Search the internet and you will come across a huge list of articles that proclaim the supremacy of iOS over Android or vice versa. The battle has truly begun in earnest and the winner will only be decided in the years to come. For now, it does seem that iOS app development has won over more users than the Android development. But, it needs to be repeated that though the battle lines have been drawn, the battle has just begun. There is a still a long way to go before a clear winner emerges, if at all?

Let’s take some random parameters and compare how the measured up on them.

Camera and Pictures

Android can’t compare with the iOS when it comes to the camera application. Users can access this app right from the Lock Screen. With its numerous features such as single-tap focus, grid lines etc, it beats anything that the Android OS has to offer at this point of time. But, things don’t look so bad for this OS either.  When it comes to users editing their photos, Android users can do it using third party apps; and these apps have better editing options than those offered by iOS. So, if you are looking for great camera functionality, the iOS is a clear winner; but when it comes to picture editing, the Android is better.

Notifications

It must be said here that there were plenty of issues with the notifications provided by iOS, in its earlier versions. But, with iOS 5, Apple is trying to improve things by a long way. The latest version of the iOS, gives users complete control of their Notification Center. They can choose the notifications they can see and all new notifications will appear at the top of the screen.  More importantly new notifications are not going to interrupt a task that users might be doing at that point of time. In comparison to the iOS, the Android was far ahead in terms of how the notifications appeared on the screen. But the keyword here is ‘was’.

Now, before that here is some interesting rumor floating on web space. Developers “claim” that the developers at Apple “borrowed” Android’s well-defined notifications system and made it better. Well, this can be debated endlessly, but the truth is that the advantage that Android had with its notifications is now lost.  One of these advantages was that it offered Twitter notifications but the iOS did not. But the new version of iOS has twitter integrations and host of other features that the Android doesn’t.   But there are still other areas in the notification domain that Android scores over IOS.  While the Android system is widgets compatible, the iOS isn’t. So, all is not lost yet for Android application development. It needs to catch up, but, it’s not as if the iOS has pipped it to the post.

Accessibility

Now this is where the iOS scores over Android.  Now, people who have hearing, vision and even cognitive difficulties can make the most of their operating system. Apple has made specialized hardware accessories available that help such people not only see but also feel when somebody is calling, this is done through LED flash and the setting up of custom vibrations. This is just one of the many ways that the latest version of iOS is improving its accessibility.

On the other hand Android is also doing its best to ensure that users with disabilities are able to optimize their interaction with their Android devices. Accessibility layers help such users navigate their devices and apps such as text-to-speech etc are augmenting the user experience. But there is no doubt that more needs to be done. And to be fair to the Android and its development community, there are plenty of developments happening on this front.

Plenty of similarities as well

Both the iOS and the Android are doing equally well on the intuitiveness front.  Each has its own strengths and helps users seamlessly interact with the menu, user interface, apps and features to give users a smooth experience. Being different operating systems, there is no doubt that they take a different approach towards offering the highest standards of intuitiveness, but there is little to separate the two.

Whether you choose to go with the iOS or the Android is a decision that rests squarely on your shoulders. The question in the title cannot be answered with a mere yes or a no. We are talking about two operating systems with their own strengths and weakness.  At the end of the day, it’s your personal choice that determines whether the iOS is a much better OS than the Android.