Is iPhone 4/iPad Bringing An Android Problem to iOS?
By: Hillel Fuld
So, Apple launched the iPhone 4 last week and rumor has it, they sold over a million and a half handsets so far. That has to be some kind of record. Anyone who has been following the developments since the iPhone 4 started shipping is well aware of the issues people are having. Whether it is the stains on the screen or the reception issues, Apple might have some answering to do and I don’t mean telling people that they are holding their phones wrong.
However, while the iPhone 4 launch was a successful one by any standards, there is another issue that is arising as a result of the new smartphone king. Before I go into it, let me give a little background. I am personally using a BlackBerry as my primary device, and the reason being is that I was using the Bold when the 3GS was released and while its speed was impressive compared to the 3G, it did not warrant switching phones in my opinion.
Over the past year or two, I occasionally considered the idea of buying an Android phone. Between the Nexus, HTC Desire, or the Incredible, there was not a shortage of amazing phones from which to choose. However, the one determining factor that made me stay away from Android was the Android fragmentation. The Android Market is a mess and comparing it to the App Store leaves a lot of room for improvement.
Whether you are a developer or a user, you are sure to be confused by all the different Android phones each with very different specs, which means lack of support for certain apps. What works on the Nexus will most probably not work on the larger screen of the Galaxy S and what works on the Galaxy S will most likely not work on the even larger screen of the Dell Streak.
Now in Google’s defense, an app that does not work with a certain device will not show up in the Market of that device. So, for example, I have an old Samsung Galaxy and Swype, a very cool alternative to the default text input on Android is nowhere to be found in the market on my phone since it is not supported.
With the new iPhone 4 and iPad, this same problem exists with Apple’s platform, but unlike Google, Apple is not doing anything about it. What this means is that apps that work flawlessly on the iPhone 3GS look completely pixelated on the iPad and iPhone 4′s Retina display.
To just name one example, I am using the Facebook app on my iPad and while it works and provides all the functionality, it is very clear that the app is not optimized for the iPad display. From a developer’s perspective, how does one decide which device they want to optimize their app for? Should they target the three million iPad users out there or possibly the wildly successful iPhone 4? There is always the possibility to continue working on 3GS apps since there are still a ridiculous amount of iPhone 3GS users out there. See where I’m going with this?
Back in the days of the iPhone 3GS, it was all so simple. You had the App Store, which was categorized by price and popularity. Now, there is an iPhone and iPad tab, and a vast majority of the iPhone apps do not display properly on the new iPhone.
To be fair, I will say that there is a basic and important difference when it comes to the fragmentation of the two stores. While the Android Market has apps that do not work on all phones, the App Store has apps that are optimized for the 3Gs, 4, or iPad, but the app works across all devices. The issue here is not whether it works, it is how it looks on the display. In addition, Apple cleverly added the scaling option on apps when viewing them on the iPad. Having said that, if an app looks as horrible as the Facebook app does on the iPad, it might as well not work at all.
Truth be told, Apple made it possible to develop for the new enhanced display months ago, and if there are apps not optimized for the iPhone 4, it is less Apple’s fault and more the developer’s. Having said that, at the end of the day, Apple is going to be the one suffering the consequences with its famous simplicity and ease of use going down the drain.
At the end of the day, this might become an issue, and it might not, but what is for sure, the App Store is still leaps and bounds ahead of the Android Market when it comes to usability. I just wonder if iPhone 3GS, iPad, and iPhone 4 specific apps are going to change that.
Would love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments.
