What is an operating system (OS)?
An OS monitors and controls the hardware and application software of a computer. The mobile OS is simply what the users see and interact with on mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and PDA.
Generally, consumers prefer an OS that
- is user friendly
- has simple interface
- has high resolution
- has productivity features (for eg synchronizing abilities)
- has the possibility of adding new applications to the device
Figure 1: Operating System Market Share
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There are many different OS on the market and to better understand the differences between them, we have broken them down into distinct categories for comparison. In a recent press release by Jumptap, a leading targeted mobile advertising firm, it was reported that Android and iOS make up 91% of the mobile OS market. As such, the following discussion of the differences between OS will be focused on these two big players. Relevant comparisons will be made to other players in the market like Blackberry OS, Symbian and Windows Phone. Other OS which are the minority includes MeeGo and Bada.
Targeted Market Segments
While most mobile OS including iOS and Android were designed to target a wide spectrum of market segments from young to old consumers, early versions of Blackberry was particularly popular amongst professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET) because of their focus on email facilities and security features. However, in light of the more active generation of consumers, Blackberry has been moving away from its initial corporate customer focus to attract more general users.
Total Devices
Compared to the few different OS on the market, the total number of different devices available to choose from is almost innumerable. There are hundreds of Android devices as vendors like Sony Ericsson, Samsung, HTC and many others commonly use the freely distributed Android OS. Contrastingly, iOS is only available for less than 20 models of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Blackberry and Windows have a larger total number of devices available as compared to iOS but has less than the number of Android devices on the market.
Total Apps
Mobile applications (Apps) are software applications available for consumers to download and run on smartphones and tablets. Being the leader in the app trend, Apple has the iTunes App Store, has over 500,000 active apps already made available. Android’s Google Play is slowly but surely catching up with over 300,00 active apps at the same time period. Blackberry has the Blackberry App World that has lesser apps than both, and the newest Windows Phone Marketplace has a relatively small amount of 43,000+ apps. The Ovi Store for the Symbian has more than 48,000 apps.
Comparing tablets, both iPad and Android tablets are capable of running smaller-screen phone applications. However, while image quality on Android tablets is better and less pixelated, iOS has the most tablet-optimized applications on its iPad. Microsoft is preparing Windows 8 OS for compatibility for future tablets.
Freedom of Usage
Android offers the most freedom in software installation, allowing 3rd party applications just by sideloading or downloading from the web. The drawback of such freedom however, is increased malware and defective applications. On the other hand, iOS and Windows Phone undertake a walled garden approach that only allows installation of approved applications. If consumers want to download any unapproved applications, the devices require a jailbreak to do so. Symbian and Blackberry OS are less open than Android but more open than iOS.
Multitasking
All OS enable multitasking on devices, although multitasking in iOS is markedly different as it does not allow full apps to run in the background. Instead, it only keeps certain features running in the background while others are in the state saved.
Unified Notifications
All OS enable multitasking on devices, although multitasking in iOS is markedly different as it does not allow full apps to run in the background. Instead, it only keeps certain features running in the background while others are in the state saved.
Unified Notifications
A common feature shared between iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry OS is the unified notification systems they have. Similar to Android, Apple’s Notification Center allows access to notifications from the lock screen. Blackberry OS has updates on its home screen.
Cloud computing is a developing technology that has been redefining how people use the web in recent times. It allows the user to store and access their data using different devices and hence saves precious flash storage. Cloud technology also allows the user to keep different devices in sync.
Different cloud services are provided to let consumers store data on remote servers. Currently, Android uses a cloud storage using Google accounts that allows for many free web-based services such as Google Docs. Users can also use 3rd party applications like Dropbox to access cloud files. Comparatively, the iCloud created for iOS serves as an invisible cloud that keeps contents synced between iOS devices and Macs. Devices can also be backed up using iCloud. Windows Phone users have the Windows Live SkyDrive cloud service that has to be downloaded. Unlike iCloud, data cannot invisibly sync in the background and requires manual file transfer instead. Blackberry Business Cloud Services links Microsoft Exchange Online with Blackberry smartphones to allow mobile access to synced data.
It goes on...
Overall, each OS on the market has its own unique features that make up its identity. Android is well known for its wild customizability and hacker-friendly mobile platform. iOS has a comparatively restricted and tight user interface but is well-liked for its almost seamless programming and processing. While Blackberry OS has strong enterprise focus and built-in Microsoft Office Editors, the most newly launched Windows Phone OS is still in formative stage and finding a niche area on which it can build an identity. Apart from the features compared above, it should be noted that there are still vast differences between operating systems and that the list of features for a comprehensive comparison between different OS is non-exhaustive.