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Steve Jobs Lashes Out At Android

Ponca City writes "Steve Jobs doesn't usually make a guest appearance on Apple's post-earnings conference calls with analysts, but this time he made an exception, attacking Google for marketing its operating system as 'open' versus Apple's 'closed' iOS. 'Google loves to characterize Android as "open" and iOS and iPhone as "closed." We find this a bit disingenuous, and clouding the real difference between our two approaches,' said Jobs. 'Android is very fragmented. Many Android [manufacturers], including the two largest, HTC and Motorola, install proprietary user interfaces to differentiate themselves from the commodity Android experience. The user's left to figure it out. Compare this to iPhone, where every handset works the same.' Jobs stated that the real debate is between 'fragmented versus integrated' and which is better for the consumer. 'When selling to users who want their devices to just work, we believe integrated will trump fragmented every time. And we also think our developers can be more innovative if they can target a singular platform rather than a hundred variants.' Jobs also criticized the Android Marketplace, pointing out that there are at least three other app stores being launched by vendors, causing confusion for users and work for developers. 'This is gonna be a mess for both users and developers,' Jobs said. 'Contrast this with Apple's integrated App Store, which offers users the easiest-to-use, largest app store in the world, preloaded on every iPhone.'"

8 of 864 comments (clear)

  1. where every handset works the same by commodore64_love · · Score: 0, Troll

    Three cheers for conformity! "I Want To Be A Clone" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksP2jYr7mS8

    Calm down Apple fans - I own a Mac too
    (all the way back to the Quadra days).
    It's chust a choke!

    --
    "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
  2. Confusion by Un+pobre+guey · · Score: 0, Troll

    Consumer walks into a shoe store and sees 136 types of shoes:

    "No! No! I'm so confused! I'm left to figure it out. Why doesn't every shoe look the same? I want my shoes to just work, and I believe integrated will trump fragmented every time. I also think shoe designers can be more innovative if they can target a singular shoe type rather than a hundred variants. Just look the Android Shoe Marketplace, where there are at least three other shoe stores being launched by vendors, causing confusion for consumers and more work for shoe designers!"

    Let's not even get into Android vs. iPhone sales trends.

  3. Re:Just work by aarenz · · Score: 1, Troll

    There are two channels on iTV (appleTV), the communist party channel and the channel that says turn back to the party channel!

  4. Re:I Am Awash with Confusion by node+3 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Good luck "making a bit of money" when you're already negative from the get go!

    This is one of the single most idiotic arguments that the "free" and "open" software crowd can, and far too often does, make. Even RMS tends to stray away from the cost argument.

    If your app is only 99 cents, that means you just have to sell about 150 copies per year to make back your developer fee. As for the computer, a Mac mini is $699. If you really want to go cheap, you can even build a hackintosh (Apple won't know the difference, and they won't ask either). But if making back $99/year, and a one time $699 is difficult, you aren't really making much money in the first place. People who work buy tools, and they buy those tools because they help them make more money than they would without them. Telling someone, "hey, don't buy these tools, you can work over here with cheaper tools" is like saying, "don't make $100k/year, minus $798. Instead make $10k/year, minus $299. It's way better!"

    And if your app is free (not ad supported, but completely no-strings free), then you're clearly doing this as a sort of hobby and at $99/year, it's quite inexpensive as far as hobbies go.

    You're correct that git and make don't mean anything to a customer but it does if you consider that developers have to embrace the platform before the customer has an apps to use!

    Short run: make your money on iPhone. Long run: Android wins out. Trust me on this one.

    Consumers prefer Apple devices. Being able to compile the kernel does not entice consumers, and it with the hundreds of thousands of apps, it doesn't seem like the inability to git the iOS kernel is keeping them away.

    You like Android, you like the freedom it provides. You like the tool-like hackability, even if you never fully take advantage of it yourself. That's fine. In fact, that's great. Even if I never use Android myself, I'm glad it's there for the people who value those features. But just like all the "Year of Linux" cries from years past, it's foolish to extend this into thinking that it's going to take over the world. It's not. People don't give a shit about "open". Not after a certain point. Rightfully so. Open is just one aspect of a product.

  5. Re:Sensationalize much? by Abcd1234 · · Score: 0, Troll

    They also want to nickel and dime you on the content you consume. Sure, there are some free apps, and some free music, and some free videos.. but you are still in their store getting it.

    Speaking of intellectually dishonest... have you never heard of simply encoding your own music and videos and loading them up?

    As for applications, well, yeah, some people want to get paid for the applications they write. That's their choice thanks to a lovely concept called "copyright law". If you don't like it, stick to the free alternatives, or move to another country where they don't have such a concept.

  6. Au Contraire by PortHaven · · Score: 0, Troll

    I am looking at leaving iOS because the one thing it utterly fails at - is working.

    I can't even tell you how many nightmares of synching I have had with iPhones + iTunes. Heck, nearly 2 weeks ago, iTunes removed 1/2 my contacts from my phone. I have still not been able to get them to sync back up.

    Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Steve....how about you STFU and fix your software. Stop wasting time knocking you competitors and make your crap work.

    Thank you very much!

  7. Re:Creator and Overseer of Android Responds by Pieroxy · · Score: 0, Troll

    I have an HTC Evo since the day it was released. Since then, I've been through a few minor updates and a major release (Froyo). I have never had to reinstall apps and I've never had to worry about libraries or compiling anything at all. For that matter, I've never known anyone to have to compile anything for Android with the exception of a developer I know.

    Great. Nobody ever said otherwise. Reread your P and GP. Maybe you are talking about Andy Rubin? He was actually trying to make a point for Android with the fact that you can compile it. The point of the iPhone supporters in this debate is that you cannot compare Android with iPhone. However you can compare android phones to an iPhone. Then the waters get a little muddier for Android.

    So, I don't know what phone or Android version you're running, but it can't be anything recent. I think your issues could be compared with someone bashing Ubuntu because way back when they ran Linux, they had to compile everything from source.

    Stop beating the dead horse. He was not talking about his phone but about the quote of Andy Rubin. And I suspect you perfectly got that and are just trolling.

    As for Apple, I have two iPod Touch units, one 3rd Gen and one 4th Gen. I've had to reinstall different software apps several times and had some just stop working after a time (don't know if an update caused the problems). Of course, when something stops working on the iPod/Phone, there's really nothing you can do except uninstall and reinstall and see if that fixes your issue. Other than that, well, just uninstall and hope you can get your money back if it's an app you paid for. Those issues were with the 3rd Gen.

    I've had an iPhone 1st gen and an iPhone 3GS. Never had to reinstall an app. Ever. Sometimes a reboot after 4-5 month of uptime when things seems to go berserk, but that's all. So see, YMMV.

    I can't really speak for the 4th Gen as it only worked for a couple of days before I had to send it back to Apple. Apple service was great, but I shouldn't of had to send the damn thing back in the first place.

    Of course. Apple should not ship defective products. Maybe we should tell Steve Jobs about it. It's actually a great way to improve user experience! And of course HTC has never shipped a defective Evo. Ever. If we needed more proof that you're a troll, there it is.

    I didn't have to pay any money for the repair, but it did cost me several hours trying to figure out what was wrong + a trip to the UPS store to have it shipped back to Apple.

    At least, there's that. Same cannot be said for all Android handsets. Some, for sure. Most maybe. All never. See my first point above.

    Oh, and don't even get me started on iTunes...

    Point granted.

  8. Re:I Am Awash with Confusion by node+3 · · Score: 0, Troll

    But people give shit about being able to make a call on a fucking phone, and not to be told how to hold it. And it shows.

    Record-breaking 14+ million iPhones sold this quarter. Yeah, people are really shying away from iPhone.

    BTW, stop being such a bitch of apple and grow a pair. Your beloved company is going the same way it did 20 years back when the 'fragmentation' of Windows trumpeted the 'it just works' shit of apple.

    Sorry man, I'm just going by the facts. Android is a great system and I'm glad it exists, but Android fanboys make even the most rabid Apple fanboy look like a Rhodes Scholar.