Why Android is better than iPhone.
- Thread starter MotoStark
- Start date
You have to weigh into consideration that the previous record was set without the benefit of a 3 month delay in the release of the phone, and without the hype surrounding it's capabilities, like happened with the 4S.
The only thing that matters is "1 million" and "1 day". That's unheard of.
Apple rules. I'm surprised people bother with Android at all considering the far superior WP7.5 and iOS5 are both on the market. Android is a cluster-****.
Poser
Well-known member
Android Users Still Don’t Get It
For years, skeptics have viewed Apple enthusiasts in a prejudice light. Dubbed “fan boys,” this herd of sheep would throw down money for any product bearing the fruit-shaped logo, and would defend the company to the death if necessary.
And it seems like the more successful Apple has gotten, the more vocal the cynics have become — especially in the mobile phone space. And I don’t think that there is any group louder than the Android users…
Android owners can be seen on countless iPhone sites across the web, trolling the comment threads and forums with their seemingly baseless discrimination. In fact, I have a few real-world friends that would qualify for that category.
Our debates about which platform is better get pretty intense. You’d think we were arguing about religion or politics. Nope, just mobile devices. That being said, you can imagine the conversation that ensued after Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S.
“Android has had dual-core processors and 8MP cameras for months,” and “my Android has a 4.2″ display, what does yours have again, a 3.5″? Awesome.” And that’s when I realized it, Android users just don’t get it.
The Pissing Contest
Comparing tech specs between an Android handset and an iPhone is pretty sketchy. Processors and megapixels don’t mean anything if they aren’t implemented properly. Take camera quality for example. When the iPhone 4 debuted last summer, there were multiple comparison tests run between its 5MP shooter and the Droid X’s (a popular Android phone at the time) 8MP. The iPhone’s images were found to be on par with, if not better than, the competition’s.
Then there’s screen size. Consider me among those that were disappointed that Apple didn’t add an extra half inch to the iPhone’s display this year. But among the many reasons that Apple chose to keep the screen size at 3.5″ was to protect its ecosystem. Android manufacturers can easily make handsets with various display sizes because the platform is already horrendously fragmented. Android developers are already working against dozens of different form factors and versions of the Android OS, so why not make screens bigger? iPhone developers, however, only have to worry about different iOS versions. Why do you think there’s such a big difference in app quality between the two platforms?
Just because a device’s spec list has bigger numbers in it, doesn’t mean it’s a better product. That’s like saying a 6-cylinder KIA is a better car than a 4-cylinder Audi, it just doesn’t make any sense. It’s all in the execution of the product as a whole. From build material to battery life, it’s all important.
Flash
A major feature that Android users like to tout is the ability to play Flash content, an option that Apple has continued to omit from its iOS platform for several reasons. For starters, there’s security. Do a Google Search of the term “Adobe Flash vulnerability” and see how many hits it returns. Don’t worry, I’ll wait. Apple avoids all of those problems you see there by simply keeping Flash out of iOS.
Now let’s talk performance. Have you ever tried using Flash on an Android handset? It’s pretty inconsistent. “Optimized” websites load up in seconds, “non-optimized” pages load very slowly, and some Flash-based websites don’t load at all (like Hulu). And the ones that do load are very limited. Outside of watchingvideos and simple site navigation, there’s not a lot you can do with Flash on a mobile phone. Have you tried playing a Flash-based game on a touchscreen handset? It’s nearly impossible. As Steve Jobs pointed out, Flash was created during the PC era, for PCs and mice.
So let’s say you overlook the security issues, and the performance problems, and the fact that cell phones tend to run an extra two hours when not using the technology, there’s still another reason not to include Flash. It’s not a necessity. We have third-party applications and HTML5, we don’t need Flash in our everyday lives. Some people might, for a college class website or for their job. I can see some people needing it. And for them, I’d recommend an Android handset. But there’s such a small number of people that require it on a day-to-day basis, that it’s not worth the extra headaches to include it.
It Just Works
Another major point Android owners like to bring up in device debates is the fact that their handsets have removable batteries. Ok. Why? And they’ll say “What do you do when your phone crashes and you need to do a quick reset?” Well I don’t ever have to worry about that, because my iPhone doesn’t crash.
I know what they’re talking about, I’ve owned plenty of Android handsets over the years. Every once in a while, the device would start to act up, and I’d have to pull the battery out to fix it. In fact, during my years as a wireless representative, our first step of troubleshooting Android devices was performing a “battery pull.” And you could see the frustration in the customer’s face, as if to say, “I paid hundreds of dollars for this device, I shouldn’t have to pull my battery once a week or once a day.” And you shouldn’t. This is where I think the iPhone really outshines the competition. Like most of Apple’s products, it just works.
Conclusion
Honestly, I like that there is competition in the mobile space. It’s a win-win for consumers. But if someone asks my opinion on the best smartphone available, I’ll give it to them. And unless that person visits a website frequently that requires Flash, I’d happily recommend the iPhone 4S. No, it doesn’t have a 10MP camera, but I bet its 8MP shooter will still be best in class. And no, it doesn’t have a quad-core processor, but I bet the A5 will never skip a beat. The new iPhone still won’t be Flash compatible, but in four years of owning an iPhone I’ve never missed it. And you likely won’t care that there’s not a removable battery, because you’ll never have a reason to remove it.
From the build quality to the battery life, you’ll be impressed with the iPhone 4S. And it’s all the stuff in between, the little stuff that doesn’t have numbers next to it, or begin with quad-core, that makes Apple’s handset so awesome.
And for some reason, Android users just don’t seem to get that.
For years, skeptics have viewed Apple enthusiasts in a prejudice light. Dubbed “fan boys,” this herd of sheep would throw down money for any product bearing the fruit-shaped logo, and would defend the company to the death if necessary.
And it seems like the more successful Apple has gotten, the more vocal the cynics have become — especially in the mobile phone space. And I don’t think that there is any group louder than the Android users…
Android owners can be seen on countless iPhone sites across the web, trolling the comment threads and forums with their seemingly baseless discrimination. In fact, I have a few real-world friends that would qualify for that category.
Our debates about which platform is better get pretty intense. You’d think we were arguing about religion or politics. Nope, just mobile devices. That being said, you can imagine the conversation that ensued after Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S.
“Android has had dual-core processors and 8MP cameras for months,” and “my Android has a 4.2″ display, what does yours have again, a 3.5″? Awesome.” And that’s when I realized it, Android users just don’t get it.
The Pissing Contest
Comparing tech specs between an Android handset and an iPhone is pretty sketchy. Processors and megapixels don’t mean anything if they aren’t implemented properly. Take camera quality for example. When the iPhone 4 debuted last summer, there were multiple comparison tests run between its 5MP shooter and the Droid X’s (a popular Android phone at the time) 8MP. The iPhone’s images were found to be on par with, if not better than, the competition’s.
Then there’s screen size. Consider me among those that were disappointed that Apple didn’t add an extra half inch to the iPhone’s display this year. But among the many reasons that Apple chose to keep the screen size at 3.5″ was to protect its ecosystem. Android manufacturers can easily make handsets with various display sizes because the platform is already horrendously fragmented. Android developers are already working against dozens of different form factors and versions of the Android OS, so why not make screens bigger? iPhone developers, however, only have to worry about different iOS versions. Why do you think there’s such a big difference in app quality between the two platforms?
Just because a device’s spec list has bigger numbers in it, doesn’t mean it’s a better product. That’s like saying a 6-cylinder KIA is a better car than a 4-cylinder Audi, it just doesn’t make any sense. It’s all in the execution of the product as a whole. From build material to battery life, it’s all important.
Flash
A major feature that Android users like to tout is the ability to play Flash content, an option that Apple has continued to omit from its iOS platform for several reasons. For starters, there’s security. Do a Google Search of the term “Adobe Flash vulnerability” and see how many hits it returns. Don’t worry, I’ll wait. Apple avoids all of those problems you see there by simply keeping Flash out of iOS.
Now let’s talk performance. Have you ever tried using Flash on an Android handset? It’s pretty inconsistent. “Optimized” websites load up in seconds, “non-optimized” pages load very slowly, and some Flash-based websites don’t load at all (like Hulu). And the ones that do load are very limited. Outside of watchingvideos and simple site navigation, there’s not a lot you can do with Flash on a mobile phone. Have you tried playing a Flash-based game on a touchscreen handset? It’s nearly impossible. As Steve Jobs pointed out, Flash was created during the PC era, for PCs and mice.
So let’s say you overlook the security issues, and the performance problems, and the fact that cell phones tend to run an extra two hours when not using the technology, there’s still another reason not to include Flash. It’s not a necessity. We have third-party applications and HTML5, we don’t need Flash in our everyday lives. Some people might, for a college class website or for their job. I can see some people needing it. And for them, I’d recommend an Android handset. But there’s such a small number of people that require it on a day-to-day basis, that it’s not worth the extra headaches to include it.
It Just Works
Another major point Android owners like to bring up in device debates is the fact that their handsets have removable batteries. Ok. Why? And they’ll say “What do you do when your phone crashes and you need to do a quick reset?” Well I don’t ever have to worry about that, because my iPhone doesn’t crash.
I know what they’re talking about, I’ve owned plenty of Android handsets over the years. Every once in a while, the device would start to act up, and I’d have to pull the battery out to fix it. In fact, during my years as a wireless representative, our first step of troubleshooting Android devices was performing a “battery pull.” And you could see the frustration in the customer’s face, as if to say, “I paid hundreds of dollars for this device, I shouldn’t have to pull my battery once a week or once a day.” And you shouldn’t. This is where I think the iPhone really outshines the competition. Like most of Apple’s products, it just works.
Conclusion
Honestly, I like that there is competition in the mobile space. It’s a win-win for consumers. But if someone asks my opinion on the best smartphone available, I’ll give it to them. And unless that person visits a website frequently that requires Flash, I’d happily recommend the iPhone 4S. No, it doesn’t have a 10MP camera, but I bet its 8MP shooter will still be best in class. And no, it doesn’t have a quad-core processor, but I bet the A5 will never skip a beat. The new iPhone still won’t be Flash compatible, but in four years of owning an iPhone I’ve never missed it. And you likely won’t care that there’s not a removable battery, because you’ll never have a reason to remove it.
From the build quality to the battery life, you’ll be impressed with the iPhone 4S. And it’s all the stuff in between, the little stuff that doesn’t have numbers next to it, or begin with quad-core, that makes Apple’s handset so awesome.
And for some reason, Android users just don’t seem to get that.
Poser
Well-known member
Microsoft: The iPhone Doesn’t Give Enough Choice and Android is Chaotic
Those crazy folks at Microsoft seem quite keen on this new release of Windows Phone 7 they’ve been working on, and with good reason. Windows Phone 7.5, or “Mango,” is starting to find its way onto new and old handsets alike, and people seem rather taken with the changes the Microsoft has made.
With that success behind him, Windows Phone boss Andy Lees spoke to The Seattle Times, and he couldn’t help dissing Apple and Google while upholding Windows Phone as the best option out there for consumers…
With regards to Apple’s new iPhone 4S, which the company finally unveiled on Tuesday, Lees was apparently surprised that Apple didn’t offer customers more choice in its smartphone line, though we’re not quite sure what he expected.
On Android, Lees said that the software is “heading down this chaotic phase” and that hardware is mostly to blame for the platforms inferiority.
It seems that Mr. Lees isn’t happy with anything on the market right now.
Unless he’s got a Windows Phone 7 device in his hand, of course.
Those crazy folks at Microsoft seem quite keen on this new release of Windows Phone 7 they’ve been working on, and with good reason. Windows Phone 7.5, or “Mango,” is starting to find its way onto new and old handsets alike, and people seem rather taken with the changes the Microsoft has made.
With that success behind him, Windows Phone boss Andy Lees spoke to The Seattle Times, and he couldn’t help dissing Apple and Google while upholding Windows Phone as the best option out there for consumers…
With regards to Apple’s new iPhone 4S, which the company finally unveiled on Tuesday, Lees was apparently surprised that Apple didn’t offer customers more choice in its smartphone line, though we’re not quite sure what he expected.
“From a pure hardware perspective, I was surprised they’re not giving the consumer more choice. People want a variety of different things.”
Google’s Android wasn’t safe from the flying bullets either, with the open source effort feeling the brunt of Lees’ silver tongue.
On Android, Lees said that the software is “heading down this chaotic phase” and that hardware is mostly to blame for the platforms inferiority.
“If you’ve used some of the (Android) phones, some of them are great, but some of them are not great. But it’s random.”
The reason for the troubled hardware landscape, according to Lees, is that there are “several cooks in the kitchen,” and that apparently offers too much choice for the consumer. (You can read our thoughts on Android in Cody’s piece from earlier this morning.)
It seems that Mr. Lees isn’t happy with anything on the market right now.
Unless he’s got a Windows Phone 7 device in his hand, of course.
oilycreek
Banned
That's why I said fiction, I guess you don't understand that word, another display of our poor education system.
oilycreek
Banned
You talk about icloud like cloud computing is new lmao, again apple using old technology, or is it catching up.
oilycreek
Banned
.......Android Users Still Don’t Get It
For years, skeptics have viewed Apple enthusiasts in a prejudice light. Dubbed “fan boys,” this herd of sheep would throw down money for any product bearing the fruit-shaped logo, and would defend the company to the death if necessary.
And it seems like the more successful Apple has gotten, the more vocal the cynics have become — especially in the mobile phone space. And I don’t think that there is any group louder than the Android users…
Android owners can be seen on countless iPhone sites across the web, trolling the comment threads and forums with their seemingly baseless discrimination. In fact, I have a few real-world friends that would qualify for that category.
Our debates about which platform is better get pretty intense. You’d think we were arguing about religion or politics. Nope, just mobile devices. That being said, you can imagine the conversation that ensued after Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S.
“Android has had dual-core processors and 8MP cameras for months,” and “my Android has a 4.2″ display, what does yours have again, a 3.5″? Awesome.” And that’s when I realized it, Android users just don’t get it.
The Pissing Contest
Comparing tech specs between an Android handset and an iPhone is pretty sketchy. Processors and megapixels don’t mean anything if they aren’t implemented properly. Take camera quality for example. When the iPhone 4 debuted last summer, there were multiple comparison tests run between its 5MP shooter and the Droid X’s (a popular Android phone at the time) 8MP. The iPhone’s images were found to be on par with, if not better than, the competition’s.
Then there’s screen size. Consider me among those that were disappointed that Apple didn’t add an extra half inch to the iPhone’s display this year. But among the many reasons that Apple chose to keep the screen size at 3.5″ was to protect its ecosystem. Android manufacturers can easily make handsets with various display sizes because the platform is already horrendously fragmented. Android developers are already working against dozens of different form factors and versions of the Android OS, so why not make screens bigger? iPhone developers, however, only have to worry about different iOS versions. Why do you think there’s such a big difference in app quality between the two platforms?
Just because a device’s spec list has bigger numbers in it, doesn’t mean it’s a better product. That’s like saying a 6-cylinder KIA is a better car than a 4-cylinder Audi, it just doesn’t make any sense. It’s all in the execution of the product as a whole. From build material to battery life, it’s all important.
Flash
A major feature that Android users like to tout is the ability to play Flash content, an option that Apple has continued to omit from its iOS platform for several reasons. For starters, there’s security. Do a Google Search of the term “Adobe Flash vulnerability” and see how many hits it returns. Don’t worry, I’ll wait. Apple avoids all of those problems you see there by simply keeping Flash out of iOS.
Now let’s talk performance. Have you ever tried using Flash on an Android handset? It’s pretty inconsistent. “Optimized” websites load up in seconds, “non-optimized” pages load very slowly, and some Flash-based websites don’t load at all (like Hulu). And the ones that do load are very limited. Outside of watchingvideos and simple site navigation, there’s not a lot you can do with Flash on a mobile phone. Have you tried playing a Flash-based game on a touchscreen handset? It’s nearly impossible. As Steve Jobs pointed out, Flash was created during the PC era, for PCs and mice.
So let’s say you overlook the security issues, and the performance problems, and the fact that cell phones tend to run an extra two hours when not using the technology, there’s still another reason not to include Flash. It’s not a necessity. We have third-party applications and HTML5, we don’t need Flash in our everyday lives. Some people might, for a college class website or for their job. I can see some people needing it. And for them, I’d recommend an Android handset. But there’s such a small number of people that require it on a day-to-day basis, that it’s not worth the extra headaches to include it.
It Just Works
Another major point Android owners like to bring up in device debates is the fact that their handsets have removable batteries. Ok. Why? And they’ll say “What do you do when your phone crashes and you need to do a quick reset?” Well I don’t ever have to worry about that, because my iPhone doesn’t crash.
I know what they’re talking about, I’ve owned plenty of Android handsets over the years. Every once in a while, the device would start to act up, and I’d have to pull the battery out to fix it. In fact, during my years as a wireless representative, our first step of troubleshooting Android devices was performing a “battery pull.” And you could see the frustration in the customer’s face, as if to say, “I paid hundreds of dollars for this device, I shouldn’t have to pull my battery once a week or once a day.” And you shouldn’t. This is where I think the iPhone really outshines the competition. Like most of Apple’s products, it just works.
Conclusion
Honestly, I like that there is competition in the mobile space. It’s a win-win for consumers. But if someone asks my opinion on the best smartphone available, I’ll give it to them. And unless that person visits a website frequently that requires Flash, I’d happily recommend the iPhone 4S. No, it doesn’t have a 10MP camera, but I bet its 8MP shooter will still be best in class. And no, it doesn’t have a quad-core processor, but I bet the A5 will never skip a beat. The new iPhone still won’t be Flash compatible, but in four years of owning an iPhone I’ve never missed it. And you likely won’t care that there’s not a removable battery, because you’ll never have a reason to remove it.
From the build quality to the battery life, you’ll be impressed with the iPhone 4S. And it’s all the stuff in between, the little stuff that doesn’t have numbers next to it, or begin with quad-core, that makes Apple’s handset so awesome.
And for some reason, Android users just don’t seem to get that.
Written by an Apple fan boy
oilycreek
Banned
I was thinking the opposite. I think he was too ill to work on new innovations, that's why the minor iphone 4 update again. Don't get me wrong, as I don't like Apples products, I was hoping for something special from Apple, it's because of Job's visions that forced all the other manufacturers to offer better technology. The problem is instead of being a leader or innovator the last few yrs they have become complacent, as has RIM. It will be interesting to see where Apple goes without Job's creativity.
Poser
Well-known member
what do you mean? please explain?
Poser
Well-known member
How the Apple iCloud compares to Google's cloud
Computerworld - Apple and Google now dominate the world's smartphone and mobile device markets and both are now pushing quickly into the cloud. While Apple this week finally acknowledged the cloud as the future of computing -- and will finally allow iPads and iPhones to be set up and backed up without being tethered to a computer running iTunes -- many Google fans accurately note that Apple's iCloud doesn't bring a lot of new features to the table.
The truth is that Apple seems a little late in endorsing the cloud as the new center of our digital world. After all, cloud computing has played a growing role in the tech industry for years.
Apple, however, has characteristically taken a common concept, pared it back to the core functionality the company sees as important to its users, and taken pains to deliver those features in as effortless and seamless way as possible. The result is a service that offers a striking contrast to Google's approach to cloud computing and mobile devices.
Google's Web-based approach
Google's concept of cloud computing is largely Web-based, as are most of the company's initiatives. This has some distinct advantages. Chief among them is that any device with a Web browser and an Internet connection can access the vast majority of Google services: GMail and the related contact manager; Google Calendar; and Google Docs, where you can view, edit and collaborate on Office-style documents. Google's system also allows you to purchase and read ebooks, for instance, or listen to your DRM-free music (once its been uploaded).
The sheer number of services that Google offers is staggering.
Although many applications can directly interact with your Google hosted data, the services are always designed for simple Web-based access. Google made this abundantly clear when it created Chrome -- a browser that prevents other companies from walling off access to Google's array of services. Essentially, Google took the Web-based cloud concept even further with Chrome OS and the upcoming "Chromebooks" that run no local applications save an OS that's really nothing but a browser.
Among the advantages: Access to your data isn't device dependent in any real way. Yes, you can run the Docs app on your Android phone or Galaxy Tab but you can also access documents stored in your Google Docs account using QuickOffice on your iPad or Firefox running on a PC in your local library.
This approach isn't limited to Google. Amazon has taken a similar tack with the Kindle and Amazon's own music service. Dropbox can be accessed using the company's Web site, from software installed on a PC or Mac, through dedicated mobile apps, or with third-party apps like mobile office suites that serve other purposes, but store documents in your Dropbox.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs talks about the iCloud service at WWDC. (Reuters / Beck Diefenbach)
Apple goes all in for apps
Apple's approach with iCloud is different, because it's clearly app-centric When it comes to syncing your core personal information, the apps involved can be iOS apps -- Contacts, Calendar, Camera, iTunes, iBooks, App Store -- Mac apps such as Address Book, iCal, iPhoto and iTunes, or Windows apps like Outlook, the Photos folder and, again iTunes.
While syncing core information like contacts and calendar isn't that different -- you can sync the information from Google to Apple's Mac and iOS apps as well as to Android and Windows apps -- working with actual documents and data shows the differences in Apple's approach.
iCloud's document sync capabilities aren't designed to use public sources like the Web. Instead, Apple provides developers with a series of APIs that they can embed into their apps. The result: documents and other data created in an app that's largely tied to that app.
On one hand, you get much better control of your documents. Since a file will predominantly be tied to the app that created it, you'll have pretty much the same set of editing tools no matter where you're accessing it.
Apple's iWork apps are a good example in that formatting, image placement, transitions between presentation slides and spreadsheet functions will carry from one device to another. The results should look, play, calculate and print the same anywhere. You don't have to worry about formatting being stripped when going from Office to the Web to a mobile app and back again.
That enables a lot of app-specific features to be universally applied. Since Apple is making the APIs for iCloud storage and sync available to all its developers, it should offer an impressive editing experience from iPhone to iPad to Mac or PC and back (assuming the app has a Mac/Windows counterpart). It should allow data and document access to be seamless. And with the sync capabilities of iCloud baked in, it should also be effortless ; there's no need to move a file using some other app or a clunky Web-based upload form.
On the other hand, your actual access to documents becomes more limited. You need to have specific apps on each device and you need to access your stored documents using Apple's solutions. In other words, it's a more closed system.
Two approaches, one goal
The interesting thing is that both Apple's app-based approach and Google's Web-centric mindset point in the same direction: instant access to your data, whenever you want it, wherever you are.
But the core values about what's important in achieving that goal are radically different and that leads to vastly different experiences. Apple is focused on keeping the experience of viewing and working with documents and data the same while providing ubiquitous access from a smaller set of solutions. Google wants to make your documents and data available from the widest possible array of sources, with the expectation that your hands-on experience may vary greatly from one device or app to the next.
You can criticize either approach for the tradeoffs made to achieve those core values. Apple does keep you in a walled garden. Google doesn't deliver a seamless and effortless experience.
The truth is that neither company is entirely right or wrong. Each is simply showing what it believes is most important to users, and it'll be up to the users to choose which cloud approach we prefer. That will vary, depending on what types of data you work with and how you want to work with it.
Perhaps, iOS users will have one advantage: they aren't limited to iCloud. I have no doubt that some of my favorite iOS apps, such as QuickOffice, will adopt Apple's iCloud APIs. That won't prevent them from accessing Google Docs, Dropbox or other cloud services. In other words, while iCloud will become an option for me on my iPad and iPhone, I won't be limited to it.
On the other hand, I won't have access to iCloud -- or some other solution fundamentally baked into the OS -- on my Android phone, even if I wanted it.
In any case, this week's discussion about the official unveiling of iCloud and how it compares to other, more established cloud providers, does seem to prove one point: we're just at the beginning of the "post-PC" era, in which your data becomes the important factor and the device devolves into just a means of access.
As this new vision of computing evolves, it's noteworthy that the two companies leading the way are Apple and Google. Both are creating mobile technology that is influential and are defining the ways in which we store, share and work with our ever-growing set of personal and professional data. Perhaps the term post-PC is particularly accurate, and a bit ironic, given that Microsoft, with its ties to conventional computing, seems to be relegated to a background role despite its efforts with Windows Phone 7 and Office 365, which launches this summer.
Then again, we're only in the first inning of this new ball game.
the link...... http://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...to_Google_s_cloud?taxonomyId=158&pageNumber=1
Computerworld - Apple and Google now dominate the world's smartphone and mobile device markets and both are now pushing quickly into the cloud. While Apple this week finally acknowledged the cloud as the future of computing -- and will finally allow iPads and iPhones to be set up and backed up without being tethered to a computer running iTunes -- many Google fans accurately note that Apple's iCloud doesn't bring a lot of new features to the table.
The truth is that Apple seems a little late in endorsing the cloud as the new center of our digital world. After all, cloud computing has played a growing role in the tech industry for years.
Apple, however, has characteristically taken a common concept, pared it back to the core functionality the company sees as important to its users, and taken pains to deliver those features in as effortless and seamless way as possible. The result is a service that offers a striking contrast to Google's approach to cloud computing and mobile devices.
Google's Web-based approach
Google's concept of cloud computing is largely Web-based, as are most of the company's initiatives. This has some distinct advantages. Chief among them is that any device with a Web browser and an Internet connection can access the vast majority of Google services: GMail and the related contact manager; Google Calendar; and Google Docs, where you can view, edit and collaborate on Office-style documents. Google's system also allows you to purchase and read ebooks, for instance, or listen to your DRM-free music (once its been uploaded).
The sheer number of services that Google offers is staggering.
Although many applications can directly interact with your Google hosted data, the services are always designed for simple Web-based access. Google made this abundantly clear when it created Chrome -- a browser that prevents other companies from walling off access to Google's array of services. Essentially, Google took the Web-based cloud concept even further with Chrome OS and the upcoming "Chromebooks" that run no local applications save an OS that's really nothing but a browser.
Among the advantages: Access to your data isn't device dependent in any real way. Yes, you can run the Docs app on your Android phone or Galaxy Tab but you can also access documents stored in your Google Docs account using QuickOffice on your iPad or Firefox running on a PC in your local library.
This approach isn't limited to Google. Amazon has taken a similar tack with the Kindle and Amazon's own music service. Dropbox can be accessed using the company's Web site, from software installed on a PC or Mac, through dedicated mobile apps, or with third-party apps like mobile office suites that serve other purposes, but store documents in your Dropbox.
Apple goes all in for apps
Apple's approach with iCloud is different, because it's clearly app-centric When it comes to syncing your core personal information, the apps involved can be iOS apps -- Contacts, Calendar, Camera, iTunes, iBooks, App Store -- Mac apps such as Address Book, iCal, iPhoto and iTunes, or Windows apps like Outlook, the Photos folder and, again iTunes.
While syncing core information like contacts and calendar isn't that different -- you can sync the information from Google to Apple's Mac and iOS apps as well as to Android and Windows apps -- working with actual documents and data shows the differences in Apple's approach.
iCloud's document sync capabilities aren't designed to use public sources like the Web. Instead, Apple provides developers with a series of APIs that they can embed into their apps. The result: documents and other data created in an app that's largely tied to that app.
On one hand, you get much better control of your documents. Since a file will predominantly be tied to the app that created it, you'll have pretty much the same set of editing tools no matter where you're accessing it.
Apple's iWork apps are a good example in that formatting, image placement, transitions between presentation slides and spreadsheet functions will carry from one device to another. The results should look, play, calculate and print the same anywhere. You don't have to worry about formatting being stripped when going from Office to the Web to a mobile app and back again.
That enables a lot of app-specific features to be universally applied. Since Apple is making the APIs for iCloud storage and sync available to all its developers, it should offer an impressive editing experience from iPhone to iPad to Mac or PC and back (assuming the app has a Mac/Windows counterpart). It should allow data and document access to be seamless. And with the sync capabilities of iCloud baked in, it should also be effortless ; there's no need to move a file using some other app or a clunky Web-based upload form.
On the other hand, your actual access to documents becomes more limited. You need to have specific apps on each device and you need to access your stored documents using Apple's solutions. In other words, it's a more closed system.
Two approaches, one goal
The interesting thing is that both Apple's app-based approach and Google's Web-centric mindset point in the same direction: instant access to your data, whenever you want it, wherever you are.
But the core values about what's important in achieving that goal are radically different and that leads to vastly different experiences. Apple is focused on keeping the experience of viewing and working with documents and data the same while providing ubiquitous access from a smaller set of solutions. Google wants to make your documents and data available from the widest possible array of sources, with the expectation that your hands-on experience may vary greatly from one device or app to the next.
You can criticize either approach for the tradeoffs made to achieve those core values. Apple does keep you in a walled garden. Google doesn't deliver a seamless and effortless experience.
The truth is that neither company is entirely right or wrong. Each is simply showing what it believes is most important to users, and it'll be up to the users to choose which cloud approach we prefer. That will vary, depending on what types of data you work with and how you want to work with it.
Perhaps, iOS users will have one advantage: they aren't limited to iCloud. I have no doubt that some of my favorite iOS apps, such as QuickOffice, will adopt Apple's iCloud APIs. That won't prevent them from accessing Google Docs, Dropbox or other cloud services. In other words, while iCloud will become an option for me on my iPad and iPhone, I won't be limited to it.
On the other hand, I won't have access to iCloud -- or some other solution fundamentally baked into the OS -- on my Android phone, even if I wanted it.
In any case, this week's discussion about the official unveiling of iCloud and how it compares to other, more established cloud providers, does seem to prove one point: we're just at the beginning of the "post-PC" era, in which your data becomes the important factor and the device devolves into just a means of access.
As this new vision of computing evolves, it's noteworthy that the two companies leading the way are Apple and Google. Both are creating mobile technology that is influential and are defining the ways in which we store, share and work with our ever-growing set of personal and professional data. Perhaps the term post-PC is particularly accurate, and a bit ironic, given that Microsoft, with its ties to conventional computing, seems to be relegated to a background role despite its efforts with Windows Phone 7 and Office 365, which launches this summer.
Then again, we're only in the first inning of this new ball game.
the link...... http://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...to_Google_s_cloud?taxonomyId=158&pageNumber=1
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Splash
Well-known member
PLEASE stop copying and pasting from other apple fan boys.
Splash
Well-known member
Unlike YOU, an apple fan boy trolling a thread called "Why Android is better than iPhone."
Poser
Well-known member
Ok...i will stop!!!!!
but what am i gonna do now?
are you gonna do it?
wait a minute...are you a MOD?
Poser
Well-known member
in case you didn't know, mobile devices run this world...NOW.
and if i share the info i know with this forum..because maybe 90+% of users of this site have a mobile device, I'm pretty sure they read our posts, and learning day by day, the technology it provides.
with most of them that don't even have a smartphone, just a regular phone, and will be getting one.
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Your right, iphone info has no place in a thread comparing iphone to android.
Please don't, I am enjoying all the information.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/11/benchmarks-clock-iphone-4s-a5-cpu-at-800mhz-show-major-gpu-upg/
iPhone 4S dominating performance figures.
Guess it's a huge upgrade in terms of performance! Beats the crap out of the Galaxy s2.
iPhone 4S dominating performance figures.
Guess it's a huge upgrade in terms of performance! Beats the crap out of the Galaxy s2.
