Journal 6: Butler, M., "Android: Changing the Mobile Landscape," Pervasive Computing, IEEE , vol.10, no.1, pp.4,7, Jan.-March 2011 doi: 10.1109/MPRV.2011.1

Daniel Lewis

Summary: This article is older so some information may be outdated**
Android became the first real competitor to iPhone's. It target the same customers and offers customers choices the iPhone doesn't by partnering with many vendors and service providers. Android uses the virtual machine Java and uses a highly customization interface. At the time of this article the app store was leading the store with 250,000 high quality apps whereas Android 150,000 apps but since practically anybody could built an app and put it on the market place the quality was a lot lower. Android users also got to see what permissions apps used before downloading as opposed to trusting Apple's evaluation of an app. Google needs to address quality control issues and once they resolve these problems it will be the clear winner.

Synthesis: Like other articles I have read the main focus of Android was its openness and its ease of developing for the operating system. The article also focus a lot on  how much users came customize their phone to operate exactly how they want it. On the Apple side of things, even in its early years, iOS has been shipped exactly how Apple wants it and users really have no say in changing it.

Critical Thinking: As my research starts to wind down I am noticing many of the same things said in different articles. Android is popular for its openness and ease of development and costumers like it because they offer many devices through many companies. Apple costumers appreciate their phones for its stability and ease of use. They also enjoy the high quality build of Apple devices. The answer to my question of which operating system is better differs from individuals but statistically coming to a conclusion I see Android as having more potential. The way Android operates makes it easy for customers to like, and if they don't like it they can download an app to their liking. If they want a bigger screen they can buy an Android phone that has that. With Apple. until recently buyers have been stuck with one size of phone and what they get out of the box is what they live with while they have the phone. Apple is working to emulate some aspects of Android now but I think it is too late. Too many shares have been lose and too many customers diverted. I think Android is winning this race.

Questioning: What are some things both companies can do to keep improving? What does Apple need to get shares and customers back? How does the iPhone 6 fit into the mix along with iOS 8. I need to find more scholarly research but it is becoming difficult, especially getting into such recent events.