Android vs iOS

[LincolnB]

Alright, I've been looking somewhat into Android development. Does anyone do app development? If so, I'd like to start a discussion/argument about which phone operating system is "better" all-around for programmers.

I'll start by making a case for Android dev:
1. Java (Android) > Objective-C (iOS)  Objective-C is an incredibly verbose language, as Apple seems to constantly be trying to change things simply to become the standard, even if the changes don't make sense.
2. Android costs less; it only costs 20$ to be able to submit apps to the market, versus Apple's 100$.
3. Android has less apps; from a developer's standpoint, I see this as a plus. If there are less apps out there on the market, you have less competition, and your app will probably do better.
4. Android is a more "open" phone; as an example, emulators such as programs that can load roms for NES/SNES/GB/GBC/GBA/N64 are allowed and in fact plentiful on the Android market. The way I understand it, emulators are not allowed on the iOS app store. Also, with Android you can even have things like Ubuntu for Android. I could be wrong, but I haven't seen anything like that for iOS.

That's the way I see it; correct me if I'm wrong, of course. What do you think?

[Juju]

I agree with all of this. I would add that Android is open source while iOS isn't.

Globally, the Android platform is more appealing for programmers, but iOS still have a large market share and the demand is higher there. So the best is obviously developing for both, like on PC you would develop for both Win, Mac and Linux.

[FinaleTI]

That's my understanding of the topic.

Android costs less; it only costs 20$ to be able to submit apps to the market, versus Apple's 100$.

Just one tiny addition: Android appears to be a one-time $25 fee, while Apple's is an annual $99 fee.

[iNk&Venom]

I jut got an android tablet with a quad-core processor!
Android is better.

[cyanophycean314]

Android has cheaper tablets! Also it had two humble bundles! Go Android! 

[adriweb]

From the experience I've had with Android devices, I've been greatly disappointed.
Whatever the devices, the UI seemed slow, laggy/ not smooth, and not intuitive at all.
I also dislike the "hardcoded" buttons on most devices.
By putting some quad-core etc. they're progressively trying to hide these weird-feel, but at what cost ? One-day only battery ? It's ridiculous...

But yes, it's cheaper etc. Probably because Google wants to have more and more devs.
The open-ness is subject to some harms, though : viruses / trojans / bad stuff are in the Android Market.
There aren't present in iOS' App Store.

The device fragmentation also seems to be one of the biggest problem.
I think Android is to smartphones and tablets what Windows is to PCs nowadays.
People here know how Linux or even mac (if you don't like Apple) is >>> Windows.
It's my opinion but having a "universal" OS makes it less powerful than one OS for one specific type of machine. Or at least what Apple does : builds software AND hardware ... bviously it's made for each other so it works well...

BTW : I am a paying iOS dev. It's indeed 80€ or so per year.

Edit : oh yeah : Obj-C is quite "weird" and verbose as you said, sure. But it's pretty powerful and really cool once you understood some stuff.
Also, Apple's IDE (XCode) really is awesome

[piexil]

From the experience I've had with Android devices, I've been greatly disappointed.
Whatever the devices, the UI seemed slow, laggy/ not smooth, and not intuitive at all.
I also dislike the "hardcoded" buttons on most devices.
By putting some quad-core etc. they're progressively trying to hide these weird-feel, but at what cost ? One-day only battery ? It's ridiculous...

But yes, it's cheaper etc. Probably because Google wants to have more and more devs.
The open-ness is subject to some harms, though : viruses / trojans / bad stuff are in the Android Market.
There aren't present in iOS' App Store.

The device fragmentation also seems to be one of the biggest problem.
I think Android is to smartphones and tablets what Windows is to PCs nowadays.
People here know how Linux or even mac (if you don't like Apple) is >>> Windows.
It's my opinion but having a "universal" OS makes it less powerful than one OS for one specific type of machine. Or at least what Apple does : builds software AND hardware ... bviously it's made for each other so it works well...

BTW : I am a paying iOS dev. It's indeed 80€ or so per year.

Edit : oh yeah : Obj-C is quite "weird" and verbose as you said, sure. But it's pretty powerful and really cool once you understood some stuff.
Also, Apple's IDE (XCode) really is awesome

To rebutal

>Laggy UI
Yes, pre 3.0/4.0 it was a bit laggy, that was because all the rendering was done via the CPU instead of GPU, they added hardware acceleration in ICS and the UI is smooth everywhere, even on 1ghz phones

>Quadcore
Okay, do you not want innovation?
Also, quadcores won't necessarily drain battery life, CPUs get more power efficent every generation, so it should be about the same.
Intel CPUs show this.

Also,
I find eclipse > xcode

[Art_of_camelot]

Just a reminder to everyone, make sure to keep this topic civil. Don't bash one OS or the other or simply say something like "IOS sux!". If you have something to add make sure to back it up with facts and well reasoned arguments. =)

[jsj795]

I think the main reason why there is (or may be was currently) a lot of iOS app development was that at least in America there are more iOS users and hence more demand, and also the fact that since iOS has same hardware throughout (same screen size, same home button/lock button/volume buttons) it is less headache for developers to think about portability. However android developers have to make sure that the format will fit for many different hardware specifications or else the lack of portability will make the app less appealing.

[DJ Omnimaga]

I personally would like to get an Android device eventually or even switch to it. If I was a developer I would be tempted to go with Android for money reasons and also I dislike how on the Apple Store they censor content: For example they disallow emulators and like TI, it's a constant battle between jailbreakers and those releasing anti-jailbreak iOS updates.

As for battery issues, I myself do not find the iPod touch battery lasts much time. I'm not sure how long does it last on Android devices, but on my iPod it usually doesn't even last a day if I use it regularly

[piexil]

As for battery issues, I myself do not find the iPod touch battery lasts much time. I'm not sure how long does it last on Android devices, but on my iPod it usually doesn't even last a day if I use it regularly

My Galaxy S2 will last about that, or less, but it does have a cell signal which will drain a ton of battery vs. not having one.

[jsj795]

As for battery issues, I myself do not find the iPod touch battery lasts much time. I'm not sure how long does it last on Android devices, but on my iPod it usually doesn't even last a day if I use it regularly

My Galaxy S2 will last about that, or less, but it does have a cell signal which will drain a ton of battery vs. not having one.

I had itouch 3gen and 4gen (3.5 inch screen), own galaxy S2 HD 4G(4.2 inch screen) and galaxy player 5.0 (5.0 inch screen and no cell signal). Battery life: itouch>galaxy S2>galaxy player for me. I think battery life mostly depends on the screen size.

[C0deH4cker]

1. iOS has a lot more users, and therefore the demands for your apps will be much greater.
2. Apple is known for providing a user-friendly platform with a clean UI and smooth, fitting animations. The UIKit design elements allow you to utilize these interface tools so that your apps can look professional.
3. While Objective-C IS more verbose, this is a plus. Consider this:
painter.drawRect(10, 20, 30, 40); // This is the C/Java version. Notice how you have no idea what the parameters are for
VS.
[painter drawRectWithX1:10 y1:20 x2:30 y2:40]; // This is the Objective-C version. Notice how the parameters are obvious
4. If you do wish to make an app that is not supported by Apple, the jailbreak community is so large that this will not greatly diminish the market for your app. Using the Cydia Store, you can easily put your JB apps up for purchase.
5. Because Objective-C compiles down to machine code, it is faster than Java can ever be.

[Eeems]

5. Because Objective-C compiles down to machine code, it is faster than Java can ever be.

Except for on a chip that runs java native.

[Jim Bauwens]

Adriweb:
The openness has nothing to do with the virus /trojans.
It's bad app screening Also, most of the viruses / trojans where not in the official market, but on unofficial markets on cheap phones.
Also, regarding the speed of devices: cheap android phones are laggy.
To my experience however, my HTC Desire (almost 2 years old) runs faster than a iPod Touch 4G, and all iPhones before 4 (I haven't used 4 and 4S devices).
So, speed clearly depends of your device

1. iOS has a lot more users, and therefore the demands for your apps will be much greater.

Android will catch up very soon if you see the trends

2. Apple is known for providing a user-friendly platform with a clean UI and smooth, fitting animations. The UIKit design elements allow you to utilize these interface tools so that your apps can look professional.
3. While Objective-C IS more verbose, this is a plus. Consider this:
painter.drawRect(10, 20, 30, 40); // This is the C/Java version. Notice how you have no idea what the parameters are for
VS.
[painter drawRectWithX1:10 y1:20 x2:30 y2:40]; // This is the Objective-C version. Notice how the parameters are obvious

I cannot comment, I have hardly developed for both platforms.

4. If you do wish to make an app that is not supported by Apple, the jailbreak community is so large that this will not greatly diminish the market for your app. Using the Cydia Store, you can easily put your JB apps up for purchase.

Yes, but not everyone want to jailbrake their phone

5. Because Objective-C compiles down to machine code, it is faster than Java can ever be.

You can use native code (using the NDK) for applications. One of the benefits of Java is that you can easily port your application to any platform that runs Java.
Currently most applications will work on every android device without needing to recompile it.

Now, my personal opinions:
I like android much more than iOS. I work a lot with all both OS's, multiple devices.
But, like I said earlier, if you buy a cheap android phone, you can never compare it to an iOS device. Cheap will always be cheap.
But if you buy a respectable Android phone, it definitely can take on iOS in both speed and application support.

Most Android devices come with microSD support. While some might say it's unnecessary with the internal memory iOS devices, it is something lacking.

Now, I can't deny that there are some stuff I would from iOS that I would like to see in Android, such as Face Time (they are no applications that match the quality).
But overall, I like Android more