A Brief comparison between Apple’s iOS6 and Google’s Android 4.1 platforms

Apple Maps vs. Google Maps
Much has been said about the incompetency of Apple's new maps service. Yes, it is plagued by navigation issues and the information that it returns is far from perfect. To top it all, its 3D graphics are pathetic to say the least. But, on the better part, Apple is now finally making headway in turn-by-turn navigation which Android has successfully cracked for over a year. The look of Google Maps for Android wins the contest, hands-down compared to Apple Maps. Google maps surely show more information and presents a street-level scenario which is useful than the birds-eye-view. Apple also managed to get the directions wrong more than once. The 3D-mapping is impressive but not all blocks are available in 3D. Even the best landmarks look bad enough in 3D. Apple would need to consistently work on Maps to become a worthy competitor since right now, Android is the clear winner.

Facebook Integration:
Apple is now touting complete integration with Facebook to be the newest feature in its latest OS version. Android had cracked that feature way back though. The popup Facebook icon is good enough on Apple whenever the user needs the option to share. On the Android side, the users can share photos and do everything with Facebook and other social channels including Twitter, Bluetooth, Picaso, Skype and many more. Apple does allow users to sync their Facebook contacts with their address book while Android 4.1 helps its users to do the same in an indirect manner with a third party app.

App Store vs. Google Play Store:
Apple has well updated look and feel of the App Store with a visually appealing interface. The new design brings a good look but navigation is a little cumbersome. Graphically, it is pretty, but somehow the navigation suffers. The Google Play store also is not so perfect. The icons are okay, less visually appealing and are just serviceable in the strictest sense of term. In terms of apps, the quality of iOS apps trumps the Android apps since they go through a strenuous check before the upload is done.

Passbook:
The Passbook app is simple and ingenious. An iOS app which organizes movie and concert tickets efficiently. It can also manage vouchers and coupons for you. To redeem, the device needs to be scanned. The app can even scan your location and even open the ticket in front of the screen which is very helpful if you have to catch a flight. Any gate changes will be notified to you too in real-time. Android does not have such an app in its arsenal. Apple has affected more than 200 changes to the iOS platform in the latest update but the real updates are small. The changes do not go above the reasonable expectations of its users. iOS has evolved a bit here but the evolution process has been really slow. The innovations are good, but mostly Apple is trying to catch up with the Android platform.

Elan Emerging Technologies has expertise on iPhone, Android as well as cross platform apps. Company build more than 500+ apps on different devices. Contact Elan for developing mobile apps.