Nasty Battle #8: iPhones Vs Android Phones

It’s been quite a while since I wrote a post and what is a better way to come back than a post on Technology !

Laymen call them competitors, but I tend to think of them as warriors of this modern

era. Both of them have touched heights in the field of technology and ushered in a generation of pro and anti supporters. Yes, I am talking about the epic battle between Apple and Google. Apple and google make various products and services and hence it’s going to be impossible to assess each and every one of their services in this small post and so I decided to compare their top two smartphones. Give it up for iPhones on the left and Android devices on the right !

iPhone, the name is enough. No seriously, iPhone ! Ok let’s not stretch the joke too far. iPhone is in more ways responsible for the ‘touch generation’. They may not have been the first ones to get a touch phone out but they were certainly the first ones to do it right. Since then the usual bitten-Apple has undergone many changes from the design to the specifications. 

But one thing remains consistent, iPhone’s operation system, notably iOS has been and is the most trustworthy OS of the smartphone world. But what does it give away to have such amazing stability ? Well for starters, iOS is a walled garden, which means no unauthorised app installations, no pirated music(poor Indians), no bluetooth file sharing(Poor, Poor Indians) etc; 

The phones underwent a height-gain-weight-loss programme quite literally. iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have huge screens with magnanimous bezels. Both the phones quite literally, ‘sport’ the finger print scanner known as the ‘Touch ID’ and are equipped with Industry leading cameras, I repeat ‘Industry leading cameras’ They are quite literally, flawless. I used to click about a 100 photos in a month way back in 2010 because I was a photography enthusiast today I click about 2000 photos with my iPhone. Enough said.

iPhones are also grandparent proof, for the not so savvy generation they are quite literally a godsend. My granny can tap two buttons and give me a FaceTime call whenever she wishes to. Of course she takes the line quite literally and ends up giving me a call when I am in the loo, but hey, atleast she knows how to use the feature. 

Traceability, may not sound much to you people but only yesterday my dad lost his iPhone. Under normal circumstances people generally end up buying a new phone but with the ‘Find My iPhone’ feature, I could trace the location of the phone and save about 50,000 bucks. Android only recently got a similar function and I am more than glad that it got it. It's ok Fandroids , apply burnol.

There are a lot of things apple does best, but openness isn’t one of those things. Oh man, at times I hate the walled garden, like why ? Also we live in a world where there are both iPhones and Android phones. But in a developing country like India, you are mostly going to find iPhones and android phones to be in the proportion of 1:10 or something close to that, and so the problems begin. I can’t receive files via bluetooth, I can’t charge my phone via the now universal micro usb cable and I can’t even install third party apps ! Even if they are for legitimate purposes. It’s like your parents, even if you turn 51, porn will still be a no-no for them. 

Android is open, ready for tweaking. If you are a geek like me, you are most certainly going to love the flexibility android provides you with. Android is like legos, you can pick your own pieces and make your own toy. The only problem with this theory is that, well, even samsung and other OEMs know about this aspect of Android. So they start piling on their crap on the top of their phones till they screw up vanilla and form something like a garlic flavoured Ice cream (Oh ya it exists). Not cool man, not cool ! 

But hey, there are nexus devices right ? Exactly ! If you are going for Android, it is in your interest to pick up nexus devices. They are updated almost instantly once the updates are out and they best represent google’s vision of an ideal smartphone. The Cameras are improving with the passage of time but sadly they still come second to the iPhone’s camera. One thing good as well as bad about Android is that it provides the customers with a lot of options, and that is exactly what is bad about it too ! It ends up providing users with … too many options. Life was simpler when I had to pick between a dairy milk and a perk, with so many new entrants, don’t be surprised if my tummy bulges out. 

I rely a lot on google services and while google services are accessible on iPhone, their best experience is enjoyed on an Android device. I don’t remember using any other mapping application in India (Apple don’t even try). Gmail is my preferred email client and google has done a considerably good job at improving security and other ‘issues’ with android. Oh did I mention uTorrent woking on Android ? I pity you iSheep, I really do.

Android phones are less expensive. Bang. Half of India already in their pocket. Price plays a major role in developing nations and Android certainly seems to be winning that war. 

Such is the battle between the two that a clear winner is not visible in the foreseeable future but I certainly hope that the fight carries on because it’s me, oops, it’s the consumers who are winning. 

Also, please ignore the references to food and other ‘nasty’ stuff. I haven’t been writing lately and now you know what I was upto.  

                            - Rtr. Aakash Rathi

Note: Currently the author owns an iPhone 5, Macbook Air, Blackberry Playbook, Huawei Glory Play 4(Android 4.4.4), Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, iPhone 5s and an iPad 2. Go figure.