Android and iOS Mobile Platforms - Essay Example

A Review of Android and iOS Mobile Platforms Module Google and Apple are two huge conglomerates that are incomparable to each other. These two companies are competitors in the field of mobile phones’ operating systems. In this paper, we shall discuss and understand the salient features of Google’s Android OS and Apple’s iOS mobile platforms. In the following paragraphs, we shall also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the two operating systems. We shall also discuss the market shares commanded by the two companies. Application developers are an important part of developing operating systems. Lastly, we shall discuss their roles in mobile companies. Reliable sources have been referred for the information and figures that have been included in the study. Introduction Google and Apple are two companies that have created an explosion in the field of mobile phones. It is worthwhile to understand the peculiarities of the operating systems of these two companies. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages. It depends on the user which one to choose according to his/her requirements. Findings and Analysis Major features and functionalities of Google’s Android platform Google’s Android is basically a mobile operating system that is open-source in nature. It allows the developers to adapt the software according to their requirements. The developers can do this by using their own codes or by using ‘C’ (although it is not approved by Google yet it serves the purpose). Following are the main features of Android mobile platform that make it so exceptional: Layout of handsets: Android phones are comparable to any smart phone available in the market. The design is sleek and stylish. Storage: SQLite is employed in Android phones in order to store the various data and information. Connectivity: Android phones support an ample range of mobile technologies such as Bluetooth, WiFi, etc. But one of the main features is that it allows deaf and blind people to operate their mobile phones with much ease. Messaging: The threaded text messaging allows the users to send unlimited text messages. Smart Screen Savers: The ‘Daydream’ feature allows users to have updates of their mails, stock prices, etc on their screen. Gesture typing: The Android phones having this feature can recognize what the user wants to type even if he/she simply moves his/her hands in between the alphabets. Miracast: Miracast is a feature of Android phones that allows the users to connect their phones to their televisions or tablets and view the streamed shows and films. Web Browser: Android phones have a WebKit application that is installed by default and it allows the users to surf the internet at any time. Java Virtual Machine: Developers who own Android phones can write their own software in Java and store it in Dalvik Virtual Machine (Speckmann, 2008). Media Support: The usual media files pertaining to audio, video, images, etc are supported by Android phones. Multi User Support: High-end Android phones allow multi-user settings on a single phone. It means that multiple users can use the same phone but with their privacy intact. All users can have their separate login password. Major features and functionalities of Apple’s iOS platform In addition to the usual features of Apple mobile phones such as multi-touch gestures, media library, store-kit, cameras, graphics, compass, etc., the latest iOS technology has introduced some new features that are enlisted below: Maps: Now Apple has launched its own maps on its mobile phones. This new feature allows the user to view maps (in 3D), traffic updates and more information. An interesting feature that has been introduced by Apple is the ‘Flyover’ that allows the users to select a metropolitan city and enjoy an aerial view. Improved Siri: The improved version of Siri can now recognize more languages and can answer questions based on varied subjects such as sports, films, eateries, etc. the users can also post comments on their social networking websites. If talks with car manufacturers are fruitful, the future cars will have this feature as well that will allow the driver to pose questions to Siri while driving. Facebook incorporation: Earlier it was Twitter and now Facebook has also been incorporated by the iOS. Improvements related to Safari browser and mails: The new iOS platform allows the users to trace their previous surfing on the web. With regard to mails, the users can make a list of important contacts whose mails will be notified on the screen. Panoramic photos: With the new iOS technology, the users can click pictures up to 240 degrees. Phone & DND: In addition to the usual feature of declining an incoming call with a text message, the users of Apple phones can now start their DND (Do Not Disturb) feature that will block all incoming calls except the VIP numbers. Passbook: This is a very useful and interesting feature from Apple’s iOS. The users can scan their passes, tickets, coupons, cards, etc and iOS will keep a track of all of them. Whenever there is any due date or the balance is low, iOS will inform the user. Market share commanded by Android OS and iOS According to Gartner’s report on sale of mobile phones in the second quarter of 2012, 64.1% of the mobiles were having Android OS and 18.8% were having Apple’s iOS. Google’s Android OS has made commendable improvement as compared to the last year figures of the same quarter. The figure was 43.1%. It is worthwhile to mention that Google’s Android OS and Apple’s iOS together command 85% of the total sale of mobile instruments (Travlos, 2012). These figures were about the sale of handsets and now let us talk about the financial performance of the two companies. Actually Apple is way ahead of Google as far as financial performance is concerned. But we cannot compare the market share based on the financial results. It should be noted that Apple’s majority of revenue comes from the sales of its hardware whereas Google’s revenue is from software. Another astounding figure is that out of the total profit of the mobile instruments industry, Apple earns 70-75%, whereas its products command only 7% of the market share (Travlos, 2012). Also, most of Apple’s apps earn profit for the company, whereas Google apps are free to use. According to latest reports (3rd quarter, 2012) Google’s Android commanded 75% and Apple’s iOS commanded 14.9% of the total smart phone market (Kerr, 2012). A detailed chart depicting the figures of performance of mobile companies is at Appendix 1. The financial results of the past five years pertaining to Apple and Google are at Appendix 2. Advantages and disadvantages of both Android OS and iOS Advantages of Android OS: Android OS being an open platform, it enables the developers to modify the software according to their requirements (Holla and Katti, 2012). The operating system is multi-tasking, means that a user can surf the internet while listening to music. Incoming messages and emails are notified on the screen. Variety of choice of handsets. The Android OS phone can be used on multiple networks. The user is free to choose the software. Most of the apps are free and are easy to access. All this can be had at reasonable prices. Disadvantages of Android OS: Most of the phones powered by Android OS need a continuous internet connection and as such the user has to subscribe for a continuous internet scheme. Even though the applications are free to download and use, the irritating factor is the advertisements that are blinked at the top and bottom of the application. The user doesn’t have full control of the handset; it can be sim-locked by the carriers (Turenhout, 2011). Advantages of Apple’s iOS: Twitter and Facebook are incorporated in the system itself. iMessages are a unique tool for messaging between iPhones. Siri is another unique feature that recognizes the voice of the user. Users can make video calls using Facetime. The latest iOS has its own mapping software. The user can click photos with a view of 240 degrees. Disadvantages of Apple’s iOS: The applications are not free. In order to see everything on a page the user has to scroll left to right. The page is not in a landscape mode. The signals are poor unless the mobile set is held straight. Without internet, the FaceTime feature cannot be accessed. The camera is not up to the mark. The role of application developers The application developers should be thanked for the features that we have in our smart phones today. They have made our lives easy and comfortable. The following are the typical activities that application developers are assigned to do: Discuss with the clients and create a comprehensive program specification. Understand the functions that the program is supposed to perform. Translate the specifications into a programming language. List down options for solutions to expected problems in the program. Finalize the program. Test the program for compliance to all the requirements. Correct any problem that is observed. Increase the efficacy of the program. Test the program for user acceptance. Write a comprehensive document mentioning all the points of the program. To strive for betterment of the program. With the increase in the demand for mobile phones, the requirement of application developers has also increased. But the majority would want to join either Apple or Google as a profession. Android OS may be a better option for programmers who don’t want complications because as such, Android uses Java which is a commonly used language (Holla and Katti, 2012). On the contrary, the iOS uses Objective C-language which some programmers might find difficult to work with. Conclusion From the above discussions, it is understood that even though Google’s Android is more widely accepted, Apple’s iOS earns more profit for the company. Apple is always on the move for improvement and bringing about innovative changes to its devices. The latest change that the company has made is the initiation of its own mapping software. This again is a blow to Google as it lost a gigantic customer. But it seems that Google has learned from its mistakes and is working towards bettering its image and that of its Android brand. There are certain disadvantages for both OS and iOS. It is expected that the respective companies will pay attention and rectify up to as much extent as possible. References Holla, S. and Katti, M.M., 2012. Android based mobile application development and its security, International Journal of Computer Trends and Technology 3(3):486-490. Available at: [Accessed 15 November 2012]. Kerr, D., 2012. Android beats iOS 5-to-1 in Q3 smartphone market share. [online]. Available at: [Accessed 15 November 2012]. Speckmann, B., 2008. The Android mobile platform, Eastern Michigan University, [online]. Available at: [Accessed 15 November 2012]. Travlos, D.,n 2012. Five reasons why Google Android versus Apple iOS market share numbers don’t matter. [online]. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/darcytravlos/2012/08/22/five-reasons-why-google-android-versus-apple-ios-market-share-numbers-dont-matter/ [Accessed 15 November 2012]. Turenhout, R., 2011. Android vs iOS, New Media & Digital Culture, [online]. Available at: [Accessed 15 November 2012]. Appendices Appendix 1 Source: news.cnet.com Appendix 2 Source: www.forbes.com Read More