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...of the available small platforms, I think that the iOS platform is clearly the best. We're keeping our eyes on the Android market; we'll be freeing up our fi

by cletus 16y ago

...of the available small platforms, I think that the iOS platform is clearly the best. We're keeping our eyes on the Android market; we'll be freeing up our first application internally on that pretty soon, but there's a lot of things with how the distribution platform works and the diversity of the platforms that you have to target, where things are still much, much nicer on the iOS world." Carmack isn't a fanboy you can easily dismiss and in gaming he is a heavyweight. This just goes to prove a point vie made several times: iOS's future is assured by virtue of gaming. This is something Android will have a much harder time with and Sony/Nintendo better watch out.

matwood 16y ago
It probably has something to do with what the Angry Bird developers blogged about the other day - fragmentation. They are having to make a 'lighter' version of the game for many of the Android phones. The iPhone is susceptible to a similar problem with the 3G/GS/4 out there currently, but seemed a lot easier to support than what the rovio guys have said about Android.
- ergo98 16y ago
  The low end of Android -- particularly in the GPU realm -- is much lower on low-end Android devices. An iPhone 3 decimates a Dream/Magic, for instance. There are new Android devices coming out that still don't hold a match to the original iPhone. That isn't fragmentation. It's disturbing hearing it described as that. It's consumer choice. Really Android needs a "gaming index", similar to the reality that some PCs -- just like some Macs -- are really shitty for gameplay, whereas others are high-end superstars, the devices in the Android market should have clear rankings. The Nexus One, for instance, has a terrible GPU. The Galaxy S is a good 3X faster or more.
  - ugh 16y ago
    Why are consumer choice and fragmentation contradictory? Can’t consumer choice cause fragmentation?
    - cletus 16y ago
      I agree with you and would go further: consumer choice and fragmentation go hand-in-hand. As much as some chafe against the "Jobsian" world of Apple products, Steve makes many choices for you and most of those choices are right for most people most of the time. That's about the best you can do. I'm reminded of a classic Joel post "Controlling your environment makes you happy" [1] (which, in my opinion, is one of the most important things ever written on UI/UX), particularly the section on "Choices" [2]: "But wait!" you say. "It's important to have options for advanced users who want to tweak their environments!" In reality, it's not as important as you think ... Every time you provide an option, you're asking the user to make a decision. Lots of comparisons are made between iOS and Android. It's important to understand that they're fundamentally different. iOS is a brand. Android is a commodity, arguably even a philosophy. Give someone who has used an iDevice any other iDevice and they know what to do. Give someone who has a Samsung Galaxy S an HTC Evo and they'll likely be somewhat lost. I would go so far as to say as people buying an iPhone are buying an iPhone; people buying an Android phone are buying a phone (or, in some cases, they're not buying an iPhone). Anyway, the fragmentation problem with Android isn't really about the UI. It's about the hardware. I've heard from multiple sources that OpenGL is just a nightmare on Android because of allt he different GPUs. Some have different strengths and weaknesses to others and different idiosyncrasies. My personal belief is that Android handset manufacturers are participating in seppuku. Their interests are different to those of Google. Android handset makers (and carriers!) want to differentiate themselves somehow. That's a big part of your fragmentation problem right there. They don't want to be interchangeable (and, in the carrier's case, just dumb pipes). Google wants to commoditize the mobile platform. And they're succeeding. But with ever-cheapning hardware costs, all the handset makers are doing is racing each other to the bottom. [1]: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.html http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.... [2]: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000059.html http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000059....
      - ergo98 16y ago
        As much as some chafe against the "Jobsian" world of Apple products, Steve makes many choices for you and most of those choices are right for most people most of the time. That's about the best you can do. Couldn't disagree more. I like keyboards on my smartphones, and GPUs fall low on the scale of needs: I use it mostly for productive or professional use. For a lot of smartphone buyers, Rage graphics just don't matter. I would go so far as to say as people buying an iPhone are buying an iPhone; people buying an Android phone are buying a phone (or, in some cases, they're not buying an iPhone). People buying an Android are buying a Smartphone. No they aren't buying a brand or some sort of ridiculous personal identity. As a smartphone the Android devices are a bang up option. My personal belief is that Android handset manufacturers are participating in seppuku. You mean the makers who have seen the platform's sales increase 1200%+ since January? I would say the metrics would say that you are completely off the mark.
alphabeat 16y ago
> but there's a lot of things with how the distribution platform works I wonder if the former is about Android's lack of DRM.
- pmjordan 16y ago
  Many paid iOS apps are pirated, even crappy ones. My impression is that Android app distribution introduces far more friction than the iOS App Store, for both consumers and developers.

by cletus 16y ago

matwood 16y ago

It probably has something to do with what the Angry Bird developers blogged about the other day - fragmentation. They are having to make a 'lighter' version of the game for many of the Android phones. The iPhone is susceptible to a similar problem with the 3G/GS/4 out there currently, but seemed a lot easier to support than what the rovio guys have said about Android.

ergo98 16y ago
The low end of Android -- particularly in the GPU realm -- is much lower on low-end Android devices. An iPhone 3 decimates a Dream/Magic, for instance. There are new Android devices coming out that still don't hold a match to the original iPhone. That isn't fragmentation. It's disturbing hearing it described as that. It's consumer choice. Really Android needs a "gaming index", similar to the reality that some PCs -- just like some Macs -- are really shitty for gameplay, whereas others are high-end superstars, the devices in the Android market should have clear rankings. The Nexus One, for instance, has a terrible GPU. The Galaxy S is a good 3X faster or more.
- ugh 16y ago
  Why are consumer choice and fragmentation contradictory? Can’t consumer choice cause fragmentation?
  - cletus 16y ago
    I agree with you and would go further: consumer choice and fragmentation go hand-in-hand. As much as some chafe against the "Jobsian" world of Apple products, Steve makes many choices for you and most of those choices are right for most people most of the time. That's about the best you can do. I'm reminded of a classic Joel post "Controlling your environment makes you happy" [1] (which, in my opinion, is one of the most important things ever written on UI/UX), particularly the section on "Choices" [2]: "But wait!" you say. "It's important to have options for advanced users who want to tweak their environments!" In reality, it's not as important as you think ... Every time you provide an option, you're asking the user to make a decision. Lots of comparisons are made between iOS and Android. It's important to understand that they're fundamentally different. iOS is a brand. Android is a commodity, arguably even a philosophy. Give someone who has used an iDevice any other iDevice and they know what to do. Give someone who has a Samsung Galaxy S an HTC Evo and they'll likely be somewhat lost. I would go so far as to say as people buying an iPhone are buying an iPhone; people buying an Android phone are buying a phone (or, in some cases, they're not buying an iPhone). Anyway, the fragmentation problem with Android isn't really about the UI. It's about the hardware. I've heard from multiple sources that OpenGL is just a nightmare on Android because of allt he different GPUs. Some have different strengths and weaknesses to others and different idiosyncrasies. My personal belief is that Android handset manufacturers are participating in seppuku. Their interests are different to those of Google. Android handset makers (and carriers!) want to differentiate themselves somehow. That's a big part of your fragmentation problem right there. They don't want to be interchangeable (and, in the carrier's case, just dumb pipes). Google wants to commoditize the mobile platform. And they're succeeding. But with ever-cheapning hardware costs, all the handset makers are doing is racing each other to the bottom. [1]: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.html http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.... [2]: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000059.html http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000059....
    - ergo98 16y ago
      As much as some chafe against the "Jobsian" world of Apple products, Steve makes many choices for you and most of those choices are right for most people most of the time. That's about the best you can do. Couldn't disagree more. I like keyboards on my smartphones, and GPUs fall low on the scale of needs: I use it mostly for productive or professional use. For a lot of smartphone buyers, Rage graphics just don't matter. I would go so far as to say as people buying an iPhone are buying an iPhone; people buying an Android phone are buying a phone (or, in some cases, they're not buying an iPhone). People buying an Android are buying a Smartphone. No they aren't buying a brand or some sort of ridiculous personal identity. As a smartphone the Android devices are a bang up option. My personal belief is that Android handset manufacturers are participating in seppuku. You mean the makers who have seen the platform's sales increase 1200%+ since January? I would say the metrics would say that you are completely off the mark.

alphabeat 16y ago

> but there's a lot of things with how the distribution platform works I wonder if the former is about Android's lack of DRM.

pmjordan 16y ago
Many paid iOS apps are pirated, even crappy ones. My impression is that Android app distribution introduces far more friction than the iOS App Store, for both consumers and developers.