[PatNY]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Pat, it is just as common a refrain from some Android supporters that the apps are coming (or app parity is coming). Reminds me of the Starck motto in GoT ("Winter is coming"). It just isn't there yet.

What isn't there yet?

Numbers? Actually, the number of Android apps currently exceeds the numbers in Apple's store. Just a few years ago, iOS Apps numbered more than twice that of Android Apps. Now iOS is behind. Clearly the preference of late has been to develop first for Android.

Or are you talking just about quality? As I said, I don't think the quality is much different today for most users. Most of the major apps in the Play store today are of similar quality to their iOS counterparts. I personally don't notice a difference. I am speaking from personal experience, but many Apple loyalists simply just repeat what they've read and have no or limited experience with Android, having only used old versions such as Froyo or Gingerbread.

In the recent past, yes, there was a big gulf in app quality between the two platforms. But Android has grown up extremely fast. And that gap today is either insignificant or not there any more for most major apps.

You do not have to hunt too hard to find complaints about the Android versions of various top apps. The reason I stated is quite simple to understand. You want links? Here you go -- http://www.developer.com/daily_news/...-ios-apps.html or http://stevecheney.com/why-android-first-is-a-myth/ . Check out http://www.theguardian.com/technolog...s-apple-google for some interesting statistics.

Well, apparently you did have to hunt hard, because the only article you found that complains about Android app quality was published in April of 2012. Do you know how much Android and the Play store have changed since then? Immensely.

As for the other two articles, instead of just posting links, can you pick out a few salient points from them that support the points in your comment to which I originally replied?

I'm interested in stronger competition between them. Google needs to tighten up their hardware specifications for that to happen. But if there are too many Android apologists, as you sound like, then it won't happen and the gap in app quality will continue into the future. I am not an Apple-at-all-costs proponent. The new Nexus 5 phone is an awesome bit of kit for its price. I may yet switch to it myself.

I think we all want stronger competition. That's why I detest the patent wars which are the height of anti-competitive behavior. But it appears to me you are talking about the past. Google already has started to clamp down on the many manufacturers of Android devices and reigning in what they can do with their separate overlays, for example. They have already put in restrictions and implemented changes to make the Android experience more uniform and easier to produce. And, again, I disagree that there is big gap in app quality currently -- or one that is relevant to the vast majority of Android users. I actually think the overall app experience is better for Android users today than it is for iOS -- with more variety to choose from and more flexibility within apps without typical Apple restrictions. I think the Play store is also better designed for managing apps on a device than the iTunes store is.

As for calling me an apologist, please refrain from the personal insults. There are many in this thread I feel are Apple apologists, but I'm not going to go around calling names.

Finally, I'll ask again -- can you name a single major app that is significantly of poorer quality in Android than in iOS today? When I say major, I mean something like Netflix.

--Pat