Discussion on:

Which is the superior mobile OS: iOS, Android, or Windows 8?

Seems to have a particular axe to grind with Android. I originally thought he had just drunk to deeply at the Fountain at the Temple of Steve Jobs - but his open mind toward Windows 8 speaks against that. In fact, his arguments against Anrdroid and in support of Windows 8 makes his view on Android make a little more sense. Many of the liabilities he points out for Android do actually exist. The question is how much of a problem those issues are. He seems to see them as significant. I think a summary of his opinion would be that iOS is the perfect mobile OS, Windows is a great touch-screen traditional OS, and Android is a compromise in the middle that suffers the worst aspects of both. That seems to be a "glass half full/empty" judgment call.

I think in some cases he repeats what he has heard about Android without first hand knowledge - but there is a lot of FUD out there and I blame technology bloggers for a lot of that. Android malware has gotten a ton of attention and in my experience seems rare and easy to avoid. Don't install fart-apps from unknown developers. Stability and battery time have improved tremendously. Web traffic from Android clients is increasing, more devices are moving to ICS and JB. On the flip side, I think he sees iOS through rose colored glasses. I think unless you stay well within Apple's walled garden things begin to go badly with iOS quickly. Don't install aftermarket iTunes library managers/organizers - they can trigger failed iOS updates. Many iOS users don't even bother with iOS updates anyhow - so that kind of undermines the argument that platform fracturing is that big of an issue to users. If their apps work and they're not going to get some significant new feature in the OS itself, users don't like to upgrade their OS.

The vast majority of my arguments against Android are through direct observation of Android users. Too many of those Android users where I live loved it when they first purchased it--citing most of all it's significantly lower price for all that it gave them the same perceived capabilities of iOS. However, in more than three years of watching these people I have only seen one iPhone user switch to Android while more than 70% of the Android users switched to iOS. Admittedly I'm working with a relatively small grouping as compared to regional or national numbers, but if it's happening here, I find it likely it's happening elsewhere. To be blunt, Samsung's Galaxy S3 is the first Android phone to really offer the quality hardware Android needed. No, that doesn't mean I'll switch but it's more because I don't see the Galaxy and Android offering enough difference to encourage a switch; Let's just say it's not superior enough.

I do have arguments against Windows 8, too; the same arguments I made against putting a full version of Windows on tablets 4 years ago when so many zealots claimed the iPad would fail and insisted they needed a full desktop environment. In short, once you get past that 'Modern' UI, the OS is still not touch-centric. While I acknowledge that a stylus does offer a more accurate 'mark' on a tablet screen, I agree with Steve Jobs that a stylus shouldn't be necessary simply to make the OS work. I also disagree that a mouse should even be necessary any more as pointing with your finger is far more intuitive and efficient than squiggling the mouse to find the pointer before dragging it to the place you want to click. I've seen how at least one of my clients has taken to touching the screen of her all-in-one Toshiba desktop to launch applications and files rather than hunting for the pointer in Windows 7.

That said, WP8/RT offer the same advantages to the Windows user that iOS offers to the OS X user--much more ready integration and synchronization; automatic rather than triggered. This isn't to say Android *can't* do these things, but the user has to configure them in Android. Consumers want the functionality to be automatic--they don't have time to waste trying to make things work the way they feel it should.

I won't deny some of my opinions are affected by postings on other tech blogs--but the ones I pay attention to are the reviews of hardware and software that don't show an obvious bias toward any given platform; I've seen strongly conflicting reviews even from the same publishers' bloggers whose prejudices are well known. Rose colored glasses? No. Realistic viewpoint based on a non-technical users' needs? Yes. My clients are not technical and I have to base my service and recommendations on what best meets their needs. I have already recommended Windows 8 to the client I mentioned above and will shortly recommend a new PC with Windows 8 to her husband, to whom I had previously recommended an iMac as he had an existing need for both Windows and OS X several years ago. The iMac's biggest advantage to him now is the huge screen at 24" as his eyesight is failing. If I could find a reasonably-priced large-screen Windows all-in-one for him and convince him he no longer needs OS X (the latter shouldn't be too difficult) she would more readily accept the upgrade to Windows 8 herself.

Apple's "walled garden"? To tell you the truth, I appreciate it. While I acknowledge that Android has significantly improved, iOS is still more secure. No malware attack has worked against non-jailbroken iOS devices yet where Android even now falls short of enterprise security needs. I think Google took too long to fix the problem as I am already reading reports of Windows 8 devices at work in boardrooms that Android has failed to penetrate. As I've said before, Android--more than iOS--needs to fear WP8/RT. Microsoft has seen that the walled garden works and I believe WP8/RT will grow in the same way Android grew--from a tiny seed to mighty tree in about 2-3 years. Android, unfortunately, is a pine tree--fast growing but easily cut down. I think Win8/RT will be more like an oak--growing more slowly but living longer.

Android continues to grow, though. If 3 out of 4 Android users were going to Apple when they were up to renew and 1 out of 8 Apple users was going to Android - that would reflect in the numbers, and it just isn't there.

I see more and more Apple users breaking ranks and defecting to Android, and far fewer jumping to iOS. The initial, "we're not locked into AT&T" bandwagon has settled.

Now granted, I see numbers that indicate that in polls, Apple users are more loyal and people considering their first smart-phone indicate a strong preference for Apple. I've seen those numbers too.

I always wonder why that is never reflected in the actual numbers.

Didn't the Galaxy SIII recently become... hold on...

http://www.techradar.com/us/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s3-is-worlds-best-selling-smartphone-1111067

There we go. Point is, that argues AGAINST your theory that Android numbers are inflated *solely* by low-end disposable Android sales.

As for Microsoft's approach - having a mobile with a point-and-click desktop that is not touch-centric seemed a strange choice to me, too. But the truth is, it is a BETTER approach for a certain kind of computing task than touch... or for certain ASPECTS of computing tasks.

Scrolling a document quickly up and down? Touch is better.

Highlighting text and cutting and pasting to insert in another document? Mouse and pointer.

Solely having a desktop interface prevents you from having access to mobile, touch-centric features. Solely having a mobile touch-centric interface limits your productivity. Why *not* have both?

Right now, in Windows 8... I tend to spend most of my time on the desktop. But it is quite possible that as the Windows 8 modern-UI market evolves, I'll find myself spending more time in Modern apps.

I think it is too early to know for sure how that plays out. I don't disagree with your observation, I just see alternative scenarios that are just as likely.

I'm not going to deny more people buy Android phones than iOS; that's not yet true of tablets--which still comes into play with the overall article discussion. Price still plays a major role in that argument though, as the average price of Android phones is half that of the iPhone with the exception--for a while--of the Galaxy S3 which used to sell for the same price but dropped to only $49 each over the holiday quarter. As far as the third quarter was concerned, even the article you linked pointed out that the iPhone 5 was released during that quarter (only barely--on the last week of the quarter) which means the iPhone's sales were traditionally down in anticipation of the new model's release. At nearly 48 million iPhones sold over the holiday (4th) quarter vs only 14.5 sold the previous quarter, it's easy to see how the Galaxy sold more than the iPhone for that one quarter. Do you know what the Galaxy S3's numbers were over the holiday quarter? I admit I don't, but I find it likely their numbers were roughly equal or the iPhone somewhat higher despite the Galaxy's much lower price.

AT&T and Verizon both separate iPhone numbers from Android (though not by brand for the Android's that I've noticed) and on average between those two carriers the iPhone tends to run at about half of all smartphones sold--plus or minus only a couple million each during an active quarter like the holidays. Of course, that is only the US market for those numbers. I can't speak for overseas and I know quite well there is prejudice against Apple's sales practices in the European Union which has slowed but definitely not stopped Apple's sales.

On Windows 8, I don't believe we're in total disagreement; as you say, we need to see how it plays out. I personally believe that the desktop--or Pro version of Windows will fail on tablets as it has this entire past decade. On the other hand, by allowing the optional stylus the mouse is effectively eliminated as almost all mouse functions can be performed on screen with reasonable accuracy, especially if you're using a 15" or larger screen on a laptop/desktop machine. RT is great for mobility and still offers superior integration with the desktop as compared to any current Android iteration in my opinion.

I think the problem with statistics, and I've proven this before with Linux, OS X and Windows, is that there is no consistent, reliable and easy to check way to confirm all the numbers. It is very difficult to get the numbers on a level playing field, and so you're left making some qualified guesses on either side.

Here is what I think is readily apparent. Android is growing. Android has a lot of good will. Android has lots of forward momentum, Android has lots of flexibility. This kind of model in technology has always traditionally been a key component to success in the long haul as devices change from luxuries to commodities.

Apple has never sold as commodity products - and this hurts them when their industries change from luxury items to commodity items. It happened with 8 bit, it happened with 16/32 bit, and it'll probably eventually happen with mobile computing. Really, it already is, and I think almost everyone knows that. The company is large, stale, not as innovative, making mistakes, slower to react, and losing consumer good will at an alarming rate. At one point Windows Mobile dominated the mobile device OS market. Even Palm was putting Windows Mobile on the Treo as opposed to PalmOS. Within a matter of months, Apple destroyed their market viability in mobile, and caused a significant cooling in their entire core business. Things can change rapidly in these industries.

Samsung is supposed to be the most dominant smartphone builder globally at the moment. I believe that. They've replaced Apple as #1. Android handsets outnumber Apple handsets. That has been the case for awhile. Android tablets inevitably are gaining and are almost certain to exceed iPad tablet numbers next year, as I predicted months ago. The trend in that regard is clear. That doesn't mean all of your points are wrong. Sure, there are a lot of cheap and off brand Android devices in those numbers. Sure, customer satisfaction isn't as great (it has never been as great for Windows PCs as for OS X machines, either, but OS X has less than 20% of the market and Microsoft has just under 80% and that is a OS X HIGH and a Windows LOW), but that doesn't really matter with the numbers we're talking about.

Android is on track to be the "Windows" of mobile platforms, in multiple senses of that thought. iOS looks to be declining into the role of the Macintosh of the mobile platforms.

What you've got to wonder is where Microsoft fits in there. Sony once felt very secure as the king of console gaming. Microsoft is a determined competitor.

Android is the new Windows--with all that implies. Apple I'm sure was perfectly aware that Android would eventually surpass them in numbers of units sold. I'm also sure that doesn't really bother them unless sales fall to the point that they start losing profits. As yet, we haven't seen any significant reduction in iOS device sales except for the traditional backing down in anticipation of the next newer model. Interestingly, we didn't see that backing down for the iPad when the mini/gen 4 models came out because the gen-4 was simply not anticipated. As a result, we might--only might--see out-of-cycle upgrades that don't stick to any kind of schedule. On the other hand, I also don't expect to see them reverting to the 'new model every quarter' schedule they had before Jobs' return because that didn't give buyers any confidence that they'd be getting the best available since the next newer model was just three months down the road. Apple's scheduled upgrades let you know it wouldn't be replaced as soon as you bought it.

Apple isn't trying to be a commodity manufacturer. Sure, they took advantage of being the first to commoditize the smart phone and took the advantage of being the first to commoditize the slate-type tablet, but where the other companies profit on huge sales numbers at low margins, Apple focuses on a more balanced margin over market that still has them making more profit than all the Android OEMs combined. As such, Apple is more the Mercedes to Android's Toyota; they don't sell as many but make more money. They're different, and each may be innovative in their own way, but some will choose to buy the Mercedes over the Toyota because of that difference.

Still, I'm curious about facts, not opinions. My context is education though, not business. So things may be different there. Students of all ages have access to tools which offer more flexibility to create movies, presentations, explanations, digital stories, electronic books, animations, stop motion, combine photos and videos, music, science reports in less time, using more engaging tools. I guess you would consider education a niche. The context is quite different then. I'd say in this context, things are improving on Android and one could argue Windows 8, especially Pro, being a complete OS offers more here. For a price. And evidently more targeted at business.
But simply stating that "There is no doubt now that Android is ahead in global handset sales and catching up and on course to surpass Apple sales in tablets sometime in 2013 as well." might be true, but I'd like to see the figures which support this. Right now, it just seems like opinion concerning tablets. It is obvious for phones, although there are also a whole categories of phones using Android that are barely smartphones and not "chosen" in the same sense.
But your article is an opinion piece and does not claim to be anything else.
The fact that the iPad is better suited or not for content creation has nothing to do with wether or not it is the #1 or #4 platform and I wouldn't care. But claiming that others are better at creating content doesn't answer the question: "How?" What kind of content are you talking about? Excel Spreadsheets or more rich-content like movies, animation or music? For education these are not Niche needs. For business, well, that's not my specialty and if all business people want to create are simple Presentations and Spreadsheets or Gantt charts.

Thanks for interacting.

Ok. Thanks for clarifying what you were after. I can provide that.

Yes - I would consider the sort of use models you're talking about as niche oriented segments and that was why I quoted the disclaimers where I gave iOS credit for those niches in the piece. I felt like you were claiming I was saying something when I had really already said in the original article exactly the points you were trying to make.

For what you ARE after - those are based on facts:

http://www.technologytell.com/gadgets/105973/android-tablet-sales/

http://www.webpronews.com/android-tablet-beats-ipad-sales-in-japan-2013-01

I just googled because I knew these stories were out there, and linked to the first examples I found - so please don't respond about the credibility of the sites - these are widely distributed stories that were picked up by ZDNet, Gizmodo, Engadget, PC Magazine, Andriod Authority, The Verge, and countless other credible outlets.

It isn't opinion. In April 2012 When I wrote:

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/tablets/apple-will-eventually-lose-tablet-dominance/1110?tag=content;siu-container

It wasn't really opinion. It was *inevitable*. I didn't ever consider it a bet, I considered it a sure thing. Lots of people thought I was risking my credibility when I wrote that. I never had any doubt that this would come to pass (barring some sort of complete catastrophic event against Android or for Apple).

I mean, in as much as the data I link to is an analyst opinion - sure , it is opinion based. But the analyst opinion is based on expertise and research of numbers, trends, growth, and historical activity, which is really what I am doing here. It is informed, educated opinion supported by data.

It happened with handsets, we know it. When people predicted it with handsets, Apple pundits dismissed it as unlikely. We know that. It is happening now with tablets, and Apple pundits are dismissing it as unlikely.

I mean, we'll know by the middle of 2013 if this is going to be the year - but I think if we were making odds on this, you're getting the long odds on this track.

To me, this isn't a "Will this be the year of Linux on the desktop" argument. This is a "2011 was the year of Android for Smartphones, will 2013 be the year of Android Tablets?" discussion. There is a precedent, and all the factors that applied in the first case apply in the second case and the numbers show it is on track to happen *again*.

One of these contains factual data at least. Thanks for that. I'm wondering about content creation though. We've found many more tools which allow richer content to be created, wether it is for consumers, educators, students or professionnals.

What makes Android better suited for content creation? Where are the good tools to do this? The tools which support creation of productivity documents, like Office HD and such on Android, are also available on iOS, and then, there is more variety of such creation tools on iOS from what we can see.

Has anyone actually done a comparison of content-creation that is not just a statement that one is better than the other? Lists of document types or even workflow advantages?

Having access to a file system in itself doesn't make it better, it makes it harder for some even if it is desired by the more technically-savvy.

Sure, sending data from one app to another in iOS is either more complicated or limited in some situations, but not always and who has done a comparison of how this happens on both platforms?

Surely, since you claim that Android is better at content creation as well as indicate you do not understand why other bloggers claim iOS is a content-creation tool, you must have something to support this?

It would certainly be useful.

I was able to find this article, but it only discussions the iOS is better for content creation viewpoint (on an Android-based site too), and then, it focuses on video mostly:

http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/08/08/editorial-hey-google-whatever-happened-to-movie-studio-or-its-time-to-start-caring-about-content-creation-again/

As your argument keeps eroding, you keep changing the focus. That is the sign of a fighter that is up against the ropes.

The reason that Android is better than iOS for productivity and content creation is in part the same reason that Linux, OS X or Windows are better than *Android* for content creation - and unhindered access to the file system is *absolutely* part of that. But so is an OS that is purpose designed to *allow* instead of to *impede* those kind of tasks. You can make excuses about this all day long - but when it comes time to really buckle down and create a complex document - I turn to a PC. I may start it on my Android, but the final version gets polish and finish on a real computer. My daughter prefers to use her Nexus 7 to using her real PC for writing stories. She is 11. By the time she is in college, I hope her content creation is a little more sophisticated.

iOS is purpose built to be a content consumption device. This is why there are so many weird, kludgy solutions like "web server file transfer" apps and "wireless hard drives" for the iPad. All of the content creation was really reverse engineered into the platform *after the fact*, either by Apple or more frequently by third party solution providers trying to get around silly obstacles that Apple designed into the device.

Now - if you want to spend your time buying expensive solutions that work-around built in limitations of your platform to try and be productive as a content creator, if you want to spend your time fighting with trying to bring more flexibility to a system that is designed to LIMIT those kinds of roles - then you can knock yourself out with iOS.

But if you want things to work the way you expect them to without dancing through silly hoops and hassling with a manufacturer who is constantly telling you, "you can't do it that way"... then you'll want to look elsewhere.

You're talking about movie editing and music editing and graphic design and lots of neat content creation niches. How many of those niches has iOS replaced Linux, OS X, Unix and Windows in among working professionals? We don't need to look this up. The answer is *none of them*. Pros still use real PCs.

And Android is closer to the experience of a real PC for content creation than iOS is. But even *it* falls short, as I point out in the article. It falls short, and iOS has always been behind Android's lead, in that regard.

Part of the problem, from an outside perspective, is that Apple loyalists *want* these kind of features and they go to a lot of extra effort in time, expense and just literally "jumping through hoops" to achieve somethign that "works"... and then, panting and out of breath with empty pocket-books they turn with a smile and say, "See... You can do ANYTHING on an iOS device you can on an Android..."

Well... I guess so. But - there was a lot easier way to get to that point. Just buy a TF300 or TF700 and the dock and forget about all those other hassles. And... it would have been cheaper all around.

Some people like to buy something that isn't designed to do something and then put a lot of aftermarket effort into making it do that. Other people just go straight for the stock option that is designed to do what the goal is. If you're buying an iOS device and you *want* to do content creation... you're going to put a lot more effort into getting there. There are stock options that are better designed to deliver that goal.

An iPad modified to do content creation is the same as a Honda CRX modded to beat a BMW M3. It isn't going to be as reliable, as safe, as comfortable, as dependable or simply as nice. iPad content creators are like tablet hot-rodders or ricers. Always trying to make some grocery getter into a race car.

I will acknowledge that iOS doesn't permit direct file access--but I consider that a strong point rather than a weak one. Too many times in both Windows and OS X I have tried to open a file without having the creating application on my machine and get hit with a 'choose your app or download it' dialog window. I simply don't get that through iOS because I'm not trying to use a mobile device as a 'desktop replacement' (a laptop is little more than a portable desktop after all). I won't argue that there are those who will continue to try and it is they who are essentially the sources of the type of supplemental apps you mention--but I disagree that all--or even most--of Apple's 'loyalists' demand those features. In fact, while games take six of the top 10 paid and free apps in the iOS app store, not one of those system modification apps is represented, navigation, productivity and social networking taking the remaining four spots in both categories. A quick glance at the Android Market has seven system mod apps in the top ten paid and not one (unless you count Skype) in the top free apps. Why? I acknowledge the argument about "customizability" with Android, but with seven system mod apps in the top ten, WHY do users want to change it? Is it because they feel it's not 'perfect' while iOS users are actually happy with the way their devices work? The first "utility" in the iOS Free apps was a flashlight app at #27 while the second, the Chrome browser, came in at #79. The first paid utility is AutoCare at #25 followed by My Calendar at #39. These aren't 'system mod' apps like the ones I see in the Android Market where Adobe Reader comes in at #16 on the Free chart (really, Android doesn't have a built-in PDF reader?) and Titanium Pro Backup comes in at #2 on Paid, followed by a keyboard app at #3, a file manager at #7, rom manager at #8, widgets at #10 and another rom manager at #11. Again, why? I do appreciate the desire for personal control--but really, is Android so bad that you HAVE to change it to make it work?

Yes, I do admit that the things I list above makes iOS sound more 'content consumption' oriented, but productivity, not system mods, were in the top ten of both free and paid charts while productivity wasn't even in the top ten of Android's charts unless you counted Skype and Instagram. The perceived implication is more a NEED to change Android despite your discussion to the contrary. It could be read as "iOS just works; Android has to be made to work."

As to "want to do content creation", I hate to say it but much of that capability is readily available and fully compatible with their OS X mates--and that's the iWorks package of Pages (word processing), Keynote (slideshow presentations) and Numbers (spread sheet.) You also have Garage Band, iPhoto and iMovie readily available which are again compatible with their desktop versions without having to manually drag files back and forth. It appears to me that it is Android that requires more effort, not iOS; though I will also acknowledge that I haven't tried using any Android app for those purposes.

I just picked up an ASUS Q200E. It is a 13" ultrabook format i3, Windows 8 notebook with 500GB mechanical drive. It sleeps in seconds, resumes nearly instantly, has great standby power. Not sure about run-time yet. Runs quiet and relatively cool, though.

I don't see it as a threat to my Nexus 7 (which is really more like an iPad by intent and design in the way Google built it)... but it is a threat to my ASUS TF300.

The question there is, "Can Windows be a better desktop OS with mobile-OS like features than Android can be a mobile OS with desktop like features?"

Apple is just a mobile OS. The Nexus 7 is really designed to be a content consumption device. So is the Kindle Fire. I'm not saying there isn't a market for those kind of devices. There is a strong market. And I'm not saying you *can't* use them for content creation. But they're not the ideal devices for that last goal.

I'm sure I'll let you know my opinions after I spend awhile trying this new rig out. So far, I really like it, and I'm feeling like the 10" Transformer tablets may have some challenges ahead of them.

That should really be the take-away right now. This isn't about Android vs. iOS or Android vs. Windows 8 or whatever other direction you might want to compare. Right now there is a mobile platform all-out bar-brawl taking place. As someone mentioned above, it looks like RIM is standing on the sidelines just ready to jump in and throw some swings too.

If Microsoft can produce a hybrid OS that runs on hybrid and convertible devices and deliver the best experience of both worlds on one device at a reasonable price...

It might not matter if Android or iOS is "better" than the other for content creation.

..for the TF300 as far as pricing is concerned compared to a Win8 device, but that's just my (somewhat educated) impression.

Price is one of the tough issues for Windows 8 RT and Pro to address.

A $799 WiFi only 128GB iPad can't hurt on *perception*, though.

There is probably room, and use justification, for all 3 platforms, to be honest.

Because Google ALLOWS system mod apps.

You can't compare this fairly, because Apple makes you an enemy of the state if you try to do this. So there are no metrics in Apple with which to compare. You're comparing something that South Korea is open about to something that North Korea wants to bury as if it never existed. Many of those other "utility apps" you describe are there because you CAN do it on Android. If you look at Cydia, you'll find that those apps are far more popular among Jailbroken devices... they're the first things Jailbreakers install.

So, another way of looking at it is ALL Android users and SOME iOS users prefer freedom and like utilities, but NO Android users go looking for solutions to make their devices more feature crippled like iOS.



And I think the fact that GAMES are the top in iOS illustrates another thing... it is mostly a threat to Sony PSP and Nintendo DS platforms. It isn't really a productivity platform, except for among niches and sadomasicists.

I won't deny that mod apps are the most likely ones installed by jailbreakers. However, what is the percentage of jailbreakers to non-jailbreakers in the iOS environment? Based on the arguments of many techie commenters on these tech blogs, it should be high--but I really don't read that many comments or articles that indicate even a significant minority of iOS devices are jailbroken, though we read about the OS getting broken within hours (or at most a couple of days) after an update. My guess is that only about 5% of Apple's iOS devices get jailbroken, which means the other 95% couldn't care less as long as it works. The iPhone also has the lowest return rate of any phone according to reports by Apple, AT&T and Verizon. (Considering AT&T and Verizon also promote and sell Android devices, I trust their figures more than Apple's in this case.)

Yes, I will accept that games are the dominant apps on iOS--but after the utilities, what's the dominant genre on Android? That's right--games. (Yes, when I looked in the Android market and the iOS app store to make my references above, I did see the balance of the top 50 or so for both platforms.)

Actually all you are trying to say perfect but it also fact that today Android OS is on high and each and every users go with it. And as I am a Mobile App Developer, more projects on Android.

I realize English (American) is not your native language. I think I understand what you are trying to say. I would not recommend using an absolute statement because that absolute makes your statement un-true.

Android is beating the snot out of iOS.

That was my take-away, anyhow.

hi,what does "takeaway" mean in the passage?

These are hard to find. Although RIM (BlackBerry) certainly deserves some credit for starting the "modern post-PC era" along with Apple.

Ive been using all three of these OS for a long time now (windows 8 since it came out and since why in the early days of android and iOS). I totally agree with the post that none of these OS are gonna be better than the other since theyre all geared toward curtain markets. iOS does well because well, first off its apple, and we all know so many people have a huge hard on for anything for apple. They definity have their thing going for them with the nice flashy devices the constant updates, although i dont like it since i jailbreak any ipod/iphone right away since you can do so much more with it that way and the newest update usually takes a while to crack. I know the majority of iOS users dont do any of that but it feels so naked to me since i am a die hard android development fan. I dont like not being able to customize and make my device look unique. iOS is also closed sourced along with Windows and that means theres no way to have a development side of those OSs. iOS is so popular because it appeals to the majority, that being people who just want a really nice media consumption device. Its been amazing how well they do even when their devices dont have a LOT of the features out there on Android phones. I feel like Apple does that on purpose, like they totally could have made the iPhone 4S have 4G but it took them like a year to have that. But thats how phone companies get you, by releasing new features. Ive never seen anything major come from an iOS update either, just minor bugs and fixes otherwise it still looks like iOS did back at 3.0 with not a whole lot more options. Android has come from the very bottom and continually expanded and changed to better suit this technologically inclined age. Android 2.3 gingerbread is miles away from where they are now with 4.2.2, and googles suppose to announce Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie in May at Google I/O. before we know it android will pass iOS up with its updates. Notably though for android only 20% or so of all android users actually have the latest version most are stuck at 2.3.4 since those devices arent compatible with the new versions since android also has tons of low end devices as well as the higher end ones, it wasnt til lately that i noticed the phone manufacturers partnered with android are really starting to put out super high end devices that actually work well can show off what android can do, i think that a big part of that is that Google bought out android and they have the vision and resources to take it to unseen hights, i cant wait to see whats out in a year when i get my upgrade OOoooooo i get excited just thinking about how badass phones will have gotten by then. I hear from people the time that they hate android cause the phones are cheap and dont work right . you get what you pay for if you ask me, i use to have prepaid since its cheaper than contract but the trade off was that the phones that you could get ranged from barely functional to alright but super expensive. I had 5 diffrent HTC desire 4G on boost mobile within the first month i bought the first phone, on all of them the screen would go out in the middle and they would constantly hang up on people or call people on it own. I got rid of that phone real quick since it cost me 300$. I ended up with my Galaxy Nexus on verizon and im satisfied. You pay more on contract but at least my phone works, what good is a phone if it doesnt work right as a phone? I really think that the companies that make the prepaid phones make them cheaper on purpose so you have to constantly fuss with getting a phone that works and end up spending more money anyways. The only problems i have with my phone are just glitches that happen when i have a custom Rom and start changing to many things. Ok now windows is great for a mobile OS since its already been firmly established and porting it over to be portable was probably better and easier than redesigning a new windows mobile OS. I like Windows 8 on portable devices since you can have all the power of a laptop/netbook but the functionality of a tablet, Windows 8 was designed to be mobile and be on touch devices so its a bit different when using just a mouse since you cant move the mouse as fast or accurately as your finger. I also have a problem with the fact that they changed a lot of things about windows to the point where doing my development stuff is way way more difficult, thats because since its a mobile OS now they had to put in all sorts of safeguards so that less knowledgeable folks dont completely brick their device but its a huge pain in the ass to get around them since you have to do a special restart and disable those settings then wait for it to restart again to have it acknowledge the change, My computer takes forever to get off the initial screen when booting so that makes it even worse, very tedious work figuring out the intricacies of Windows 8, it definatly has a steap learning curve and there are almost no tutorials built in to teach people how things work now without the old start bar and hybrid functions. I can see why so many people are having a hard time liking it when they cant figure it out and have no help (although so many people overlook the fact that google is amazingly helpful when trying to learn something.) I always hear " oh man how did you figure that out?" and i always reply "Um, i googled it, first thing that popped up told me what to do." I learned all of the android development stuff from google and even an idiot can follow instuctions right from a website explaining all the ins and outs, the dos and do-nots. Even if you mess up you can always get back to stock and start over. WIth ALL of that being said I will just say that all three OSs have their merits and their problems. All of them appeal to their respective markets. Apple has the general user market, android appeals to the more experienced people while also having the option of exploring even more things like rooting and custom roms, windows is going to appeal to business people and mobile device users who want to maintain a user interface theyre familiar with and windows 8 is great for multitasking, besides the galaxy note line for android, windows 8 is the only other OS that can truely multitask and not just keep moving app to the backburner for easy access later, I still forget to use the recent app button on my phone instead i take that longer route, but thats usualy only a difference of one or two taps. I love a challenge though and like to expand my devices to do things that they weren't designed with like Themeing your UI, and changing fonts and icons on the status bar . Thats why i stick with android since all of that is impossible on the other two OSs, you cant even easily side load apps onto iOS or Windows, android just has a setting that you can disable to install apps from your storage, that allows for cracked apps and all sorts of other fun stuff, at least fun for me, other people just tend to look at me weird with all my smart talk and nerdyness and then ask me if i can do it to their phone, thats not a good isea to do though if you dont know how custom roms work and how to install them correctly cause you would have to bug me to fix it if anything goes wrong. Developing and Rom testing are my hobbies in my spare time, if it wasnt for what i know about development i would have had to wait for the newest update on my phone since verizon takes 4 extra months to release the new update for my phone, thanks to the Cyanogenmod Team and Google AOSP (android open source project) i had android 4.2 before most other people with my phone, i cant wait to see what 5 has for features.

Would you please help me on the above mentioned subject?

i am a foreigner.my friend was asking me to illustrate your article to him.But i was confused at the word "takeaway" .This word is at the begining of the article .can you illustrate it to me ?is it a name or means introduce ?Thank you !I am looking forward to your reply