Is the Apple vs Android war Over?

(photo credit:  see below)

I think many are missing the point here. To be fair, the iPhone launch was first, but to be accurate, the Android company was founded in 2003 and quickly created the smartphone operating system which they fully developed in 2005, and then was bought by Google. They then launched the first Android Phone in 2008, one year AFTER the first iteration of the iPhone. The development of the iPhone started in 2004. So, when folks start talking about who copied who, maybe it would be a good idea to check their facts.


Having said that and to be fair to both companies, they have both innovated. Android and its manufacturing partners primarily has focused on the customizability, so SOFTWARE is their forte, while Apple serves up both functionality and ease of use with stunning design, not to mention exceptional battery life. Manufacturers of the Android side has listened to consumers and brought features that, while gimmicky, are adding value to their devices. The numbers speak for themselves. Android's versatility in terms of offering multiple devices across the spectrum of economic tiers has spelled out much of the success and proliferation of their OS and hardware offerings. Add to that that Android is a platform that is now on many more devices, not just smartphones.

I think the primary difference was there from the very beginning. Apple brought in 1,000 people to create the first iPhone. Android, on the other hand, created the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 84 firms to develop open standards for mobile devices. Member firms include Google, HTC, Sony, Dell, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, T-Mobile, Sprint Nextel, Nvidia, and Wind River Systems. All of these companies put forth significant resources towards the development of the Android platform.

Bottom line: Both companies, Apple and Google, have different approaches. Both are brilliant as they have been able to undermine the dinosaur in the room, Microsoft, who has been in everyone's school, office and home since the beginning of home computing. Apple and Google fans alike should be applauding their collective success rather than bickering at each other, many times, with little or no facts to back their statements. Can't we all just get along and criticize the real "enemy" here?  So, is the war over?  Of course not.  Only time will tell who gets the crown and who languishes behind.  Windows Mobile, Firefox Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, Nokia Asha, Sailfish, Bada, Grid, Mer, S40, Brew, SHR, Symbian, WebOS, and Tizen are still all fighting for a breakthrough that will launch them into international fame.  And there are plenty that love the underdog... So the war is certainly not over, thankfully for us since we live off of the tech goodness of all of the above.

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Photo credit: http://www.callnerds.com/blog/apple-vs-android-the-war-over-the-future-of-music     Tags:  android, apple, iphone, iOS, OS, WebOS, Symbian, Asha, Google, Google Android, Samsung Galaxy, Apple iPhone, iOS 6, iOS 7, iOS vs Android, Android vs iOS, Google vs Apple, Apple 7, keylime pie, keylime, jellybean, jelly bean, android 4.2.2, android 4.3, smartphone wars, smartphones, smartphone