What can Android learn from Apple?

[thermal]

Hi everyone,

I made a post on an iPhone forum asking "Name something the iPhone could learn from competitors". I got 4 pages of responses, such as:

Voice commands like Android.

If I had to pick just one thing, it would be a 4" screen.

I do have to agree that having a unified "notifications" status bar would be nice, such as on Androids.

+1 for the Android notification tray. It's one of the best things about Android.

I'm very interested in the WiFi hotspotting the Droid X can do.

So out of curiosity, I'd like to ask the Android forum what you think Android can learn/improve on from Apple?

Name something the iPhone could learn from competitors. - MacRumors Forums

 

[czechplastik]

Uniformity and simplicity. All the manufacturer overlays complicate things, lack of updates mean devices get left behind.

 

[lordofthereef]

Uniformity and simplicity. All the manufacturer overlays complicate things, lack of updates mean devices get left behind.

Having come from three years of iPhone, this is honestly the biggest, but really ONLY thing I can say Android is lacking. Just the bad public perception in this sense is bad enough. People LIKE updates, even if they seemingly do nothing. Aside from that, as an OS, I don't think it really lacks anything that iOS has to be completely honest.

 

[SoDroid]

1) very polished interface
2) Retina Display
3) I second Uniformity. All of the different manufacturer skins make Android seem more segmented than it really is. Only skin that's nice is Sense, I hate all of the others (blur, touchwiz, LG's touchwiz looks bad too).

I'm confident android will achieve the first two (or close to it) this year.

 

[czechplastik]

Apple are pretty good in that OS updates generally work pretty well on all but the earliest iPhones. How many Android devices are still running 1.6 or 2.1?

Sense is the best of a bad bunch. Having to wait for HTC to update Sense to work with Android updates is annoying....waiting for service providers to again tweak it to work with their branding is galling.

I genuinely believe Vanilla Android is the future, for me at least.

Other than maybe some more apps/games from the big players in the app world the only other thing I would like from the current iPhone is the retina display, though SAMOLED still looks great.

 

[EarlyMon]

How many Android devices are still running 1.6 or 2.1?

Platform Versions | Android Developers

As for the retinal display - Sharp has an Android in Japan, same resolution, same screen size as the iP4 - so Android technically has that - we simply don't in other markets, yet.

 

[IOWA]

What not to be like.

 

[Tslide91]

The way I see it, you cant really compare an iphone to an android device.

Apple has completely control over the software and hardware. Where as with android, it's just software.

But, Apple has elegance and simplicity. Android is much more customizable.

Now that Android is maturing more, the updates are less important. Besides UI tweaks, theres not a night and day difference between Android releases like there used to be. But, you can make your homescreen look how you want for the most part. With iOS, you can download apps, change your wallpaper, and select your favorite ringtone. Boring.

Is android as stable as iOS? Not even close. Like I stated before, Apple has complete control over the hardware and software for the iphone. Just about every Android phone is different, and requires a lot of software tweaks from the manufacture. With it being this way, Android will never be as smooth.

It all comes down to preference. Do you want your $500 phone to do exactly what you want? Or would you rather have it more refined?

Me, I like Android. And I like Sense.

 

[Brucew0617]

I think ios is so inconvenient, Android is much more customizable, but it seems not so smooth when I use it.

 

[xmr405o]

I don't think Google or Android needs to learn anything from Apple but some of the manufacturers need to learn a few things about designing a cellphone. Some of the phones look and feel fugly. Also some manfacturers need to learn how to push out updates in a timely manner.

 

[Tangent]

Hardware standards; at the very least one for the order of the buttons along the bottom. I'm fine with making phones available with different UI overlays, it provides options. Some people love Vanilla, others think it's ugly and love Sense, etc. What's just plain stupid though is everyone having their own order for the buttons that all Androids have as shown in this pic:

Pic borrowed from this Engadget article talking about the same thing: Visualized: the real Android fragmentation -- Engadget

 

[Guamguy]

I own some of the devices shown above. Annoyance sometimes but it never really bothered me. Even the 3 button Galaxy S i9000 layout. I was surprised I was able to cope so transparently with differing button layout without much of a thought.

What bothered me more is the removal of the trackball in later phones. I still have the urge in my hand to look for it.

It was Google itself that switched the button locations from the G1 and HTC Magic on the Nexus One. Now the Nexus configuration is only found in Androids with a very heavy Google input like the Huawei Ideos.

Every HTC Android even today follows the original button layout of the G1. The Nexus One excepted. Of course Google really wants you to follow the Nexus pattern.

 

[frenzy757]

more polished user experience for normal users.

Cooler looking hardware.

 

[Bnice]

More Android commercials.

 

[mrspeedmaster]

A few things Google needs to do and they are mostly for enterprise adoption.

1) Ability to start/activate a phone w/out a gmail account.
Apple has an enterprie roll-out tool that allows iPhones to start w/out using iTunes.

2) Ability to lock down app install or permissions. This is similar to group policies.
E.G. prevent phone from downloading any app that requires permissions to : read filesystem, read emails, read SMS, use location services.

3) Ability for the lock down hardware features like the ability to browse filesystem or mount removable drive or provide USB mass storage.
E.G. no more Astro FileManager.

4) Ability to lock out side-loading and allow deployment of corporate/company specific applications without going through an app-store.
This is how companies are deploying iPads/iPhones in companies like Mercdeds Benz.

Again, these are things that you can do to lock down an iPhone.

 

[AngryHatter]

Hopefully nothing.
It's because it is NOT an apple device that I own one.

 

[gruss]

They need to learn how to grab a crappy song, have ppl flop around like their jamming to said song then just flash the android logo at the end of the commercial.....seems to work for Apple. Maybe use some pretty colors and shiny things too!

 

[Jammy]

The market needs to be brought up to par with Apple's App Store...

Though they are making improvements, such as the web-based store.


I hear a lot of people complain that there is no native sync option, akin to iTunes. There are 3rd party alternatives, but a first party option would be nice. Though they definitely need to keep drag & drop an option for those like me who prefer it. That's one thing I hate about the iPhone.

 

[avenuePad]

The market needs to be brought up to par with Apple's App Store...

Though they are making improvements, such as the web-based store.


I hear a lot of people complain that there is no native sync option, akin to iTunes. There are 3rd party alternatives, but a first party option would be nice. Though they definitely need to keep drag & drop an option for those like me who prefer it. That's one thing I hate about the iPhone.

I can't begin to imagine the frustration of not being able to drag and drop. That's honestly a deal breaker for me.

As for hardware acceleration, Android shouldn't be looking to iOS, they should be looking to Windows Phone 7 - and so should Apple. The hardware acceleration on WP7 on the next update is going to blow iOS out of the water.

Honestly, Android should be keeping a closer eye on Microsoft, than on Apple, for good ideas on the mobile front. The WP7 multitasking (cards, similar to WebOS) is another thing that is going to be miles above the iOS or Android experience. WP7 might not have the "cool" factor of iOS, but it's a better mobile OS experience. Apple's iOS is actually pretty stale, but hopefully it will receive a GUI update with the iPhone5.

 

[EarlyMon]

Android's been leaving graphics hardware acceleration to the vendors. HTC phones feature it with their s/w - except until now, HTC phones had lackluster graphics processors compared to some others.

With the advent of the new chips, new phones and new gaming push in Android, the issues of hardware acceleration are likely to start falling by the wayside quickly.

Competition over quality features - the consumer always wins.

I don't know if the two (or three) sides can learn much from each other. Their respective designers are no one's dummies, they build for different targets, and in my mind products go downhill when they pay too much attention to the other guy.

Just pay attention to what the people demand, not what the other guys interpreted they wanted and what the other guys delivered.

Android, iOS, WP7 - could all pick up each others' strengths, get great technically - and still miss whatever it is that really matters.

And to be truthful - I don't think we really know what we want - I think we know it when we see it, tho.

Just my opinions.

PS - I think it was Medion who pointed out the obvious - I've yet to see multiple, simultaneously-active windows on my Android - when we get there, the game changes.

 

[Spykez]

only thing I miss is iOS's market, from when I had my itouch. The market was easy to navigate, had better sectioning of where the apps are.

I'm all for google's market freedom, I lvoe it, but jeebers im tired of seeing these naked chick puzzles showing up under action. I also would love to be able to sort. Most downloaded, news app etc etc. Instead we got some finicky new market that barely works with wifi and lags like a MOFO

 

[ari-free]

Honeycomb's going to have the hardware acceleration. It's going to have all those fancy UI transitions and nice looking controls that everyone thinks only Apple knows how to make.

Android 3.0 Platform Highlights | Android Developers
So it's just going to be a matter of time for all this stuff to make it to the phones. I know, i know. We can't wait. but on the other hand there are many people who feel that their 6 month upgrade cycle is too fast.

 

[EarlyMon]

Honeycomb's going to have the hardware acceleration. It's going to have all those fancy UI transitions and nice looking controls that everyone thinks only Apple knows how to make.

Android 3.0 Platform Highlights | Android Developers
So it's just going to be a matter of time for all this stuff to make it to the phones. I know, i know. We can't wait. but on the other hand there are many people who feel that their 6 month upgrade cycle is too fast.

See also - Schmidt: “I”ce Cream Will Combine Gingerbread and Honeycomb, Releases Coming Every 6 Months [KEYNOTE MADNESS] | Android Phone Fans

 

[mrqs]

As for hardware acceleration, Android shouldn't be looking to iOS, they should be looking to Windows Phone 7 symbian

ftfy

in general, i'd rather they looked at nokia than anyone else - i'm gonna miss the fm transmitter of my n8 when i get back to android, and the screensaver clock is just a brilliant thing for an amoled equipped phone

PS - I think it was Medion who pointed out the obvious - I've yet to see multiple, simultaneously-active windows on my Android - when we get there, the game changes.

motorola atrix

ok, they're only there when you dock it; but really, why would you want multiple simulataneously active windows on a 4" screen?

 

[EarlyMon]

ok, they're only there when you dock it; but really, why would you want multiple simulataneously active windows on a 4" screen?

Why not?

I wouldn't mind seeing a process monitor run in a window that I've trimmed back just to show CPU clock speed while I tinkered with other apps - I wouldn't mind seeing the top of a push inbox while I surfed the web in the other, what?, say, 80% of the screen.

Honeycomb's got it already - so, with 4" and above displays (mine's 4.3", doubt I'll ever go back down) if I can think of a few casual uses, someone clever could think of several more, imo.