Google Android vs. Mobile Mac OS X

Doesn't "I'm sure every iPhone owner has their own redundant functionality they'd like to file away." contradict: "actually encourage owners to use all their featur"

"To be fair neither is mobile OS X, though let's confront one misnomer head-on: the virtual keyboard. Simply put if you can't use it you just haven't put in the practice." The same applies to the default WM SIP. I can tap out a text rapidly, using my thumb.

"then RIM's proprietary BlackBerry OS," "OS X Mobile" is even more proprietary.

Multitouch itself is utterly pointless unless you want to walk around using both hands to control the oversized iPhone. Although most of the people I've seen using an iPhone/iPod touch anywhere seem to hold them at arms length, and poke them like they're going to explode at any moment. Hardly an intuitive way to use a device is it? "benefits of multi-touch shine through across the whole platform" so, how many apps can actually use multitouch over traditional single input screens? Safari, and photos. Great platform wide support...

"Look, the 'best' isn't enough to win which you seem to be implying rather naively. Think of Aston Martin or Bugatti which arguably make the best cars in the world, but neither company is ever going to dominate - or even take a significant sector - of the car market."
Hence why WM is undoubtedly the current winner. You can spend very little on a WM Standard device, or go and buy for a Touch HD - there are already multiple different price ranges.

"@jbelkin - PS, your assertion about the business market is completely wrong. The iPhone has done very well in the high end US consumer space (a true minority sector) but there has yet to be a single major multinational organisation announce it was switching employees to the iPhone. If there was we'd cover it!"
You'd cover it, and then make assumptions that this applied to everything.

"Apple sold more "smart phones" than all other smart phones sold previously."
How many licenses for Windows Mobile 6 were sold in the past month?

"Apple has such a healthy bank account."
The reason behind that is that they refuse to use up to date hardware, and charge four times what the hardware/software is actually worth.

"Apple did an enormously fantastic job in creating OS X and the iPhone. Its development tools are the best in developing mobile applications. The development tools are also the same ones used for developing Mac OS X desktop applications - thus allowing cross-pollination, which pushes the rest of the Apple product line forward."
Have you ever even heard of Visual Studio?

"As for calling it a smartphone and saying it should be compared to smartphone sales only. How is it a smartphone? It can't edit Word or Excel documents. To me that is essential to be called a smart phone. I'd imagine most Nokia phones can browse the web & do email, so they are thus smartphones as well by that flawed definition."
I've been trying to make a point along those lines for a few years. Apparently Apple fans aren't interested in the blatant lies of Apples advertising.

@ Gordon
Thanks for such a wonderful article. I am no better than a non voice user in terms of mobile market. I do recognize many issues you have pointed out. And hell yes I cannot agree with you more about iTune and video format compatibility.
Also the comments perfect demonstrated the fact that there is no perfect user interface yet. And I believe, if there are people love a UI or loathe it, in fact writing a 9-review, the designers must have done something right. Or else, why would anyone spend time to debate about something trivial? The worst could happen to a design is that it been forgotten before the mass have been introduced to it.

@Gordon: Interesting article. Keep up the writing. And oh yeah, you're soo Apple fan-boy. ;)

I think some people are missing the big picture here. Apple's wow factor used to exist since the days when IBM workstations ruled the world. Windows operating system prevailed, why? Because it could run on multiple hardwares. I think it's on this model that Google is banking it's success on.

I think from customer's point of view, it means that mobile operating systems evolution becomes faster and makes release cycles at Apple iPhone division shorter. It's better for us consumers. Also developers can target more mobile phones without being tethered to MS. It's good that initiatives such as LiMo are pushing innovation in smart phones even further, and I'm happy to have google behind android.

I completely love iPhone. I really adore everything that's in there, but I was quite unhappy when I had to wait for Apple to release it's OS update to do something for my client. I think if google can do a nice job choosing a better 'phone' than the crappy HTC G1, people will realize true potential of the android _operating system_.

As some commenters pointed out, it would have been a nice read if someone (@Gordon?) could write a trusted-review on Symbian Open-Source vs the Android.