Many people compare the android mobile operating system with Apple’s iOS but Microsoft has also made its intentions clear by launching Windows 10 mobile few years back. They also want a pie out of the mobile battle.
With respect to market share, android is still the king with around 85% market share but Windows 10 mobile has some neat tricks up its sleeves that can turn things around. In this article, we compare both mobile operating systems with one another to give you a better idea.
#1 – Apps
One of the biggest differences between both mobile operating systems is the number of apps. Although, Windows mobile is a new platform and launched after android has established its dominance.
Google Play store has more than 2.2 million apps while Windows App store does not even come close to 1 million apps. You will find every app on Google Play store but that is not the case with Windows app store.
Even though the number of apps on Windows app store is growing fast and most of the big names have started to offer their apps for Windows mobile platform but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before it can come anywhere close to android in terms of the number of apps.
With Google behind Android and Microsoft behind Windows mobile operating system, we might see this battle continue for a long time to come.
While android apps are updated frequently, Windows mobile users will have to wait for many months to receive their update. This leaves their users with older version of the apps and older features.
The good news is that Microsoft is taking steps to get more people to develop apps for Windows mobile platform but they have to rethink their strategy in order to compete with big players in the market such as Android and iOS.
#2 – User Interface
When it comes to user interface, both android and Windows mobile operating systems have gone through an evolution. Google has shifted its focus to flat design and minimalistic look, which is reflected, from the latest versions of android.
On the other hand, Windows mobile has stuck to its tiled interface, which makes it stand out from the competitors. The user can resize the tiles, flip them, add, or remove them according to their needs. Live tiles give you important information at a glance, which is quite a handy feature of Windows 10.
Android users can add widgets to their home screen for a similar effect but live tiles do it in a much better way than android widgets. The positive aspect of Windows 10 is that it runs faster even on old hardware, a thing that Google tried to achieve with KitKat version but later dumped the idea.
#3 – Security
Security is one aspect where Windows mobile wins easily. The open source nature of android and the ease at which developers can get their apps to Google Play store makes android more vulnerable to the security attack. Add the popularity factor and you can easily see why android is the most attacked mobile operating system.
On the other hand, the process of getting their apps to Windows store is not as simple and developers will have to go through a strict security check before they can put their apps up for download on Windows App store.
Android mobile operating system is based on Linux kernel, which is an open source operating system. From the outset, Google has tried to keep the environment as open as possible and make development and uploading of apps to Play store easy to increase the number of apps to compete with Apple.
Although, this move paid off making android the mobile operating system with most apps but it came at the cost of security and making it more vulnerable to attacks. Google is trying its best to make their mobile operating system more secure but there is still a long way to go before it can compete with Apple’s and Microsoft mobile operating systems.
#4 – Devices
There is literally no comparison between android and any of its competitors when it comes to the number of devices and vendors. Like Apple, Windows mobile suffers from the same issue of a handful of devices. Microsoft collaborated with Nokia and few other brands to manufacture devices with Windows mobile operating system in it but that experiment did not last long. If you are in the market to buy a windows phone, then you will have to choose among few devices.
With millions of android devices out there and numerous vendors making android devices, you are literally spoilt for choice when you are in the market to buy an android device. Plus, android has become a preferred choice for major mobile phone manufacturers around the world such as Samsung, Xionami, HTC, LG, Sony, and Motorola.
All these brands played a vital role in making android popular among the masses. Due to cutthroat competition, you can easily get your hands on the android device without putting a big dent in your pocket. On the other hand, this is not the case, when you are buying a Windows phone device or Apple device.
Conclusion
When it comes to security, Windows mobile operating system has a clear advantage over an android operating system. As far as design and functionality are concerned, both come neck to neck and it is hard to pick a clear winner. The number of devices, vendors, and the number of apps makes android the undisputed king of the mobile operating system market.
Although both mobile operating systems were backed up by big names such as Google and Microsoft respectively, android enjoys a big lead over other with Windows phone coming at a distant third. Until Microsoft makes revolutionary changes and rethinks its strategy to come with something new, android domination over mobile space will continue.
The customization options, affordable devices and a wide variety to choose from is enough to attract the masses towards android. Microsoft will have to make collaboration with hardware vendors and convince developers to develop apps for their platform otherwise, they will not be able to compete with Android.
