Requirements And Availability
All of which brings us to what has long been Apple’s biggest advantage over Android and it remains perhaps the one area where Lollipop is powerless to catch up.
Buying an iPhone means getting the latest iOS updates as soon as they come out. In fact, as was seen with the buggy iOS 8.0.1 release that was ultimately withdrawn, not upgrading can actually be the hardest thing. Furthermore you will be guaranteed at least three years of upgrades.
For Android it remains far more of a lottery. Google’s move to push the Nexus range into the premium bracket with the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 shows it is now keen to move a pure Android experience front and centre, though its launch stock struggles show that can be easier said than done.
Furthermore Google retains no control over how quickly its handset
partners upgrade their phones or how fully they cover Android with their
own skins. Google gave partners an usually long heads up by announcing
‘Android L’ way back in June at Google I/O 2014 and it means many are
announcing they will have upgrades ready for their key handsets within
1-2 months, but this still doesn’t compare to iOS roll-out times.
That said what mustn’t be forgotten is the role of ‘Google Play Services’. This is “used to update Google apps and [third party] apps from Google Play” but in reality what it has done is enable Android to be far more modular. Consequently core apps like Gmail, Google Maps, Google Calendar, YouTube, Google Keyboard and more are now updated through the Play Store.
As such even older phones not updated to Lollipop will still get the latest Material Design apps, even long after Apple has stopped supporting iPhones and iPads with iOS updates. Yes, Google Play Services is not a perfect solution but it is a very good (and often overlooked) backup plan.
Bottom Line
iOS 8 and Android 5.0 Lollipop are both game changers for their respective platforms. iOS now finally has the flexibility and functionality to counter the age-old taunts of Android owners. Similarly Android now has class leading design, speed and battery efficiency to match anything Apple has produced.
With some justification cynics can point to the fact that both platforms have effectively plugged their weakest areas by copying what is good from their rivals. This is largely true, but it is also no bad thing.
As such there is no standout winner here, other than the users of
each ecosystem. But for me Android 5.0 Lollipop – at least in its pure
form – is currently the most interesting.
Yes the potential of Apple Pay looms large for iOS, but what sways me towards Lollipop is Material Design. Whereas Apple Pay improves upon Google Wallet, Material Design is something truly bold and new.
Gone forever with it is the idea that a makeover should be purely
superficial and it fuses good looks with a new, consistent visual
language which is not only a joy to use, but genuinely guides the user
in operation.
It is worth asking how often Material Design will be seen under the skins of non-Nexus Android 5.0 handsets. But in an era where two mobile juggernauts are increasingly without weak spots, it is a moment of real inspiration that can change how we think about user interface design and that sees Lollipop win my vote.
All of which brings us to what has long been Apple’s biggest advantage over Android and it remains perhaps the one area where Lollipop is powerless to catch up.
Buying an iPhone means getting the latest iOS updates as soon as they come out. In fact, as was seen with the buggy iOS 8.0.1 release that was ultimately withdrawn, not upgrading can actually be the hardest thing. Furthermore you will be guaranteed at least three years of upgrades.
For Android it remains far more of a lottery. Google’s move to push the Nexus range into the premium bracket with the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 shows it is now keen to move a pure Android experience front and centre, though its launch stock struggles show that can be easier said than done.
iOS (left) still gets updates much faster than Android (right) with this Nexus 5 still awaiting Lollipop
That said what mustn’t be forgotten is the role of ‘Google Play Services’. This is “used to update Google apps and [third party] apps from Google Play” but in reality what it has done is enable Android to be far more modular. Consequently core apps like Gmail, Google Maps, Google Calendar, YouTube, Google Keyboard and more are now updated through the Play Store.
As such even older phones not updated to Lollipop will still get the latest Material Design apps, even long after Apple has stopped supporting iPhones and iPads with iOS updates. Yes, Google Play Services is not a perfect solution but it is a very good (and often overlooked) backup plan.
Bottom Line
iOS 8 and Android 5.0 Lollipop are both game changers for their respective platforms. iOS now finally has the flexibility and functionality to counter the age-old taunts of Android owners. Similarly Android now has class leading design, speed and battery efficiency to match anything Apple has produced.
With some justification cynics can point to the fact that both platforms have effectively plugged their weakest areas by copying what is good from their rivals. This is largely true, but it is also no bad thing.
iOS 8 in landscape mode on the iPhone 6 Plus (image credit: Gordon Kelly)
Yes the potential of Apple Pay looms large for iOS, but what sways me towards Lollipop is Material Design. Whereas Apple Pay improves upon Google Wallet, Material Design is something truly bold and new.
Android 5.0 Lollipop on the Nexus 9 (image credit: Gordon Kelly)
It is worth asking how often Material Design will be seen under the skins of non-Nexus Android 5.0 handsets. But in an era where two mobile juggernauts are increasingly without weak spots, it is a moment of real inspiration that can change how we think about user interface design and that sees Lollipop win my vote.
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