Why Android Sucks

Welcome to my second "Why Stuff Sucks" article. I've already shared my thoughts on why iOS sucks (http://bit.ly/XDH22g). While Apple reigns supreme in overall profit, Android is king when it comes to market share, with estimates ranging from 50 to over 70 per cent.

Yet, Android sucks. It's come a long way and it sucks way less than it did before Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) was releases. But, it still sucks.

Android sucks mainly because it wants to be everywhere and do everything. While the latter isn't necessarily a bad thing, the former is. There don't seem to be any minimum hardware requirements. If there are, they're not nearly high enough. This has resulted in fragmentation. You'll be hard-pressed to read about Android and not hear about fragmentation. Fragmentation is what has driven many users away from Windows PCs to Mac PCs over the last few years. The old adage "you get what you pay for" still holds true. A high-end Windows box will run almost problem-free, and so will a high-end Android smartphone. But, this article isn't about any particular Android phone. It's about Android in general and entry-level devices cannot be ignored.  My wife's Nokia 700 (Symbian Belle) offers comparable performance to an HTC One V or a Samsung Galaxy Ace. There's a reason behind Symbian's demise and having comparable performance to a Symbian device is hardly a compliment.

Do you like the latest and greatest OS version? If you don't buy high-end hardware, then you can forget about it. In some cases, you can forget about it even when you buy high-end hardware. Anyone who's owned a high-end LG Android phone over the past couple of years will attest to that. I'm not blaming Google here, as Google rolls out Android updates in a timely fashion. Each manufacturer then has to work with each mobile operator to bring the update to a particular handset, with the exception of the Nexus line. If you want undiluted, cutting-edge pure-Google experience the Nexi are your only choice. The problem with these devices has traditionally been their price. The latest Nexus 4 by LG has been "released" in 

Canada at "$309" for the 8 GB model. I'm being sarcastic with "released" and "309" because it's still nearly impossible to get and shipping isn't included in the price. Still, it's the best outright price for a phone of its caliber. Unfortunately, most people will be signing contracts anyways and getting better phones for "less" so the Nexus remains a niche phone.

I've mentioned  that mobile operators are involved in the OS update process which brings me to another reason why Android sucks: bloatware. Bloatware is a term used for software that ships with a particular computer (think various HP assistants and trial programs on a budget HP machine at your local Best Buy). Bloatware applies to the world of smartphones, because they are also computers albeit in a different form factor. There are two types of bloatware: operator bloatware and manufacturer bloatware. Neither can be removed from your phone. Bloatware takes up unnecessary storage space on your phone and can significantly slow down your overall performance.

Do you like to back-up your device? While Android generally makes content transfer easy, backing up your system can be a nightmare. You can keep your device in-sync with Google's servers, so your data will be preserved. There's no selecting which particular backup Google uses so you're limited to the latest. Also, your shortcuts and widgets will not automatically be arranged on your home screen, so you'll need anywhere between 5 minutes to over an hour to arrange everything back the way it was. Some manufacturers offer PC backup software for their particular device and my experience with such software has been less than positive, to put it mildly.

A minor reason why Android sucks is the inability to alter DNS settings over a mobile data connection, but I must mention that no competing system offers this option either.

I'm sure I'm missing a few reasons, but there you have it. I must point out that there are ways around certain above-mentioned limitations, but those require gaining superuser privileges (rooting), which void all warranty. Of course, rooting is reversible but I cannot recommend it to anyone who isn't tech savvy. Despite its limitations, I can't advise against using an Android phone, but I must stress the importance of good hardware.

Why iOS Sucks

Let's start the series off with the top dog: iOS. Apple is the undisputed champion of the computing world, be it mobile or traditional. It doesn't matter that Android and Windows have bigger market shares in their respective computing domains. Apple has profit margins that other companies can only dream of.

But nonetheless, iOS sucks. It really sucks This post deals with iOS 6 (EDIT: It's been brought to my attention that there are some aspects of iOS that are slightly different on iPads. This article deals with iOS as it's presented on iPhones).

The chief complaint with iOS seems to be regarding its closed-source nature. Personally, this doesn't bother me. Open-source is great, but not always feasible. The closed app ecosystem does bother me. With no side-loading (installing software independent of the system's app store) abilities, I'm limited to what the App Store offers in my region. Found a way to use Pandora in Canada? Too bad, because you can't download the client app (there is a workaround for this particular app, but not all). I'm talking about free apps here, not about pirating premium apps.

Do you like customizing your phone? If the answer's yes, then iOS really sucks. Your home screen is also your app list. The icons are all static, except for the Calendar app. Why does the Weather app always show the same damn temperature and a sunshine icon? Today it's -17 degrees Celsius and fairly overcast but the icon shows 23 and sunny, as it always does. I can pull down the notification centre to see a snapshot of the current conditions or I could ask Siri for the weather conditions, but both of those options require further action. Tapping the icon or pulling down the notification centre, what's the difference? You cannot remove any installed app from your various home screens. The best you can do is bury it in a folder. Want a different colour scheme for your menus? You're out of luck. The bottom line here is: you're limited to static icons, no widgets, and no colour changes (turning on accessibility options doesn't count - sure, it'll change the colours but it'll do so for all content including pictures and video).

Would you like to change your DNS settings for you mobile data? Can't do that, but I must point out that no competing system offers this ability out of the box.

Siri can be a great help, but only in certain situations and only if it understands you. Why can it open an app but not close it? Why can it give me driving directions with Apple Maps, but not with Google Maps and Navigon? Why does it sometimes take too long to process a simple request. Siri is a great feature in theory, but little more than a parlour trick in practice.

Do you multitask (use more than one app at a time)? Multitasking is partially supported in iOS, and this is something I don't really have a problem with as it improves the overall performance of the system. Closing apps is a pain. I need to double-press the Home button, long-press an app icon, then pixel-hunt the little "X" icon in the corner of the icon for the app that I wish to close. This is not fluid. It is a pain. Again, why can't Siri close the app?

Transferring content to/from your iOS device sucks. Want documents, music, or video on your device? iTunes is your only option. Simply plugging in your device to a computer will only give you access to your own photos and recording video. Have something you want to share with your friend sitting next to you? You both better have an internet connection. iOS is the only current mobile platform that does not support Bluetooth file transfer. Feature phones did this a decade ago. Too much content on your device? That's too bad for you. You cannot upgrade the internal memory of iOS devices. While a lack of a card slot isn't necessarily a software issue, it is more than worth mentioning considering the fact that no iPhone offers expandable memory.

Want the latest version of the iOS? If your phone is too old, you can forget about it (though you can't really expect the latest software to be made available for 3+ year old hardware). The updates that you do get are not always for the best. The newest iOS tends to decrease performance on aging devices. It's a great little trick to entice you to buy the latest hardware. It's important to wait and see what early-adopters are saying about the latest update because once you update, there's no going back.

I'm sure that there are other reasons why iOS sucks, but I believe that I've covered the main ones. There are ways around some issues mentioned but they require superuser privileges (jailbreaking), which voids warranty. Yes, it's reversible but not recommended for novice users. There are many virtues of the system, but that's not the point of this article. But, despite its faults, I can't advise against using it. I'm currently using an iPhone 5 and am currently happy enough with it.

Why Stuff Sucks: Introduction

First, I would like to apologize to all of my two readers for the delay in posting. I had enough on my plate with school and holiday events that blogging barely entered my mind. That being said, I'd like to introduce a series of articles which I'll call "Why Stuff Sucks". The inspiration for this came from watching a YouTube video titled "Why Linux Sucks" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh-cnaJoGCw). The aim of these articles is not to blindly bash a product, but rather to showcase what it can't do.

In these articles I will mainly talk about operating systems, both traditional and mobile. This is a volatile topic for die-hard fans an I want to emphasize that I am only looking at negative points. We can talk about the positives elsewhere.

Do keep in mind that I make no promise to continually update these articles. Each article deals with the product as it is at the time of post publication.