Well, that's a long explanation. In other words, it is confusing and messy to setup Iphone as well. You still need some know-how. So how is it different from Android? I think Android is much more straight forward esp with accounts. I can add multiple a/c to the phone and selectively pick what data (email, PIM, etc) from which a/c to sync to phone.
It's not long and it's not an explanation. iOS is the same with accounts. For Facebook and Twitter and Sina Weibo, I just log in and that's it.
iOS Email is notoriously limited wrt to attach/detach files. UI is also not friendly if you want to manage multiple inbox separately. And message threading is not up to par compared to say gmail in Android.
UI does take lots of back and forth I agree. But most people don't use that many. The number of taps required is almost the same. You aren't saving much time on Android, if any at all.
I can broadly name apps (available for both platforms) that work better in Android:-
- news/rss, podcast, IMs, social apps etc - Android versions have automatic background sync/download. In iOS version, you need to open the app before data is refresh/download.
- cloud storages apps : Android version you can activate the app to share data from anywhere in the OS. For iOS, not possible or requires tedious workaround.
Many things not true. First, podcasts do download automatically if you choose that option. Most people wouldn't want anything to be able to download/upload with little to no control. Myself included. Android apps have differing levels of transparency regarding automatically downloading or uploading. Some will suck your data plan dry without you knowing it, others are much better. On iOS, it's the same for every single app.
Fact is that iOS has no menu or back button. Somehow these command/nav buttons have to be shown on screen thus wasting screen area. If an Android app is designed properly (i.e. not transplanted directly from iOS) then the app can make full use of screen area. And don't forget most Android devices have physical buttons for menu and back which does not take up screen space at all.
iOS (the software) does. iDevice (the hardware) does not. Do not mix the two. Your core assumption is that Android apps are designed properly. This is very far from reality. Also, those four soft buttons on the bottom DO NOT disappear. I have no idea what fork of Android you refer to but I refer to vanilla Android. Most Android devices today DO NOT have physical buttons unless it's a low tier device, older model, etc. New models do not have the 4 buttons anymore.
Consistent UI - Really?
1. Edit/Delete/Other Action/Settings.
iOS
- To edit item, tap the small arrow on the right of list item
- To delete, swipe on item to call-out delete
- For other options use the slide-up menu/buttons
- To change app settings, exit app, go to Settings to change and then re-enter app again.
Android
- Long press on an item for popup menu and then select "edit" or "delete" or other options or "settings" from the menu
2. Main app->open secondary app (e.g. email->open link/file, browser->view pdf etc). To navigating back to main app
iOS
- Tap Home / Double-tap Home
- Look for the main app icon
- Tap main app icon
Android
- Tap back button
Note: this is only for secondary app. If you open another app from secondary and so on, it can really be a complete confusion to backtrack in iOS.
iOS is far more consistent in UI than Android. Here's a link:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/09/18/ux-things-i-hate-about-android/