Introduction
Call it clairvoyance or déjà vu, the movie Face/Off is currently being played in a mobile near you. The protagonists Archer and Troy have been replaced by Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. What does iOS 7 offer? Is it already present in Android? How do they measure up? Questions like these and many more entail answers.
The Great Fight
Since the time Android and iOS became the most and second most popular operating systems, a knockout between them became inevitable. Both dole out a potpourri of features, leaving it to the humble mobile user to decide which one is better. So decide we shall!
Lock screen: this feature seems to be the attention grabber, the very reason that Apple fought a pitched battle with Android using Samsung. Gone is the icon-dotted layout and in its place is a neat, clear screen displaying date, time, swipe instructions and notifications; similar to Android. iPhone users may be shocked at the lack of differentiating factor. Android users can grin from ear to ear! In Android you can customize the lock screen using widget. So that’s another plus point to Android.
Navigation: the single button for navigation that so characterized Apple and iOS is enhanced with slide out functions. This, Apple believes will smoothen navigation within an app, the need to exit a screen to get to another now being eliminated. Android though already has this function, having extended it to Apple users via Google maps.
Multitasking: Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours! Apple has helped itself to the contextual display that Google has mastered in its various product offerings. iOS 7 tracks your usage of applications to mark the ones you use frequently. iOS 7 allows these apps to run in the background, hoping you might use access them, while the rest are pushed down in priority. This is supposed to save battery usage in eliminating the need to run all apps. These frequently used apps can be accessed in a full screen by swiping horizontally. You can swipe up to close the app.
Android too has been offering this functionality albeit with a vertical swipe of the screen. However, Android just flashes a thumbnail of the app screen with its name and logo. iOS 7, we must agree, has gone a step ahead here.
Receiving Updates: Android has a system to automatically update apps, though the flipside is the slow down in performance when such updates are happening. Apple promises to also provide updates that would automatically install in the hardware but only when the signal is strong. So no more update notifications and awful long time to update.
Sharing Content, the Wireless way: Tired of playing down Android’s easy share functionality, Apple has taken a chill pill and provided something similar. With AirDrop (thankfully no “i” prefix), Apple hopes to catch up, providing its users the ability to hare files, pictures, videos via share sheet in it UI. However, the AirDrop is available only in hardware running iOS 7.
Notifications: the iOS 7 displays notifications even without having to unlock your device. Moreover, these notifications are organized in categories. It’s a welcome change from the previous experience where you could only view the most recent notifications in the locked state. Android had been providing all updates in the order it was received your action.
Who is the Winner?
A high-five to Android for inspiring the latest iOS to draw generously from its in-function features. Apple has realized that some Android features are well received and therefore must be provided to iOS users too, lest they drift into Android territory. Besides, Android has many vendors who also tweak the OS to provide their touch. iOS unfortunately doesn’t have that diversity, cocooned as it is in just one vendor, its parent Apple. It is heartening to note that Apple doesn’t believe in in-house innovation alone to stay relevant but can look over its fence for inspiration.
Given the cut throat competition in smartphone market, it’s heartening to hear Apple mandarins humming “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going!! ” They’ve got to!