BOTI

Why the iphone scares me (but Android doesn’t)

I’ll preface this with the fact that I haven’t used either the iphone (well apart from 2 minutes) or the Android platform, this is purely based on my thoughts from the wealth of information available on both subjects

From a specification point of view the iphone in it’s current form is nothing special, in-fact almost everything it does has been done before by other phones for years

What is special about the iphone is the user interface and usability, in fact from what I have seen on the web and my brief 2 Min’s with the device, it is light years ahead of any other device I have seen

Apart from the coolness factor I believe this has allot to do with the success of the iphone, the UI and usability just makes sense to the way humans would use a device, compare this to something like the Nokia series 60 platform or Microsoft Pocket PC and it’s clear to see that the iphone comes out trumps.

What really really scares me about the iphone is the closed approach they have taken to the whole thing, here are just a few points to consider

• Apple have gone with the one operator in each region approach, effectively locking out customers from other operators using the device without the risky “jail break” procedure and voiding their warranty
• Locking down legitimate purchase of music, video’s and other content to itunes only
• Closed approach to third party applications by only allowing Apple “approved” applications to be offered and installed on the device through the iphone developer programme

Possibly what scares me the most is the idea that sometime in the near future, legions of drones will be walking around with iphones, everyone using the same hardware, same software and all with access to the same content and applications. I can’t think of anything more boring or mediocre

Now take Googles Android, a totally open platform for mobile phones without any of the above mentioned restrictions, in-fact Android will be offered free to device manufacturers with total freedom to add or remove functionality as they see fit.

 A few points on Android ( first 2 points taken directly from the Android  homepage)

• Open! Android allows you (developers) to access core mobile device functionality through standard API calls.
• Android does not differentiate between the phone’s basic and third-party applications — even the dialer or home screen can be replaced.
• No restrictions on what hardware can be offered
• No restrictions on what third party content is available on the devices
• Completely customizable, no two devices running Android need to be alike

A world full of Android devices doesn’t scare me at all, in-fact it has the opposite effect, a world where device manufacturers and application developers have a standard platform and set of API’s to create truly innovative and varied devices and applications gives me hope for the future of the mobile industry.

On the other-hand Apples restrictive and closed approach in my opinion can only hurt both innovation in the mobile industry and customers availability of choice in the future.