Mobile OSs iOS and Jelly Bean (merged)

[onthecouchagain]

This is the kind of insulting, belittling crap that makes wish that Android threads be put into a separate forum. The simple fact is that you have no idea what experience and knowledge Apple fans have. Instead, you rely on a stereotype that inflates your own sense of self-worth.

I am very computer literate, having used and programmed computers since the days of punch cards. I use Apple products for one reason only: They get the job done elegantly and reliably. You believe Android products do the same. That's fine. Thanks for sharing.

You have a point, and I see no reason to belittle others, but I also don't hear anything terribly inaccurate about Calidude's post regarding most iPhone users. Some people even at this forum have stated that Apple Maps is better than Google Maps because their grandparents will actually know how to use it (not quoting for the strength of the argument, of course). It's no secret that the iPhone's entire philosophy is to appeal to all users, be they computer savvy or not. It's obviously a strategy that has reaped success.

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Engadget's JB review: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/android-4-1-jelly-bean-review-a-look-at-whats-changed-in-googl/

"In our testing, an already zippy phone simply felt perfectly smooth. Buttery, even. Chrome loaded in an instant. Toggling voice search didn't result in a single pause. Swiping between photos was shockingly brisk. We could go on, but it's really simple: Android is finally at a place where it feels completely buttoned-up from a silkiness standpoint."

 

[mbell1975]

I am very computer literate, having used and programmed computers since the days of punch cards. I use Apple products for one reason only: They get the job done elegantly and reliably. You believe Android products do the same. That's fine. Thanks for sharing.

Why wouldn't you want to use an open source platform then? Just curious. If I had programming skills, I would learn Android and build my own custom ROM to my own needs. Would be awesome.

 

[mrfrosty]

People have been describing IOS as buttery smooth......really ?

I'm sure 'droid phones have their problems too but if i buy from Apple i pay a premium to get something of 'quality'.........and right now they miss quality.For that reason i'm strongly considering an S3, it's a real shame but i feel apple are 'blowing it'.......and not in a good way.

One example. itunes match....amazing for me in theory, just what i need....but even with all data connections disabled on the phone, working locally with less than 50 songs it can take 30 seconds to open the music app......sometimes 60 seconds pauses to scroll around of course i have been through all the potential fixes...I just think the implementation of something quite simple is garbage.

I havn't bought an S3 yet though.....

 

[VulchR]

.... It's no secret that the iPhone's entire philosophy is to appeal to all users, be they computer savvy or not. It's obviously a strategy that has reaped success.

Hence my use of the word 'elegant'. No mobile OS is perfect. iOS has its rough edges. Android certainly does as well. However, my main point is to dismiss personal preference for Apple products as due to ignorance, to a fad, or to a cult of SJ personality – as often appears in iOS/Android threads – is silly and rude. The MR guides to debates in the forums specifically states that 'fanboy' should not be used. And yet how many times do we see this in the Android threads?

As I have stated many times before, I believe the iOS-versus-other-OS threads should be in their own sub-forum. At least then any trolls would have a smaller audience. Who knows - moving this type of thread to its own sub-forum might reduce the smack-talk.

Why wouldn't you want to use an open source platform then? Just curious. If I had programming skills, I would learn Android and build my own custom ROM to my own needs. Would be awesome.

I guess it's because I believe that iOS a better alternative for me. I do keep track of what is available on Android (and somewhat less so from Microsoft's mobile OS), and if one day it looks better to me I'll switch. If I ever switch to Android, however, I hope I would have the sense not to insult the people who remain with iOS, and particularly not in MR.

 

[MonkeySee....]

People have been describing IOS as buttery smooth......really ?

I'm sure 'droid phones have their problems too but if i buy from Apple i pay a premium to get something of 'quality'.........and right now they miss quality.For that reason i'm strongly considering an S3, it's a real shame but i feel apple are 'blowing it'.......and not in a good way.

One example. itunes match....amazing for me in theory, just what i need....but even with all data connections disabled on the phone, working locally with less than 50 songs it can take 30 seconds to open the music app......sometimes 60 seconds pauses to scroll around of course i have been through all the potential fixes...I just think the implementation of something quite simple is garbage.

I havn't bought an S3 yet though.....

I have iTunes Match and i Honestly have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[Meanee]

@ Calidude:

This is the kind of insulting, belittling crap that makes wish that Android threads be put into a separate forum. The simple fact is that you have no idea what experience and knowledge Apple fans have. Instead, you rely on a stereotype that inflates your own sense of self-worth.

I am very computer literate, having used and programmed computers since the days of punch cards. I use Apple products for one reason only: They get the job done elegantly and reliably. You believe Android products do the same. That's fine. Thanks for sharing.

There's a bit of truth there, you have to agree. Apple treats their customers as a cattle. They point where to go, and whip the ones who refuse to.

Steve Jobs famously said that "users don't know what they want" so Apple took it upon themselves to dictate everything about the phone. I understand that, and I can see why some people are ok with it. But also, they locked it up tight, not giving people options.

For example, with Android, it has capability for widgets. Not your cup of tea? Don't use them. You are ok with your default keyboard? Do not use Swype. But, there's an option to do it if you want to. While with iPhone, you get same thing that you saw in 2008. With a small change of being able to use a different background and improved notification. And maybe this sort of consistency is good for some people, but I honestly cannot imagine myself using it.

At the end, Apple did take a position similar to North Korea's leadership. They are called "Democratic People's Republic," making it look like people actually have a say in things, but at the end, leadership has ultimate authority how people work, live, eat and whatever else. Apple pushed the point that average user is too stupid to think on his own and must be guided by them.

 

[nuckinfutz]

I have iTunes Match and i Honestly have no idea what you're talking about.

Yes that kind of slowdown is not normal for iTM. I can open up my Music app and start playing music pretty fast.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

There's a bit of truth there, you have to agree. Apple treats their customers as a cattle. They point where to go, and whip the ones who refuse to.

Steve Jobs famously said that "users don't know what they want" so Apple took it upon themselves to dictate everything about the phone. I understand that, and I can see why some people are ok with it. But also, they locked it up tight, not giving people options.

For example, with Android, it has capability for widgets. Not your cup of tea? Don't use them. You are ok with your default keyboard? Do not use Swype. But, there's an option to do it if you want to. While with iPhone, you get same thing that you saw in 2008. With a small change of being able to use a different background and improved notification. And maybe this sort of consistency is good for some people, but I honestly cannot imagine myself using it.

At the end, Apple did take a position similar to North Korea's leadership. They are called "Democratic People's Republic," making it look like people actually have a say in things, but at the end, leadership has ultimate authority how people work, live, eat and whatever else. Apple pushed the point that average user is too stupid to think on his own and must be guided by them.

REALLY???? Didn't know phone politics were that serious.

 

[VulchR]

...Apple pushed the point that average user is too stupid to think on his own and must be guided by them.

And of course you have evidence about the intelligence and background of the average iOS user... or have you completely missed the point of my post about stereotyping Apple users? Could it be that intelligent, informed people might chose iOS because there are advantages to using it that for their purposes outweigh the advantages of Android?

 

[nuckinfutz]

For example, with Android, it has capability for widgets. Not your cup of tea? Don't use them. You are ok with your default keyboard? Do not use Swype. But, there's an option to do it if you want to. While with iPhone, you get same thing that you saw in 2008. With a small change of being able to use a different background and improved notification. And maybe this sort of consistency is good for some people, but I honestly cannot imagine myself using it.

If you add a feature to your OS/app that can be turned off/on then you must add that UI element to manage the feature. This isn't bad if you have just a few items to toggle but can become an unruly mess if you add too many features.

Apple's pretty much made their choice. They are not making the OS the focus they are making the apps a focus. iOS 6 is about giving developers more power to create great apps. This ideology isn't going to appeal to everyone but it's the road that Apple is walking down.

 

[batting1000]

I see iOS as a more "professional" and robust operating system that's simple to use and looks great, while Android is more laid back and a "do what you want" kinda thing.

 

[Sir Ruben]

LOL I love the way Android users come to this forum and say things like "Apple iSheep eat up anything Apple gives them" and "iSheep are so blind!"

Few points:

1) You have come to an Apple specific forum, did you not expect there to be many Apple fans here?

2) Many iPhone users are not even remotely interested in Android, and because of this you get angry when they show no interest and say "meh I'll stick with my iPhone thanks" - again you have chosen to come to an Apple specific forum.

3) The classic fandroid line of "many iPhone users wouldn't be able to cope with Android because its customisable and not simple like iOS" - What a load of rubbish lol. I have been a technician for a major ISP for 11 years. I have tried both Android and iOS and prefer iOS. Its simple and it works well. My days of customising the cr@p out of an OS were over back in the Windows 98/XP days. As someone who has spent much of his working life fixing problems I appreciate Apple's take on its products.

Come to our Apple specific forum and willy wave your latest quad core phablet if you really must. Just don't get all bitchy when people here disagree with you in favour of a simple smooth OS that gets the job done. Not everyone is a customiser nerd who spends his days tinkering with a wonky flakey OS on his phone

 

[dgree03]

This is absolutely 100% true. I have yet to meet an Android user who doesn't admit that Android has shortcomings.

Yes the fact that I still cannot do Ipsec VPN NOR can I group message with people and have them all stay in ONE THREAD!!

Once google fixes these, there is absolutely nothing else I would have Android change!

 

[chambone]

Apple has many disciplines that they are strong in that come from being a platform vendor for desktops. Look at Microsoft's phones...they show the same prowess in handling graphics and GPU compute resources.

That's because MS and Apple have been optimizing operating systems for battery powered devices for more than two decades, while Google is really just getting started. Hence Androids poor battery life and often laggy interface.

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Even gingerbread or ios4 have more features than I'll ever use, I don't need the kitchen sink. I just want my phone to give me 6 hours of screen time and a couple of days stby. Only Android phones the size of a dvd case achieve that, so ios 6 it is. At least for now. Android finally getting 'buttery smooth' -which I will believe when I see it- is probably going to hurt battery life significantly. So let's not get overly ecstatic before we get our hands on it, shall we?

And don't get me started on that 90's wannabe hacker white on black text. Jeez.

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LOL I love the way Android users come to this forum and say things like "Apple iSheep eat up anything Apple gives them" and "iSheep are so blind!"

While blindly trusting a company like Google

Amazing indeed.

 

[virginblue4]

I haven't read through all 7 pages, but I do have 1 thing to say.

Google have announced 'Project Butter', a project to sort out lag. I think this says it all.

Apple would have called this bug fixes and enhancements, yet Google go and create a whole project for something that Apple had sorted from day 1.

People say that there wasn't much announced with iOS 6 (which is untrue) but the same can be said for Jelly Bean. This 'Project Butter' crap just makes it look like they are bringing out more than they actually are.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I haven't read through all 7 pages, but I do have 1 thing to say.

Google have announced 'Project Butter', a project to sort out lag. I think this says it all.

Apple would have called this bug fixes and enhancements, yet Google go and create a whole project for something that Apple had sorted from day 1.

People say that there wasn't much announced with iOS 6 (which is untrue) but the same can be said for Jelly Bean. This 'Project Butter' crap just makes it look like they are bringing out more than they actually are.

I guess you can say iOS 6, and more specifically Maps, is huge for dedicated iOS users. It's not very huge for Android users. And vice versa for "Project Butter" but that's hardly the most important or biggest feature of JB. I personally think ICS already puts Android close to or some would argue on par with iOS' smoothness and stability. To me, the biggest news of JB is the Swiftkey-like prediction for the stock keyboard.

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Woah, in other news, Chrome is coming to iOS. Should be in the App store later today, but can't be set as default browser and will "lack the Nitro JavaScript engine that Apple uses to speed Safari's performance."
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/28/google-chrome-browser-google-drive-coming-to-ios/

 

[blackhand1001]

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"

Reminds me of when Android users try to show me swype. I then grab my phone. Hit a button and dictate a paragraph of text with punctuation. Then I just look at them and they get the point without me having to say another word.

Android has had dictation built into the stock keyboard since like version 1.6. It also quite a bit more accurate than apples.

 

[matttye]

As long as the voice search works as well as or better than Siri, I'll be really happy with it! S voice on my phone is pretty rubbish in all honesty!

Project butter is a nice update too, although my phone is really smooth already...hope the difference is noticeable!

Google Now looks really impressive, just hope it works as well as they showed it

New notifications look really useful. Voice search is a flashy feature, but I think I'll get the most use out of the new notifications more than the other features.

More excited for this than the iOS update despite it being a minor update, as its updating a lot of the core Android features, things we use constantly every single day.

 

[matttye]

iOS by a landslide.

iOS is already "butter smooth"

All I need in the notification center is Twitter & FB and my notifications.

Siri is still better

Early comparisons show that Siri is slower and doesn't provide as much information by default. The voice is also more robotic than Googles.

I haven't used either of them myself. Have you read comparisons that indicate Siri is better? If so, do you have a link?

 

[matttye]

Quite easily, Jelly Bean.

Chrome Beta was already a better mobile browser than Safari, and it'll come out of beta now. The keyboard is getting Swiftkey-like predictions. There'll be offline dictation. Google Maps is getting better. Notifications is expandable. They'll add smoothness to an already very stable and smooth OS. Google Now is interesting. I think Google is doing the right thing; they already made a huge overhaul with ICS and brought it close to or on par with iOS, and now with JB, they're going to build upon that.

At the same time, I'm not necessarily knocking iOS 6, but what Apple showed just didn't affect me the way I was hoping it would. It's great that dedicated iOS users will now get their own native Maps and Navigation system, but without any word on an improved keyboard (which so sorely needs to be updated) or improved Safari or improved Mail (when are we going to get full threaded messages?), iOS is beginning to show its age. The intentionally small incremental updates may work for some -- and again, kudos to you dedicated iOS-iPhone users -- but for others who want their phones to do more, it's becoming too frustrating to stick with iOS.

Chrome, maps and another ton of google apps have already been updated, check your play store!

 

[nuckinfutz]

Early comparisons show that Siri is slower and doesn't provide as much information by default. The voice is also more robotic than Googles.

I haven't used either of them myself. Have you read comparisons that indicate Siri is better? If so, do you have a link?

My problem with these "bake offs" is that they don't provide much context. It's not an assistant unless it can handle multiple requests that may vary in context. Typically in human interactions we queue many questions and then dispatch them. To be fair the WWDC 2012 demo of Siri wasn't impressive. Great you can tell me the score of the latest Giants game. I'm sure a web search would yield the same.

What if I requested

"Remind me to purchase the symphony tickets tonight at 9pm, set my alarm clock for 6am and send my wife an email at 5pm with the message "baby I love you".

Both of these "Assistant" technologies will fail. So with that in mind perhaps I should temper my enthusiasm or false confidence in Siri until proven otherwise.

 

[matttye]

My problem with these "bake offs" is that they don't provide much context. It's not an assistant unless it can handle multiple requests that may vary in context. Typically in human interactions we queue many questions and then dispatch them. To be fair the WWDC 2012 demo of Siri wasn't impressive. Great you can tell me the score of the latest Giants game. I'm sure a web search would yield the same.

What if I requested

"Remind me to purchase the symphony tickets tonight at 9pm, set my alarm clock for 6am and send my wife an email at 5pm with the message "baby I love you".

Both of these "Assistant" technologies will fail. So with that in mind perhaps I should temper my enthusiasm or false confidence in Siri until proven otherwise.

So you had no basis for saying Siri was better, you just posted it so that people would argue with you?

 

[nuckinfutz]

So you had no basis for saying Siri was better, you just posted it so that people would argue with you?

No the basis stems from the architecture of Siri being more advanced than competing technologies but if that cannot be proven in demo then I've no choice but to concede.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

You don't get it do you? Look at the join date of these people and you will see many have been here for years. These aren't Android fans coming here to cause trouble, they are former iPhone users who realized there are better phones out there and switched over.

Bingo. Some of us woke up and realized there was a better option outside of Apples control.
*que Apple's 1984 commercial here*

and yet both of your join dates are 3 months ago...

 

[matttye]

No the basis stems from the architecture of Siri being more advanced than competing technologies but if that cannot be proven in demo then I've no choice but to concede.

Google has always been the king of search and wants to remain that way. They'll do everything they possibly can to beat something that threatens their primary business, and Siri does.

Early comparisons show that Googles voice search is faster and provides more info, but well obviously need to wait before forming an opinion as so far we've only seen what was in the keynote!