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The Smartphone market is growing more competitive and Google is continually trying to take away Apple’s well-earned title as the king of the technology industry. Although a lot of people were anticipating an iPhone 5 to raise the stakes of the phone industry, Apple’s well placed 4S shows that a few minor tweaks are all that they needed to stay at the top of the game.
My favorite thing about Apple phones (and products in general) is that the company understands that the physical appearance is just as important (maybe more so!) to the average person as are the specs. The shared body of the 4/4s is beautiful. No other phone can come close to the sleek design cues. The device blends trendy minimalism with chic industrialism and the result is stunning. Although I personally prefer the black design, the device is also offered in a more iconic Apple white. No other phone can come close to what this device looks like. Before even delving into the difference is technologies, the grace of the iPhone needs to be complemented over the generally clunky Android phones.
Aesthetic design only goes so far, though (otherwise we’d all be carrying LG Pradas). Working in the wireless industry, the two most common attributes I see people want in phones are screen quality and ease of use. Ill give my overview of Apple vs. Google in both of these areas, as well as a few minor advantages to each OS.
Android phones take a Super Size Me approach when it comes to screens. It seems like each model phone gets slightly larger in screen size, which is double edged. I personally do not like the 4.3 in screen size, although many people do. Despite the qHD and sAMOLED quality screens in various Android phones, none of them can compete to the Retina display quality in the iPhone. It’s dubbed Retina because above 300 pixels per inch, the human eye can no longer determine individual pixels. The iPhone 4/4s is the only phone above 300, at 326 pip. If you spend some time with the individual phones, the difference in astounding.
Apple wins hands down in ease of use and functionality. iOS5 copies the incredibly convenient Notification bar from Android and incorporates it into the seamless interface that Apple is known for. Siri is the true champion, though. My favorite thing about my Droid phones was the voice recognition software for Talk-to-Text and GPS use while driving. Siri takes voice recognition software to a new level. You can nearly have a conversation with your iPhone, instructing it what you need to do and it will scan your phone, Google, Bing, and Yahoo to find the answer you need and responds in a friendly voice. The 4s also picks up an additional hour of talk time to the already impressive battery life of the iPhone 4.
Although I clearly prefer the iPhone, the Android operating system does have a few advantages. The first is the breadth of the line up. There are many different styles, designs, and manufacturers to choose from. A tech-savvy user can navigate through the options to find a more custom-fitted phone. Verizon also offers a growing line up and expanding market of 4G LTE which is a very impressive data network that the iPhone 4s is not compatible with. This substantial advantages aside, I’m still opting for the iPhone 4s. They have successfully incorporated the advantages Google had into the intuitive interface for which Apple is known. No need yet for an iPhone 5, this one again is Apple setting the bar.
