Is Android Really "Open" And Does It Really Matter?

Andy
Andy Posts: 1,127
via Wordpress in iPhoneHacks.com
imageIs Android Really "Open" And Does It Really Matter?

Apple CEO Steve Jobs created quite a controversy during the company's quarterly conference call by questioning the openness of the Android operating system. In his lengthy tirade against Android, Jobs criticized the Google model of creating a fragmented platform and noted that Apple's integrated platform was the better bet in...

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  • Wolverinemarky
    Wolverinemarky Posts: 518
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    i guess we will see the power of googles "open' system when the iphone goes to verizon. it doesnt really matter to me i prefer ios and many of my friends do too but they bought android cause they had verizon. all of them plan on upgrading to the iphone as soon as its available

  • Android
    Android Posts: 11
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    I still support Android

  • maaseja
    maaseja Posts: 15
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    I'm no developer but I already have a idea of a app I want to develop (even if I don't know how) that's not in the AppStore (I don't know about android market). As far as I know apple gives developers all the tools to work with, on android I gues you have to figure it all out by you're self. Just look at Market vs AppStore, who got most apps.

  • Fyta
    Fyta Posts: 29
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    Its not hard to set up. Google shows you everything you need. Eclipse, which is an open source development platform, and you code in Java. Google gives you the Eclipse plugin for doing Android development and emulator. So, it's not difficult.

  • H8TRDOSITHRT
    H8TRDOSITHRT Posts: 0
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    i work at Verizon....and honestly, droid phones F' up A LOT. Complete garbage.

  • iPhone
    iPhone Posts: 104
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    just wait until the iphone is on multiple carriers like it is in the rest of the world. I mean look at the other countries where these two devices are competing in, iOS kills Android hands down. The same will happen here when iPhone is multi-carrier. It is halarious to see how Google was at first copying RIM and trying to beat the Blackberry market when they first started their program. If you dont believe me, then go google their beta devises. They all look like blackberrys with the same type screen and little plastic keypads. Iphone is announced in 2007, and WAMMMM Android all of a sudden changes shape and form right in front of us. Now it looks like a knockoff of iPhone. People forget the history.

  • iam mato
    iam mato Posts: 8
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    i own apple products, imac and almost all of it accessories and of course iphone... I love apple products. but one thing I hate is jobs arrogance. it just shows in his words, and the way he laughs an evil grin.... if you read manga "bleach"... i can visualize jobs as AIZEN... master of brainwashing

  • T
    T Posts: 71
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    Note sure what Barnard means when he says "freedom". Isn't this the freedom that made Hewitt walk out on Facebook? As for only releasing the code for major updates Im sure it's for business purposes. They still have to remain competitive which wouldn't be possible if they release every new feature to the public as they develop.
    Anyways, Android Market is still growing. Give them time to mature. It took a year for the AppStore to launch and when it first did it wasn't much. But look at it now. If Android is not your cup of tea then that's fine but there is not need to dismiss it. It's this competition that keeps Apple on thier toes.

  • Steve
    Steve Posts: 326
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    Can't watch bleach anymore. It's too inconsistent and makes no sense. But Steve just likes to get on his competitors nerves. To say 7 inch tablets are dead on arrival is shameful to say the least especially coming from a CEO. How many people thought an "oversized" itouch would be a succes?

  • xxxx
    xxxx Posts: 0
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    I feel that the true potentiality of an open-source platform such as android is still vastly underutilized in today's market. Unfortunately, the current status quo is dominated by retards that only care about squeezing every infinitesimal iota of "profit" from whatever closed-source code that they can manufacture. Indeed, a system such as "ios" shouldn't even properly be called a "system" at all, since it offers zero practicality to the end user that only cares about the viable utility of whatever it is that the user wants. In fact, android does have the capability to become such a platform, but until companies, such as google, begin to firmly grasp the full potency of this medium, there will be no concrete progress in any foreseeable direction. I recommend that developers focus on what a system "can" do and not on what others do not "want" it to do. There are many examples of these matters. For example, the idiotic "decision" to forbid flash support for the "ios platform" was a supremely stupid and retarded action. In effect, this nullified the impetus of the "iphone movement," in the first please. This is why developers, and end users, must search for a more liberal and variegated source to concentrate their efforts. The obvious choice is android, because it is based on an open system which facilitates this further evolution. So, therefore, we must anticipate the future continuation of applications that corroborate this conclusion.

  • xxxx
    xxxx Posts: 0
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    In effect, this nullified the impetus of the "iphone movement," in the first place.

  • iam mato
    iam mato Posts: 8
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    yeah me too. i stopped watching and reading bleach but I continued last night reading 50 of its manga... and everything is explained there... the pointlessness.. its just connected and if you continue reading ull understand why everything happened from the start.. well again, this is no place to discuss this. LOL

  • iam mato
    iam mato Posts: 8
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    yeah, I agree with what you said... its just an iTouch. I also hate it when people flaunt ipad like "hello everyone I own the coolest gadget in town" while walking... taking so much space on crowded place esp in trains... they look like... oh... nevermind.. dont wanna hurt their feelings

  • Steve jobs
    Steve jobs Posts: 57
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    boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

  • me
    me Posts: 220
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    HD2 Running Froyo 2.2 FTW!!

    It will triple boot Windows Phone 7, Android 3.0, Ubuntu, Windows mOBILE 6.5 SOON ENOUGH

    My iPhone is collecting dust now.

    aNDROID FOREVER

  • Steven M
    Steven M Posts: 114
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    For my PC, I prefer windows and having more control over my system. For my phone however, I want to know that I can trust my apps and OS to perform as they should. I love the iPhone because I don't have to worry about system requirements. It's a phone. I don't want to worry about matching hardware with operating systems and apps.

    Perfect analogy. I love console gaming because I know that when I buy an XBOX360 game, it will run on my console as it was intended and I will get the same experience as everyone else. I don't have to worry about a new game coming out that won't run as well because I don't have the latest hardware. It is so frustrating to build a bad ass PC and be impressed with how the games look just to have it be outdated in a few months when a new game comes out that requires better hardware for the best performance.

    This is how I view iOS vs Andriod. It's hard to performance tune an app when it will be running on many different devices with different hardware configurations. I like knowing that when I get an app from the Apple app store, it was designed and tested for my hardware and OS.

  • Steven M
    Steven M Posts: 114
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    While I'm here, I had to make a video for a class project at the University of Houston. We are graded on how many views we get. If you're bored and feel like helping me out, I'd appreciate it. You don't have to watch the whole thing, just enough to count the view. I'm not trying to spam or sell anything, just trying to get full points for my views. Thanks!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3syZ3lQwiE

  • cPhone
    cPhone Posts: 3
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    I agree with you completely. Excellent analogy.

    Fortunately however, Mircosoft/Sony don't release a new game console every year, whereas Apple does with iPhone.

    The performance of iOS4.X and some of the new apps on the 3G is terrible, clearly a ploy to get you upgrade. I'm sure iOS 5.X will cripple the 3GS next year....

    Reminds me of this webcomic: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apple

  • connect infosoft
    connect infosoft Posts: 1
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    Get hip to Apple's business strategies. There are a ton of signs, think about it

  • Shrivatsa
    Shrivatsa Posts: 97
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    Calling the iPad an oversized iPod Touch is like saying an 11.6" netbook is the same as a 17" laptop....hey they both run windows right? The screen real estate plays a HUGE role. Devs are beginning to tap into that in the AppStore. Although i am an Apple Fan, im not a fanboy. i can see the pros and cons of different systems, and i myself develop android apps in my free time (if thats any proof of my stance).

    for example, apps for taking notes...go ahead and offer it for the touch or iPhone..good luck getting anything out of it.

  • Steven M
    Steven M Posts: 114
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    I agree but at least each iPhone model gets 2 good years and a mediocre third year of support. I bought a 3G on release day. I bought a 3GS last year and gave my 3G to my brother. The 3G still performed just fine for him. When I got the 4 I gave him my 3GS. I typically upgrade every year. I know many others do too. In my opinion, anyone who is still using a 3G should be upgrading by now. Don't get me wrong, I know everyone can't afford to do that, but they usually lower the price of the previous model down to $100 which is a pretty good price.

    I don't expect everyone to shell out $200 - $300 every year. I just don't understand why anyone expects a smart phone to last 3 years or more. I don't mean physically either, just performance-wise.

    My main point was about iOS not having to worry about a new hardware configuration and device being released every few weeks. For something like a phone, I believe Apple's model works well. The app approval process could be a little more open, and they have loosened up a little lately, but overall I agree with Jobs on this issue.

  • TimW
    TimW Posts: 430
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    Long Post.....Sorry :-)
    Another view that seems to be missing from the arguments is that of the End User.
    People seem to forget that 90% of iOS users are just that, Users. They dont have the Knowledge/Inclination/Need to follow the developers route, they simply use the phone as a phone, the music/video capabilities to their needs and browse the net when needed.
    Many end users are happily dissapointed with their iDevices.
    They're aware that the Bluetooth won't file share. They know they can only tether it to a pc/mac to fill it with their music.
    They know that every app comes from the appstore, yet they (and we) still throw our money Apple for their latest creation.
    Apple's system is indeed a walled garden with all aspects controlled, ultimately, by Apple.
    After a while, people get bored with the same unthemeable screens, the fixed icon sizes and happily disheartened in general. I say happily because people 'know' exactly what to expect from their device, they 'know' there's no legitimate Apple method to mod stuff with, but happily because it's an iDevice which has been media hyped so madly that people believe they must have one or they won't fit in.
    In comparison to Apple's 'Rigid' iOS, Android is in itself, a user friendly Flexible system. Handsets are finally themeable. Multiple Wigets can update you of the latest news without having to open an app, Status bars can be modded, Layout can be modded, app install and uninstall is far quicker and Bluetooth actually (finally) works.
    Ok, the handset manufacturers are diverse in their creations, but they ALL start out with the BASE ELEMENT OS, then skin it their way.
    For Steve Jobs to say that Fragmentation is the issue, maybe he ought to look at Windows.
    How many pc manufacturers are there out there?? Do /they/ all use different hardware/circuitry??
    DO They ALL RUN the same BASE ELEMENT of Windows OS?? Is it fair to say that they dont all have issues with each others performance, functionality or circuitry?? DO they all function as they've been designed to do. Android is no different, it's an OS after all!!
    It's designed to run over multitudes of devices, Large screen, Huge screen and tiny screen.
    It's capable of this because it's just Software, and as we know it's Software that Runs the Hardware, Not the other way round.
    Apples iOS & iDevices using iOS have all been designed hand in hand, not iOS for Hardware or Hardware for iOS, they have been put together as they were designed together. Apples idevice & iOS is unique to itself, the Hardware is Useless without iOS and vice versa, Whereas Android itself can be run on a Phone, A Tablet Device and the PC your using to read this (maybe mac...not sure) (search for 'Android on your PC')
    Fragmented?? No
    Flexible?? Very much so

    Quite a few iDevice owning friends of mine have decided to ditch iOS and follow the Android route instead, none of them (or me) are dissapointed.
    In a way, i feel as though Apple have cheated me into thinking "There's an App for That" when, in reality, There really Isn't.


    **Above takes into account that 'We Know' about JailBreaking, but the Majority Doesn't, & I Refer to the Majority**

  • MikeTheInfidel
    MikeTheInfidel Posts: 0
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    And how many of those apps are clones, add-ons, or "points" for useless Zynga games?

  • cPhone
    cPhone Posts: 3
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    Ok, I see your point. I'm from Australia, and over here, most ppl get phones for "free" on two year contracts, as I did with the 3G two years ago. To upgrade to the 3GS was alot more expensive here, because you either have to break your contract with a year remaining, or buy the phone outright (both options cost around $900 to $1000).
    I upgraded to the iPhone 4 as soon as it was released here, but that was because my contract was up, so I just had to re-sign for 2 years. And my 3G was running like ratshit.

    But I do agree that its good that iOS doesn't have to worry about hardware configurations (for the most part).

    I think its great that Android is doing so well, its a threat to Apple, which forces them to re-innovate their designs and processes.

    Hopefully, Android will continue to become more iOS-like, and iOS will continue to become more droid-like.

    Go cougars! Haha

  • Tank
    Tank Posts: 12
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    How much releases do an android programmaer have to release to cover all the hardware layout? (resolution changes in phones, etc)

  • Steven M
    Steven M Posts: 114
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    Well said, and thanks for the view mate.