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138 Comments
- overnine9k, on 10/30/2009, -9/+111By Apple fanboys logic
Windows > OS X
Just because windows has more applications available for it. :) - SpeedSteamBoat, on 10/30/2009, -1/+70Yeah, isn't treating the raw number of apps as the sole indicator of useful variety kind of, well, useless?
What difference would it make if you have 93,000 apps if 92,000 of them were all different versions of "Baby Puncher Extreme"?
Now I'm not saying the iPhone app store isn't chalked full of great, useful apps, but this conversation should be framed around what kind of applications are available, how good they are, and what people can actually use them for. Raw numbers are pretty meaningless here. - Frankzulla, on 10/30/2009, -1/+45The high numbers aren't quite as impressive considering that most users needs are covered by a smaller number of apps. Apple has been very successful with the app store and I believe it to be well executed, but there is a certain point when the numbers begin to lose their significance.
- Black6x, on 10/30/2009, -2/+36Wait. Droid doesn't have an app that makes shotgun noises when you shake it? Screw that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by3RQYEc7-c - Elranzer, on 10/30/2009, -4/+37The majority of Windows applications are not variants of iFart.
- spazzcat, on 10/30/2009, -0/+31Don't both stores have its fill of useless apps?
- peestandingup, on 10/30/2009, -10/+36OK, seriously. Lets break down 93,000 of these great apps.
How many of them are duplicate apps that do the same exact ***** but just from some other developer (hello, there's a bazillion fart apps). Next, how many are actually useful. Yes yes, "useful" is in the eye of the beholder, but still. There's a lot of ridiculously pointless iPhone apps (there's one that lets you simulate using a real life stapler by just pressing down on the screen. Seriously, WTFing hell??).
Yes, the iPhone itself is great hardware, but as much as Apple loves to throw this app number around these days, guess what iPhone people will never have?? You'll never be able to install what you want (unless you jailbreak, then Apple ***** your ***** up w an update), you wont be able to use Google Voice/Latitude/and (likely) the new Google Maps w turn by turn (since Apple & Google are no longer butt buddies), you'll always be under the strict control of Apple (even though you own the hardware by up front costs & paying monthly subsidies to AT&T), for the time being you'll have to suffer with AT&T's ***** ass network & paying at least $90 a month just for the privilege, developers will never be able to make the apps they want to make, & so on.
So, while you guys are bowing down to Lord Jobs, hoping he'll bless you with another hardware upgrade & calling it "new", we'll all be using quality apps, doing what we want with our phones in a free market & paying less for it. Enjoy, you dumb bastards. - JQP123, on 10/30/2009, -1/+24Apple fanboys are caught in logical paradox here because the iPhone copies a page straight out of MS's book.
Remember --- developers, developers, developers! It worked for MS on the desktop, it's working for Apple in the mobile market. - badqat, on 10/30/2009, -1/+20Oh pish posh. Do you not realize how many different versions of urinating drunk you need on your phone? And what about flatulence apps - why, you even need a piano of one.
Don't underestimate volume, but you're right. That doesn't matter since the sheer volume becomes a sea of noise that's easy to disappoint and there are no refunds. What matters is the number of useful, indispensable apps.
As far as I can tell - nobody has been able to come up with the perfect mix yet. While I carry an iPhone, I want to see Android do well. And I want to see Web OS do well. Heck, I even want 7 for mobiles to do well. Because competition means we continue to get better stuff all the time. - wassim2k, on 10/30/2009, -2/+1493,000 apps - 80,000 apps that do the exact same thing = 13,000 apps. Not that big of a difference.
- jv2k, on 10/30/2009, -1/+12Android doesn't show you the mobile version. You see the actual website.
- doctadjones, on 10/30/2009, -1/+11Just like the cable companies comparing the length of their HD lineups.
Oh you have 1,000 channels? Congratulations, I only care about 7 of them. Why isn't ESPNU one of those 1,000?
Oh you have 93,000 apps? Super, I only use 10 of those. Why isn't Google Maps Navigation one of those 93,000? - Elranzer, on 10/30/2009, -4/+13Does every website need to have its own app? Isn't that what the Safari app is for?
- smoger, on 10/30/2009, -0/+8just for you, if there isnt one by the time i finish what im working on now, i'll write one for you.
- BenRoth, on 10/30/2009, -0/+8And hopefully, more competitive monthly rates. I can't justify paying $100+ a month for those plans, and I won't be able to justify that for a long time (and if I were honest with myself, ever).
- snotrokit, on 10/30/2009, -3/+10too bad the Apple kids are digging you down, but you are spot-on.
- MacParrot, on 10/30/2009, -2/+9Isn't this the other way around? By Windows fanboys argument Windows>OS X because of the number of apps? Quality over quantity is what Mac users have been saying for years but that was dismissed by saying "We have a gazillion image editing apps!" It didn't matter that most of them repeated functionality or UI of other programs, it was the sheer number of them that made Windows better in this particular argument (there are others as well, but we're talking strictly about applications here).
FTR, I happen to agree with the quality over quantity argument in both cases. A good deal of the iPhone apps ARE garbage, repeating the same look and code of other successful apps hoping to get in on the bandwagon and pick up a few bucks from people who don't know the difference between one app and another. This is the nature of the beast and Android will face the same thing as the number of apps for it grows.
It STILL comes down to functionality and which phone does what you want it to. Get the one that works best for you and screw all the stupid biased opinions that mean nothing. - elcalrissian, on 10/30/2009, -1/+8ehaugan is kinda right
but in elranzer's defense, most sites, including wikipedia, FB, ESPN, and I know the Denver Post, have a m.xxx.com address that caters to mobile users.
But iPhone needs these apps because they cant program Flash to work in Safari. Us lucky Android users dont need to worry about that. - finewine, on 10/30/2009, -2/+9Next up: measuring the quality of tires by the number of tread lines.
- RonniSR, on 10/30/2009, -0/+6This must be the worse Droid vs. iPhone article written and there is plenty bad ones already. Who cares about the amount of apps anyway if anything like that should make a difference then count the numbers of apps coming out daily and updates for current apps. Anyway i don't get why there have to be a v.s. article about everything these days. People should be able to choose what piece of device there cover there needs. But the apps for a device is far from enough to keep it going and if iPhone doesn't get the device out of jobs ass and start to innovate again instead of just giving the users what they should have got from the beginning they will start to lose more and more users.
Let's count the apps? Let's wake up and smell the coffee instead and realize that the future is here!! - AlexanderCurtis, on 10/30/2009, -0/+6where can I find baby puncher extreme
- geoken, on 10/30/2009, -0/+6I'll comment on the ones I know about;
Pandora is on Android, and superior to iPhone IMO, because it has a widget (start playing songs with one tap right from the home screen) and can continue playing in the background.
Weather Channel app is there and is identical to the iPhone version.
Shazam is there and again is identical to the iPhone version (actually it's link to buy the song goes to Amazon instead of iTunes IIRC, but interface itself is identical). - Elranzer, on 10/30/2009, -1/+7The difference between Windows and iPhone OS is that Windows allows open development. You're not going to find a SNES emulator for the iPhone unless you jailbreak it, for example. Nor is there a full Office suite available (Documents2Go doesn't really count).
- geoken, on 10/30/2009, -4/+9As someone who used all the top 4 workout logs on the iPhone before settling on one, I disagree. A ton of repetition means competition. The most popular workout log on android, WorkItOut, is vastly inferior to any of the top 3 iPhone workout logs because the android app doesn't really have any competition (as evidenced by the fact that I'm using it even though I loathe it).
- dagamer34, on 10/30/2009, -0/+5Android isn't going to beat the iPhone based on apps. That'll come later. Android will beat the iPhone because it's 1 device against 18 right now and 50 by the end of 2010. If every device sold 1/20th of what the iPhone sells, then it has it matched. And we should remember that up until 1-2 months ago, Android was only on T-Mobile in the US, yet it has well over 10,000 apps now.
I give it 1-2 years before you see app parity between the two phones. It would be hard to ignore Android once some of the downsides are fixed by Google. - bradleyland, on 10/30/2009, -0/+5The best part about the iPhone vs Everything Else debate is how many traditional Mac vs Windows arguments get flipped on their head. I know quite a few Mac users who use this argument when PC users talk about how much more software is available for Windows.
- elcalrissian, on 10/30/2009, -0/+5I need to highlight Smoger's BACKGROUNDS app shout out.
Best app ever, rotates wallpapers you choose every time interval you choose (hourly, 4 hours, 12, daily....)
It got me thinking about UI, the real finer point between these two OS's.
Seriously, iPhone:
http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/4605 ...
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1053/1404427020_dfc ...
and Android:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_NfYIHCSAD1k/SYcjLArcUVI/AAAA ...
http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/images/4/2009/01/a ...
I guess its not surprising that you cant customize an apple. I mean, if you could throw your own insight and individuality into an Apple product, then you'd be too risque for the Apple community. - karipatila, on 10/30/2009, -0/+5It'd be more interesting to find out how many apps there are that a significant percentage of the user base has purchased and not uninstalled. But even those number can be useless if it results in various fart apps making it to the top of the list.
- geodebug, on 10/30/2009, -3/+8So many of you are bending over backwards to apologize for the 93k vs 10k difference that you ignore some pretty obvious points:
- Android hasn't been around as long so you Droid-droolers can just relax and stop being so desperate trying to prove your platform is superior. If it is, it will be shown in the marketplace over time.
- If 90% of iPhone apps are ***** then what makes you think that same crap-percentage doesn't apply to the Android platform (I'm looking at your math-fail @wissim2k).
- If, by this thread's logic, lack of applications means a higher percentage of useful applications than the Palm Pre is kicking Android's ass big time with it's 300 or so apps.
- I look at the two numbers and conclude simply that Apple currently enjoys a larger developer community than the Android, which means that Android supporters have some work cut out for them to attract software developers. The question though is, what are the barriers and how can they be removed?
One question I have as a developer is how is my investment protected on the Android side? This is Digg after-all, where it is assumed that I shouldn't be compensated for my work. If I spend a few months working on a polished application for the Android platform can I expect exactly one sale before it is available on the torrents for free? - smoger, on 10/30/2009, -0/+5in regards to my g1, i really have everything i need. i would *like* to see some higher quality games that are lacking on Android at the moment, but i certainly don't NEED my cell phone to be a game console.
but as for essential stuff i use all the time:
pandora
streamfurious pro (open ended shoutcast and podcast streaming)
"backgrounds" - just a simple app that displays galleries of wallpapers.. saves time searching when i want to refresh the home screen
BuddyRunner - an amazing gps enabled running app that tracks distance, elevation, time, speed, etc just like those expensive GPS watches that garmin makes
twidroid - twitter
facebook
Reverse Lookup - reverse phone lookup
Wordplayer - ebook reader
..and with that i'm good! (your results may vary) - jv2k, on 10/30/2009, -0/+4It's always been worthy competetion. Since the first gen g1 the android has had features that the iphone didn't(copy and paste and opera mini anyone?) and even today if you go out and buy a g1 it can still hold it's own against the current iphone thanks to google's updates.
That said it has been more restricted than everyone hoped from the start. Part of the problem is that the service providers don't like certain features on their phones(tethering for example) and another part of the reason is that android is trying to be mainstream so they don't want people to be able to **** up their phone. - nchokas, on 10/30/2009, -1/+5my thought's exactly....couldn't agree more.....
- jv2k, on 10/30/2009, -1/+5I think another factor that needs to be covered is that most of the good apps on android are free.
- llamafier, on 10/30/2009, -0/+4There is one for Android.
- geoken, on 10/30/2009, -1/+5I didn't try to answer the main question, but since we're on the topic, I target the G1/Magic. What else do I need to take into account? An android app, through it's layout.xml, is using relative positing. I have a toolbar at the top, a list in the middle, and some action buttons on the bottom. How will differing resolutions change this? After updating to the 2.0 sdk the first thing I realized was that I need to do absolutely nothing to support the increased resolutions, I used recommended coding practices from the start and the OS perfectly handles the resolutions, seamlessly expanding my app to the higher res screens.
Do you think desktop software developers code a different version of their app for every resolution? - Moralogic, on 10/30/2009, -1/+5Agreed, I can give someone a comparison of 100 new cars vs 3000 cars i found in a junk yard that may or may not work.
This is something the average consumer needs to start realizing. Too often people just see the basic data and get all excited, while if they would dig a little deeper they would realize that there is a lot more to it than that. I know there are some great iPhone apps, but there are some great Droid apps too. When it comes to my daily life, I honestly have to say that Droid would be more useful for me, while the iPhone would be more entertaining.
People don't buy out of practicality over usefulness. They normally go for what is more entertaining and fun. The only way to get people to go for practicality is to make it financially practical at the start, even if the apps on the product can save them a lot of money in the long run, it doesn't match to lowering the monthly bill of the Droid to $70 or so a month. (Which is pretty much what they need to do.)
Look at YouTube, how many people go there for the practicality they can find there? Not many. There are some great educational resources on there, but people are more interested in having fun and being entertained. The Droid just can't match it with being at the same price point. - inactive, on 10/30/2009, -2/+6There's a lot of desperate rationalization going on in this thread... and a lot of stupid analogies.
Yeah, 90k apps, you only use a handful. 1,000 channels and you only watch 4. We get it.
The difference is variety and popularity. The whole "There's an app for that" - well, is pretty true. I don't care about the fishing apps, or the reality augments for finding your way in a subway, but they're there. Are they for android? Probably not yet.
When someone develops an app, it's going to the biggest target audience possible, which means the iPhone *will* get it first. Us tech oriented people know all about android, but go up to a typical person with "Android vs iPhone?" and they'll more times than not pick iPhone.
The difference is also the open vs closed nature of the system, which can obviously be fixed by one simple jailbreak.
TL;DR: The iPhone is fine, and Android has a lot of work and catching up to do if it wants to be as much of a success. - archer75, on 10/30/2009, -0/+4The iphone launched with no app store and no plans to let 3rd parties develop for it. They changed their tune quickly and now market that as if it's the greatest thing they ever did. And now after years of app development for the iphone ever other phone is supposed to launch with an app store and the same amount of apps?
I'd say the droid is already far better than the iphone was at launch and better in many ways even now. - WernerCD, on 10/30/2009, -0/+4Apple's "screening" process might take out some crappy worthless apps... but it also takes out good apps (Google Voice, Skype, Sling Box, GameBoy, SNES, etc, etc).
To say that the screening process is purely a good thing is a diservice... Apple does as much harm as good with their policies. - the8thbit, on 10/30/2009, -1/+5But they aren't all useless. Even if a majority of iPhone apps are useless, why aren't we assuming that an even LARGER portion of Android apps are useless because of Google's lax screening process?
I'm by no means an iPhone fan, in fact, I don't like it very much at all- and I am a huge Google fan, and a huge fan of free/open-source software. I just think you're being kind of irrational in assuming that a larger or equivalent portion of Android applications are useful than the whole of iPhone applications. - mousky, on 10/30/2009, -0/+4It's not about Android beating iPhone. It's about getting as much competition out there as possible. The more Apple, Google, Palm, Blackberry, Nokia, Motorala, Samsung, HTC, etc all compete the better for the consumer.
- jrm125, on 10/30/2009, -1/+4It's true.
Let's be honest...there's only so many things you can do with a cell phone. - pinchduck, on 10/30/2009, -0/+3If you like the App Store, hug a jailbreaker. Without their efforts, Jobs never would have seen the "threat" of custom apps on the iPhone and felt the need to co-opt it. A bunch of hackers have handed Apple a multi-million dollar business that they fought like hell for 2 years to avoid.
- mizraabianz, on 10/30/2009, -0/+3Since when quantity matters over QUALITY? I am an iPhone user but lets admit it there are tons of DUMB apps for iPhone. I rather have few but quality apps.
- jv2k, on 10/30/2009, -1/+4The point is that both app stores are mostly made up of useless apps and at the end of the day you might have 30 or so on either platform of apps that are worth your time.
- diggbigwig, on 10/30/2009, -1/+4Making a useful comparison would require WAY too much work.
- kylere, on 10/30/2009, -0/+3Actually, in light of their support of DRM, allowing media firms to impose restrictions on your PC, and their horrible past, microsoftian is an accurate easy description for a tech firm that cannot seem to realize they are not dad.
That is the modern Apple, and any allegiance to them that I have ever had was burned away by their behavior over the last 10 years. - ohreilly, on 10/30/2009, -0/+3"microsoftian control"
Strange, then, that Windows Mobile is amongst the free-est platforms you can get. They certainly don't control how you may or may not use your WM device. - planetexpress, on 10/30/2009, -0/+3So a $100 requirement to put anything on the store, a secretive approval scheme and the requirement of owning a Mac is "Developers, developers, developers"?
- puzzud, on 10/30/2009, -0/+3I sold iPhones for a while, but I never really got a chance to use them and check out the app store thoroughly. I own an Android phone, and I love how many free apps are available for it. Recently, my sister got a iPod Touch and I was kind of taken aback by how few free apps there are... and I'm not just talking about goofy fart apps.
Don't get me wrong though. I have purchased some very useful apps for my phone. But rather than comparing the number of apps, I wouldn't mind seeing some comparison of percentage of useful free apps. Just from my experience, I'd bet money on the Android marketplace. -
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