canderson said:To a non-iOS developer who only knows CSS and HTML and a little xml for websites what's that mean exactly? Just a new protocol?
Are you referring to using SMS through iMessage (the new feature), or using iMessage like before internationally?singaporesoxfan said:What Whatsapp still does well that iOS 8 doesn't seem to fix in iMessage (even after adapting many of Whatsapp's features): text between people in different countries without worrying that you're going to pay a fortune for international messaging.
People are happy the most advanced phone fist created and still outpacing others incorporates technology others create into the ecosystem they prefer.FL4WL3SS said:I'm trolling here, just to get that out of the way.
Yay, Apple introduced a bunch of stuff that Android and Windows has had for years!!
Serious question, but do iPhone user still get really stoked about these updates because they either a.) don't know that these features already exist on Android/Windows or b.) know they exist, but love Apple so much that they don't care?
FL4WL3SS said:Also, some of these features have been on Android for more than 6 years. That's a long time to play catch up and 'get it right'. I'd rather have a feature that is a bit buggy that gets better with age than not have the feature at all.
FL4WL3SS said:Also, some of these features have been on Android for more than 6 years. That's a long time to play catch up and 'get it right'. I'd rather have a feature that is a bit buggy that gets better with age than not have the feature at all.
Who said anything about customizing, rooting or jailbreaking? I'm talking about features that are useful that have been available on other platforms for years.NortheasternPJ said:
You say this, but look at Apple Maps. The market had a fucking stroke because it was "a bit buggy" and the Hoover Dam didn't look right. The reason they even released Apple Maps is because Google forced them to since they wouldn't allow turn by turn directions on the iPhone.
In terms of iPhone vs Android, I don't have time to find the newest apps to do one function, then find out it doesn't work with everything or kills battery, to fuck around with my phone or do I have the desire. I have zero desire to customize, root, jailbreak or whatever. I need my phone to work, have the apps I want and expect it to work right.
Apple's not in the business of selling to people who want that and they're not in the business of pushing stuff out half assed. They have done it and when they do, they get murdered for it. Plus is it really a market advantage to push towards the 2% who care about that?
When larger screen iPhones come out I'm eager to see if it the pull is Android, or it's big screens. I bet it's big screens.
Sorry, but what percentage of iPhone users are on an earlier release of iOS? I know from experience that previous versions of iPhones do not support current releases of iOS.JKelley34 said:
Does it though? Assuming Apple wasn't lying, 9% of Android users are on KitKat.
(Waiting for the Blacken: Look at you tardsheeple why aren't you buying an unlocked google phone!)
iOS 7 is supported back through iPhone4 (excluding Siri and Airdrop) which was released June 2010FL4WL3SS said:Sorry, but what percentage of iPhone users are on an earlier release of iOS? I know from experience that previous versions of iPhones do not support current releases of iOS.
I don't see how that advances the conversation, it's not really relevant. The fact is, many users choose to buy cheaper versions of Android phones that don't get updates. The better question is, how many Nexus users are still on an earlier release of Android.
Lets compare apples to apples (pun intended) and see where the numbers lay.
FL4WL3SS said:
I don't see how that advances the conversation, it's not really relevant. The fact is, many users choose to buy cheaper versions of Android phones that don't get updates. The better question is, how many Nexus users are still on an earlier release of Android.
I'm not sure it's a new feature but basically yes I was talking about something like the former: if you want to send an SMS to an international number through iMessage you have to be sure that 1) the person has an iPhone and 2) the person is in an area that receives data. Otherwise the messaging app won't use iMessage and it will revert to sending an ordinary SMS i.e. you get the usual expensive charge for sending a text to a foreign number. With Whatsapp you don't have to worry about what phone the person has or whether she is currently in an area with data (the message just won't send if the person can't get data).The Four Peters said:Are you referring to using SMS through iMessage (the new feature), or using iMessage like before internationally?
If it's the latter, I'm screwed.
JKelley34 said:Does it though? Assuming Apple wasn't lying, 9% of Android users are on KitKat.
For what it's worth, it just errors out in iMessage. You have to actively choose to send as a text message.singaporesoxfan said:I'm not sure it's a new feature but basically yes I was talking about something like the former: if you want to send an SMS to an international number through iMessage you have to be sure that 1) the person has an iPhone and 2) the person is in an area that receives data. Otherwise the messaging app won't use iMessage and it will revert to sending an ordinary SMS i.e. you get the usual expensive charge for sending a text to a foreign number. With Whatsapp you don't have to worry about what phone the person has or whether she is currently in an area with data (the message just won't send if the person can't get data).
Well said and something I think most people, including myself, are not able to articulate.sibpin said:
This doesn't matter as much as it once did if we're talking about software features.
What Apple calls iOS is actually three layers on Google Android:
The Android OS is the one where the 9% statistics are cited. Updates to the Android OS require Google, hardware manufacturer (who usually make their own skins/changes as well), cell carrier, and user approval, which makes this a really onerous process. The OS contains hardware support (Bluetooth LE, NFC, printing, etc.), heavy software features that have system-wide effects (multiple tablet users, video DRM, SMS/MMS handling, etc.), and a lot of design/theming choices (fonts, launcher layouts, etc.). These features aren't usually immediately user-facing, but they're used by user-facing apps. Of course you're better having these updates than not having these updates, but I would guess very few of these features from one version to the next actually get used (of course, if you don't update for several years, it starts to build). What Tim Cook is 100% right about is that security holes found in older versions of the Android OS cannot be patched quickly.
- The Android Operating System
- Google Play Services
- Google Apps
Google Play Services, by contrast, are updated automatically in the background. According to Google, it reaches all online devices worldwide within 2 weeks. Apple would kill to have that kind of turnaround. This contains access to cooler features that tend to be more dependent on Google's proprietary technologies - maps/locations, in-app purchases and payments, single sign-in, analytics, gaming, Drive (cloud) uploads/integration, Chromecast support, etc. App developers use a lot of these tools and don't have to worry about what version of the OS is on a given device.
And then Google Apps are what are used on other platforms - Search, Voice Recognition, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Hangouts, etc. - as well as certain system tools like the keyboards and camera. These are now updated like regular apps and most of the products are on a roughly monthly release cycle. My guess is the main reason Apple doesn't do this is because it would make their annual keynotes one-tenth as long. Granted, Google App updates can be held back by the Android OS, but Google's been pretty good at releasing versions that take advantage of whatever features are available on that device.
Apple's not going to make this comparison, because OS-to-OS numbers look better for them (and hide the fact that they also have fragmentation, e.g. no Siri on iPhone 4). If you're on a 3-year-old Android phone, you probably don't have Bluetooth Low-Energy and it's pretty hard to print files. But you can use in-app purchases in the latest location-based gaming apps or stream video to your TV using Chromecast. You'll have the latest Maps improvements (like lane guidance) and your Gmail app will look pretty similar to one on a brand new device. It's not a good scenario by any means - the hardware is worse than today's low-end devices and the OS is ugly/unintuitive - but OS updates mean a lot more for iOS devices than for Android devices.
mt8thsw9th said:How's iOS 8? Anyone have a slot in their dev account?