This is a great post by Danny Sullivan. For those of us caught up in the iOS vs. Android battle, it can be easy to lose sight of the simple, bigger picture.
Android may be “open” in the fact that other companies can use the source code and users who so desire (and know how) can root it. But from a pure consumer perspective, the Android phone ecosystem is often anything but open. It’s a huge fucking nightmare — as has been showcased once again by the release of Ice Cream Sandwich.
How weird is it that Google just released a new flagship OS and is going on and on about how great it is, but the vast majority of users have absolutely no access to it? Worse, most have absolutely no clue when — or if — they’ll ever have access to it. This sounds like pretty much the opposite of being “open” to me.
Even stranger, this even includes the devices given Google’s own stamp of approval. Writes Sullivan:
A great take on Android and Apple from MG…
MG
Android: el opio de las masas
addresses the debate
“Open” means I...choose among dozens...hardware...
Posted from my iPhone…
iOS vs Android
an extremely good point. I expected...control over my phone, like
my iPhone 4 getting Siri?
Good analysis.