Android stirs up as much heated discussion as a political debate on healthcare or the economy.
You can talk market share, accessories,ease of use, and functionality but there's an entirely different reason that people are so invested in this debate.
Smartphones have become such an integral part of our lives that they've become more than accessories. In fact, many people sleep with their smartphones, and nobody likes to hear about someone insulting their bedmate.
But at the same time, people also vote with their wallets, and Android is undeniably winning the market share battle, if not the profits per smartphone battle. So which is better?
Mark Cuban, Chairman of HDNet and owner of the Dallas Mavericks
"With Android I get to choose from many different products from many different phone manufacturers. With iOS, I get what Apple gives me. Which isn't necessarily bad, but it's not always the best fit for my personal or business communication needs."
Glenn Beck, CEO of Mercury Radio Arts
?Apple might not love me, but I love Apple.?
Peter Rojas, co-founder of gdgt, co-founder of Engadget and Gizmodo
"I think both platforms are great -- I use both every single day -- but for my primary phone I use a Galaxy Nexus.
Why?
Because while iOS might be more elegant, easy-to-use, and have a better overall selection of apps, Android does a better job at the things I care about most, like Gmail and Google Voice, plus I can install aftermarket keyboards like SwiftKey which have greatly improved my typing speed.
Ultimately each person has their own mix of what's important to them, and what's great about the gadget space now is that we have so much choice and we can all find what's right for us (this is why we started gdgt, actually)."
Also, don't miss Peter's brilliant and in-depth treatise, "
Ben Lerer, co-founder of Thrillist, JackThreads, Lerer Ventures
?I'm personally long on both iPhone and Android. I think the visual capabilities of the iphone, the awesomeness of the iTunes product and Apple's superior positioning will keep it relevant for a very long time, but the growth numbers for Android can't be ignored.
Mobile, in general, is very, very, very, very exciting and will continue to be for the forseeable future. Long live Android AND iPhone.?
Aaron Levie, CEO and co-founder of Box.net
"I believe there's plenty of market for each; we're talking about an ecosystem that is going to support billions of devices, so a competitive landscape is good for consumers, developers, and the platforms alike.
Apple brings a smooth elegance to its devices and platform, with the best marketplace experience to boot. Google brings a higher volume of devices as well as a more diverse ecosystem to interact with.
The real story here is that Microsoft is nowhere to be seen, ending a two-decade monopoly and creating biggest opportunity for software startups probably ever."
Brooke Hammerling, founder of BrewPR
?So I am a two device girl and will be for the foreseeable future. I see my iPhone/Blackberry Bold as a mullet - Business in the front, party in the back.
While I actually need both devices for work as many of our clients have apps that are specific to the iPhone or Droid, the iPhone is just a much more entertaining device. However, as funny as the typos can be, it's not funny when I send a seemingly inappropriate email/text to a client or colleague which happens more often than not when using my iPhone.
The Blackberry is awesome at two things: email and BBM. Nothing else beats those two features, but the rest of the device sucks. I am most interested in which company will be in 3rd place. Everyone knows it is iPhone/Droid in the 1 and 2 but looking at #3 fascinates me. Windows Phones are ones to watch while I see Blackberry trying to hold on. Unless they change miraculously overnight, it won?t be a long term contender. If someone can give me Seamless Web, Fruit *****, Words with Friends, Instagram and all my other favorite services and combine it with an amazing workhorse/keyboard I am IN.?
Zephrin Lasker, CEO and co-founder of mobile ad company Pontiflex.
?iOS is like a carefully curated art gallery (closed, elegant and spare). Steve Jobs aimed for Apple's products to be works of art. Apple believes (as most artists do) that it's the creator's job to show people what they should want.
This is a closed and elitist worldview that has sometimes limited Apple's growth, but keeps the quality of their products very high and very consistent.
Android is a noisy, bustling craftshop with lots of workers banging out new products (open, dynamic, colorful). Larry and Sergey are driven by the power of open communities and information sharing as ways to create new solutions to complex problems.
Google believes that if you give users the tools to create, then they will make things that are useful. This is a more democratic philosophy that explains their hypergrowth and also the less consistent user experience of Android.newfrog.com
You can talk market share, accessories,ease of use, and functionality but there's an entirely different reason that people are so invested in this debate.
Smartphones have become such an integral part of our lives that they've become more than accessories. In fact, many people sleep with their smartphones, and nobody likes to hear about someone insulting their bedmate.
But at the same time, people also vote with their wallets, and Android is undeniably winning the market share battle, if not the profits per smartphone battle. So which is better?
Mark Cuban, Chairman of HDNet and owner of the Dallas Mavericks
"With Android I get to choose from many different products from many different phone manufacturers. With iOS, I get what Apple gives me. Which isn't necessarily bad, but it's not always the best fit for my personal or business communication needs."
Glenn Beck, CEO of Mercury Radio Arts
?Apple might not love me, but I love Apple.?
Peter Rojas, co-founder of gdgt, co-founder of Engadget and Gizmodo
"I think both platforms are great -- I use both every single day -- but for my primary phone I use a Galaxy Nexus.
Why?
Because while iOS might be more elegant, easy-to-use, and have a better overall selection of apps, Android does a better job at the things I care about most, like Gmail and Google Voice, plus I can install aftermarket keyboards like SwiftKey which have greatly improved my typing speed.
Ultimately each person has their own mix of what's important to them, and what's great about the gadget space now is that we have so much choice and we can all find what's right for us (this is why we started gdgt, actually)."
Also, don't miss Peter's brilliant and in-depth treatise, "
Ben Lerer, co-founder of Thrillist, JackThreads, Lerer Ventures
?I'm personally long on both iPhone and Android. I think the visual capabilities of the iphone, the awesomeness of the iTunes product and Apple's superior positioning will keep it relevant for a very long time, but the growth numbers for Android can't be ignored.
Mobile, in general, is very, very, very, very exciting and will continue to be for the forseeable future. Long live Android AND iPhone.?
Aaron Levie, CEO and co-founder of Box.net
"I believe there's plenty of market for each; we're talking about an ecosystem that is going to support billions of devices, so a competitive landscape is good for consumers, developers, and the platforms alike.
Apple brings a smooth elegance to its devices and platform, with the best marketplace experience to boot. Google brings a higher volume of devices as well as a more diverse ecosystem to interact with.
The real story here is that Microsoft is nowhere to be seen, ending a two-decade monopoly and creating biggest opportunity for software startups probably ever."
Brooke Hammerling, founder of BrewPR
?So I am a two device girl and will be for the foreseeable future. I see my iPhone/Blackberry Bold as a mullet - Business in the front, party in the back.
While I actually need both devices for work as many of our clients have apps that are specific to the iPhone or Droid, the iPhone is just a much more entertaining device. However, as funny as the typos can be, it's not funny when I send a seemingly inappropriate email/text to a client or colleague which happens more often than not when using my iPhone.
The Blackberry is awesome at two things: email and BBM. Nothing else beats those two features, but the rest of the device sucks. I am most interested in which company will be in 3rd place. Everyone knows it is iPhone/Droid in the 1 and 2 but looking at #3 fascinates me. Windows Phones are ones to watch while I see Blackberry trying to hold on. Unless they change miraculously overnight, it won?t be a long term contender. If someone can give me Seamless Web, Fruit *****, Words with Friends, Instagram and all my other favorite services and combine it with an amazing workhorse/keyboard I am IN.?
Zephrin Lasker, CEO and co-founder of mobile ad company Pontiflex.
?iOS is like a carefully curated art gallery (closed, elegant and spare). Steve Jobs aimed for Apple's products to be works of art. Apple believes (as most artists do) that it's the creator's job to show people what they should want.
This is a closed and elitist worldview that has sometimes limited Apple's growth, but keeps the quality of their products very high and very consistent.
Android is a noisy, bustling craftshop with lots of workers banging out new products (open, dynamic, colorful). Larry and Sergey are driven by the power of open communities and information sharing as ways to create new solutions to complex problems.
Google believes that if you give users the tools to create, then they will make things that are useful. This is a more democratic philosophy that explains their hypergrowth and also the less consistent user experience of Android.newfrog.com
