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> Google may have released these features into the wild faster than Apple, but when iOS6 launches this summer and then passes the Android 4.0 install base in wh

> Google may have released these features into the wild faster than Apple, but when iOS6 launches this summer and then passes the Android 4.0 install base in what, 2 weeks, there will then be more Apple users using these features than Android users That's incorrect. All of the features announced in ios 6 (and ios 5) are catching up with features available to android 2.3 users. Pointing out that ICS only runs on 7% of devices while ios 5 runs on 80% is fun marketing games. But technically, that's like comparing apples to robots. Google has updated their apps slowly over time, as they're being developed, for devices with old OS version. While apple waits for these big announcements for the big marketing show. So android users will always be getting the fresh new features before ios users. Some of those android users with newer features will be running android 2.3. Why are we even bringing up the OS version when comparing features available to older OS versions? (For example, you don't need to upgrade to android 4.0 to upgrade the Google Play Store app to the latest version. Which has all these social integration such "your friend has liked this app". Which is a brand new feature on ios, that android 2.3 users have already been enjoying for quite a while.)

taligent 14y ago
> Pointing out that ICS only runs on 7% of devices while ios 5 runs on 80% is fun marketing games. How is this fun, marketing games ? It is a fact.
- myko 14y ago
  It's fun marketing games as it is irrelevant, these features have been on Android since 2.3 so that's where the comparison should be.
  - clarky07 14y ago
    Certainly all the features consumers want aren't on 2.3. The latest and greatest android is 4.x and it has lots of nice features. 5.0 will be out soon with more good features. Even if 2.3 was amazingly awesome and way better than anything else available, 20% of Android is still on 2.2.
    - myko 14y ago
      We're talking about features recently introduced by iOS, not features introduced by ICS.
      - betterth 14y ago
        If there is anything as good as Siri in 2.3, I can't say I've ever seen an Android wielding friend use it. Maps was a unique case: They were paying the price of having partnered with Google in the beginning. A steep price to pay, but ultimately their solution is quite elegant. The combination of 3d+yelp+inhouse traffic is almost an all-in-one replacement of what Google provides. I guess we saw the beginning of that with Siri + Yelp already. But you're right, Apple has some catch up to do. But more so than I ever I feel that owning an Apple device isn't just a device, but it's buying into entire ecosystem. I'm digging their conservative, metered approach to rolling out features. I like the consistent, timely updates that the userbase is adopting in mass, reliably. No one can deny that this is a good groove they've got: yearly updates with occasional feature updates that 70%+ of their userbase is adopting. It reminds me of the update model that Chrome and now Firefox use.
        myko 14y ago
        Voice commands have been in Android for a long time (2.2?). They're not quite as smart as Siri (natural language processing, witty responses), though in my personal experience far more accurate (maybe that's because my phone has been trained to my voice over time and when I've seen Siri in action it's usually someone who just got the 4S).

taligent 14y ago

> Pointing out that ICS only runs on 7% of devices while ios 5 runs on 80% is fun marketing games. How is this fun, marketing games ? It is a fact.

myko 14y ago
It's fun marketing games as it is irrelevant, these features have been on Android since 2.3 so that's where the comparison should be.
- clarky07 14y ago
  Certainly all the features consumers want aren't on 2.3. The latest and greatest android is 4.x and it has lots of nice features. 5.0 will be out soon with more good features. Even if 2.3 was amazingly awesome and way better than anything else available, 20% of Android is still on 2.2.
  - myko 14y ago
    We're talking about features recently introduced by iOS, not features introduced by ICS.
    - betterth 14y ago
      If there is anything as good as Siri in 2.3, I can't say I've ever seen an Android wielding friend use it. Maps was a unique case: They were paying the price of having partnered with Google in the beginning. A steep price to pay, but ultimately their solution is quite elegant. The combination of 3d+yelp+inhouse traffic is almost an all-in-one replacement of what Google provides. I guess we saw the beginning of that with Siri + Yelp already. But you're right, Apple has some catch up to do. But more so than I ever I feel that owning an Apple device isn't just a device, but it's buying into entire ecosystem. I'm digging their conservative, metered approach to rolling out features. I like the consistent, timely updates that the userbase is adopting in mass, reliably. No one can deny that this is a good groove they've got: yearly updates with occasional feature updates that 70%+ of their userbase is adopting. It reminds me of the update model that Chrome and now Firefox use.
      - myko 14y ago
        Voice commands have been in Android for a long time (2.2?). They're not quite as smart as Siri (natural language processing, witty responses), though in my personal experience far more accurate (maybe that's because my phone has been trained to my voice over time and when I've seen Siri in action it's usually someone who just got the 4S).