Nowadays, with the increase in number of mobile operating systems the retailers are battling against each other to stand out first. Mainly, there is a huge competition between iOS 6, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Windows Phone 8. Google has recently unveiled Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at Google I/O, the 3rd major mobile OS Apple’s iOS 6 was unveiled in the month of June while the Windows Phone 8 was released just a few days back at the Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 Summit. To have a better understanding of each Operating System, it is necessary to compare the facilities offered by them. Have a look at the comparisons given below.
Comparison of iOS 6, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Windows Phone 8
Apps
iOS has 650,000 apps in total, among them 225,000 is for iPad. Android has 600,000 total apps at present and most of those apps will run only on tablets, while Windows Phone offers 100,000 apps only at present which is considerably low when compared with the other two OS. Thus, iOS provides more apps than Android and Windows Phone.
Maps
Apple provides its own map service unlike the other OS (Android & Windows Phone) which works with the help of Google Maps. Apple offers a third-party API solution but there is a lack of public transit directions. Windows Phone 8 will offer detailed maps and ability to store maps offline so that one can use the map without a data connection also. On the other hand, Android Jelly Bean will also support offline caching and 3D buildings which will be an added complement of the phone. Still, Apple provides more detailed services compared to others.
Browser Sync
iOS 6 provides a new service named iCloud Tabs which offers a list of tabs inserted in an icon or sub-menu along with the user’s bookmarks. Whereas, the Chrome Beta on Android 4.1 jelly bean offers tab syncing. Since there are more desktop Chrome users than other browsers, numerous people will take the advantage of this feature. Lastly, Browser sync is not available on Windows Phone but it will run on the same version of Internet Explorer. Microsoft will soon make the use of Browser Sync in Windows Phone too.
Facebook Integration
Apple is now offering its iOS 6 users the Facebook sharing integration where one can share and upload their images and status through various apps. Facebook sharing has always been good in Android and it will be the same with Jelly Bean too, users can get the Facebook data and Facebook friends into their contacts on the phone. While, Facebook integration has been Windows Phone’s one of the best selling points, as it integrates features like contacts, images, status updates, chat, and events into Microsoft’s own sections.
Voice Commands
Siri in Apple iOS 6 is promising as it allows the users to speak instead of typing. It supports many languages from different countries. Android also has its own Siri-esque feature where it can recognize voice input when offline. The Windows Phone 8 does not support this kind of feature.
Near Field Communication (NFC)
This feature works similar to Bluetooth. In Windows Phone 8, it lets the users to share things over short distance. Android Jelly Bean also supports this feature by letting the users to share the contents via NFC and it is continuously improving. Whereas Apple iOS 6 doesn’t sport this feature but it is believed that the company is working on it and NFC will be one of its major features.
Video Chat
Apple offers an app called FaceTime that can place calls over video chat via 3G or Wi-Fi. Android is based on the Gmail/Google Talk video chat system, where one can video chat on a Mac, PC, or Android phone along with 3G or Wi-Fi. Windows Phone allows the users to video chat via Skype. Skype is more popular among the users and available on Macs, PCs, iOS and Android.
Accessibility
One of the best features of the operating systems is their ease of access in all walks of life. iOS 6 comes with Guided Access that allows the people with disabilities to access the technology. Moreover, it also features VoiceOver for the blind or low-vision users. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean offers Gesture Mode, which will help the blind users. It also supports external Braille input and output devices through USB and Bluetooth. Windows phone does not include this feature.
Mobile Digital Wallet
One of the latest features of iOS 6 is Passbook, it lets the users to save digital tickets and passes. Windows Phone 8 is more detailed, it allows the users to store debit and credit cards and access them right at their fingertips. On the other hand, Google’s new Android does not support this meticulous feature.
Hardware Support
Android 4.1, Jelly Bean offers support to HD resolution as found on the Asus Transformer Pad TF-700. Moreover, Windows Phone 8 can handle multi-core chips and offer support for expandable storage. It has the latest improved support for high screen resolutions. While iOS provides two screen resolutions in its phone range and the other two in its tablet range. iOS doesn’t support expandable storage.
