Trevor Jerue, Darren Bailey, Zac Hughes, Michael Rose, Matt Corley
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Trevor Jerue, Darren Bailey, Zac Hughes, Michael Rose, Matt Corley Prof. Herzog ENGL 462 12 December 2013 Android vs. iOS The notion that we would be able to carry miniature computers in our pocket one day was once considered lunacy. But here we are, with iPhones, Android phones, and even tablets, quick to become the next big thing in personal computing. The adoption rates grow steadily everyday, and mobile software has truly become a global phenomenon. Fortunately, the market that is mobile software is not a monopoly, but rather has many viable solutions for different types of users. Two of the biggest and most familiar names in software are Android and iOS, owned by Google and Apple Inc. respectively. While Android and iOS are different in many ways, they do share a common philosophy: to interconnect and enrich the lives of everyone. Both Android and iOS share similar methods of distribution — they both ship in devices as small as a watch to devices with large 10 inch screens. They both have processors, graphics computers, batteries, and antennas that allow for cellular connectivity. While both share similarities, Android and iOS are quite different: their source models, language, and hardware all differ, but so do the ways in which people experience and interact with these devices. One of the more obvious differences between an Android device and an iPhone or iPad is the hardware. In fact, hardware design is just one of the many things that can give any device some flair. When the iPhone was first introduced in 2007, many viewed the sleek design of the iPhone as unique, and was highly sought after despite a price point of over $500 for the low end model. It shipped with a Samsung ARM 11 SoC (system on chip) that ran at only 412MHz, as well as 128MB of RAM (Everymac). The iPhone nearly controlled this market for a couple of years, and as a result, Android devices were playing catch-up. The first official Android phone, the HTC Dream, was bulkier and had a full physical keyboard, unlike the iPhone. Eventually, manufacturers learned from the iPhone and began shaping devices similar to it. In fact, some manufacturers like Samsung became so carried away with designing their devices, such as the Galaxy S, that Apple filed lawsuits on their behalf, and won (Huffington Post). As mentioned earlier, the iPhone has always been a rather svelte device; a phone that was only 4.5 inches tall and under half an inch thick was nothing short of stupendous in 2007. Over time, the iPhone’s form factor has changed three times: with the introduction of iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, and iPhone 5. Along with these changes in form come a change in the display used; originally, the iPhone had a 3.5 inch 320x480 resolution displaying just 165ppi or pixels per inch, but now the iPhone 5/5S has a 4 inch display at 1136x640 resolution, displaying an enormous 326ppi (Apple Store). Unlike Android phones, Apple has always used proprietary connectors, using the 30-pin cable until the introduction of iPhone 5 and the Lightning connector, which is significantly smaller and allows for thinner devices. Because of the Lightning port, the current iPhone is only 7.6mm thick, and the brand new iPad Air is actually 1/10 of a millimeter thinner, at 7.5mm (Apple iPad). Compared to the original iPhone in 2007, it is safe to say that Apple has made tremendous strides in improving the physical capabilities of the device. However, no device is without its shortcomings. No model of iPhone, iPod, or iPad has ever featured expandable storage - meaning that the user can place an SD card or USB drive in order to increase the capacity of the device. Currently, most models of iPhone and iPad sell at 16/32/64GB capacities, with only the iPad recently allowing for a 128GB storage capacity. Additionally, while the proprietary connector is useful in profiling the device, it is quite limited in function: not only does it rely on the older USB 2.0 standard, but also only works with few devices, such as the Camera Connection Kit for iPad, OEM video adapters, and select accessories that have been approved by Apple’s MFi program (Apple Developer). Having realized many of the iPhone’s limitations, Android manufacturers fill the void where Apple simply cannot. Many Android handsets (and even tablets) feature expandable storage via SD card, removable batteries, USB connectors, as well as micro HDMI for video display. There are no two Android handsets alike, since devices aim to differentiate themselves from other Android phones rather than the iPhone. For example, some Android phones feature both a touchscreen and a slide-out keyboard, while others opt for large displays; most notably the Samsung Galaxy Note series, featuring displays as large as 5.7 inches. Additionally, many devices feature components that outperform the iPhone, such as the Samsung Galaxy 4 with a much faster Snapdragon 400 processor, or the HTC Rezound, with a display sharper and clearer than the iPhone 5 (Geekaphone). While Android phones and tablets can differentiate from themselves as well as the iPhone, Android’s biggest problem is fragmentation. According to one analyst, many popular Android phones sold in 2013 such as the Motorola Atrix HD, and the original Samsung Galaxy Note are many major revisions behind the iPhone 4, which was discontinued in 2013 in favor of the 4s (Pocketlint). The problem with Android devices being behind in software is that while some devices lose support in just a few months, others such as the Galaxy Nexus still receive full support for almost two years after release. This problem may be somewhat of a hurdle for owners who still expect support for their somewhat new devices. However, the pace of modern technology is at a breakneck speed, and should be taken into account when purchasing the device. From the moment you power on your Android or iOS device, the CPU, or central processing unit, immediately begins running a series of processes known as “booting” or “bootloading”. If successfully done, the “home screen” appears, and the device is ready for use. Arguably, the bootloader may be one of the most critical components of software, because it is vital to security. Taking advantage of exploits in the firmware allows for users to run arbitrarily signed code, which then: allows custom themes, apps, even software to run on the device. In order to understand its significance, we must start with the phone that “changed everything”, the iPhone. When the iPhone launched in 2007, it was groundbreaking; but by today’s standards was miserable. The original iPhone did not even ship with iOS; rather, it ran a modified version of Apple’s OS X software (Apple Support). Additionally, the iPhone platform has always been “closed-source”, meaning that Apple essentially maintains full control over all parts of their software. Despite this, many continuously try to circumvent these restrictions; and sometimes, it works. Soon after the initial release of iPhone, notable hacker Charlie Miller managed to write an exploit via the Safari web browser, allowing him access to such devices remotely (Forbes). While Apple patched this hack almost immediately, others have found ways to modify the bootloader by breaking into the hardware itself. The first to do this was George Hotz, known as “geohot” with an exploit known as 24Kpwn. The name symbolizes a 0x24000 segment overflow, and essentially allows the bootloader to be overwritten with arbitrary code (Quickpwn). There was no possible way for Apple to patch this exploit, and it worked with all devices prior to September 2009, like the iPod touch, and even the iPhone 3GS. Apple was finally able to respond by revising the CPU used in iOS devices. These exploits have encouraged Apple to produce the “A” series of chips, not only increasing performance, but increasing security as well. Doing this has proven to be a “double-edged sword” for Apple; while it has proven still possible to hack into the hardware, it usually takes significantly more time for hackers to do so. The most current version of Apple’s CPU, the A7 chip, has its bootloader yet to be successfully broken into, most likely because of its 64-bit architecture. The history of bootloaders for the Android platform is quite different than iOS. Google, the company responsible for Android, has generally led a more open-source model for their Android platform. Unlike Apple, Google does not charge people for access to their SDK, or software development kit, making system development easier in comparison to iOS. Despite Google’s more open approach to software, phone carriers in the U.S. are in fact the biggest barrier to bootloader development. One of the first examples of this barrier was in 2009, when the Motorola Droid launched on Verizon Wireless. Soon after, many discovered the simplicity of running custom software such as CyanogenMod, a popular distribution of Android OS supported by the developer community. As a result, Verizon lost money on every Motorola Droid sold, and was prompted to ban unlocked bootloaders in favor of “a more secure experience” (TechCrunch). Soon after, manufacturers were not allowed to ship devices with unlocked bootloaders to phone carriers, and needed to make extensive modifications to their software in order to comply with these regulations. Naturally, developers were not thrilled with these policy changes, and as a result, manufacturers offer “developer editions” of popular phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One, at full retail MSRP, to allow unrestricted access to these phones. Additionally, many companies have reversed their stance on unlocking bootloaders, such as HTC, in an attempt to make their community presence stronger, and simultaneously increase sales (HTCDev). After the device finishes booting the user is presented with an interface, or the main hub for accessing everything a smartphone can do with its software. While interfaces are different between Android and iOS, the software is perhaps one of the more “visual” modes of getting to understand the differences between the two. Like with any 1.0 release, both iOS and Android were choppy, and delivered a “bare-bones” experience. However, it is hard to deny how many things Apple got right the first time. For example, the capacitive touch screen keyboard would remain unchanged in style (save for the addition of a microphone key) until iOS 7 in 2013. Additionally, many of the system icons such as Calendar, Camera, Photos, Stocks, and Weather, also remained unchanged until the iOS 7 revision (Verge). By keeping major visual elements unchanged, Apple has been able to deliver a consistent user experience while adding in functions that only made the device more user-friendly, such as: Copy and Paste, FaceTime, Siri, and iMessage to name a few. Two other major features: iPod and Safari, were designed and compiled based on existing architectures. The “iPod”, which serves as iPhone’s music player, was intended to serve as a bridge between the future of music and what it was in the present day: it played songs, organized music, allowed users to watch movies, and even introduced Cover Flow, a visual method of searching through your music through your album covers (MacSlash). Safari, initially based on the Safari web browser for Mac, attempted to replicate exactly what you would see on a larger monitor. It worked because it not only streamlined page loading by disabling mobilizers, but also introduced a fluid pinch-to-zoom; allowing users to zoom in and out of a page with a two-finger gesture. Scrolling with your finger was also part of the Safari experience that caused people to love the iPhone’s UI. While the “direct” feeling of iOS has made it popular with users of all ages, some do not appreciate it because of its closed-source nature. One of the biggest downfalls to the iOS ecosystem is the difficulty of locating its filesystem, since it is completely hidden from the average user. Power users enjoy easy access to the filesystem, since it allows for a more precise, although “dangerous” interaction with their device. While Android has not been as visually consistent as iOS, it was the first to have many of today’s iOS features. With the release of Android 1.1, the drop-down menu interface was introduced, which allows for seamless task management and a centralized display of all system notifications (Verge Staff). Unlike the iOS variant, Android’s menu bar is customizable to the user’s exact specifications. Also present in version 1 are live wallpapers, complete with animations. While some thought they were quirky, many view these wallpapers as one of Android’s more exclusive features, as it was only with iOS 7 attempting to experiment with the concept using “Dynamic Wallpaper” - which is not customizable outside of color. The 2011 release of Android 3.0, or Honeycomb, showcased a significant visual interface overhaul, with sleeker icons as well as native tablet support. These changes were also seen under the hood, as Android now fully supports devices with multiple cores (Android Developer). Additionally, existing customizable interface items were greatly enhanced not only for Android 3.0, but for future generations of Android as well. This concept of customization is incredibly important in terms of differentiating from the existing market offerings; it not only caters to the power users, but introduces a solid alternative to the ever popular iOS platform. One of the most important parts of using an Android or iOS device are the apps. Applications allow the device to perform tasks as simple as calculating basic math, or as complex as a graphically intense video game. Like other components of Android and iOS devices, it took many years to develop the app stores we know today. When the iPhone was first released in 2007, there simply was no way to run an application natively on the iPhone, unless it was one bundled at a core level. Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, believed that users would enjoy running applications in Safari, the iPhone’s web browser. Thanks to lackluster web technologies at the time, these applications performed poorly, and resulted in an increased number of users hacking the iPhone to get third-party native apps (YouTube). Apple remained quite reluctant to release an App Store for quite some time, until Jobs realized the potential amount of revenue that could be made from these apps. As a result, Apple released the iPhone SDK, or Software Development Kit in March 2008, and allows for developers to officially publish apps to Apple’s App Store. The creation of the App Store was relatively simple thanks to existing frameworks for the iTunes Store, which was introduced to the iPhone with the release of iOS version 2 (Macworld). Developers who submit paid applications to the store receive 70% of the total revenue, while Apple keeps 30% as profit, and to maintain various costs. Similar to iOS, Android did not feature a fully-fledged app store until August 2008, just 7 months after Apple’s App Store launched. Initially, there was no support for paid applications, however, users have always been able to side-load applications onto Android devices without complications; something that is simply not possible on iOS devices due to security measures.. Unlike Apple, which had music downloads available from early on in iOS, the Android Marketplace did not make music available for downloads until November 2011, most likely due to licensing restrictions (Sociable Blog). In 2012, the Android Marketplace was re-named to Google Play, in order to consolidate services, as well as offer the option for users to buy Google-branded hardware, such as the Nexus 4 and 7, right from their devices (Google Play). While both the Android and iOS App Stores had many differences in the past, these differences are dwindling, as both feature easy navigation and offer similar content. One aspect that still separates the two are revenues. Per day, the Apple App Store earns over 4-5 times as much in revenue as the Google Play store does; a staggering $5.1 million per day for Apple compared to Google’s $1.1 million (Dashburst). One reason for this difference is because of the different user experiences each device provides; on average, an iPhone user has around 83 applications on their handset, 31 more than the average Android user. Furthermore, both Android and iOS apps cater to certain markets. For example, most education-oriented apps are designed for the iPhone or iPad, and make up 11% of App Store sales. Likewise, thanks to Android’s open-source model, more personalization apps exist on Google Play, and account for 12% of all app sales (Dashburst). Globally, Apple and the App Store have dominated the world market. As more iPhones and iPads continue to be increasingly available worldwide, nations such as Denmark, Russia, Japan, and China continue to be significant sources of revenue for Apple. Even though Google Play also performs well in other nations such as the U.K. and France, it is Apple who has a significant market share. In April 2013, Google Play held just 26% of the overall market share in comparison to Apple’s 74%. But, in September 2013, Google saw revenues increase by 9%, most likely due to further availability of devices worldwide (Talking New Media). Now that we know how these devices work, who wants them? The answer: it depends. While people buy an Android device or an iPhone based on their own desires, customers tend to be easily influenced by others. This mostly explains why the iPhone has become so popular - is that it is a status symbol; celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Jay-Z, and PSY all own the iPhone (Coolspotters). But outside the Hollywood limelight, millions upon millions of people own an iPhone. Some attribute this to the “iPhone effect”, which a desire to be like those you know, or better than them. This desire to be up-to-date essentially creates the status symbol that is “being an iPhone owner”, and is quite similar to Bolshevism (being one of the majority). While the iPhone may be famous, it is not without reason. The iPhone has more applications available for it than one could ever need, and delivers a direct and focused experience. To a business, this streamlining allows for employees to be more productive. Additionally, the availability of enterprise tools, such as the Apple Configurator, make it incredibly simple for anyone to deploy and iPhone or iPad for business use. Furthermore, the iPhone’s closed source provide a peace of mind, as iOS devices are not subject to malware and viruses without extensive hacking (BGR). One of the more recent improvements to iPhone technology is the inclusion of 4G LTE, or Fourth Generation Long Term Evolution, which delivers network performance rivaling home networks, and also increases perceived device performance. While Android has had technologies like 4G LTE and enterprise configuration, it has not been able to deliver the “secure” experience, that is until Samsung introduced Knox, a setting on select Galaxy series smartphones that allowed users to turn their personal device into an enterprise grade work machine. By increasing security in all levels of the Android software, even the bootloader, Samsung responds to the market, delivering a serious solution for those who do not want an iPhone, iPad, or just do not want to be stuck carrying two devices. One major component customers look for when buying an Android or iOS device is its availability. In America, both Android and iOS devices are readily available at almost every major (and small) retailer you can think of. However, outside the U.S., this is not always the case. Many countries in Africa, as well as some in Asia, do not have official support from Apple, but rather rely on the carrier for any sorts of problems. Along with this, and the high price tags for iPhones that cost as much as $1100 USD in nations like Jordan and India, and it is quite easy to understand why the iPhone has historically struggled outside the United States (Guardian). Android devices have overcome this barrier, thanks to lower production costs, and are more readily available outside America. In fact, as of December 2012, Android devices comprise of 65% of the entire market share for devices, leaving Apple devices at just 20%, and everyone else at only 15% (Talking New Media). However, while Android devices sell better outside of America, phone carriers in the U.S. do their best to sell as many Androids as possible. Because of fragmentation, or the spread of software unevenly across devices, carriers like Verizon Wireless and AT&T are able to offer special promotions and discounts on these devices, something not possible for the iPhone. Until just this year, it was not possible to officially buy an iPhone for use on the T-Mobile network - users needed to have their iPhone already unlocked, or buy an Android device. In fact, it was not until 2011 that Verizon Wireless became the second carrier to offer the iPhone; it was an AT&T exclusive in America for over five years (Engadget). Simply put, if anyone wanted an iPhone, they were forced to sign a 2 year contract with AT&T. While the present-day availability of both iPhone and Android devices may seem overwhelming, the option of choice is both a win for manufacturers, developers, and the consumer. Make no mistake, the smartphone is an incredible piece of technology that has changed the foundation of our daily lives. It is hard to imagine where we would be without it, simply because they live up to the ideal of interconnecting everyone and enriching communication. As many would agree, this is just the beginning. While tablets have taken off as a serious competitor to the personal computer, there simply is no limit to what these devices can do. As chipsets not only become more powerful, but more secure, all types of people all over the world will continue to dream of “the next big thing” in Android and iOS technology. While it would be foolish to argue that one platform is better than the other, we must make a conscious choice of selecting a platform that is right for its intended purpose. By doing so, we can further impact the lives of everyone. Works Cited "Apple Purchased CoverFlow For ITunes 7." MacSlash. ., Web. 11 Dec. 2013. Betters, Elyse. "Pocket-lint." Apple Discontinues IPhone 5 and IPhone 4, Keeps 8GB IPhone 4S as Free Option -. PocketLint, 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. Crook, Jordan R. "Motorola Offers Unlocked Bootloader Tool For Droid RAZR, Verizon Removes It." TechCrunch. AOL, 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. Dalrymple, Jim. "Apple Unveils IPhone SDK." Macworld. 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"Confirmed: Apple and AT&T Signed Five-year IPhone Exclusivity Deal -- but Is It Still Valid?" Engadget. AOL, 2010. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. Reuters. "Apple-Samsung Lawsuit: Apple Targets 4 Additional Products." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 31 Aug. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/31/apple-targets-more-samsun_n_1848273.html "Select an IPad Air." IPad Air. Apple, Web. 10 Dec. 2013. Verge Staff. "Android: A Visual History." The Verge. 7 Dec 2011. Web. 11 Dec 2013. Verge Staff. "IOS: A Visual History." The Verge. 16 Sept 2013. Web. 11 Dec 2013. 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