The unveiling of the best: WattMag_PH - October Issue

The Smartphone App Wars

The Smartphone App Wars

Topic: Clash of Apple and Android

By: ViolaCutie

Android KitKat 4.4 and iOS 7 have been doing battle for close to a year - and the next iterations are expected to be released in to the public this autumn, probably September or October.

Which upcoming operating system for mobile devices offers the best feature set? Is it Apple's iOS 8 or Google's Android L? What is clear is that both operating systems will make their respective devices more functional, but in quite different ways.

Apple gave iOS a major refresh in the previous major update to the iOS operating system. In iOS 7, Apple moved away from a realistic design, known as skeuomorphic, to a new design known as 'flat'. There is a new style keyboard coming in iOS 8, and new shortcuts to the people you interact with most on the multitasking window, but on the whole Apple made all the big visual changes already.

Android L, on the other hand, introduces a new whole look that Google is calling Material Design. This new style moves closer to the space vacated by Apple (which abandoned realistic design for a layered approach). Material design is somewhere between the flat, layered style used in iOS 7 and the skeuomorphic design used in iOS 6 and earlier.

Material Design has a layered approach to interface elements (like iOS). But introduces other elements from the previous design like shadows, gradients and tiles that slide over one another. Google is going to make the design elements available to developers so they can easily incorporate the same style in their apps.

When it comes to notifications, in Android L, you'll find new, enhanced notifications. You'll be able to get them on your lock screen, and they'll be automatically ordered in priority. You can swipe them away if you want to dismiss them, or double tap to open the relevant app.

Similarly, notifications have improved in iOS 8. They're now interactive, so you'll be able to reply to text messages, accept calendar invitations, snooze reminders and even Like Facebook statuses you're tagged in without even having to leave the app you're in. You can already swipe them to automatically go to the relevant app, but you can't swipe to dismiss them.

"Apple has the ability to drive replacement cycles in mature markets despite the slower growth seen in recent quarters," the company said. Apple also has the means and resources to encourage higher-end sales.

On Android, Ryan Reith, DC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker Program Director, offered: "The support that Google's Android platform has received from over 150 handset manufacturers has allowed it to gain the share it has in emerging markets."

So which is better? Google Android or Apple iOS?