2010 saw one of the biggest battle build-ups on mobile operating systems, all gamers have been working hard to bring the best available to their arsenal. Apple, one of the prominent players in the mobile phone industry, since its creation of the Apple iPhone in 2001, launched the fourth generation of the legendary device, and on the other hand, the Internet giant, who never liked to develop its hardware custom, instead it provided the software around which different hardware manufacturers could frame their specific devices.
They came out with version 2.3 of their Android operating system, curiously called gingerbread. The rest of the mobile operating systems seem to have been abandoned by the public, as the once very popular Symbian operating system mainly developed by Nokia seems to have lost the game. On the other hand, Microsoft’s Windows mobile platform is counting its days to the end. Rest that everything seems to have been annihilated in the competition.
The arrival of all the new players with all the new designs and plans seems to be taking the market by storm, and we will have to assess how they fare in 2011. Mainly we are only seeing two major players on the scene, Apple’s iOS (which only found on the iPhone, iPod, and iPad) and Google’s Android (found on many phones on the market, mainly because it’s open source and easy to implement)
Cracks in the iOS
Without a doubt, iOS on iPhone and other Apple mobile devices has dominated the market, even when the first version was released with so many bugs and glitches, it was still the favorite among users, some people bought it as a style statement, some like loyalty. towards Apple, and some found the design too interesting. Still, the flaws are as follows:
Inflexibility in the software: iOS by default does not allow you to adjust or customize the user interface; it is only possible by hacking the operating system, called Jailbreak.
Devices are not productive: they are good for those who are willing to consume information instead of creating it. You can easily read a newspaper on any iOS device, but writing an email can be much more cumbersome.
Limited hardware: Apple has always been strict about supplying limited hardware with limited software; you will have to suffice your desire for power, with what Apple gives you.
Cracks in the Android:
Android was the brainchild of a group of companies calling themselves the “open phone alliance,” the operating system has gone through a lot of transitions in a very short time. Also, since the operating system is open source, anyone can use the source code to create their own custom version of Android. There are still flaws in this as well:
Market fragmentation: Any manufacturer can use any version of the operating system and present its own device running Android, which does not maintain contingency in the market.
different flavors by manufacturers: there is a set of buttons that are used by the Android operating system, but considering the design, each of the manufacturers release their own specific models, which gives the user different handling while running the same system operational anywhere.
No clues: Google certainly refrains from showing leadership towards the marketing and advertising of the operating system.
What can consumers expect from this?
Bearing this war in mind, only the consumer will be the ultimate beneficiary. Not only will they get a better price, but when rivals start to rely on the shortcomings of their enemy’s OS, that will ultimately lead to the invention of the refined OS. The smartphone market, already on fire with the latest market entrants, has also sent sparks into the tablet market, where once again the Apple guru launched his first tablet, the Apple iPad, about a year, and soon we expect tablets. based on Google’s honeycomb operating system presented at CES-2011, Las Vegas.
our verdict
The race is too close and the winner could come out with a minimal difference. Apple, with its charisma, brand equity, and consumer likeness, will continue to be loved by the consumer. On the other hand, Google’s Android is too customizable and adaptable to almost any device, it has much more potential, but it requires leadership at this time.