ndroid, on the other hand, appears deliberately to have gone down the opposite route. Its OS releases are called "cupcake" and "jellybean", and are all about something sweet that you just can't resist. It may not be as wholesome as an Apple, but you'll get a rush from it and
probably won't go to bed for a week on the high from all those food additives.
There is something quite "upstart" about this OS. After all, it is based on the Open Source software known as Linux, meaning that it is immediately changeable by any programmer who wants to get in there and fi ddle around. You want to change the software, you can do it - unlike the locked Apple OS. Sure, that's democratic and it's collegiate. It also means that you don't get the rigorous checks on the system that you do on Apple software, meaning there is danger of malicious code creeping on to your phone. But, it also means it has that strange cachet of being more democratic - of not telling you how you should organise your software, and for some that is a great positive.
Sure, it's got Google behind it, but in its early days when Andy Rubin, one of its founders, was down to his last few bucks, a friend bailed him out with an envelope of cash, no strings attached. This is the stuff of legend that tells a story that is very different from that of the most profi table corporation in the world, Apple.
Why do I look at the semantics and the myth behind these two systems? Because I believe myth shapes the way people think, and
To me, the current state of things reminds me of something from way,
way back when these two systems weren't even a
twinkle in their creators' eyes. Betamax Video
recorders were no doubt the superior system. But in the end, it was VHS
eventually the way they buy. Apple is a Rolls Royce system. It makes massive profi ts on each unit it sells. It offers high quality, highly tested apps from its store and takes a long time ensuring that its products are safe. For many, they wouldn't sully themselves with anything less. That is brand loyalty at its best.
By the same token, it slows and stifl es innovation, and for many is simply unaffordable.
That's where Android has started to win. Used in numerous different makes of phone, it can be bought cheaply or expensively. You can have your Rolls Royce experience or your Ford Fiesta spin about town. You can get hold of one that does what you want, and when you want to replace it or drop it down the toilet, you aren't looking at the back end of hundreds of dollars or pounds when you do.
To me, the current state of things reminds me of something from way, way back when these two systems weren't even a twinkle in their creators' eyes. Betamax Video recorders were no doubt the superior system. But in the end, it was VHS that won through with aggressive pricing. I don't believe the Apple will ever disappear like Betamax did. But it wouldn't surprise me if it became the preserve of the rich man, the stylist... and dare I say it... the nerd?