Today, if you’re the type that follows tech and mobile news on any level, surely you saw the flood of Apple and iOS 7 news. The folks from Cupertino announced the all-new and completely redesigned iOS 7 for all their iDevices, and much more. If you missed any of it head to our sister site SlashGear for the details. We’re already seeing ‘Android vs iOS’ posts, or 5 things Apple copied from Android, but to be honest we like it, and I welcome the competition.
During the Keynote this morning Apple’s man in charge Tim Cook went as far as to state that this update will represent “the biggest change to iOS since the original iPhone,” and he’s right. Their operating system was a marvel when announced back in 2007, but has only seen minor changes and add-ons since. To be completely honest while watching the keynote I enjoyed what they had to share, the changes made, and their improvements. Even if some were oddly familiar and a year or two late.
We’ve seen all sorts of rips at Apple today. Some blogs calling iOS 7 the update that turned Apple devices into Android, and all types of crazy stuff. Yes they share features and designs, blatantly rip some off, but who cares? I don’t. It isn’t just Android. We see hints from all aspects of mobile here, and I feel like the competition is a good thing. At the same time the “copying” is a validation of just how awesome and successful Android really is. So yes, I’m ok with it.
I’m seeing a lot of comments in my inbox that iOS 7 looks like the popular Android custom ROM MIUI, with a nice little color pallet. Then add in the entire UI, which looks and sort of feels (thanks to the new font) like Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich’s base, which is the Holo UI, only with a lighter color theme. Their new Command Center is essentially a watered-down “quick settings” toggle we have on Android 4.1+, lockscreen notifications and shortcuts are nothing new to Android, Safari and its “cards” just wishes it was Chrome, and multi-tasking took a direct hint from HTC Sense. And I agree, this looks a lot like Android. But deep down I think comparing Android vs iOS is a little silly, and you won’t find complaints from me. I know what I like, and that’s Android.
They surely borrowed the slide-out navigation drawers from Android, and we saw plenty of that “innovative” new feature today. Oh and iOS now has automatic app-updates. I didn’t even know that was missing. That’s sad. We’ve been enjoying both for a long time, so no complaints here. You can’t forget that Samsung did plenty of “borrowing” from Apple and their user interface designs back on the TouchWiz of old, and surely Blackberry and their new OS stole a little from everyone.
These days everyone borrows a little from each other, and in the end competition remains strong, and those who work hardest and innovate most come out on top. I have zero doubts that the minor pump to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean will bring new features, and the overhauled Android 4.5 or 5.0 Key Lime Pie (hopefully coming later this year) will be even better.
Android’s update cycle is obviously faster, more aggressive, and leading the charge, and we can’t wait to see what both sides do next. Particularly with team green. Bring on the Android Army!
These are good and fine, except for the fact that THEY accuse others of stealing in the first place 😛 So get off their high horse already
remember that the whole point in android is for it to be copied. why else did google open source it?
There is a difference between borrowing, and claiming its your own and suing everybody. Thats what bothers me. BB or MS don’t have billion dollar lawsuits against their competitors, they “borrow” or lets say “get inspiration” from and leave it there. I dont see google suing apples ass for pull down notification that android had since day 1 and apple just got last year, and thats healthy competition. But as being the biggest patent troll in history, apple has a lot of sheep that blindly disregard any copying issues they have, but the also have an army of haters that plainly hate their guts to the brim. Most features apple integrated into ios for the past 3-4 years have came directly from android. I just wish one day, google sues them for everything they got. Apple turned the business world into a stab in the back world. I mean do you think when audi first intoduced LED lighting surroung the headlight, and 2 years later, all other companies had that too, they sues their ass for billions? No, thats businesslike. What apple is doing goes against anything american. It goes again evolution.
Borrowing to improve user experience is fine. But to borrow, tweak a little bit, then claim it as their own “innovation” is what gets me.
sums up what i said!
I agree. I think Apple owes a shout out to the products that inspired them.
Not just the claiming it as their own, what chaps MY hind-quarters is how Apple dismiss the feature in question as a dumb idea that no one would ever want, until they do it. For example, ~7-inch tablets.
I didn’t touch on that. Was saving it for tomorrow, but I completely agree. The lawsuits need to stop, and I hate that part. The borrowing however, only validates how awesome Android is.
I think what you said is not the typical anti-Apple bull I often read. It is logical, well argued and frankly true. I just hope Google doesn’t stop as low as Apple and become a litigation troll though.
Google wont become the patent troll Apple is. They are way too busy developing, creating, failing, and advancing, to spend priceless time on litigation. I ADMIRE google, thats such a beautiful company. How often do you hear about a company that 30% of their products fail (buzz, answers, video player, i mean there is literally a website dedicated to being a graveyard for googles failures), but they just get back up, like if anything ever happened and continue innovating. Driverless car, google glasses, Google X, google elevators to space, regardless if you think those thing are useless or not, they prove that google is a multi-talented company thats basically future proofing themselves. They are creating so much crazy stuff, one of them is bound to be the future, rendering them the first in market and locking in some space in our future technologies. In business school, you learn one important way of future proofing your business, diversification. Google is the perfect example for that. Apple is not. I used to love Apple, yes, I too was an iOS fanboy, way back when Apple where actually innovating and were better than others, but since the iPhone 4S, I now have strong hate for their ways of riding on a white horse and thinking everybody else is inferior, grabbing parts of others’ ideas and claiming it their own, and especially suing other for shapes.
Just read your post Patrick. Very nicely put. It is the very same logic that I used to counter people who focused on Sir Alex Ferguson’s mistakes. He took risks and created long-term shareholder value and success doing so, the failures were a more than acceptable collateral.
Totally with you on the fact that Google is a true innovator and Apple has stagnated.
Then again, it’s a fact of life that the big, fat and ugly kid is the bully in every schoolyard. That’s the only way he can get recognition.
Today’s Apple is a far cry from Steve Jobs’ Apple. Once again, a non-engineer is at the helm of Apple, and is driving it into the ground. (IMO)
the features for kids (stolen from Android 2.1) and finally even colours for kids…..so a great device for kids! 🙂
so in 10 years Apple will catch up Android 4.2 Jelly Bean….the bright future 🙂
android is open source. you cant steal it, only copy it.
Yes, yes and yes. I agree with every sentiment. However, methinks thar be dragons ahead. Didn’t Apple just win an unimaginable sum of money in a “hey you copied my shit” software patent suit? It just seems a bit hypocritical in the end I guess.
I don’t think of Apple as a company that “gives in” to market pressures. At least not when Steve was the big cheese. Tim is looking forward, for the company’s long term. That’s good.
Anyway, I too believe this is excellent for innovation and the forward advancement of mobile computing. Kudos.
Lemme think … you sayin’ there’s a good opportunity for the Android backers (Google, Samsung & Co) to drain Apple’s finances?
Apple’s been bitten by the fugly bug.
your face was bitten by the fugly bug. Apple was bitten by a chipmunk, read a bible for gods sake.
Did they copy the PRISM feature too?
While 4.3 will just be a minor update for new device features, 5.0 KLP could be amazing. I suspect Google wanted Apple to play their 7.0 hand first and that’s why there was no 5.0 at IO.
Yep I think that 5.0 will really drive forward, it can take advantage of oct core processors and graphic chipsets. I still think iOS kills it thou
I don’t care what they do it’s still Apple’s closed minded system and therefor not my Cupertino tea LOL
OS 7 presentation summary. ..
“We copied everything Samsung and Android have done over the last 2 years and baked it into iOS7. Its still not as good though and yes, we did have the balls to say that its all brand new technology that we invented.” – Apple
They stole everything. OMG. how pathetic.
copied, not stole. you can’t steal something that someone is giving to you for free.
Fuck u apple you seal everything (tablets, GUI’s, And Heaps more)
LOL, I bet you have a samslung android 2.2 or china phone pseudo 4.2 androbeast
swipe to archive in mail?
Let’s be real. The iDroid, I mean “iPhone” was destined to become more Android-esc eventuality. Starting with the pull down shade, they’ll do it gradually by adding a new Android-like feature until seven years from now it’ll have almost zero distinguishing features. They’ll take every feature, redo it just enough, then call it innovative and magical and claim to do it better. Because most people will never see Android in its purest form, (they’ll mostly see Sense and TouchWiz) they’ll continue to think Apple has something new in its look, taken directly from Google and a little from other skins. Apple is acknowledging Android and no longer is the innovator, and that’s a good thing for Android. Means less lawsuits.
It all depends. If I’d represent Android, or be part of the Android dev crowd, I’d surely sue back, just as a preemptive strike against future harassment from Apple. Which would keep the number of lawsuits up, but would IMO have the effect of making companies think twice before going to war in court. Which would IMO be a good thing.
I don’t mind with copying or imitating, the problem is there was legal war between apple and Samsung which Samsung lost, now with this development, should the Android fight back?
They Should.
who in their right mind would open source something just to sue when someone copies it? google is not as stupid as you think.
And still no widget huh?
Obviously people don’t want or need that. Until next year when iOS 8 invents it.
I think that crApple’s continuous falling stocks prove there is nothing to worry about.
ill rise your stocks baby
apple sues over the most frivolous of things, accusing others of copying yet here they are totally copying every major OS and trying to pawn this off as something new and innovative.
Regardless of how well crApple hypocritically copies the competition, I’ll never buy one of their products!
you will burn in hell.
naa, I let Steve have my seat.. 😉 jk, haha. what’re you doing in here anyways – must be lost!
A month ago, I was set on getting an S4, but with the IOS7 announcement, I can’t make up my mind. Should I wait for IOS7 before making a decision, or should i go ahead and buy the S4 and be assured that the next Android update would top IOS7’s touted features? I really want to weigh things carefully as my carrier would lock me into my phone for the next 18 months (i also cant afford changing my handset every few months or so). Basically, my requirements are calling, texting, browsing and (this is why I’m inclined towards android) greater freedom/flexibility in accessing and manipulating files I save in my phone.
I’d still go with the S4. There are numerous features still not found in iOS 7 that the current Android as well as TouchWiz (UI for Samsung Galaxy devices) doesn’t have. If you truly want freedom as you stated; going Android is the best way to go. You really won’t regret it!
Thanks. I’m getting an S4. You’re right, freedom to use the phone the way I want to outweighs most of the benefits of the iOS7
My thinking: iOS 7 gives you features added to Android several months ago already. Why would you get something that has started lagging behind, when you can get something with more features for less money? The only reason I can think of would be better hardware, but on one hand not everybody needs this, and on the other hand high end Android devices are at least comparable if not better than the iPhone.
iOS 7 isn’t yet released, so complaints might still be issued, once it’s out. I’d love this to happen, not because I hate Apple, but because IMO Apple’s influence on the tech world is a negative one, and them suffering the same things they inflict upon others might help correct their attitude.