Apple vs Android: Planet of the apps

[nateo200]

Apple has a talent for taking ideas and making them fly. Xerox invented the mouse and desktop metaphor for computers, but Apple took it mainstream and changed the way people relate to their computers.

Take it from a former printer: Apple's Macintosh and LaserWrinter revolutionized the printing industry. Before we bought our first Mac and LaserWriter Plus we spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars each month on typesetting. That expense went to near zero afterwards, and the type houses all went out of business.

Apple developed Hypercard at a time when most people couldn't even wrap their minds around what a relational database even was. We take hyperlinks for granted now, but there was a time they didn't exist.

Sony invented the portable music player, but "iPod" replaced "Walkman" as the shorthand term for that kind of device long ago.

Lots of people rail against iTunes, but it has revolutionized the way music, movies and other products are distributed.

Not too long ago Apple entered the smartphone market and stood it on its ear. It has only been fairly recently that the rest of the industry has been able to respond with comparable products, including my Motorola Droid.

And now Apple has introduced the iPad, which has been greeted with a lot of snickering and derision. But I have no doubt that it will take off and sell millions -- Apple doesn't make many mistakes!

Apple managed to survive some very bad years and come back stronger than ever. They used to be marginalized as kind of a cult computer, but not anymore. They're big, they're mainstream, they employ lots of very smart and talented people, and they're led by an uncompromising (though not necessarily entirely likable) individual. They've had an enormous influence on industrial design and product development, even outside the world of computers and electronic devices.

Maybe I'm overreacting to a one-line putdown, but a lot of people on these forums (and elsewhere) seem to think that Apple is The Enemy. Apple is not The Enemy. Apple, Google, Oracle, Sun, Microsoft and a host of other companies are all developing technologies and building on each other's ideas to propel us into a mind-boggling future. They cooperate, they compete, they swallow each other up (e.g. Oracle and Sun), and they move us forward. And they all deserve credit where credit is due.

Best post in here.

 

[CyD]

Best post in here.

Easily.

 

[takeshi]

I was just wondering, who here thinks that the iPhone app store is the only good thing about the iPhone?

Some will some won't. Threads like this are fairly pointless IMO. It's not a one-size-fits-all world. Apple does have good product and interface design IMO. The iPhone is slick and easy to use. That will appeal to some. It won't appeal to others. It's like any other option out there including Android.

For me, the App Store or, more accurately, it's approval process, is precisely why I didn't go with the iPhone. I want to be able to load what I want to without jailbreaking. YMMV, obviously, on what is and isn't a deal breaker. It's all about finding what suits you best. There's no universally best device or else everyone would be using it. I still don't understand why people don't get this aside from not being able to see past their own needs/wants, fanboyism, or whatever it is that makes them think that their preferred solution is the only solution.