EPTIn the last month, at work we are developing an app for a bank, that should work on all 3 major mobile operating systems. And NO, we are not developing for BB10.
We were given 3 iPhones (4s, 5 and 5S) a wide array of Androids (Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony) and a few Nokias with WP8.
I got to use a lot of phones this past month and can say that this all shit about which OS is better is utter stupid.
I will do a short summary of what I liked and hated about each of the 3 platforms:
On iOS I liked:
- it is very fast, like very. Animations are fluid and everything seems optimized.
- iOS 7 is a step in the right direction
- the OS is simple and intuitive
- the design of the iPhone (hardware)
- global proxy settings (useful for corporate environment)
What I didn't like
- the lack of choice in screen size. Why must Apple make the decision for me in terms of screen sizes?
- as a programmer I think the OS was build with a lot of limitations and I found myself searching for workarounds around these limitations.
- I can't change default apps
- I have to develop the code on a Mac
On Android I liked:
- big beautiful screens
- sharing options between apps
- I can change default apps
- Installing apps from the browser
- customizations
What I didn't like:
- as a developer, i hate I have to consider a large number of form factors
- I would get very rare lags (for about 1 sec), but on very rare occasions
- fragmentation: I hate that I can't use some Android 4.0 features because a lot of people still use 2.3
- bloatware by some manufactureres
- it just feels that the OS is capable of so much more, but because it is designed to work on a lot of devices, it can't be optimized as much
Windows Phone, what I liked:
- tiles, I really liked the navigation on Windows Phone 8
- not really a software thing, but the Nokia hardware is the best out there
- it's really fast and only got lag like once or twice in a month
- beautiful screen and the best cameras
What I didn't like:
- not really the OS's fault, but the "Windows" brand doesn't inspire trust to me
- notifications are poorly implemented
- not intuitive (at least for me).
For me the surprise was WP8, I really liked it as an OS, but I think it came a little too late. Had it come 1-2 years earlier, it would have been a great success.
I feel that Google with Android went for the better approach on apps (for the users). They let you install even pirated apps, of course at a user's own risk
Whoever called Apple's ecosystem, a "walled garden" was very right. I feel that the OS has some limitations, but what it does, it does really, really, really well.
If I could live in a perfect world, I would choose a Nokia hardware (my God, those phones are good), with an Android features and customization, but with the speed and optimizations of iOS.
Too bad I can't get then and instead I have a Nexus 5.
