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respectabilia

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 24, 2010
236
5
I'm heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem; Mac, iPhone and iPad with hundreds invested in purchased apps.

So it's in my interests to make sure that Apple is always making the best stuff. It still is making the best stuff as an overall ecosystem, but seeing Android Lollipop look so lovely, I have to wonder where does iOS go from here to keep it on top in terms of aesthetics and design?

Now, I know that aesthetics and design are subjective and this is my preference that Android Lollipop looks gorgeous and surpasses iOS 8. Here's what I've just been reading: http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2014/11/i-cant-believe-how-great-android-lollipop-is-so-far/

When Android was first released, it looked terribly clunky like it was smashed together by an amateur PCS developer onto a tiny touch screen. iOS was far far superior.

Today, I feel like Android 5 just about edges out over iOS in terms of aesthetics.

That matters to me because I use iOS not because of specs but because I *enjoy* using it. The pleasant aesthetics is a big part of that.

Will Android 5.0 prove to also be just as if not more pleasurable in the long run? How can iOS adapt to Android's design competition to stay on top as the superior pleasurable experience?

Of course, at the end of the day, I still believe Apple's overall scheme of things is better because it had a far more pleasurable experience. But with Android 5.0 looking as good and with Apple lapses in Cloud and sync and other software dips, what do you think Apple will do to stay on top?

Edit: when I say *looking so good* I do largely mean just that, that Android 5.0 looks prettier and more pleasurable than iOS at this stage.
 
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rillrill

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2011
828
624
New York
I go back and forth with android and iOS. I think apple is the safer bet for long lasting tech and design. Android looks good when Google develops the apps, but Jesus do a lot of apps, even by big companies, look awful. I think it will be a few years before they are even in the design department, and by that time it won't even matter what os people use.
 

respectabilia

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 24, 2010
236
5
I go back and forth with android and iOS. I think apple is the safer bet for long lasting tech and design. Android looks good when Google develops the apps, but Jesus do a lot of apps, even by big companies, look awful. I think it will be a few years before they are even in the design department, and by that time it won't even matter what os people use.


You're right. And that's one reason why Android's overall experience is less pleasurable; the design, lovely though it is, isn't consistent. I think iOS still trumps the competition when it comes to consistency.
 

mib1800

Suspended
Sep 16, 2012
2,859
1,250
I go back and forth with android and iOS. I think apple is the safer bet for long lasting tech and design. Android looks good when Google develops the apps, but Jesus do a lot of apps, even by big companies, look awful. I think it will be a few years before they are even in the design department, and by that time it won't even matter what os people use.
All major apps look the same on both platforms. You have no idea what you are saying.
 

Beards

macrumors 65816
Mar 22, 2014
1,333
626
Derbyshire UK
I'm a great lover of Androids Home Screen Widgets and its ability with certain devices to perform multi Windows (multitasking).
Now where this will be more prominent is when you compare the forthcoming iPad Air 12" against the Samsung Note 12".
Although both devices share a similar 12" design the difference however is very prominent.
The Note 12" has multiple widgets, icons and Windows open on the Home Screens!
The iPad 12" will have what........ Icons!

Not only that but I do like the fact you can have either a browser, a notepad and another app open at the same time multitasking together.
Will Apple allow this on the bigger tablet?
 

mjschabow

macrumors 601
Dec 25, 2013
4,774
6,048
I'm using Lollipop on my Nexus 7 right now and I must say that I'm very tempted to make the switch to the Nexus 6. My developer preview of Lollipop seems to run smoother than iOS 8 on my iPhone 6 Plus. Also, the widgets and 3rd party keyboards have been a major disappointment so far on iOS 8.

We'll see. I'm weighing my options.
 

mercuryjones

macrumors 6502a
May 31, 2005
786
0
College Station, TX
Android is constantly changing the design. I'm all for a change of the design, when it's actually warranted, but changing the overall design every 1-2 years can be a little much. I guess it's not that big of a deal though, since only 30% of the users are actually on the latest design, so Google can get away with it.
Plus, you've got OEM skins on top of that, so the majority of people have probably never even seen stock Android before.
Apple has keep the OS X design pretty much the same since the beginning, with just a few UI and icon changes here and there. I can see them doing the same with iOS. I much prefer a UI that stays out of the way and lets me get stuff done to a UI that tries to emulate a desktop environment.
 

Rootus

macrumors 6502
Mar 22, 2008
376
24
Portland, OR
You're right. And that's one reason why Android's overall experience is less pleasurable; the design, lovely though it is, isn't consistent. I think iOS still trumps the competition when it comes to consistency.
Android has really made great strides in consistency. I remember when I first tried it, well before I bought my first Android phone, I was struck by how many different ways there was to do the same thing (e.g. cut & paste) even within the OS itself, much less in individual apps. That's no longer true. The OS has gotten very predictable, and the apps as well. Hell, apps between IOS and Android look and run almost identically these days.

Android is constantly changing the design. I'm all for a change of the design, when it's actually warranted, but changing the overall design every 1-2 years can be a little much.
Apple doesn't really have any legitimate claims to consistency any more, especially since the playskool debacle of iOS7. And unfortunately, iOS has lost any credible claim to stability, too. Used to be Android that crashed all the time, iOS never did. Now I find that my Android phone almost never crashes, either OS or apps, but my iOS devices routinely flake out. I'm really hoping that after iOS7 and then 8.0, Apple is having a come to Jesus moment and reassessing their commitment to producing quality software. It's like they decided to suddenly focus on achieving feature parity with Android (which to their credit, they have mostly done) and quality was the casualty.

These days iOS and Android seem to have mostly converged. Very similar experience, feature set, etc. What differs is the ecosystem you're part of. I go back and forth, but I'm headed back to iOS for the next year or so mostly to be part of the same ecosystem the rest of my family is part of. I think I'd really like a Nexus 6, though :D. How many phones do I want to carry...
 

respectabilia

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 24, 2010
236
5
Apple really need to keep up their game I think. Recently, the mantra 'it just works' has been flaying around the edges a little with iCloud issues, bugs, stability etc.

Apple at this rate I fear might end up being overtaken by its competition in system software sometime in the future, although third party software still looks healthy. Let's hope not.
 

Bearxor

macrumors 6502a
Jun 7, 2007
771
495
Lollipop looks good. I think the OS is now par with iOS when they've been just a little bit behind since ICS.

I'm very interested but weary about jumping back in to the Google ecosystem after spending so much effort in pulling myself out of almost all Google services. Still might give a Nexus 5 a trial next summer though.
 

mjschabow

macrumors 601
Dec 25, 2013
4,774
6,048
Lollipop looks good. I think the OS is now par with iOS when they've been just a little bit behind since ICS.



I'm very interested but weary about jumping back in to the Google ecosystem after spending so much effort in pulling myself out of almost all Google services. Still might give a Nexus 5 a trial next summer though.


I hear you. As enticing as Google really is I have invested a lot into Apple. And it also looks like my Mazda's Infotainment system might be getting updated to Car Play at some point. Also, I'm very curious about this new music distribution platform that U2/Apple are working on.
 

Winona Northdakota

macrumors 6502a
Dec 27, 2010
580
1
With Android 5.0 Lollipop looking so good, where does iOS go from here?

I think both iOS and Android are great. What it all boils down to is personal preference.


I hear ya. I like iOS for its' user interface consistency, though Android OS is getting better in that regard, my big frustration with Android OS is finding one device that will do everything I would like it to and then consistency with the U.I.
 

bentgate

macrumors member
Sep 29, 2014
49
12
I think iPhones are more timeless. Apple keeps their older phones updated on the latest software and the basic iPhone design doesn't change. Non-Nexus devices age horribly. If you have a Galaxy device, you wont be able to recognize Lollipop (when/if it finally comes to your device). Plus all the TouchWiz quirks get old fast.

Nexus devices are a different story. You'll get support direct from Google and the phones typically have a great design. The Nexus 6 will probably be my next phone.
 

mdlooker

macrumors 65816
Mar 7, 2011
1,227
203
US
I think it's awesome that you're so torn. Competition is healthy and should keep the innovation coming. One gets ideas from the other; best thing ever.

I thought about Android a number of times before the larger screens came to Apple. But the ecosystem was just too much to overcome.
 

Bobby Corwen

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2010
2,723
474
These devices are for content consumption not OS design consumption.

iOS will fall off the throne when people stop reading text, looking at pics, and watching videos.

Also you can tell the inertial scrolling and touch response is just as rough from the gif animations. Some people can't tell anymore and feel its decent enough, but i can still tell.

iPhone feels like it creates the illusion that you're touching a real time hologram, the marriage between hardware and software is intricate down to a very high resolution of detail and response. On Android it feels like what it is, software behaving on a screen.

It doesn't create that magic inertial smoothness, though its not straight up slow anymore like in the early days.

Also Android doesn't age well, the more you put on it, the more it changes the behavior as you load it up with stuff as opposed to Apple that works the same after a year of usage as it did out of the box.
 
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duffman9000

macrumors 68020
Sep 7, 2003
2,327
8,083
Deep in the Depths of CA
I'm a great lover of Androids Home Screen Widgets and its ability with certain devices to perform multi Windows (multitasking).
Now where this will be more prominent is when you compare the forthcoming iPad Air 12" against the Samsung Note 12".
Although both devices share a similar 12" design the difference however is very prominent.
The Note 12" has multiple widgets, icons and Windows open on the Home Screens!
The iPad 12" will have what........ Icons!

Not only that but I do like the fact you can have either a browser, a notepad and another app open at the same time multitasking together.
Will Apple allow this on the bigger tablet?

The iPad since its beginning is just icons. I think that's why I've held off on buying one. Given how poorly Safari currently handles multiple tabs, I shudder to think how bad split screen multitasking would work on an iPad.
 

respectabilia

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 24, 2010
236
5
These devices are for content consumption not OS design consumption.

iOS will fall off the throne when people stop reading text, looking at pics, and watching videos.

Also you can tell the inertial scrolling and touch response is just as rough from the gif animations. Some people can't tell anymore and feel its decent enough, but i can still tell.

iPhone feels like it creates the illusion that you're touching a real time hologram, the marriage between hardware and software is intricate down to a very high resolution of detail and response. On Android it feels like what it is, software behaving on a screen.

It doesn't create that magic inertial smoothness, though its not straight up slow anymore like in the early days.

Also Android doesn't age well, the more you put on it, the more it changes the behavior as you load it up with stuff as opposed to Apple that works the same after a year of usage as it did out of the box.


Yes, that's the sort of thing I meant when I was referring to pleasurable experience.

My observation is that aesthetic design is part of that pleasurable experience and Android OS is catching up if not surpassing iOS in that regard, but the Apple ecosystem is still a more pleasurable package overall.
 

barjam

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2010
385
186
The iPad since its beginning is just icons. I think that's why I've held off on buying one. Given how poorly Safari currently handles multiple tabs, I shudder to think how bad split screen multitasking would work on an iPad.

Are you talking about the reload issue? That was largely a hardware limitation fixed in the Air 2.
 

Bobby Corwen

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2010
2,723
474
Yes, that's the sort of thing I meant when I was referring to pleasurable experience.

My observation is that aesthetic design is part of that pleasurable experience and Android OS is catching up if not surpassing iOS in that regard, but the Apple ecosystem is still a more pleasurable package overall.

No, its not caught up.

And Ill give you an example.

Click on 4K resolution, full screen it, and go to the 11:00 mark where the guy is trying to browse the web. He tries to not make it obvious cuz he is super biased, but look at the way the pinch zoom responds on iOS and look at the hesitation on Android. Then he has trouble clicking the link.

Its the same concept with Mac trackpads vs Windows trackpads.

They just don't look and act as smooth, not as rich.


And thats assuming its the beginning of your OS lifecycle. In 6 months who knows how it will behave after you fill it up and the file system gets slow.
 
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