There used to be just one smartphone everyone wanted – the iPhone.
Now that Google launched the Android in 2008 which is gaining popularity, customers coming to the end of their contracts are torn between the iPhone and Android. Here are some facts about each handset:
iPhone
If you love apple products, then this is great. You can play your itunes on the mobile phone, access all your music in one place.
When the iPhone launched in 2007, it was the first of its kind. It revolutionised smartphones and will always be recognised as changing the mobile phone landscape forever.
There have been now been four versions with the latest iPhone announced June 7th at WWDC by Steve Jobbs.
However, in the UK it was just on one network for two years when last November it opened to Orange and Vodafone. This meant a lot of people switching to O2 just for the handset.
The iPhone’s operating system is closed like Blackberry. The Blackberry operating system only runs on its smartphones and Apple is copying this. It is very hard for developers outside of Apple to build software or games for the iPhone.
Android
The first Android (called the G1) was released in the UK October 30, 2008 on the T Mobile network, just five weeks after it was launched in the US and since then there has been released on Orange, Vodafone, O2 and 3.
The Android like the iPhone also has cool and slick features, with touch screen, easy to access email and a wide range of apps
According to Nielsen, the growth of Android and iPhone market share increased by 2% from q4 09 to q1 10
If something goes wrong with your Android, there is no genius bar to take it to. But then it does take a long time to get your Apple products fixed with the huge waiting lists in the stores.
The main difference between Apple and Android is that Android is open source. This means anyone can have a look at the source code which is developed mainly by Google with a few other companies from the Open Handset Alliance.
It also means that companies who want to make a smartphone with the Android OS can do so without paying the licensing fee that you have to do with Apple. They can also modify the software the way they need to when building. This is the opposite of Apple which makes it very difficult for developers to build products for the iPhone. They must also pay a fee to Apple.
When I go into the mobile shops and ask which handset is better the sales assistants always seem perplexed. You are either an Apple fan or an Android fan. For me, I love both, but I have to say I have been disappointed with Apple recently. My sister had a problem with her iPhone and it has taken forever to sort out. Someone basically hacked into her itunes account (in China) and purchased music which they didn’t pay for. My sister now cannot buy anything from iTunes until this is resolved.
The market share for Android is growing. It offers just as much as the iPhone does to its customers but as it is open source it allows for further developments to be made without customers having to wait for the big releases as we have seen with the iPhone.
