Canalys: Android lacks the 'rigorously managed, high-quality, optimized' apps seen on Apple's iPad

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 83


    .

  • Reply 42 of 83
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    jragosta wrote: »
    ROTFLMAO. You've already been corrected once about audio apps.

    Eric theHalfBee was both polite and helpful enough to actually explain in detail a few posts back. Quite respectfully I might add. But thanks anyway.
  • Reply 43 of 83
    mhikl wrote: »
    There's a change in the winds on Apple reporting and in Apple stock of late and I firmly believe much of this has to do with the strong efforts of Mr Dilger. His analyses are being quoted on many sites, even the negative sites are taking note, and his work is bringing some great responses here on AI to which even the naysayers are finding difficulty in finding fault.

    New things are on the horizon and with the DED leading the charge, let the games begin.

    Oh dear... I have been considering abandoning AI forums because it appears that they are turning into a DED blog.

    I followed him for years on his roughly drafted blog...

    But I eventually left the site because of his biased reporting and demeaning anyone who disagreed with him.

    DED is pro-Apple to an unsupportable degree... and anti everything MS, Google, Sammy, et al.


    When DED sticks to the facts he often creates a reasoned, well-presented article (even if it tends to be verbose).


    Mostly, though, DED seems to be following an agenda: promoting everything Apple and slamming anything competitive. He cites prior articles written by himself to support the so-called "facts" he is presenting -- while ignoring or eliding contrary facts or points of view.


    Then when called on a point DED posts a rejoinder using a pseudonym "@corrections" -- reaffirming his "facts" and often demeaning the poster.

    It is my understanding that participants in an AI forum are allowed a single user ID -- I don't understand why DED is allowed this special privilege.


    FWIW, I have my own pro-Apple, anti-MS, Google, Sammy biases -- but I try not to let that color my reasoning (aside from jerking one's chain for fun).

    Dick Applebaum
  • Reply 44 of 83
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    tzeshan wrote: »
    I think a fair and easy comparison is how many top 100 apps are optimized for 'both' smartphone and tablet on each platform.  Dow any one know the numbers?

    It's in the thread link I provided earlier today. Here it is again for those that missed it the first time.
    http://www.canalys.com/download/tablet_apps.pdf
  • Reply 45 of 83
    Android apps will all self adapt for phone, tablet and Android laptops. So why don't Ipad apps do the same?

    Because the design requirements are different -- an application must be rethought to exploit the difference in screen size, device capabilities, etc. between a phone and a tablet.

    Resizing a phone app to display the same info on a larger screen doesn't cut it!
  • Reply 46 of 83
    nagromme wrote: »
    Android apps will all self adapt for phone, tablet and Android laptops. So why don't Ipad apps do the same?

    They do--it's called Universal apps. And iOS 7 has even more tools for developers to use in auto-adapting.

    Apple doesn't REQUIRE all apps be Universal, which is a sensible bone to throw developers, especially when a given app's function is really best suited to either pocket or tablet format alone. But they do clearly promote those apps that are, and the result is a success: better tablet apps than what you have on Android.

    It's true that if you're stuck running a phone-only app on an iPad, it doesn't adapt nicely--but you're not likely to need to phone-only apps much on iPad.

    As for they "all self adapt" on Android that's the common trap of pretending a list of features is the same as delivered reality. Bullet-point marketing. "Non-Apple product does X." With no regard for whether it does it well.

    The question to ask is, why do so many apps on Android tablets just act like stretched smartphone apps, far inferior (as seen in the images above) to real tablet-optimized quality apps? Well, Google has a fragmentation problem with screen format (far smaller than the fragmentation problem with OS versions and hardware vendor overlay, but a problem). How to partly solve that for developers? Auto-stretching is certainly sensible. It works--but it works poorly.

    iPad users shouldn't be bragging about iPhone-specific 2x apps. And Android users shouldn't be bragging about auto-adapted phone-style apps either!

    mhikl wrote: »
    There's a change in the winds on Apple reporting and in Apple stock of late and I firmly believe much of this has to do with the strong efforts of Mr Dilger. His analyses are being quoted on many sites, even the negative sites are taking note, and his work is bringing some great responses here on AI to which even the naysayers are finding difficulty in finding fault.


    New things are on the horizon and with the DED leading the charge, let the games begin.
    I can defend Apple better than I can defend DED... he does some awesome research and legwork, lays the details out neatly and thoroughly, and makes excellent points. I think him for that contribution. But far too often, he also hurts his own case (and makes us all look bad) by stretching too far, assuming too much, or going for the laugh when the facts are more nuanced. He's not always a fanboy, but the needle swings too far that way, too often, and his credibility would be so much better without those lapses.
     
    A "best of DED" compilation is devastating to the mindless parroting of anti-Apple nonsense. A "worst of" is, sadly, nonsense of its own! (This article isn't really at either extreme.)

    That said, much of the obviously false anti-Apple nonsense that gets repeated around the web and even mainstream media is on a whole other level! DED can be proud not to stoop to that level... I just wish he wouldn't stoop at all.

    Hear! Hear! Well said on all points!
  • Reply 47 of 83
    soloman wrote: »
    Easy to do when all the apps are just made for the phone and plopped down everywhere else.

    Note: iOS apps have done this since the very VERY beginning.

    Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't they have to be updated first to include the iPad's resolution?

    No! 2X is a System function!
  • Reply 48 of 83
    The real question for Apple over the long term is will this lead in app quality continue or just drop off once Android products become ubiquitous? I am not sure, but I suspect that the same drive for the lowest possible price is forcing Android tablets in particular to be much weaker substitutes for general purpose computing. I am currently getting a new computer system for my restaurant POS that is based upon the iPad. Breadcrum POS is owned by Groupon and it comes PCI Compliant out of the box. I would definitely be much more hesitant to use an android solution here. There are business quality apps on android, but the question is do these work well enough? My Lowes supplied installer who put in our screen door said yes that it works, but he sure didn't sound enthusiastic about how it works. Apple's real supporting structure under everything is a real world class OS under the hood that runs everything. This is why the Apps are more secure, easier to write and much easier to keep free of creeping rot.

    The reason I am switching from my current POS is it is full of creehping rot from it's original incarnation as a Windows 95 application. Apple has turned the greatest strength of Wintel and even open source against themselves. Creeping rot does not go away if backwards compatibility of software and hardware is supported. Apple has used a strong Unix base and a willingness to drop support for hardware over 6 years old to kill the rot. This greatly reduces the total cost of ownership which shows up in Brand strength over the long haul. I think this is the answer that makes the most sense, not that Apple is some kind of Cult or religion. YVMV

    This is the kind of post that proves the worth of "discussion forums" on the web.

    It is succinct and well reasoned.

    Your point: "Apple has turned the greatest strength of Wintel and even open source against themselves" -- has made me stop and think about Wintel and Open Source deficiencies -- from another perspective.

    I never thought about them that way, but the seeds of their destruction are built-in to their offerings!

    No way can Intel or Microsoft abandon compatibility with the past -- it's an anchor holding back all their products.

    As for open-source -- it becomes "rule by committee" and rises only to the level of the lowest common denominator.

    By their very nature, they cannot make giant leaps forward -- or be nimble adding features or upgrades.!
  • Reply 49 of 83

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by wakefinance View Post


     


    How about the calendar widget on my homescreen?  It shows me an agenda as a scrollable list for the next week.  This can be found within the calendar app itself, of course, but I like to keep my calendar in single-day view, which means that, after one tap to enter the app, I have to tap on the view drop-down menu and tap on agenda view.  Then when I'm done I have to tap on the view drop-down and go back to single-day mode.  Plus I when I tap on an event in the widget, it launches the summary for that event instead of just launching the calendar or even the agenda view.


     


    Or how about the widget that lets me turn on and off various radios and adjust brightness?  That was an incredible time saver before quick controls were built into Android.  Before the quick controls, I would have had to go into settings, tap into whatever setting category I needed, and then change the setting.


     


    Then there is the current weather and a three-day forecast widget courtesy of WeatherBug.  It saves me a tap or two to launch the app and check the weather.


     


    And then there's the widget on my lockscreen that activates the flashlight.  Illumination is a swipe and a tap away, and I don't even have to unlock my phone.  Plus if I have the light on for longer than the standard screen time-out, the phone turns off the screen as soon as I turn off the flashlight.  It's really convenient.  This one will be duplicated by the control panel on iOS.


     


    I almost forgot the static search bar on stock Android.  I'm only one tap away from searching my device and the web.  Apple is also duplicating this one with the swipe down functionality coming with the redesign.


     


    None of these widgets are life-changing, but their presence makes information and actions that much more accessible.



     


    The drop-down notification bar shows me events for the day and I can scroll through them or look at upcoming days. Tapping an event takes me straight to that event within the calendar App itself. Radios & settings are now handled by Control Centre as is the flashlight (you already mentioned these).


     


    Weather? Notification drop down also has a summary for me. Beyond this (or just looking out my window) I have no need for a forecast in my day-to-day life. I boat regularly and rely heavily on weather forecasts along with waves/tides. A widget is useless for this since I need detailed information when I plan to go somewhere where weather is a factor in what I do.


     


    I seems like everything widgets are useful for are handled nicely by either Control Center or Notifications. Like you said "None of these widgets are life-changing". Which is ironic since widgets are one of the biggest "features" Android users are always yapping about - like they make-or-break your device. Not so.

  • Reply 50 of 83
    droidftwdroidftw Posts: 1,009member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by EricTheHalfBee View Post


     


    The drop-down notification bar shows me events for the day and I can scroll through them or look at upcoming days. Tapping an event takes me straight to that event within the calendar App itself. Radios & settings are now handled by Control Centre as is the flashlight (you already mentioned these).


     


    Weather? Notification drop down also has a summary for me. Beyond this (or just looking out my window) I have no need for a forecast in my day-to-day life. I boat regularly and rely heavily on weather forecasts along with waves/tides. A widget is useless for this since I need detailed information when I plan to go somewhere where weather is a factor in what I do.


     


    I seems like everything widgets are useful for are handled nicely by either Control Center or Notifications. Like you said "None of these widgets are life-changing". Which is ironic since widgets are one of the biggest "features" Android users are always yapping about - like they make-or-break your device. Not so.



     


    Just like a notification center or quick settings, widgets aren't deal breakers.  However, once iOS gets them and people use them for awhile they will surely appreciate them and won't want to go back to not having the option.

  • Reply 51 of 83
    d4njvrzfd4njvrzf Posts: 797member


    [Mods: delete this]

  • Reply 52 of 83
    stniukstniuk Posts: 90member
    Why is there not many apps for Android?
    In a word piracy.
  • Reply 53 of 83


    What would your apps be?

  • Reply 54 of 83


    That is not true...and Android has figured out a way to do it with great success...Obviously you are not familiar with it. But just because not every app has instituted their design recommendations doesn't make your statement true. 

  • Reply 55 of 83
    mhiklmhikl Posts: 471member

    FWIW, I have my own pro-Apple, anti-MS, Google, Sammy biases -- but I try not to let that color my reasoning (aside from jerking one's chain for fun).

    Dick Applebaum

    Dick, you are an honest man. And in an honest world you would be a king. Just one example played out many times. The Buddhist does not fight and in the end may be the better person for it. But in this, their homelands were devoured. The top of India, Afganistan, and surrounding countries, SouthnEast Asia, Tibet to name from historical times and recent. Sir Lanka might be the first and only instance where in desperation these people have stood their grounds. Today they know the history of their brethren. And today we live in a world where war is a tradition of honour.

    Apple is under attack, not in the normal progress of business of recent past. Now the onslaught is waged in much more nefarious ways with media deception, paid trolls and economic interests that never before played such a role.

    As a Buddhiat I am proud of our history but with sadness and understanding. Apple fellows come in many kinds and those who choose the sacred role, more power to them. Those, like DED, their role also has means and purpose for they are not willing to lie down and die; they burnish the pen and fight the good fight with like intense in these times where the pen must meet the deceiver. And with the pen comes as much heart as with the soldiers weapon.

    I wonder, would you, do you spend as much time fighting your good cause where Apple Haters and paid trolls do their muschief. We know what laying down of arms means. They do not get to write the history books.
  • Reply 56 of 83
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    Oh dear... I have been considering abandoning AI forums because it appears that they are turning into a DED blog.

    I followed him for years on his roughly drafted blog...

    But I eventually left the site because of his biased reporting and demeaning anyone who disagreed with him.

    DED is pro-Apple to an unsupportable degree... and anti everything MS, Google, Sammy, et al.


    When DED sticks to the facts he often creates a reasoned, well-presented article (even if it tends to be verbose).


    Mostly, though, DED seems to be following an agenda: promoting everything Apple and slamming anything competitive. He cites prior articles written by himself to support the so-called "facts" he is presenting -- while ignoring or eliding contrary facts or points of view.


    Then when called on a point DED posts a rejoinder using a pseudonym "@corrections" -- reaffirming his "facts" and often demeaning the poster.

    It is my understanding that participants in an AI forum are allowed a single user ID -- I don't understand why DED is allowed this special privilege.


    FWIW, I have my own pro-Apple, anti-MS, Google, Sammy biases -- but I try not to let that color my reasoning (aside from jerking one's chain for fun).

    Dick Applebaum

    I wouldn't want to suggest you look at things any differently, just offer another perspective.

    I think how much slack you give DED depends on your own level of moral outrage. For example, you say you have anti-MS, Google and Sammy biases. I would say these are logically justified moral positions, not biases.

    Samsung cheats by poisoning the public's perception of Apple and HTC products, proven in the case of HTC, suspected with reason in the case of Apple. Their commercials are ageist cultural warfare against Apple. (Apple was careful to make the PC lovable, but they were guilty of Jobsian cultural war with the lemmings ad.) Samsung cheats by copying, and by using a stolen free operating system. Google undermines real effort in operating systems by giving away a stolen inferior product that poisons the mobile sphere generally, the way Microsoft has done with poisoning the PC technosphere with incompetent, bloated crapware for decades, to say nothing of their efforts to kill off rival competent systems like QuickTime and Netscape.

    There's no room or time to treat these companies as morally equivalent competitors. They are enemies, out to subvert Apple (though Microsoft not so much anymore). This is a moment in technological and business history where we're faced with choosing between clashing systems. Will we stick with the same corrupt, exploitive, planned-obsolesence-driven schlock consumer tech practices that have plagued capitalism as practiced in rapacious cultures for many decades now, or will we choose to "ethicize" our technology and introduce care for the user as the guiding principle, instead of merely the making of money?

    I think Dilger, Gruber, Elmer-DeWitt, Dediu and a few others are writing from that position, which is a mistake to call a pro-Apple bias. In other contexts, it's called being on the right side of history.

    So I overlook any of DED's plasticity with his material. I like it when he rides out to Nevada to see what the graders are doing behind the chainlink fence, because on the weekends, Siri is still too busy to "take any requests right now." Apple needs to build data centers all around the world, and put up a few satellites too. They got a lot of work to do, and here's Android nickel and diming them with schlock attacks. Shameful. No punches should be pulled, in my view.
  • Reply 57 of 83

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by d4NjvRzf View Post


    I think the comments about the iPhone being an "App Launcher" refer to the fact that android allows third-party software to integrate more seamlessly with the overall system.


     


    iOS treats each app as its own (mostly) isolated experience. Because facilities for inter-app communication are rather limited, the iOS user sometimes has to jump through hoops to perform tasks that use services from more than one app -- for example, when attaching a document to a reply email.


     


    Apps on android are comprised of functional units called "activities" which can provide services to each other, even when they come from different apps. For example, when the user wants to attach a document to an email, the gmail app can launch the google drive file picker, which will then return the chosen file to gmail. The user can then continue composing the message. As a result, android feels more like a unified system with various capabilities rather than a springboard for various third-party apps.



     


    Apple has opened up iOS7 to accomplish much of what you mention above. Once iOS7 is released, most of the existing apps are ready to take full advantage of the improved communication between apps. In addition, multitasking will be vasty improved. 


     


    I appreciate Apple erring on the side of caution when it comes to how apps can affect battery life and user experience, even though it does make Apple iDevices look less capable in some ways.

  • Reply 58 of 83
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mhikl View Post



    image

    Nagromme, I understand and truly sympathize with your sense of fairness. I suffer image that gene, as well. However, I've become disillusioned with the lack of objectivity in reporting on Apple, possibly done by the unscrupulous to gain more site visits. There must be money in this and money, for some, trumps integrity. ...


     


    I hear you--I can see room I the dialog for extreme statements, be they for humor of outrage, and I enjoy them myself! I make them, too.


     


    (I'd just rather that stuff didn't mix in with the detailed fact-based reporting, because it diminishes some good, reasoned points, and makes those points easier for people to dismiss. John Gruber is accused of being a biased fanboy, but you'll almost never find him crossing the line away from reason and evidence, and when he does, he calls himself on it. At the same time, he doesn't dig up detailed facts and history and lay them out visually in the way DED does. I'm definitely glad to have DED's perspective and details, and follow his writing despite the grain of salt!)


     


    And I definitely agree that a lot of the Apple misinformation and negative narratives (fire Tim Cook! Microsoft is the winner over Apple, so Google will be too!) are motivated by money! And then the FUD is repeated by emotion-driven multitudes who hate Apple without any real supportable reasons at all. (Some are my friends--it's fascinating!)


     


    A small minority with half-hidden greed motivations, manipulating masses using trumped-up emotional issues instead of reason and evidence? One could draw a parallel with American politics, but I won't go there image


     


    P.S. Extremists set the center point. If one side of any divide is deceptive and unreasonable and wrong, and the other side is rational and correct, then the "moderate middle" viewpoint--the allegedly "open-minded" and mainstream viewpoint, is one that's half wrong! And in the media, we have this weird thing now of "presenting both sides equally" even when one side is true and the other is a lie--which is a misunderstanding of a very good principle.


     


    So, maybe it's better to have extremists to dismiss on both sides, so the perceived middle stance can be well-reasoned! (Unfortunately, in the case of Apple--as in politics if I were to go there—the extremism tends to be more on the wrong side, and the center point is badly skewed. Example: Android IS better for some users with very specific goals--but for the vast majority iOS is clearly the better choice, whether they get to try both and know that or not. The narrative, then, is one of two "equal" choices to weigh, when the reality should be more like the narrative of Linux vs Mac or even Windows: few would say Linux is a bad thing that should go away, but few would deny that it's the lesser choice for most computer users.)

  • Reply 59 of 83
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    mhikl wrote: »
    . . . I'm just thankful that we have a few good men like this man on our side. I've seen sites, good Apple sites, lose honest Apple viewers, to the destruction of good argument, when taken over by Haters whose sole objective is the undermining of any arguments that support Apple's position. The MacObserver, for example, had a particularly nasty troll who was clever, informed and devious enough that he had the editors acquiescing on minor points as he nitpicked the site to harm such that the editors supported him when he was 'attacked', even questioned by less abled site members. In my opinion, when heart is lost, a grave injustice is done. That is when I had my turnaround. That is why I support the DED to the good, the honourable fight. He may approach the line and let a toe venture to the other side, but so what!. He is right and those who spiel lies and deception for their tired tirades trust the fire be returned . . .

    Yup.
  • Reply 60 of 83


    Do you all hear yourselves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG, I can't believe the holier than thou-war cry-pseudoreligiosity crap that is on this page! Just WOW! image And I thought Android fanboys were bad...

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