Android and iOS are like household names as far as the operating systems world is concerned. While the latter is expensive because it is a proprietary source software, the former is cheaper because of its open source nature. Android which is being developed by Google Inc. was first released in September 23, 2008 while iOS got its first release in June 29, 2007.
Android vs. iOS is like a common topic in the tech world where users always try to argue out which is the best. However, we will not be discussing which is best in this article. Both Android and iOS has their advantages and disadvantages. However, they are both awesome operating systems.
Operating systems can be compared based on numerous features. We will base our comparison on a handful of their features like apps, market share, versions, and of course, we will be comparing their latest versions which is Android 5 Lollipop for Android and iOS 8 for iOS.
Android OS still remain the operating system with the most app. Its app store, Google Play Store is the largest app platform with 1.3 million apps on it. Well, Apple’s App Store is trailing it with a whopping 1.2 million apps on it. These apps are divided into several categories to ease your access to whatever you are looking for. Categories in Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store include but not limited to Game, Productivity, Communication, Travel & Local, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Applications and News & Magazines.
When it comes to market share, Android is very far ahead other operating systems. Android controls 83.6% of global market share in the third quarter of 2014. It actually controlled 84.7% in the second quarter which is believed to be the highest it can go according to some experts. iOS on the other hand rose steadily from 11.7% in the second quarter of this year to 12.3% in the third quarter. This means both operating systems are the biggest stakeholders in the OS world having a combine market share of 96% in 2014’s third quarter.
Android applications are usually developed in the Java programming language using the Android Software Development Kit, but other development tools are available. On the other hand, the programming language of iOS (and Mac OS) is Objective-C and C. You have to use Xcode platform to develop iOS apps, on the next version that is now available on beta release, Xcode 4 supports also C++.
Android versions since its first release have been following an alphabetical trend. This alphabetical trend only affects its generic name. It probably shows that the OS is improving. Android versions since release includes:
- Alpha (1.0)
- Beta (1.1)
- Cupcake (1.5)
- Donut (1.6)
- Eclair (2.0–2.1)
- Froyo (2.2–2.2.3)
- Gingerbread (2.3–2.3.7)
- Honeycomb (3.0–3.2.6)
- Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0–4.0.4)
- Jelly Bean (4.1–4.3.1)
- KitKat (4.4–4.4.4)
- Lollipop (5.0–5.0.1)
iOS versions range from iOS 1.0 to the latest which is iOS 8.1.2.
Comparing the latest versions of Android and iOS which is Android Lollipop and iOS 8 respectively, reviewers said Android has improved a lot in terms of battery optimization. They have developed more enhancements to prolong the battery lives of phones running on Android O.S. This is like a complete fightback to gain the grounds iOS has always have in terms of battery life. They have truly refined the Android O.S.
As for iOS, they have stopped using the skeuomorphism design of Steve Jobs and opted for something more cartoonish in look which is the flat design. However, Android seems to promote more of material design more about physicality than superficiality in its Android L release.
As an open source O.S, Android run on various devices made by companies like Samsung, HTC, Infinix, Tecno just to mention a few. Even the Nokia X series run on a modified Android O.S but named Nokia X O.S because it has been modified and tweaked. It also run on Google devices like Nexus and smartwatches. On the other hand, iOS is a proprietary source O.S, so, it only runs on Apple devices like the iPhone and iPad.
On the long run, you can see that the two operating systems are the greatest. Enjoy your smartphone with an Android or iOS.
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