Back in the days when the mobile phones were black and white, there wasn’t even a clear indication of what OS you were using. The underlying assumption was that the manufacturer packed a working OS that is generic to them. Owing to this, different models of mobile phones had different times of applications, and there wasn’t any regulatory body over them. When the mobile world switched to color and Java Mobile edition was introduced, the developers rallied around J2ME for different models, and we were able to see some synchronization between the respective applications from the different providers. At the same time, Windows Mobile or rather Windows Compact version coexisted with these models and later it evolved to the Windows Mobile versions we see today. Although the use of Windows CE coexisted, the usage was minimal and it didn’t have a regulated application market owing to different reasons such as the lack of proper documentation and Application Programming Interface.
All these changed when Apple introduced iOS and later Google took the initiative to introduce Android. Both companies been giants envisioned a rich market for both operating systems and hence invested heavily on the application development. This has had its returns more than anybody estimated. As we discuss the difference in depth, the important of the application market will be self-eminent. As of last year, Apple App Store features more than 500000 apps. This is a huge market place and the iPhone users can find any sort of application they want from the app store which can be considered as a huge advantage. On the other hand, as of last year, Windows Market Place only has 50000 published applications, which is 1/10 of that of Apple app store. Hence the constant support for the application development would be a key in making a name for Windows Mobile itself. Let us talk about these Operating Systems individually before comparing them against one another.
Windows Phone 7.5 Mango
Windows Phone is actually the mobile operating system with the longest history that roots back to early 2000s. Hence we can directly consider it as a mature product, but we have to claim that Windows improved their OS exponentially after the introduction of iOS and Android. Their initial approach was to consider the mobile OS as same as the PC OS which was a terrible decision. Later on, when they have made their loyal customers suffer enough, Windows emerged with WP 6.5 and 7 which were much user friendly, efficient and attractive. Recent researches indicate that people are still reluctant to buy a Windows Mobile smartphone due to the bad experience they’ve got with the Windows CE editions. However, rest assured, now it’s a completely different OS that will be your best friend if used correctly.
The newest addition to the family is Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. I’ve seen a couple of reviewers suggest that this is synonymous to the changes introduced to Windows Vista by Windows 7 where Windows Phone 7 is synonymous to Vista. The apparent difference is the use of tiles, or the Metro UI that is to be used in Windows 8, as well. It’s a nice addition to have and significantly improves your efficiency because the tiles are large and they clearly show when to use a certain application. Windows even go as far as to suggest that tiles makes you keep your eyes more on what you’re doing and less on your phone. It is also much faster than WP 7 and the browser is almost as fast as that of IE9 in your PC. WP 7.5 has also introduced tethering which would be an attractive feature if you’re to have a mobile with versatile network connectivity.
Another key feature we have noted in WP 7.5 is that it keeps the people at focus. The conversations are sorted depending on the people. Emails and text messages, as well as other related content, will be displayed according to the person. It is amazing how Windows has seamlessly integrated facebook chat messages, Windows IMs and text messages into the same thread. The social connectivity has also been improved. Twitter and Facebook integrations are a lot more efficient and responsive in the tiles. Further, the web services have also been improved. This is likely to create a boom in the application store which would make the consumers content. It is an understatement if I tell you that 50000 applications are not much, but it isn’t comparable with the amount offered by iOS at times which is actually a key area Microsoft is taking care of. If we look at the overall product, it is well packaged and has more hardware choices than iOS, but it would take some time for manufacturers to produce better suited hardware for this operating system.
Apple iOS 6
As we discussed before, iOS has been the main inspiration for the other Operating Systems to improve their appearance in the eyes of the users. Hence it is needless to say that iOS 6 carries the same charisma in impressive looks. Besides that, let us look what Apple has brought to the plate with the new iOS 6 that differs from iOS 5.
iOS 6 has improved the phone application significantly. It is now more user friendly and versatile. Combined with Siri, the possibilities to this are endless. They have also introduced something similar to Google Wallet. iOS 6 Passbook lets you keep e-tickets in your mobile phone. These may range from musical events to airline tickets. There is this particularly interesting feature related to airline tickets. If you have an e-ticket in your Passbook, it would automatically alert you once the departure gate was announced or changed. Of course, this means a lot of collaboration from the ticketing / airline firm as well, but it’s a nifty feature to have. As opposed to the version before, iOS 6 enables you to use facetime over 3G, which is great.
A major attraction in the smartphone is its browser. iOS 6 has added a brand new Safari application which introduces a lot of enhancements. iOS mail is also improved, and it has a separate VIP mailbox. Once you define the VIP list, their mails would appear in a dedicated mailbox on your lock screen which is a cool feature to have. An apparent improvement can be seen with Siri, the famous digital personal assistant. iOS 6 integrates Siri with the vehicles on their steering wheel using the new Eyes Free feature. Leading vendors like Jaguar, Land Rover, BMW, Mercedes and Toyota have agreed to support Apple on this endeavor which would be a welcome addition in your car. Further it also has integrated Siri to the new iPad, as well.
Facebook is the world’s largest social media network, and any smartphone nowadays concentrates largely on how to integrate more and seamlessly with Facebook. They specifically boast on integrating Facebook events with your iCalendar, and that is a cool concept. Twitter integration has also been improved as per official preview of Apple. Apple has also come up with their own Maps application which still needs improvement on coverage. Conceptually, it can act as either a satellite navigation system or a turn by turn navigation map. Maps application can also be controlled using Siri,, and it has new Flyover 3D views of major cities.
That would sum up the major changes to be launched with Apple iOS 6. In comparison with WP 7.5, Apple has a competitive edge with the large app store it has and the dedicated set of iOS developers. The apparent restriction is the strict regulation over the hardware of Apple devices. Only Apple devices get iOS while both WP and Android are available for a range of devices.
A Brief Comparison between Windows Phone 7.5 and Apple iOS 6
• Windows Phone 7.5 and Apple iOS 6 are both improvements for their predecessors and are not major releases.
• Windows Phone 7.5 has better integration with Microsoft Office and Exchange while Apple iOS 6 has better integration with QuickOffice and Native applications.
• Windows Phone 7.5 has the Metro UI while Apple iOS 6 has the generic UI.
• Windows Phone 7.5 doesn’t support dual core processors while Apple iOS 6 provides support for dual core Processors.
Conclusion
It’d be a bold move if I deemed that one OS is superior to the other. This is because both have their ups and downs. In some areas WP 7.5 cannot be beaten while, in some areas, WP 7.5 isn’t as through as iOS 6. For instance, the Office and OneNote integration in WP 7.5 is commendable and give a considerable competitive advantage to WP 7.5. Likewise, the simplicity aspect of iOS and the integration of Siri pull the favor back to the iOS camp. As you can imagine, it’s a constant battle with a lot of back and forward pulls. If we look at the OS itself, iOS is more restrictive since it’s only offered to Apple devices. Windows Phone 7.5 is offered to a variety of devices, but unfortunately, it still doesn’t support a dual core processor which is an apparent fallback. But more than that, what worries the regular consumer is the lack of applications in WP 7.5 although the vacuum is eventually been filled. Personally I won’t take this as a deciding factor because it’s highly unlikely that you’d be using all 500000 applications in app store. The 50000 apps Windows market place has pretty decent applications and only lacks applications that are of niche use. Other than that, the choice is really up to the user. If you’re a fan of the Metro UI and would like to give it a spin, Windows Phone 7.5 may be ideal for you. If you need a strict but simple, intuitive and attractive operating system that takes care of you, Apple iOS 6 may be the match for you.