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yawn The same arguments haven been repeated for years. But let's talk briefly about "The Present". Considering the bulk of major new iOS features that Android

yawn The same arguments haven been repeated for years. But let's talk briefly about "The Present". Considering the bulk of major new iOS features that Android had long before, (multitasking, drop-down notifications, cloud sync etc), the Android "Present" is always a few steps ahead and some of us like it that way. This isn't something iOS fans seemingly have a very hard time understanding. I can't wait until iOS gets voice actions/input and navigation. We won't hear the end of how incredibly new and innovative iOS is.

gks 15y ago
the voice actions/input you mention will likely go well beyond what Android currently offers. This is one of the things that most Android users seem to neglect understanding. Sure, iOS didn't get Copy and Paste first, nor did it get Multi-tasking first. But, what it did do (arguably) is take those two things and make them a lot more useful than the equivalent on Android. By arguably I am mostly discussing Multi-tasking, as the differences in opinion here vary person to person. Some people like the fact that Android can multi-task to the end of the earth, but dislike the fact battery issues become a real problem. Meanwhile other users are content giving up some of their multi-tasking freedom for better battery life. The same is going to be true of voice input on iOS. From the sounds of it, it will go well above and beyond what Android offers. The simple fact that the rumors (again, these could be wrong as we all know, so I'm speculating) indicate the iPhone 4S/5 are required for processing and ram reasons seem to tell us that the voice input part COULD be done entirely within iOS, not requiring the internet unless looking up internet enabled services (table reservation, weather, etc). The same is true of the "drop-down notifications" you mention. Sure, Android had it first. I don't think anyone has said otherwise. But the way they implemented it is a lot better. One, the notifications (if you want) pop up on the main lock screen. Swipe the app icon from left to right and it takes you to that notification. No need to unlock, swipe the menu at the top, click the notification. The ability to remove a single apps notifications from the tray as opposed to clearing all is another nice addition. The ability to determine which applications show up in the notification tray. If you choose, some apps can be pop-up dialog boxes like they are in iOS4, some can be just numbers near the app icon, while some can be in the notification tray. I don't see that in Android. Again, maybe some "skin" on top of Android can do these things, but that is half the problem not all Android devices will have these features. Sure, most of the people that argue Android is so awesome have no problem rooting and fiddling with their devices, but that will prevent mass market adoption if one of these features becomes a big deal right? Generally iOS provides a much better experience for users. There are some ways that Android is better, some ways that iOS is better. I don't think there's really anything wrong with that. But Android users seem to be so damn hell-bent on being better, "oh but Android is activating more devices" blah blah blah. Why can't everyone just shut the hell up and use what works for them instead of being dicks about it? Civil discussions are great, I think the original article for this story was a pretty civil discussion. Meanwhile, the hacker news discussion gets all pissy with people mindlessly arguing that their preferred OS is better. This I think is something you have a hard time understanding, sir.
- martythemaniak 15y ago
  So in reply to an article about how only "The Present" matters, you spend half your post extolling the virtues of iOS's superior voice controls, which don't exist Also note, you're telling us Android fans are dicks in response to an article that recycles the same old "Android sucks, haha" crap we've been reading around here for years. I guess the irony of your post is lost on you.
  - AshFurrow 15y ago
    Mmmhmm ... I actually wrote what I thought was a fair article describing the current state of Android vs. iOS and ended with a call for Android to become awesome enough for me to switch. That's not "Android sucks, haha."
- gte910h 15y ago
  >nor did it get Multi-tasking first. Actually, multi-tasking of some sort always was an OS feature (not just enabled by default). The first program I wrote on my iPhone was a python server uptime notifier which ran in the background. Multitasking as we know it now was enabled for anyone who wished to jailbreak before android was released at all, as announced on tech crunch. That's not the same as a baked in feature, then again, 90% of the stuff HN people talk about android doing are people who run rooted android for one reason or another.
AshFurrow 15y ago
>>> the Android "Present" is always a few steps ahead and some of us like it that way. Ah, that explains Android's clear and longtime dominance over iOS in the smartphone market, then.
- tomjen3 15y ago
  Iphone was first, so there is still some catching up to do but in terms of raw numbers more phones are sold with Android on them than iPhones. But hey, Diesel jeans doesn't have to be good to sell. They just have to have Diesel on them.
  - AshFurrow 15y ago
    Right ... the tired argument that people only buy Apple products because of marketing. It couldn't be that consumers feel like it's a better product, could it?
    - tomjen3 15y ago
      That isn't really the question though. Why do they feel it is a better product? It has much better integration with iTunes (the reason I keep my iPod around?), but that is about the only superior thing I can come up with.
      - AshFurrow 15y ago
        I didn't say it was a better product - I said it's because consumers feel it's a better product (implicitly, a better product for them). I don't want one smartphone to rule them all; I want a smartphone that suits my needs. I'm often frustrated by Android fans who accuse me of buying an iPhone just because of the brand. An iPhone suits my needs better so that's what I bought. If Android was the best option for me, I would have bought one of those.

gks 15y ago

the voice actions/input you mention will likely go well beyond what Android currently offers. This is one of the things that most Android users seem to neglect understanding. Sure, iOS didn't get Copy and Paste first, nor did it get Multi-tasking first. But, what it did do (arguably) is take those two things and make them a lot more useful than the equivalent on Android. By arguably I am mostly discussing Multi-tasking, as the differences in opinion here vary person to person. Some people like the fact that Android can multi-task to the end of the earth, but dislike the fact battery issues become a real problem. Meanwhile other users are content giving up some of their multi-tasking freedom for better battery life. The same is going to be true of voice input on iOS. From the sounds of it, it will go well above and beyond what Android offers. The simple fact that the rumors (again, these could be wrong as we all know, so I'm speculating) indicate the iPhone 4S/5 are required for processing and ram reasons seem to tell us that the voice input part COULD be done entirely within iOS, not requiring the internet unless looking up internet enabled services (table reservation, weather, etc). The same is true of the "drop-down notifications" you mention. Sure, Android had it first. I don't think anyone has said otherwise. But the way they implemented it is a lot better. One, the notifications (if you want) pop up on the main lock screen. Swipe the app icon from left to right and it takes you to that notification. No need to unlock, swipe the menu at the top, click the notification. The ability to remove a single apps notifications from the tray as opposed to clearing all is another nice addition. The ability to determine which applications show up in the notification tray. If you choose, some apps can be pop-up dialog boxes like they are in iOS4, some can be just numbers near the app icon, while some can be in the notification tray. I don't see that in Android. Again, maybe some "skin" on top of Android can do these things, but that is half the problem not all Android devices will have these features. Sure, most of the people that argue Android is so awesome have no problem rooting and fiddling with their devices, but that will prevent mass market adoption if one of these features becomes a big deal right? Generally iOS provides a much better experience for users. There are some ways that Android is better, some ways that iOS is better. I don't think there's really anything wrong with that. But Android users seem to be so damn hell-bent on being better, "oh but Android is activating more devices" blah blah blah. Why can't everyone just shut the hell up and use what works for them instead of being dicks about it? Civil discussions are great, I think the original article for this story was a pretty civil discussion. Meanwhile, the hacker news discussion gets all pissy with people mindlessly arguing that their preferred OS is better. This I think is something you have a hard time understanding, sir.

martythemaniak 15y ago
So in reply to an article about how only "The Present" matters, you spend half your post extolling the virtues of iOS's superior voice controls, which don't exist Also note, you're telling us Android fans are dicks in response to an article that recycles the same old "Android sucks, haha" crap we've been reading around here for years. I guess the irony of your post is lost on you.
- AshFurrow 15y ago
  Mmmhmm ... I actually wrote what I thought was a fair article describing the current state of Android vs. iOS and ended with a call for Android to become awesome enough for me to switch. That's not "Android sucks, haha."
gte910h 15y ago
>nor did it get Multi-tasking first. Actually, multi-tasking of some sort always was an OS feature (not just enabled by default). The first program I wrote on my iPhone was a python server uptime notifier which ran in the background. Multitasking as we know it now was enabled for anyone who wished to jailbreak before android was released at all, as announced on tech crunch. That's not the same as a baked in feature, then again, 90% of the stuff HN people talk about android doing are people who run rooted android for one reason or another.

AshFurrow 15y ago

>>> the Android "Present" is always a few steps ahead and some of us like it that way. Ah, that explains Android's clear and longtime dominance over iOS in the smartphone market, then.

tomjen3 15y ago
Iphone was first, so there is still some catching up to do but in terms of raw numbers more phones are sold with Android on them than iPhones. But hey, Diesel jeans doesn't have to be good to sell. They just have to have Diesel on them.
- AshFurrow 15y ago
  Right ... the tired argument that people only buy Apple products because of marketing. It couldn't be that consumers feel like it's a better product, could it?
  - tomjen3 15y ago
    That isn't really the question though. Why do they feel it is a better product? It has much better integration with iTunes (the reason I keep my iPod around?), but that is about the only superior thing I can come up with.
    - AshFurrow 15y ago
      I didn't say it was a better product - I said it's because consumers feel it's a better product (implicitly, a better product for them). I don't want one smartphone to rule them all; I want a smartphone that suits my needs. I'm often frustrated by Android fans who accuse me of buying an iPhone just because of the brand. An iPhone suits my needs better so that's what I bought. If Android was the best option for me, I would have bought one of those.