Competition is a good reason to evolve, to survive. Right now iPhone and Android phone battle face to face to gain market share all over the world. Therefore, they launch their new high tech device in routine phase. Although iPhone sales is still superior than Android phone, but Android phone sales is continue growing year after year and cause serious threat to iPhone. To know which won the competition and become the king of sales at the end of year 2011, let’s find out what are the advantages of each operating system (os) to win this war.
Android OS have one vital advantage that iPhone OS (iOS) doesn’t have, which is Android doesn’t stick with just one brand manufacturer. People who choose Android phone doesn’t care too much to the phone brand as long as the phone have good performance and reliable. So, if someone use Android phone brand A, he/she will easily switch to brand B as long as the device have good feedback from people or from the reviewer.
As a result, many phone manufacturer are make their most powerful device to win the heart and since Android phone is made by various brand, even from mobile phone brand that maybe you never hear of it. You can choose many models, phone size, screen size, colors, phone with QWERTY keyboard, etc, to suit your need. In a matter of device selection, Android wins over iPhone. To know more about Android advantage, you can read this article: What is an Android Phone?.
Here are some of iPhone advantages:
- iPhone offer more ease of use interface. People won’t need much time to figure it out how to use iPhone, even for the first time user.
- iPhone have better on screen keyboard than Android. Actually you can install custom keyboard for Android, but still, many people said it is more comfortable to use iPhone virtual keyboard, especially if compared with Android standard keyboard
- iPhone battery life tend to be better than most of Android phone.
- iPhone offers a massive selection of application and games. You can download more than 300.000 apps (and still growing) from iPhone App Store. The games offer for iPhone user is also more variety. This is possible because iPhone is made by only one manufacturer thus makes it easier for game developer to build the game because they already know the phone hardware specification. While for Android phone, there is no guarantee that the game that can run smooth on device A will run smooth or playable on Device B since there is no standardized in hardware.
What about other Operating system like BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7, Symbian and other?
BlackBerry can be a relic if they not made any improvement that makes this phone more ’fun’ to use. Fun in this matter includes entertainment area such as games and application. Just not so long ago, people who buy BlackBerry usually is a business user who love BlackBerry real time push email service, but for today is not a magnet anymore because Android phone and iPhone can also do that job.
So, why people still love or use BlackBerry? There are several reasons why people still use BlackBerry. First, it’s because the BlackBerry Mesengger (BBM). Even though there are other similar applications like BBM, for example WhatsApp application, but many people still comfortable using BBM, at least for now. Second, because they love the keyboard and they love the red blinking light on the top of the device that alerts user when there’s new message. It’s not a big thing, but personally I love that too. While others are still using BlackBerry because their company oblige them to use BlackBerry devices that provided by their company.
What about Windows phone 7 phones? Microsoft put much effort for Windows phone 7. This device is promising but we have to wait longer until it can compete with iOS and Android since there still some bug and there are not much application and games available for this phone right now.
Symbian Smartphone is identical with Nokia. This operating system is kinda old right now and their market share is continuing decreasing. Nothing much I can say about this os, but in my personal opinion, this operating system is so boring (sorry to say that). People who still choose this OS is usually people who love simplicity. Even though I Don’t use it anymore, but there are three things that I like about Symbian.
What about Other Operating System? There are still some other operating systems available to choose such as Samsung Bada, MeeGo and webOS. However, these operating systems still have long way road to overthrow iPhone and Android domination. Plus, they also have to find some way to attract third party application developer to make apps for their OS, because one crucial factor that determines the death or life of Operating System is the third party application availability.
Conclusion
Unless Nokia, RIM and Microsoft make a breakthrough, it is so hard to compete with iPhone or Android in near future. iPhone sales are still better than Android right now, but new Android device is launch for every.. Hmm let’s say weeks? No, even days, and they launch not just ordinary phone, but they launch superb phone that can make iPhone looks old. 3D screen, dual core processor and other technology that we saw on sci fi movie just several years ago would be common on Android device soon enough. So, who will win the battle? I vote for Android.