Don't get me wrong, choice is good - but too much choice leads to unnecessary confusion.

 

[maflynn]

They would have been if they promoted their product better and launched on Verizon.

They have a solid product line.

I disagree. I think while they certainly show themselves in the foot with marketing. I've read enough reviews, and forums to also conclude that the device is not as solidly built as the iPhone. Many people complained about the lack of quality and needing multiple replacements. In fact palm also acknowledged this saying their QC was not up to snuff.

Lack of applications and focus on changing that also greatly impacted the allure of the phone. Why by a smart phone that can only run a tiny fraction of apps.

Lack of updates to the OS also hurt them as they needed to fix bugs sooner.[/QUOTE]

 

[yg17]

They would have been if they promoted their product better and launched on Verizon.

They have a solid product line.

There seems a be a new Android product weekly, so as a customer - it seems hard to tell which phone is the latest/greatest. Also, since updates aren't issued consistently, it's hard to tell when my phone will get an update or if it even will get the update.

That's what's stop me from getting an Android phone. AT&T's Android came out this year and doesn't even have the latest software as I recall.

When I buy the new iPhone, I know I'm getting the best iPhone released with the latest software. Plus, I don't have to research 10 different iPhone's to know which one is the right one for me.

Don't get me wrong, choice is good - but too much choice leads to unnecessary confusion.

So buy a Nexus One. I did, the AT&T 3G version, it works great, is unlocked, and runs the latest version of Android, and will always be one of the first Android phones to get future OS upgrades. That's the beauty of Android, you don't have to do what your carrier wants you to do.

 

[TBi]

Frequency: Google is doing a better job at updating android. How many updates has OS3 3 seen? One major and a handful of minor ones in a years time. For google in the few months that version 2 has been out, they've released on major one and it appears version 2.2 is already out so it will be in the wild very shortly.

I prefer a slower upgrade cycle. Release something now and make it good enough to last 6 months to a year without bug fixes or upgrades. All these updates fragment the user base. You have people running all different versions (don't know how to or don't want to upgrade).

It's much better to have one version that most developers can concentrate on.

There are pro's and con's on this but at the moment i'm bloody annoyed with adobes continuous updates to acrobat and flash. It seems every time i turn on the computer i need to update something. I long for the grand old days when you wouldn't need to update for a good while. (assuming the software is good, slow updates for bad programs is the most annoying)

 

[jaw04005]

Frequency: Google is doing a better job at updating android. How many updates has OS3 3 seen? One major and a handful of minor ones in a years time. For google in the few months that version 2 has been out, they've released on major one and it appears version 2.2 is already out so it will be in the wild very shortly.

That’s mostly because they’re playing catch up. If you remember during the first few years of the iPhone, it received 1.x and 2.x updates very frequently (almost to the point of annoyance).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_OS_version_history

The biggest problem with Android, IMO, is Google foolishly letting carriers and device manufacturers decide when and if OS updates get released.

New Android hardware will ship with an updated version of the operating system while compatible hardware waits months for carriers and device manufacturers to release a software update (Droid).

That’s not a good user experience. At least with Apple, you have the option of updating on all devices almost immediately, and they’ve did a good job of continuing to support older models.

There are some major drawbacks to Android.

For example, Google has never been particularly good at polish/fit and finish (that’s why third-parties are slapping their own custom UI on top of Android, which I think is mistake in the long run).

Parts of the Android OS feel clunky and exhibit a “designed by committee” feel.

Google’s built-in apps are not as good as Apple’s or Google’s on the iPhone for that matter.

While the application market is fine (and getting better everyday), the media ecosystem is sort of non-existant (you figure out very quickly that it’s not an iPod).

The again, there are things that are leaps ahead of the iPhone OS including system-wide voice recognition, turn-by-turn navigation and Google Voice integration. I also like the widgets on the home screen, and while it eats battery — I sort of like the animated backgrounds.

Android is interesting. I’m glad it’s around to provide some actual competition (lord knows Microsoft wasn’t, RIM is stuck in 1999 and Palm is pretty much dead).

I understand why geeks would choose Android, but I’m not as convinced that the general public is actively choosing Android as much as they’re buying Android devices because the iPhone is not available on their particular carrier.

I don’t think Android is bad investment if you accept that you’re not getting an iPhone (and that can be both good and bad).

 

[FSMBP]

So buy a Nexus One. I did, the AT&T 3G version, it works great, is unlocked, and runs the latest version of Android, and will always be one of the first Android phones to get future OS upgrades. That's the beauty of Android, you don't have to do what your carrier wants you to do.

Yeah but a couple months before the Nexus One, was the Droid. Droid was tooted as the mother of all Android phones. It put me off that a new top of line, Nexus, came out so quickly. It reminds me of how Apple significantly lowered the iPhone price within months of its original release. Sure technology moves fast, but its not a reason to make people feel as if they were played.

And to maflynn:

I read about the hardware problems too; that was a mistake on their part. But, here's the thing: Palm obviously isn't getting enough developers to make apps BECAUSE they launced on Sprint and sold few phones.

I feel if the Pre was launched & promoted on Verizon, more people would have bought the phone, and with a bigger install base- more apps would have been made. It's a vicious circle.

 

[thetexan]

Most of these arguments are applicable to "geeks" only while the normal user won't care. I know many people who aren't very technically savvy who use Android phones and they love them. They don't care about the latest update (most couldn't tell you what version they are on) or what the hardware specs are. They just want a phone that works well and does some neat things. They're used to buying a phone every two years and having the same exact experience on the last day as they had on the first day.

 

[klamse25]

I will always stay apple

They have more and better apps

 

[dgree03]

They have more and better apps

Oh do you use all 180,000? I thought the app limit was 2000 something... hmm interesting.

 

[klamse25]

Oh do you use all 180,000? I thought the app limit was 2000 something... hmm interesting.

they have more support... and are better quality

 

[maflynn]

they have more support... and are better quality

Please quantify more support. I agree at the moment that iPhone apps are more sophisticated/polished but how is it that android apps have less support?

 

[klamse25]

Please quantify more support. I agree at the moment that iPhone apps are more sophisticated/polished but how is it that android apps have less support?

What you said. They are more polished and more devs are flocking to it as it is a more profitable market and seems to have a bright future. Devs can create an app and it will be compatible with all devices, well there's the iPad now but you get the point.

 

[dgree03]

they have more support... and are better quality

Ahh now that is a more believable answer, the quality argument at least. The support argument is subjective... esp since with andriod I can go to the devs webpage and download an app, they can get updates out quicker and have forum support right at their fingertips without apple intruding.

Some apps on apple that have andriod equivlents are better on apple like facebook is the most glaring one. Same can be said vice versa where I have andriod apps like that i find better on andriod than I do on iphone like USAA, engadget, google maps, discovery etc.

 

[dgree03]

What you said. They are more polished and more devs are flocking to it as it is a more profitable market and seems to have a bright future. Devs can create an app and it will be compatible with all devices, well there's the iPad now but you get the point.

also that is wrong, when OS4 comes out not all iphones will be able to access ALL features of the new API that the devs will utilize. Same can be said of android and its older devices(like the G1)

 

[maflynn]

What you said. They are more polished and more devs are flocking to it as it is a more profitable market and seems to have a bright future. Devs can create an app and it will be compatible with all devices, well there's the iPad now but you get the point.

Ok but you postulated that android apps are not as well supported and I don't think that's a correct supposition at least without any corroborating evidence.

As for being more profitable, I can make an argument that the android app store could be more profitable to a developer because there's less supply.

Either way, android apps do have to improve before they're on par with iPhone apps.

 

[klamse25]

also that is wrong, when OS4 comes out not all iphones will be able to access ALL features of the new API that the devs will utilize. Same can be said of android and its older devices(like the G1)

Well for the most part, like screen resolution

 

[amanpreetchadha]

Hey wassup!

Well, im new here and don’t wanna offend anyone… hahahha…
But here is my few words on this…

Well, I have been an ardent apple fan since a long time (since ipod 4g), but only recently bought a macbook pro 13” mid june 2009 base model…. (ended up upgrading the HDD – to 500gb and RAM – to 4gb only recently as the laptop started hanging abit, as I would keep loads of application open and also a min of 5-6 pages open in each safari browser… )

The reason for buying the macbook pro now was as the price was drasctially reduced. My final list involved a dell xps studio 13 and mbp 13 (was using a dell xsp 15 and wasn’t happy with it at all, loads of probs… overheatin… crashing… mother board replacements). Got a mbp as it was almost the same cost, if not cheaper (student disc + sold the itouch I got with it).

SO BACIALLY GOT THE MBP ONLY COZ IT WAS ON PAR WITH THE PRICE, OTHERWISE HAVE ALWAYS STEERED AWAY DUE TO THE COST.

But now to the topic of discussion:

I would disagree with the title as both have its advanatges and disadvantages…

This is my experince…

Iphone (3gs) v/s htc hero (android) as I have used these hence I can only talk about my experince with this: I am not gonna go into details bout how they fell and stuff as they have touched in various other posts and also it varies from users….

Iphone:
Advantage:
Mobile mac OS X
Apps (welll, these maybe good for many, but for me it isn’t a plus as I don’t use even anywayz… except a few basic ones)
Itunes support ( I have like 200gb+ of music… over the yrs I have put them in order over itunes n stuff… n there is no other way I can see to organise my music collection, hence itunes support for music is an essential for me)

Disadvantage:
Hardware wise, always below par
The phone itself cost a bomb
The monthly talk plans cost a bomb too (atleast here in UK)

Htc Hero
Advantage:
Hardware wise very good
Phone wise multitaskin (juss thought of clearing this)
Cost of the phone not very high (got mine for £250 unlocked, though would be upgrading to desire soon, once I am elligble for a free upgrade)
Cost of the plan not that high either… (currently on 3 network and pay £18 for unlimited sms, unlimited internet (fair usuage policy…. Hate this phrase…. Hahaha) and 500 anytime anynetwork min)

Disadvantage:
Lack of itunes support (well have come across this software double twist which helps, but kinda buggy and slow, hope it improves;-)) infact nowadays I have juss started carryin my hero rather than hero n itouch 2G, which I use basically only for music and movies…. And nothing else….
Apps (I have the basic ones that I use… so I aint gonna be cribbin bout this)


Unless, Apple come wid some really good offer on the iphone or reduce the cost somehow… I would not venture into the iphone… as I am kinda pleased with the droid-htc sense experience… droid is pickin a lot of importance and is getting betta with every upgrade…

But if apple do offer a good deal… ya neva know…. Hahahahha…..

NOTE: competition is always healthy… or else the customers would be at the disposal of companies and would have to shell huge amounts to obtain those products.

Cheers!!!

 

[R.Perez]

Ridiculous fanboi post.

Oh and itunes sucks, bad. Use songbird sync with android... go.

 

[jayenh]

For example, Google has never been particularly good at polish/fit and finish (that’s why third-parties are slapping their own custom UI on top of Android, which I think is mistake in the long run).

completely disagree here. these custom UI's are there because google allow them, not because the default UI lacks polish. just like god-knows how many phones before them have had the exact same treatment by their carriers with splash screens, wallpapers and sounds. this has nothing to do with googles lack of polish, this is just further branding of a device because the OS allows customisation. HTC's UI is in keeping with their other phones. sense UI is not new to android because android looks horrible, its something HTC have been applying to their phones for a few years now. brands and carriers have been doing this where possible for a long time.

 

[Nebulance]

Ridiculous fanboi post.

Oh and itunes sucks, bad. Use songbird sync with android... go.

I run Ubuntu Intrepid (8.10) at work, and I attempted using Songbird for a while, and I have to say, compared to iTunes, it's not very appealing -- especially in its GUI. While it's similar to iTunes, it still feels like something left over from Mac OS 8.5.

iTunes is far and away the best music manager I've used. I have at least 80GB of music, and it's very neatly organized, in a very nice looking manner. One has to jump through hula-hoops in order to get Songbird to look 'pretty'.

And -- Songbird is always glitchy. Not a fan of that. In anything.

Therefore, I listen to music using the command line in Ubuntu (MPlayer).