When it comes to electronics, there seems to be a division and a very definite preference between Apple and Android devices.
Does it even matter what the brand name is?
Market results indicate that Apple makes money on hardware while Google, which leads the way with Droid products, does not. Now this may not matter unless you are an investor, in which case you will see that even though Apple has a smaller market share it gains revenue on every iPhone and iPad it sells. Google does not.
That’s all well and good, but what makes the preference personal, and more importantly, what are the pros using?
When it comes to design, Brianna Woods, a sophomore theater and communication arts major, said her Apple product makes her feel like she’s “in the future.”
When it comes to speed, Mike Banda, a biology major, said, “I like my Droid because it is simple to work and it is faster than grease lighting.”
If you are using your smartphone or tablet to help you find a movie, check on sports or make a reservation at a restaurant, then Apple does the job with Siri – the virtual assistant.
But Droid devices are more personal with the assistance they give you – they will check your appointments and alert you to the next event on your schedule.
Apple maps aren’t pedestrian-friendly because they have no current app to accommodate them, which is a big disappointment for Apple users.
3-D maps are now part of the Google feature that also provides users with directions when they are offline.
If you like to take pictures then Apple is probably going to get your attention on this platform. The Apple product calibrates the camera with software so they are able to work together much better than the Google product.
How about sharing photos? The Apple shared photo stream permits you to share only the photo you want, like a version of Instagram.
The Android Beam allows the sending of videos and photos in nearly any type of file. If your device supports the NFC capabilities, you are boundless.
“You can sum up Beam as this: it’s a feature that enables just about any type of proximity-based interaction,” Google told “HowStuffWorks.”
Browsers are important, as well as the storing of files and docs in a “cloud” file. Both Apple Safari and Google Chrome are able to sync your saved files and favorites, and save web pages for offline reading.
Your busy day may require you to get up-to-the-minute notifications, in which case the Google product works better, according to Steve Kovach of “Business Insider.”
“Google’s Notifications are awesome,” Kovach said. “It gives us quick and easy access to brightness, airplane mode, Bluetooth, data usage and pretty much everything else we care about.
“Apple’s Notification Center on the other hand is just a hub for missed alerts. The feature we use the most is weather. Even with iOS 6’s new social additions, Notification Center is still pretty boring.”
Apple dominates when it comes to apps, and there seems to be little debate over that. Although a recent upgrade of Google’s app selection has made it better, it is no competition to the Apple products.
The Guided Access feature – which makes it easier for people with vision, hearing and other disabilities to use the products – is another advantage of iPhone.
The newest addition to the Droid, Jellybean, allows blind users to navigate the operating system through touch gestures as well as spoken commands. Still, Jellybean doesn’t have as many options for users with disabilities as Apple.
Conference calls or just one-to-one interactions are made friendly with the Google+ feature. This feature enables the user to have contact with up to nine people at a time. The Apple FaceTime feature is not as popular, neither is it as widely utilized.
Scott Heavy of Getty Images said, “Google wanted to drastically improve the performance throughout the system and for the most part they achieved that. Apple has polished its operating system and added a lot of nifty features, but it is still struggling to keep up with Android.”
In the Apple-Droid debate, it comes down to how much you want to spend and what area you don’t mind sacrificing.
