Zupdates

 

Smart phones and tablets have been dominating the technology industry for many years as manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, Acer, HTC, LG and many others have been coming up with the latest innovations in gadgets. Any smart phone user is bound to make a comparison between different mobile platforms. Currently, the ‘iOS vs Android vs Windows Phone 7’ debate is brewing up all over the world as smart phone and tablet fans continue to tilt in favor of one platform over its rivals.

SEE ALSO: iPhone 5 Specs Comparison with Samsung Galaxy S3 and Lumia 920

1. Android Is Supported On More Than 50% of Smartphones in the World

 

There are some obvious advantages for Android users, for instance, Android is an OS which is supported by the most number of devices made by different manufacturers. Whether you talk about smart phones released by Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson or LG, all of them use Android. On the other hand, iOS is an operating system exclusively used by Apple products such as iPhone and iPad. Whereas, Windows Phone 7 is also used by many smart phones but still Android stands out from the three in terms of better compatibility.

 

2. Third Party Apps

Let’s face it, all smart phone users love to spend their time playing the latest mobile apps and games, and the mobile platform your device uses has a direct bearing on this matter. Once again, android outshines iOS and Windows Phone 7 in terms of allowing users to enjoy third-party apps on their smart phones. Mobile users who use iOS or Windows Phone 7 platforms are required to jailbreak their devices to be able to use unapproved third-party applications. However, Android OS does not follow a ‘walled garden’ approach as it gives users the opportunity to download android apps straight from the web and install on their devices.

 

3. Number of Apps Available On a Platform

 

But the results go in favor of iOS and Apple fans when it comes down to the most number of mobile apps available in the market. Currently, smart phone users who use Apple devices have access to over 500,000 apps which is considerably more than android apps and substantially more than Windows Phone 7 apps. However, considering how recent Windows Phone 7 platform is, the fact that it already offers over 43,000 apps is encouraging for smart phone users.

 

4. iPad Owns More Than 50% of Tablet Market Share

While, Android might be leading the way in the race for being the most popular and best platform for smart phones, the situation is different altogether when it comes to tablets, as it still owns more than 55% of the market share in US. Apple’s iOS offers the most number of tablet-optimized applications to its users which is a clear advantage considering the less-than-impressive performance of the other two platforms in this respect.

 

5. Cloud Storage Services

In terms of offering cloud storage services, Apple’s iOS has a clear edge over Android and Windows Phone 7 because of the availability of iCloud with iOS 5 which not only offers direct storage but also offers syncing of different devices. Although, Android users can use certain third-party apps to access cloud files, still the fact that Android doesn’t support integrated cloud service is a major downside (You can expect it to change once the Google Cloud Storage is launched). On the other hand, Windows Phone 7 uses Microsoft’s SkyDrive for cloud service but still it is no match to iCloud service offered to Apple users.

 

Though we intended to compare all the three platforms, but rather it has turned out to be an iOS vs Android comparison as Windows Phone 7 still needs to do much more before it can compete with its rivals. Having said that, Windows Phone isn’t going anywhere too soon, as Microsoft has pumped in too much money and Windows Phone 8 is on the horizon.

 

The fact is that the ‘iOS vs Android vs Windows Phone 7’ debate can go on and on because the users of each mobile platform have their own preferences. However, the ultimate beneficiary of this ongoing rivalry is the general consumer because he or she is getting access to a more optimized computing experience.
[simple-poll id="1"]

Subscribe to receive the Zupdates Newsletter for Free.

Emails will be sent only once or twice a week, highlighting the most important & interesting articles and news. Just click the above link to start receiving zupdates.

Tags: Android vs Windows Phone 7, iOS vs Android, iOS vs Android vs Windows Phone 7, iOS vs Windows Phone 7