What Can Android Learn From Apple? [Forum Talk]

first again

Android should try to learn from everyone: Blackberry, WebOS, Symbian, ios, even WP7

Android needs to have some minimal specs.

1. All phones should have a physical camera button (like windows 7)
2. All phones should have a LED Notification light
3. All top end phones should have minimum ram of 1Gb

I agree with ari-free. It’s wise to look at what everyone else is doing, test them out, see what works well and what doesn’t and then innovate and get creative with what you see working well.

One clear thing that gets a lot of press is battery life. Apple uses draconian control freak measures to ensure that they get the best battery life they can out of iOS devices. Android simply needs to ensure that optimal practices are taking place within app development in the Android Market, don’t allow apps that use “bad practices” into the Market–they can sell their app anywhere else they want or adjust the app for better user experience.

The reason I think this is needed is, most users are clueless to figure out why their Android device is getting bad battery life–almost always it’s due to a third-party app.

Well, that’s my two cents anyways. . .

Only two things IMO … the rest will weed itself out.

1. UI matters. A lot. I think they are getting the idea as even Honeycomb has a lot of UI polish … but stock Android practically begs for manufacturers to make things like Sense …. because it’s just so UGLY. But so far 2.2 gave use framework changes …. 2.3 gave us framework changes … and all I see on the phone horizon are framework changes.

2. Google needs to control updates. Maybe I’m going to double back on myself on #1 because that will likely require more framework changes, but seriously this needs to be done. Hardware manufacturers should be supplying their monolithic kernel, some custom APKs for supporting cool add-on-x, maybe an API fork for a custom hardware feature … but Google should be pushing the updates. What we want out of our smart phones is really only varying via hardware … and only in that we want it faster.

Not sure what Android should learn from Apple, but I do agree that it can learn some stuff from WP7. Most importantly, like WP7, google should control updates. Honestly, I love Android and all but I could easily see myself getting a WP7 as my next phone primarily for the fact that I know it will be updated and not become outdated as soon as the manufacturer has a better model out.

In terms of getting the same specs on all phones, I don’t really agree with that. I like the versatility here so you can figure out what you want your phone for.

I think WP7 has done right some of the stuff Android has done wrong, even though I do love my Android.

All of the major smartphones OSs (Android, iOS, RIM, Symbian, etc.) all learn from, and take ideas from one another (which is why everyone is always suing everyone else for intellectual property), which is a good thing – competition drives innovation.
@Droiiid – Try out ADW launcher EX, the icons are highly customizable, and you can put them all on square tiles if you like, which gives a more uniform look.

The two biggest requirements I would like to see for Android phones across the board are:
1) unencrypted/unlockable bootloaders so you can flash new ROMs on YOUR phone, and are not at the mercy of the companies involved to push out updates with all of their crap on it. Obviously, every manufacturer wants to differentiate themselves, and it would be ridiculous to have 200+ different phones all running vanilla Android; if it is unlockable, then you have more options available to you.
2 A universal docking system for ALL Android phones. Obviously, it couldnt be a one-size-fits-all like the iPhone (because there is one iPhone and a ton of Android phones) but there should be a dock adapter for each phone. This could be done very easily with a micro USB and some plastic casings to fit the phone with the output being the same across the board. Lots of things have iDocks because they’re all the same. No one is going to sell you a home theater system with 200 docks packaged with it so you have the right Android dock.
3) More and more out-of-the-box customizability. I was pretty impressed with the TBolts ability to change lockscreens, colors, etc. I would like to see the type of customizability out of the box that say, Ultimate Droid gives you. I root regardless for a lot more reasons than themes, but it would be VERY cool if you could change fonts, notification bar size/color/icons, etc. easily without rooting.
Just my two cents.

Google should make sure each phone is as smooth and lag fee as the iPhone and beautify it a tad. They should also make sure the market has more categories so apps are easier to find. Other than that, Android is supeior

@droiiid I have to say as much as I hate apple we still can learn from them. If it wasn’t for the Iphone we may not even have phones that we do now or even the Android system. Apple made other companies want to compete to be the best… So I have to say that maybe we can learn from IOS. For example Apple is very secure we as Android lovers need to see what IOS does to be so secure and enhance that so that way we are protected as users… So before you say that read this and tell me what you think!

1. Better Quality Applications

2. Enforce the manufacturers to give the android os option to choose stock android ui over manufacturers

3. Music syncing software provided by Google to compete with itunes.

4. Prohibit carriers and manufaturers from pre installing crapwares

5. Agreement with manufacturers and carriers to update android os software to some reasonable point over time

Rather than a camera button how about a programmable button. That u can use for a camera button or something else. Ever since I saw that on a BBI thought it should be a standard

That would be the shit. I’d love working over a magnifying glass installing little processors and ram sticks lol. If users could go to a llocal store and have them make a custom phone that would b the ultimate wet dream for end users

Unified app creation guidelines, so I dont have three apps that all have different UIs.

Better App storage and execution. YOu should not have to worry about how many apps you have and where they are stored, only overall space you have to play with, and on a phone with a 16gb SD card that should be 16gb!!!

All phones to have Android skins as OPTIONAL, so we can get updates as SOON as they are released.

Hate Apple fans all you like, but one thing most of them dont do is compare IOS to Android at the drop of a hat. It feels like every Android user has to justify themselves by not extolling the virtues of Android, but running down and comparing against IOS. Why, why be so insecure. So many comments I see people say they HATE Apple ????. Really ???, what are they doing to you ???. You have an EVO, or a Droid, cant you be happy with that ???. Save your hate for Col Gadaffi or BP.

Lesson to learn: stop acting like you are the king and other companies/developers have to bow to your feet and beg you to accept their apps.

If you only provide the OS, not matter how popular you are, it’s the apps/softwares that make or break you. So developers are the king.

What they can learn is quality control and release dates. There is little to no standards for android phones. As much as people hate to admit it, there is a reason Iphone took off in games. Developers know exactly what they are programing for. This is the same reason that consoles are easier to develop for – no fragmentation.

hmm,,what can android learn from apple?hmm,,,,weelll,,,they can learn to have a small screen,one button,cheap camera,useless market,worse os.

what can apple learn from android?
big variety,to stop repeating the exact same phone but with a squarer model,how to get a good camera,how to get gorrila glass,how to have a good market,how to have a return policy,how to have a good music player,how to have a good browser,how to have a good youtube,how to have more than one button,how to have a bigger screen,and how to have a good operating system!!!

and ADW launcher!!!!!!!!!!!!