Due to the fact that you can only really compare two different UI’s after you are familiar with them the best way to compare iOS with Android is to watch a pair of people used to operating their phones do common tasks.
Having done this in the past few weeks with friends with Android phones (it is tribute that only a few months ago I could not say I had friends with Android phones) it is obvious that it take much longer to do basic tasks with Android, simply looking up contact info or using google maps to find something and get directions seemed to take 2 to 3x the number of steps that the iPhone did. But with that said there were things you could get on the Android that you could not with the iPhone like turn by turn directions.
The other obvious test is give a phone to someone who has never used it and watch how long it take to be come useful. Again having done this a few time the iPhone is way more intuitive to use than Android.
And this is all with out the issue of 3rd party applications – where Android still has much to catch up with both in terms of types and quality.
It would appear that these are not issues the developers of Android are focused on as it would not be that hard to fix these issues – and Google has said that usability will be a focus for version 3.0.
Apple on the other hand develops and test for usability first and feature depth only after interface issues are resolved.
As Android has become more mature (and competitive with iOS) this fundamental development focus is increasing the main difference between the two platforms. And as a result the difference between their fans.
It is all good as by each focussing on different areas of the OS/UI while competing with each other Apple and Google will continue to push the envelope making mobile devices more useful and powerful. It’s the Nokia’s, RIM’s and MSFT’s of the world that can not keep pace on ether front!
This is based on my thoughts after reading:
Inside the heads of Android fanboys
Reaction to InfoWorld’s iOS vs. Android face-off reveals that Android aficionados like tech that requires secret knowledge
Posted in: Computers & Communications, Smart Phones
Dell has always been a commodity product sold on price. Their brief life as a Data Center partner is over as it was tied to MSFT’s dominance.
Once you build your biz on non differentiated product sold on price you find their is always someone willing to sell it for less.
HP has gotten their supply chain costs in line while providing better service and support at the corporate level and Asus etc are more than willing to sell cheaper PC’s than Dell.
They have nothing left except for some inertia in IT purchasing departments.
Dell has always been a commodity product sold on price. Their brief life as a Data Center partner is over as it was tied to MSFT’s dominance.
Once you build your biz on non differentiated product sold on price you find their is always someone willing to sell it for less.
HP has gotten their supply chain costs in line while providing better service and support at the corporate level and Asus etc are more than willing to sell cheaper PC’s than Dell.
They have nothing left except for some inertia in IT purchasing departments.
Check out: http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2010/07/the-dell-tale-starts-to-unravel-and-its-a-bombshell.html
Posted in: Computers & Communications
Just read a bunch of the stories on the web about “20 zero-day security holes in Mac OS X to be revealed”.
It amazes me that no one questions this junk!
The security industry only makes money if people are scared!
They have good reason to fear the wider adoption of OSX, it is more secure than Windows as long as Windows maintains the level of backwards compatibility – like XP mode in Win 7. They can sandbox Windows compatibility mode but there will still be problems with the old API’s that MS used to do inter app communications.
Mac OSX unlike Windows is based on Unix and was designed with multi-user security from day one – Windows still has legacy of single user operating system.
No software is bug free or totally safe, but to say in any way that OSX is less secure than Windows is simply not true.
The fact is not that there are legions of bad guys trying to steel from your computer – is a a media hyped – security industry backed – hysteria. The majority of threats on window are made my script puppy amateur hackers who do it to prove they can, it’s a right of passage. And they target windows because it is easy, it does not take deep programing insight or knowledge – all it takes a simple scripting.
The real story is simply not told, as there is no one who wants the story to be told.
Microsoft does not want to admit that they have the problem and they want to sell the updates to try and wall off their problems.
The IT industry makes too much money from the need to have the high priests protect the Corporate computer infrastructure. Many jobs would be in jeopardy if everyone was not scared about how to keep their company safe from infection.
The security industry’s whole business model is baed on the fear of viruses and malware.
I have had an OSX Server machine on the internet as a server for more than 5 years without a problem, with out a external firewall simply using regular Apple updates. My last Windows server could not stay online for more than a week without the need to deal with security problems. Windows can not do that and never will until they completely rewrite it. I have also had Unix boxes up for years with out a problem. Since the days of NT4 I have not been able to keep a Windows machine on the net for more than a few months without a problem of some sort – it is designed to need full IT support!
Posted in: Computers & Communications
With all the talk in the media about the possibility / inevitability of Apple introducing a tablet in their line up positioned in between the iPhone and the Macbook, I thought it would be interesting to look back at Apple successes and failures in the past with regard to defining new territory.
Now there are clearly four broad phases in Apple’s history all with their own relative strengths and weaknesses when it comes to both product innovation along with their capability to successfully establish a new category of product:
- “Inventing the Consumer PC market years”
Apple IIc with LCD Screen (actually for the next time phase but from the pre-Mac team)
- “Creating the WIMP Interface PC market years”
- “The non Steve years”
The Newton way before it's time - and soup the data base it ran is still ahead of what we have today
One of the most dramatic forward looking form factor computers again way before it's time. Foreshadows the iMac
Apple's Newton family had later versions that foreshadowed much
- “The Steve is back years”
Some products to look at:
Posted in: Computers & Communications, MI Industry News, Marketing, Pro Audio Indsutry
