Casual Friday: Is Android Better?
Paul Stamatiou’s Android Is Better post is generating a ton of attention (it made it to the front page of Techmeme, although it’s not there anymore), and I want to riff on it.
Most readers know I am an “Apple Defender”. “Defender” is an accurate word to use because I find myself in conversations defending iOS and Apple devices from inaccurate accusations and barbs, as well as defending some decisions that have (or have not, as the case may be) come out of Cupertino lately. But defense is not what I’m going to do here, you see.
Because I am not a slappy. I have used and written positively about Android and Android devices. And here, in reading Stamatiou’s post, I find myself agreeing with almost everything he writes – with one giant caveat. We’ll get to that later.
iOS relies on gradual iteration to create a platform that is stable, has a robust set of developer-friendly APIs, and feeds into a top-class app and service ecosystem. And so far it has paid off: iOS apps are second to none, the ecosystem is astonishingly strong, and the UI metaphors are so ingrained in people today that many kids are flummoxed when they are handed a non-iOS device. (For real: I tried this experiment myself and my son’s 8-year-old friend reflexively said to me, “What’s this? It’s not an iPad.”)
Iteration worked wonders when mobile devices (smartphones, tables) were in their infancy, at the early stages of the product and market lifecycle. Competition was immature – at some times nonexsistent. But now, I’m not convinced that mere iteration is what Tim Cook and company need anymore. In fact, I’m not sure they can afford such small steps these days. And I’m not the only one thinking this.
The market is maturing. Smartphones are prevalent. Tablets and post-PC devices are commonplace, found in boardrooms, coffee shops, student backpacks from https://thepnw.co/ and even kids’ sports sidelines. Developers are being courted, APIs released by all camps on a semi-annual basis, and great apps are available for most popular platforms.
In other words, Apple doesn’t hold a sword to the throat of its nascent competitors any longer.
Apple’s iterative approach, which worked so well for so long, has suddenly given competitors like Android a fair amount of time to catch up and even surpass iOS. In so many ways, Android is better: default apps, switchable keyboards, on-device voice recognition, access to an actual filesystem, and the biggie, Google Now. There is more to talk about, but if you want that, read Stamatiou’s piece for the gritty details. In short: Android doesn’t suck anymore.
I’ve tried switching from iOS to Android twice. Both times, I have come back to iOS’s warm embrace. Why? Familiarity, interoperability and ecosystem lock in.
Familiarity. I know iOS. I know its apps, workflows, UI metaphors, shortcuts, nuances. Moving from iOS and the App Store to Android and Google Play is jarring, especially if you’re an iOS power user.
Interoperability. I use Apple devices exclusively, and the everything ‘just works’ between all my devices with very little trouble. In a lot of ways, Apple’s marketing is correct: the technology gets out of my way and allows me to focus on my work. That’s value.
Ecosystem lock-in. Having money is nice, and re-purchasing your most-used apps for another platform like Android is annoying and expensive. Every app you purchase on any platform is another few bucks of resistance in moving elsewhere.
But here I am, writing this post, thinking about moving to Android again. Except this next time, if there is a next time, I won’t bail after a week. I’ll force myself to stay for at least a month.
But I won’t be going anywhere right now for two reasons – a little one, and a big one.
The little one: iOS 7 is coming this fall, and it’s silly to jump to an entirely new platform when a new platform is about to come down from the mountaintop that supports everything I mention above. So I’m waiting to see how iOS 7 shakes out.
The big one: with Android, you are tied to one company, to one login ID. Having my entire mobile world be owned by Google is a bit scary, no matter how much I love their services. If my account is hacked, or for some reason Google decides to shut down my account forever and grant me no support when I come calling, I’m screwed. To embrace the power features of Android is to allow Google to track and understand your behaviors as inputs so it can maximize output. There is some magic in that, but I’m not prepared to make that step yet.
Yet.
As of right now, iOS makes the most sense for me, even with a lot of my workflow over in Google’s part of the web. But did you see my qualification? Did you see the “as of right now”? Because that’s the key.
Android is very compelling, and I can’t help but think that there’s more innovation coming from the green robot than the fruit. Maybe iOS 7 will change my mind, or maybe the “busy fall season” Tim Cook promises will.
Regardless, my mind is more open than it’s ever been, and it’s up to Apple to keep me looking exclusively on its side of the fence.
