Jelly Bean is Google’s attempt to vie against the iOS 6 but can it really outrun Apple and be a match for its finesse? This issue can best be tackled comparing the two operating systems in terms of the features they have to offer. In order to place both equally before the court we will be comparing the similar features in both OSes.
The Last OS standing
Google Now Voice Search is Google’s response to Apple’s all-hearing virtual assistant Siri, which has been the center of several security related and other discussions. Apart from being depriving Google Now of a name, Google has not really made an attempt to personify this tool as Apple has with Siri. Even though the feminine voice of this search feature might tickle your fancy but its going to be only a tease compared to the mechanical sounding Siri, as it does not engage the user like Siri does. As it usually is the case with voice recognition, neither of the tools are always accurate. While Siri is connected to Wolfram Alpha, Google takes pride in its own search engine and both are useful in finding quick information. However, Siri’s greater precision and much better presentation put the ball in Apple’s court.
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However, Siri fails to expand the search results once information is delivered, whereas Google Now put forth the Google search results as well which gives the user way more convenience in terms of search options. Siri also has an edge with regards to its ease of access in terms of various features and apps. For example, one can update Facebook statuses and tweets using Siri and also command it to open a particular app from a number of apps, which would be difficult to locate otherwise. While it might have a hard time finding apps with odd names, these features accompanied by better appearance give Apple Siri quite an advantage over Google now.
Apple has a brand Maps app too, which is much nicer looking in its 3D satellite view compared to Google maps, nevertheless, the set of features that Google offers, through years of dedication to this realm, is still unparalleled and exceeds Apple’s Maps app by light years. Apple is also unable to provide a street view incase the user needs to navigate by address whereas Jelly Bean had much more up its sleeve as one can create customized routes, define mapping layers and also locate friends who sign up for it. One of the most important advances from Google is offline map viewing whereby you can select a region for which Map data is downloaded and it can be viewed where there is no internet connectivity. This can come off as a great aid to users trying to locate a point in a remote area or a region struck by a natural calamity where internet links are down.
So…who bites the dust?
There are several other features in which Jelly Bean and iOS 6 compare, each one having their individual highs and lows. Apple has accommodated for notifications later than Google but the way they have integrated them, pushing notifications to the lock screen, brings great ease to maneuvering interactions. Jelly Bean on the other hand is much easier to use when it comes to social media as the OS has a separate drop down list for this and one can choose according to his/her discretion, despite Google’s redundant promotion of Google+. Similarly for browsers, there are some features for both Chrome and Safari that make them unique and user friendly. Chrome offers unified search along with URL field whereas Safari comes out with a read it later features called Reading List which helps it maintain its edge.
It seems like Apple is leading the OS race so far as most of its features have seeped into our beings to the degree that they are deemed necessary, however, Google is right behind in terms of its developments. The future looks promising for both the OSes.
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