The world of technology is dynamic. Thus, mobile operating systems have significantly evolved throughout the years. The two main contestants, iOS and Android will thrive to grow and develop. They will be at the front of every innovation that future phone manufacturers will throw our way. In this piece we shall take a deeper look into the past, present and future of mobile operating systems. We will try to encompass the entirety of these platforms by reviewing their features, development and the competitive spirit that iOS and Android have sustained.
The Birth of Mobile Operating Systems
Mobile operating systems first appeared at the beginning of the 21st century. The first version of Android- Android 1.0, was introduced in 2008 after several releases of iOS. Driven by the open-source directive of creating the best customization opportunities for developers, the most impressive feature of Android appeared as the creation of a billion-dollar app ecosystem. Up to year 2023, Android owns around 70% of market share, thus being a more popular and versatile operating system than iOS. This can be seen from Figure 1 below.
Apple’s Entry into the Market
On the other side, the development of iOS began inside one of the most famous companies nowadays. By 2007, the year when Steve Jobs introduced the world to the first iPhone, Apple already had the first version of its operating system. The robust, swift and clean interface of iOS, along with the impeccable optimisation for Mac’s hardware won it an average market share of 28%.
User Experience: A Focus for Both Platforms
The user experience has become a focal point for both operating systems as the smartphone landscape evolved. iOS has often been hailed for its design, ensuring that users can navigate their devices seamlessly. The predictable layout and consistent design language contribute to a satisfying experience. At the same time, Android has excelled in providing customization options to its users. The widgets, launchers, and themes allow for a level of experience tailorability that has resonated with a great deal of people. According to a Statista survey, 85% of Android users enjoy customizing their home screens.
Performance Metrics and Optimization
Performance metrics have also contributed significantly to the evolution of the two OS. iOS has been known for its optimization, which directly translates to smooth and responsive performance on all Apple devices. A report published by Apple indicates that iOS devices are consistently outperforming their Android counterparts in speed and responsiveness benchmarks. The majority of Apple users appear to have noticed this tendency, with 90% expressing satisfaction from the performance of their smartphones.
Android’s Improvements in Performance
On the other hand, Android’s performance has become markedly better, partly due to the introduction of ever more powerful hardware and advancements in software optimization. The shift to 64-bit processing and the introduction of sophisticated chipsets have been key milestones in the pursuit of optimum performance. According to AnTuTu’s comparative testing, the best Android flagships are either on par or surpass iPhone devices in certain aspects when it comes to the currently obtained performance levels. The classical computation performance tests still appear to be iPhone’s area of expertise.
Mobile Security: A Critical Factor
Mobile security is one of the essential factors in the development of contemporary mobile operating systems. iOS currently represents a highly secure platform that incorporates multiple tools since the review process in the App Store to regular security updates. Moreover, the privacy of customers was a constant priority of Apple over the years, which led to such innovation as App Tracking Transparency, empowering users to decide how their data is being kept and shared. As a result, according to the report of the Ponemon Institute, about 60% of consumers trust Apple to provide high-quality security. This factor resulted in a constant increase in users of Apple services, who are ready to pay more for high-quality products due to their high security.
Security Challenges for Android
Android, however, proved to be a platform that constantly struggled with security issues. Although Google improved its system of security significantly over the years, creating a regular update and Google Play Protect, the open-source nature of Android, and multiple devices using it, led to significant disadvantages. Specifically, the study of the International Data Corporation revealed that 39% of all Android devices are vulnerable to various cybersecurity threats due to their usage of old models. In this way, Google still needs to improve the overall security of Android to address the issues of its fragmentation.
Impact on Mobile App Development
Moreover, the development of the previously described mobile operating systems influenced the development of mobile apps. When developers create apps, they also consider the positive and negative features of each platform. In this way, it is commonly perceived that due to a more controlled environment where compliance with features of each version is obligatory, and demands are higher the average performance of iOS apps is greater. For instance, App Annie estimates that on average, iOS apps make 88% more money than their Android analogs.
App Availability and Variety
On the other hand, one cannot ignore the number of apps available on the Google Play Store. Unlike iOS, which hosts around 2,220,000 iOS apps, the Play Store is home to over 3 million apps as of 2023. Consequently, the number of apps allows Android users to access a wider variety of applications that meet their diverse interests and needs. Thus, the broad range of apps provided by Google on the Android platform continues to appeal to more consumers.
The Emergence of Cross-Platform Functionality
Nonetheless, the line has continually thinned and iOS continues to become more similar to Android. Cross-platform functionality has emerged, with most app developers creating programs that work across both Android and iOS. This development is primarily attributed to digital transformation, where organizations expand the number of channels that customers can use. For companies to remain competitive, they leverage emerging technologies to improve their user experiences. In relation to technology evolution, both iOS and Android have adopted artificial intelligence and machine learning in the form of voice assistants, predictive texts, and personalized app recommendations.
The Future of Mobile Applications
Overall, existing and future mobile applications rely heavily on AI and machine learning. A report by Gartner indicates that by 2025, most of the mobile applications will have deployed AI and machine learning software in their development. The research predicts that the percentage of apps using AI or machine learning will increase from the current 20% to 75% by becoming widespread by 2025.
Looking Ahead: The Evolution of Mobile Operating Systems
The future of mobile operating systems is likely to be both more geared to providing the particular user experience, security, and performance along with being characterized by better user experience, higher level of security and more advanced performance. IOS and Android as the most widely used mobile operating systems will have to adapt to the growing demand for more capable applications and seek to achieve balance. Augmented reality and virtual reality and the Internet of things will create demands for the more advanced applications and operating systems that will shape the experience of developers and users in the next generation of mobile experiences.
Conclusion: The Ongoing Competition
Overall, as the history of the development of mobile operating systems and the current competition of iOS and Android demonstrate, the processes that have been developing considerably in the last decades will continue to develop and be accompanied by even more changes in the future. Both iOS and Android will continue to be in close competition and seek to outcompete one another as they strive to better cater to the users and balance between the advantages of tailored experiences, greater performance, and stability, and security. This competition for growth and transformation will likely continue to produce the next generations of innovations that will provide for better mobile operating systems and applications providing their users with even more benefits.
