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Most popular mobile OS in the world is the underdog?

by codq 4y ago

metadat 4y ago
In terms of UX and mindshare, Android is the underdog.
- sergers 4y ago
  Subjective opinion. My wife won't switch to iOS device due to UX in iOS
  - metadat 4y ago
    Neither will mine, but not for any rational reason. She's just an Android Freak.
  - nikau 4y ago
    I find the supposed iphone simplicity argument fascinating. I had to help a family member open a PDF file of a ticket sent via email on an iphone. It was opened via webmail in safari, it just downloaded the file, that was it. No way to open it. No way to find the downloads from Safari. Eventually I figured out how to drag down from the home screen, search for downloads, scroll down a bit, then found the downloads folder with the file inside it to open it. Contrast to android where it downloads the file, then offers to open it. The whole "iphone is easier to use" seems like a bit of a myth.
    - gpt5 4y ago
      I don't disagree that iOS handles downloaded files terribly (Safari does notify you when your file is downloading/finished, but in a very subtle way by adding a download icon navigation bar). However, using an anecdote of an uncommon use case being bad hardly supports the conclusion of your last sentence.
      - tomrod 4y ago
        Opening downloaded PDFs is uncommon?
        elondaits 4y ago
        iOS Safari opens PDFs directly. It's a file format with native support. I don't know why the OP had to do those steps, as that never happened to me... maybe the site hosting the PDF informed the wrong MIME Content type, so the file was downloaded as a generic "binary" file.
        lultimouomo 4y ago
        Content-Disposition: attachment.
      - 8note 4y ago
        I'd expect uncommon cases to be where UX simplicity and expected behaviour is the most important? That's when you actually have to guess about what's happening. If the UX falls apart whens you leave the 3 most common patterns, your thing isn't easy to use
        gpt5 4y ago
        Maybe if you look at uncommon use cases collectively, but not when you just take a single uncommon example (a pdf file with forced download via Content-Disposition: attachment) and extrapolate it to the entire OS.
      - TulliusCicero 4y ago
        Almost any kind of file management where you need to do something other than use a file created within the app itself is a pain in iOS compared to Android. At least, it was historically, I know more recently iOS has gotten better with exposing the file system to consumers. I really don't think this is an "uncommon use case", people do download files and stuff all the time, people wanna move their files around too.
    - wiseowise 4y ago
      You open Files and you see Downloads folder. Consistent across OS and devices. Explain to your family member how they have to learn new patterns because Samsung has different file manager than Pixel. Also explain Linux directory structure to them, while you’re at it.
      - nikau 4y ago
        You don't need to go to the file manager on a Samsung, it just opens in the default PDF viewer if you have selected one, or pops up list of PDF viewing apps if you have more than one installed and haven't chosen a default.
      - forgotpwd16 4y ago
        Linux directory structure doesn't even apply to Android. Hell, you can't even access / without root.
- codq 4y ago
  They seem to spar off each other. Apple is notorious for hanging back and refining new tech, Android is faster to innovate, ship, and iterate. They’ve both got their pros and cons, innovations and derivatives. Neither are really ‘underdogs’.
  - metadat 4y ago
    I hesitantly disagree; the only thing better about Android in my experience is the Samsung Camera AI makes pictures pop in a way which is unrealistic yet pleasing to the eye. Apple is the one pioneering features at this point, especially in the privacy space. Does Gartner cover this? If not, I wish they would do a quarterly feature matrix analysis. The Apple pics might not look as good, but the Apple camera app is far smoother than flagship Android and the Apple pictures look more realistic.
    - MBCook 4y ago
      I’m in the iPhone camp. Always have been. And I think Apple’s camera tech is better. That said, some of the stuff Google has pulled off with the Pixel cameras is very impressive. Like the ability to shoot simple astrophotography.
    - xtracto 4y ago
      Can you do wide selfies with apple phones?
  - MBCook 4y ago
    You could argue Apple is at 20% world wide market share, but they have the lion’s share of the high end market so that’s kind of disingenuous. Really I think the term “underdog” can only be applied to some individual Android manufacturers or any non-Android non-iOS based phone.
- MBCook 4y ago
  What makes something a UX underdog? I’ve never heard the term used that way. Mindshare, sure.

Most popular mobile OS in the world is the underdog?

by codq 4y ago

Most popular mobile OS in the world is the underdog?

metadat 4y ago

In terms of UX and mindshare, Android is the underdog.

sergers 4y ago
Subjective opinion. My wife won't switch to iOS device due to UX in iOS
- metadat 4y ago
  Neither will mine, but not for any rational reason. She's just an Android Freak.
- nikau 4y ago
  I find the supposed iphone simplicity argument fascinating. I had to help a family member open a PDF file of a ticket sent via email on an iphone. It was opened via webmail in safari, it just downloaded the file, that was it. No way to open it. No way to find the downloads from Safari. Eventually I figured out how to drag down from the home screen, search for downloads, scroll down a bit, then found the downloads folder with the file inside it to open it. Contrast to android where it downloads the file, then offers to open it. The whole "iphone is easier to use" seems like a bit of a myth.
  - gpt5 4y ago
    I don't disagree that iOS handles downloaded files terribly (Safari does notify you when your file is downloading/finished, but in a very subtle way by adding a download icon navigation bar). However, using an anecdote of an uncommon use case being bad hardly supports the conclusion of your last sentence.
    - tomrod 4y ago
      Opening downloaded PDFs is uncommon?
      - elondaits 4y ago
        iOS Safari opens PDFs directly. It's a file format with native support. I don't know why the OP had to do those steps, as that never happened to me... maybe the site hosting the PDF informed the wrong MIME Content type, so the file was downloaded as a generic "binary" file.
        lultimouomo 4y ago
        Content-Disposition: attachment.
    - 8note 4y ago
      I'd expect uncommon cases to be where UX simplicity and expected behaviour is the most important? That's when you actually have to guess about what's happening. If the UX falls apart whens you leave the 3 most common patterns, your thing isn't easy to use
      - gpt5 4y ago
        Maybe if you look at uncommon use cases collectively, but not when you just take a single uncommon example (a pdf file with forced download via Content-Disposition: attachment) and extrapolate it to the entire OS.
    - TulliusCicero 4y ago
      Almost any kind of file management where you need to do something other than use a file created within the app itself is a pain in iOS compared to Android. At least, it was historically, I know more recently iOS has gotten better with exposing the file system to consumers. I really don't think this is an "uncommon use case", people do download files and stuff all the time, people wanna move their files around too.
  - wiseowise 4y ago
    You open Files and you see Downloads folder. Consistent across OS and devices. Explain to your family member how they have to learn new patterns because Samsung has different file manager than Pixel. Also explain Linux directory structure to them, while you’re at it.
    - nikau 4y ago
      You don't need to go to the file manager on a Samsung, it just opens in the default PDF viewer if you have selected one, or pops up list of PDF viewing apps if you have more than one installed and haven't chosen a default.
    - forgotpwd16 4y ago
      Linux directory structure doesn't even apply to Android. Hell, you can't even access / without root.
codq 4y ago
They seem to spar off each other. Apple is notorious for hanging back and refining new tech, Android is faster to innovate, ship, and iterate. They’ve both got their pros and cons, innovations and derivatives. Neither are really ‘underdogs’.
- metadat 4y ago
  I hesitantly disagree; the only thing better about Android in my experience is the Samsung Camera AI makes pictures pop in a way which is unrealistic yet pleasing to the eye. Apple is the one pioneering features at this point, especially in the privacy space. Does Gartner cover this? If not, I wish they would do a quarterly feature matrix analysis. The Apple pics might not look as good, but the Apple camera app is far smoother than flagship Android and the Apple pictures look more realistic.
  - MBCook 4y ago
    I’m in the iPhone camp. Always have been. And I think Apple’s camera tech is better. That said, some of the stuff Google has pulled off with the Pixel cameras is very impressive. Like the ability to shoot simple astrophotography.
  - xtracto 4y ago
    Can you do wide selfies with apple phones?
- MBCook 4y ago
  You could argue Apple is at 20% world wide market share, but they have the lion’s share of the high end market so that’s kind of disingenuous. Really I think the term “underdog” can only be applied to some individual Android manufacturers or any non-Android non-iOS based phone.
MBCook 4y ago
What makes something a UX underdog? I’ve never heard the term used that way. Mindshare, sure.