Apple killed it this year, Android needs a shot in the arm

Opinion from

Robert Triggs

We all love Android, but come on … Apple killed it this year.

Cupertino launched the updated iPhone SE earlier this year. It showed Android manufacturers how to combine innovative performance, flagship features and an affordable price into one formula for success. It’s hard to name an Android equivalent that is pretty good on all three. Not only was the phone rated very highly, it also set the benchmark for incredible value this year.

The Apple iPad Update, Watch Series 6, and iPhone 12 Series are also predictably competent hardware. They’ve refined what we’ve come to expect from Apple products over the years. Cupertino certainly knows how to make and market high-end products to keep Android tablets and smartwatches at bay. The company has also repackaged its various subscription services and grouped them under the cheaper Apple One package. As a result, it’s a leaner and more competitive force in the media’s steam battle, which certainly doesn’t hurt Apple’s wider ecosystem either.

Apple rounded off 2020 with the most profound change in years. Arm-based Macs with custom Apple silicon will ultimately end the company’s reliance on Intel CPUs. This has ushered in a new era in hardware and ecosystem governance, from processors to operating systems. The closer convergence of hardware and software will pay off for future products in terms of performance and features. The switch to arm-based PCs is standardizing the processor architecture with iPad and iPhone platforms and blurring the boundaries between PC and mobile phone. Apple now has sufficient control to control performance, photography, gaming, security, and other functions on all platforms at its own discretion.

The lightning-fast Apple M1 chip is sure to anger the MacBook and laptop markets as well as Intel. In the short term, however, it should be a headache for developers. Perhaps more importantly, the longstanding “Wintel” paradigm is also coming under increasing pressure. Windows on Arm, currently powered by Qualcomm silicon, may be deployed faster by Microsoft’s hardware partners if the move from Apple to Arm brings consumers enough dividends.

Apple is definitely on the rise as 2020 comes to an end.

It wasn’t just roses

However, it would be wrong to call this year a flawless victory. Apple also sparked a fair share of controversy in 2020.

The company quarreled with Fortnite publisher Epic Games earlier this year over the 30% cut in sales and the release terms. Apple eventually removed Fortnite from its app store. In addition, Epic’s access to developer accounts and tools has been terminated. That saga didn’t help calm belief that Apple isn’t very developer-friendly. The company’s argument with the Hey email subscription service about a similar subscription dispute was also not discussed. As a result, Apple reduced its app for smaller developers to 15%.

Hardware wasn’t a big deal this year either. The AirPods Pro Max headphones have made a name for themselves for their exorbitant price tag of $ 550. Especially since competitors like the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 are significantly cheaper. If it wasn’t enough to annoy gamers and audiophiles, Apple also managed to annoy virtually all iPhone 12 customers by ditching chargers.

See also: The iPhone 12 without a charger is not as environmentally friendly as Apple would like it to be

While there are environmental charger waste arguments worth considering, Apple does not deserve goodwill for its decision. If they switch to a Lightning to USB-C cable, some customers won’t be able to charge their new iPhone 12 using older iPhone chargers. Buying a new USB-C charger undermines the waste argument, as does the possible longer-term switch to the proprietary MagSafe standard. Even so, I encourage customers to consider a single USB-C charger for their phone and laptop needs.

Apple certainly hasn’t improved its bad reputation for unfriendly consumer and industry practices this year.

Android has scored a few victories, but the battle for the ecosystem is Apple’s loss

Despite some PR setbacks, Apple’s hardware and ecosystem launches have left the company in a stronger place than it was at the beginning of the year and with a clear vision for 2021. It’s harder to say the same thing for the Android ecosystem.

In 2020, some very interesting Android phones hit the market at cheaper prices. Inexpensive 5G phones like the Google Pixel 4a 5G and OnePlus Nord have made next-generation networking more affordable than ever. Android hit the price / performance sweetspot this year. There is also a well-known selection of powerful Android flagships that are as good, if not better, than the latest iPhones. However, high-end products don’t shake the industry on their own.

Connected: Does Google have an answer for Apple’s all-in-one ecosystem?

Apple is moving towards a unified platform for smartphones, wearables, TV and now PCs. Cupertino is tightening its ecosystem to ensure that all devices and services work well together in the future. Expansive ecosystems that meet all of your technological needs are on their way to becoming the premium market. Android manufacturers don’t have this luxury. They rely on Google, Microsoft, and others to connect different devices and argue.

Samsung may be the only Android brand with a broad enough range of products to compete with Apple. Tizen-based smartwatches are closer to the Apple Watch than their Wear OS counterparts. The company also has a range of smart devices and audio products on offer, though its tablet selections – notably the iPad Pro rival Galaxy Tab S7 Plus – are a case study in Google’s software that is holding back otherwise good hardware. In comparison, Apple’s iPad range benefits from a unified approach to premium hardware and software. Even so, Samsung still lacks a powerful PC platform and does not have a stake in the streaming market like Apple. Meanwhile, Google is also introducing itself as an Apple competitor, but hardly registers with regard to product deliveries.

Android manufacturers cannot exercise the same control and influence over their broader product lines that Apple can.

While the overdue Google TV update for Android TV offered some much-needed improvements to the streaming ecosystem, Chromebooks in their current form won’t merge Google’s mobile and PC platforms. Not like Apple’s arm Macs. Assistant and Google services are still great to use across devices, of course, especially in the automotive and smart home markets. However, there is currently no vision to unify apps across these platforms and PCs. This is something that corporate customers will think about even more than we typical consumers. Likewise, Google’s TV, wearables, and gaming initiatives are still disjointed and underdeveloped.

I personally award this year to Apple. The company has a clear and exciting vision for the next few years. By comparison, 2020 was mostly normal business for Android and Google. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. We saw a lot of good cell phones this year. Android and Google, however, seem less forward-looking than their biggest rival. At least for now.