News Analysis: Android 2.2 is performing well when it comes to sales, but a closer look at its functionality reveals Apple's iOS 4 platform still reigns supreme.
Google's Android operating system is performing extremely well
in the mobile market. In fact, the company's market share continues to climb,
as RIM, Apple, and Microsoft are forced to look up and hope to even come close
to catching up at some point in the future.
That's not good for those companies. It also speaks to how far
Google has come at finally delivering a product that people really care
about.
But that doesn't mean that Android 2.2, the latest version of
Google's operating system, is the most desirable operating system on the
market. Quite the contrary: The operating system falls short in many ways. When
it's compared with Apple's iOS 4 platform, it's hard for Google to even
compete. Android 2.2 might be the best version of the operating system ever
released, but it still has a long way to go to catch up to Apple's
offering.
Here are 10 reasons why:
1. Google isn't so big on software
Google's
real plan with Android is to dominate the mobile advertising space. It
fully realizes that the best way to achieve that goal is by doing whatever it
can to capitalize on the desire for touch-screen smartphones with the help of
Android. That's precisely why Google offers its operating system for free. But despite
this focus on mobile-advertising dominance, Google falls short compared with Apple
on software design.
2. Apple understands consumers
Apple understands what consumers want and how they will use a
particular product. That comes through in all the products the company sells,
including its iOS platform. Google, on the other hand, doesn't seem to
understand consumers as well as it could. It's certainly doing a better job
than most companies, but it still has a long way to go to match Apple. In fact,
Google's consumer understanding seems to be more Microsoft-like than
Apple-like. And that could be a problem-especially for its operating system-down
the line.
3. Multitasking
Multitasking
on iOS is a key reason why Apple has enjoyed such success in the mobile market.
For years, consumers were hoping for true multitasking; for years, the company
made no promises. But in iOS 4, multitasking is running on the iPhone. Because
of that, Google has a long way to go to match anything Apple is currently
offering.
4. Folders make it all OK
Apple's iOS platform is better than Android 2.2 for several
major reasons. But one of the minor things that consumers should think about is
Apple's operating system's folder support. With little effort, consumers can
quickly create folders, lump similar programs together, and more. It provides a
rewarding experience. And it's a concept that Google has to play catch-up with.
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