Android VS iOS 7
Apple has given us a taste of their newest operating system for their mobile devices, such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod. While Apple
totes it as being one of the biggest game changers in their history
since the introduction of the iPhone back in 2007, it has definitely
taken some pages out of the playbook of Android. Here's a comparison between the two operating systems as they stand today.
UI design
iOS 7 offered the first major change in the design of iOS since its
inception, opting for a cleaner, more modern look with flatter icons,
and a big emphasis on translucency. Apple has also chosen an
ultra-saturated palette of colors that you'll either love or hate. The
overall design is refreshing, yet still familiar, a difficult feat that
Apple has managed to pull off.
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean offers a darker, moodier user interface, with
black the predominant background, white text using the familiar Roboto
font, and accents of blue. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean offers the consistent
Holo UI, which has been heralded for its modern look.
Interface
Android’s interface has utilised a similar look and feel since
version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (and to an extent 3.0 Honeycomb) which
was introduced by Mathias Duarte. This comprises a black notifications
bar and black or grey menu backgrounds, but the rest of the interface
elements are largely either translucent, white or cyan throughout and
use Google’s unique Roboto font. Google’s app icons use a very
simplified art style, similar to vector art with bold, flat colours and
some selective highlights and shading in some places.
Overall it’s very clean, cohesive and minimalist, which I rather like.
I wouldn’t be the first to suggest that with iOS 7, Apple has taken
some ‘inspiration’ from Android for the new look. Admittedly though, in
some ways it has gone one better. The top bar is no longer black and is
now transparent, rather like Google’s persistent search bar widget. It
actually looks nicer than Google’s black bar in my view.
The app bar at the bottom is no longer a reflective ‘pane’ for the
apps to sit on and is instead another translucent section and this is
distinctly different from Android – which doesn’t have a bar and simply
features a grey dividing line.
Apple has revamped folders in iOS 7 which can now be packed full of
app shortcuts and scrolled through. However, I don’t find the
implementation as compelling as Android’s system. In iOS 7, tapping on a
folder zooms you in on it and takes you, effectively, to a whole new
homescreen. For me, this isn’t what folders are about and I think
Android’s system where the folder expands over part of the screen as a
temporary overlay is much better.
Apple’s app icons have been tweaked in a similar fashion to Google’s
with that ‘flatter’ aesthetic which was rumoured. They still have
gradient colours but there’s less shadowing, less gloss and everything
is generally much more simplified. Text is also flatter with no
shadowing underneath.
While it’s fair to say that Android has its share of bright and
clashing colours I think Apple has taken it to a whole new level and
there’s something very retina-searing about iOS 7’s colour scheme which,
to me, sits at odds with that theme of soft white text and translucent
menu elements. This was calling out for a more nuanced palette, in my
opinion.
Multitasking
Multitasking has been completely overhauled on iOS 7 but to say it
takes a leaf out of Android’s book is an understatement. It’s pretty
much a wholesale copycat affair, complete with a scrollable carousel of
active app preview panels of the kind we’ve seen since Honeycomb 3.0
and, importantly, the same ‘swipe-to-close’ gesture Android has been
using since version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
It scrolls side-to-side in ‘portrait’ orientation (similar to Windows
Phone 8, in fact) and the swipe to close is upwards, as opposed to
Android’s up-and-down carousel and swipe to the side to close, but for
all intents and purposes it’s the same setup with a slightly different
skin (ie: Apple’s new ‘everything is translucent’ approach).
I really love Android’s multitasking so I have mixed feelings on the
subject. On the one hand, it’s great to see that I can get that same
interaction style elsewhere, but on the other: this isn’t the only way
multitasking could’ve been implemented, as BlackBerry 10 proved. In
fact, BlackBerry 10 has largely convinced me there are better approaches
than Android. There is more than one way to multitask well.
As a result, Apple’s straight-up burglary is pretty shameful on all
fronts –it’s blatant copying and is both unimaginative and unoriginal
where the firm had a chance to show its creativity.
Notifications
Both iOS 7’s and Android’s notifications centres drop down from the top bar with a swipe gesture.
With Android you have a black background which you can just about see
app icons behind. The clock appears bigger than in the closed bar and
shifts to the left-hand side while a toggle on the right corner lets you
switch back and forth Quick Settings menu. Individual notifications
appear in little boxes and can be swiped away to dismiss.
On iOS 7 you have a translucent background, the top bar remains as it
is on the homescreen and there are three categories at the top for
‘Today’, ‘All’ and ‘Missed’. Notifications appear as a continuous stream
only separated by a small icon and text showing what app they’re
relevant to, such as ‘Calendar’, for example.
Conclusion
Media buffs will love Apple's new and improved iOS 7 platform for it
is designed for entertainment and ease of use, specially with its
AirDrop and Air Play functionalities and iRadio, Music and Safari apps.
On the other hand, BB 10 is a dream come true for those who like to
consolidate both work and play on a single device. With an ever growing
database of apps, convenient gesture controls, functional widgets and BB
Balance, one can maintain a personal and a professional life on one's
handset - while keeping them independent of each other.
However, the competition isn't over till Key Lime Pie is up and
running. It's hard to say for sure what Android will have on offer with
its new OS but if Project Butter and Google Now are anything to go by,
Key Lime Pie promises to be easy, breezy and oh-so-convenient to use.
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