Feature comparison: iOS3 and 4 VS Android 2.1 and 2.2 | Hacker News Reader

Feature comparison: iOS3 and 4 VS Android 2.1 and 2.2

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8 pointstokyomonster23 comments

Another utterly useless comparison, employing the classic marketing trick of ignoring any features which are unique to your competitor.

From TA: "Now, the sticky part: being that we’re an Android-centric blog, there’s an obvious bias. However, I’d like to make it clear that we tried to pick the features used in the comparison as objectively as possible so as not to tip the scales in either direction."

And you failed miserably.

For the record: My phone of choice is a Nexus One.

Besides that, the iPhone is the phenomenal success it is not because of its long list of features. It has famously lacked features other phones have had for years, exactly because Apple's focus is on the experience of using the phone, not the checklist with which other people choose to describe it.

Heya! Mind letting us know which features we ignored on the iPhone? If this was done it was an honest oversight. If you'd care to point out the ones we missed, we'll be happy to incorporate them into the chart.

How about multiple Exchange account support? International keyboards and localization support (you mentioned user installable keyboards, but iPhone already has international keyboards for many countries built in). Kanji input from handwriting recognition? Supporting Exchange Activesync device security restrictions (I have a friend with a N1 and he can't even add our corporate Exchange account in 2.1 because his device doesn't comply with Microsoft's rules).

Also, I could tell a lot of bias when you talk about 3rd party apps. You ding iPhone because it needs to be jailbroken but fail to mention that an Android phone has to be rooted in the same manner.

More bias in wifi tethering - you fail to mention that the only way to enable it is to install 2.2 which is an unapproved firmware update. The carrier approved version that the vast majority of non-geek users will get WILL have carrier charges if you want to enable wifi tethering. You think Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile are just going to give it away for free when they charge everyone else?

Hey, thanks for the feedback.

"How about multiple Exchange account support?"

I'll add this row. Both Android and iPhone support it, so it's a wash either way.

"International keyboards and localization support (you mentioned user installable keyboards, but iPhone already has international keyboards for many countries built in). Kanji input from handwriting recognition?"

Also things I can add. Edit: I'm also removing the user installable keyboards row entirely.

"Supporting Exchange Activesync device security restrictions"

Yeah, good call on this. iPhone supports it in both OS versions, Android 2.1 doesn't, but 2.2 does.

"You ding iPhone because it needs to be jailbroken but fail to mention that an Android phone has to be rooted in the same manner."

Android doesn't have to be rooted to install third party apps. You can take a brand new, unrooted android app(unless it's the ATT backflip), and enabled the ability to install third party apps from the settings. You can then go to any website, download an APK and install it. You only need root if you're install an Android app the requires root.

"More bias in wifi tethering - you fail to mention that the only way to enable it is to install 2.2 which is an unapproved firmware update. The carrier approved version that the vast majority of non-geek users will get WILL have carrier charges if you want to enable wifi tethering. "

Yes and no. It is available in 2.2, and it is up to the carriers to decide about charging. I can add a note, but as far as we know it's in 2.2 and there's no charge to use it.

It's your chart itself that is the problem. How are you going to compare the pros-cons of native vs. interpreted vs. JIT? How are you going to contrast the perceived speed due to the significantly different manner in which the various OSs do or do not multitask? UI quality? Ease of use? Power management? Quality of applications? Spit and polish? There are so many factors beyond your tick-marks that your chart is essentially meaningless.

I mention that it's impossible to cover every aspect on each side. We picked what are some of the more user-relevant features. This isn't meant to be the end-all-be-all research/we'll make your mind up for you! post, but rather an aid along the way for some one making a purchasing decision.

It may not be relevant to everyone, and sure, there will be people who think the chart is meaningless. It's the internet, I know what's up. Hater's gonna hate, etc.

Thanks for the feedback and for the constructive criticism(no sarcasm there) -- these things can quickly turn into flame wars, in which case everyone loses.

Jailbroken iPhones can do:

- "Real" multitasking

- WIFI/Bluetooth/USB tethering without additional charge (well you pay for the app, in this case MyWi)

- Install apps from third party sources (Cydia, Rock, etc)

- Passive notifications (Email, SMS, IM, Phone)

- AppleTalk networking

Just as we're leaving out features exclusive to a rooted Android phone, we're leaving out features exclusive to jailbroken iphones.

ie, currently you can do wifi tethering on Android 2.1, but only if it's rooted, so we're not counting that.

But your claim that the iPhone doesn't do real multitasking is bogus, it's just that third party apps can't do it. Mail, phone, safari all run in the background.

And in your sidebar you note which features can be done with a jailbroken iPhone, except for the ones that I've listed - which should be updated imho.

I own an Android and an iPhone. Jailbreaking an iPhone is a three minute process (with Spirit).

"But your claim that the iPhone doesn't do real multitasking is bogus, it's just that third party apps can't do it. Mail, phone, safari all run in the background."

Not claiming that. The 'multi-tasking' category specifies 3rd party apps in the title.

"And in your sidebar you note which features can be done with a jailbroken iPhone, except for the ones that I've listed - which should be updated imho."

I only mentioned that third party apps can be installed on a jailbroken iPhone in the sidebar, because if I didn't, I'd get 30 comments letting me know it can be done. I know it can be, but it can't be done without jailbreaking, and that's the point. No other features on either platform are counted as a 'Y' if they require jailbreaking/rooting.

I know it's trivial jailbreak an iPhone or root an Android phone, but most average consumers don't want to do this.

If you're comparing two products by comparing a list of features, you're doing it wrong.

The most ridiculous example of that in this list is "On-device Video Editing". That is not a feature you can compare with a simple yes/no.

You're right - I'm going to remove that category entirely. Originally it was there because I was under the impression Apple was offering it(and thus tipped the scale in their favor). I've since realized that the iMovie app they demoed would be an additional $5 purchase and thus qualify as '3rd party', nullifying the need for a category comparing OS features if neither OS actually includes said features.

iMovie is a 1st-party app, although it does cost $4.99.

Yeah, so it's technically 1st-party, as it's developed by Apple, but you have to buy it separately, which was my point. I removed the video editing category entirely.

Maybe they should add another category: "Doesn't look like garbage." Android 2.2 is still failing on that one . . .

The intangibles matter, and they're entirely absent from this feature list. Until Google understands that, Android will always take a back seat to iPhone on design.

Question: How exactly will carriers charge for tethering? I have Nexus One running 2.2 - turning on tethering is just one touch.

Are they going to content sniff and just hope that catches most people? Or are the non-unlocked Android phones restricted to carrier approved apps?

The carriers likely have the option to remove this feature/menu item entirely when they push their OTA out to phones.

I would add widgets and turn-by-turn navigation. Live wallpapers are rather... unproductive toys, don't know if i would've counted them. CalDAV calendar support maybe.

Marco Arment on feature checklist dysfunction:

http://www.marco.org/380868888

Ha, that's awesome.

I'll keep that in mind the next time something like this is pitched.

The two no's for Android are hardly `no`s anyway.

Orientation lock can be specified from the Settings and can be overridden on a per-app basis.

Anyone using the homescreen is an idiot. The stock Launcher is terrible. LauncherPro is marginally better than ADW Laucnher which are both 100x better than the stock Launcher.

That having been said, there is a fair amount of feature loading here for Android. I think it's an accurate comparison, but not a fair one as it leaves out features that would have 'Y's in the iOS columns and 'N's in the Android columns.

I don't mind adding those categories (the 'N' for Android ones) if you can think of a few.

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