Ian McGurren passes a judging eye over the mobile world's current operating systems
Yes, another year, another roundup of the latest iterations of the biggest mobile operating systems. We've given them a few months to bed in, release the odd point update and even for their desktop counterparts to catch up (hello, iOS), so have any of them made substantial gains or stupid mistakes, and is there a new best-in-show? Let's take a look at what they all have to offer, as well as considering what features they might be missing that we'd like to see.
Apple iOS 8
If there were such a dull award as an award for 2013's most substantially changed mobile OS, Apple's iOS 7 would have walked away with it for sure. Eschewing the skeuomorphism and shiny Jolly Rancher-esque blobs that defined iOS until that time, iOS 7 ushered in a whole new, simplified design language dominated by layers and block colour. Opinion remains divided even now, but the release of iOS 8 shows that this new look is not only here to stay, but Apple is fully committed to it.
What It Does New
At first glance, iOS 8 doesn't look much different to its forebear, nor even at second, third or more. This is because many of iOS 8's new features - even the headline grabbers - are either hidden until something activates them or they don't work on their own. Confused? That's understandable. Lets look at the big changes:
• Notifications can be replied to within the notification itself.
• Keyboard has been improved, with better word prediction or can now even be replaced with a third-party alternative (yes, including Swype-style ones).
• Your most used contacts will show up in the task-switching pane, for quick calling or messaging.
• Mail finally lets you swipe to delete instead of the rather pointless 'archive' feature
• Apple Pay will hopefully make good on the ongoing promise of contact-free payments both on and offline.
• Health app integrates data from your health and fitness apps for a one-stop place to keep an eye on your goals.
• Family Sharing is a great way to keep a handle on the kids' purchases, by linking them into one family account. It's also a great way for kids to drive you potty with endless app requests...
• Widgets! Well, not really, but Apple has allowed applications more freedom in the OS, so they can feature in the notification blind (a football app would show a score, for example).
• Apps have also finally been given the ability to appear as options in another app, like Pinning an image appearing as an option in Safari's sharing menu when Pintrest is installed.
• Spotlight works in a far more intuitive way, and is now great for launching apps, ideal if you use OS X in the same way. Talking of which..
• If you're an OS X Yosemite user, then Continuity is arguably iOS 8's high point. Open tabs on one device, finish on another, take calls on your Macbook, texts on your iPad - link them all in and keep your productivity going. In use it works well, though not all apps are supported, so don't think you can have a Whatsapp conversation on your iPad via Continuity, but you can take calls on it. You can also finally Airdrop files to and from your Mac.
What It Broke
• Like any new version of iOS, the lower-end devices tend to struggle running it. On the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 / 1st gen Mini, the experience is notably less slick than for iOS 7, so the chances of iOS 9 coming to them are slim. The iPhone 4 doesn't even get a look in, despite having the same hardware as the iPad 2 / 1st gen Mini.
• Many reported issues with permissions, such as for apps wanting access to photos where previously given.
• This appeared related to iCloud backup and often required the user to disconnect the automatic iCloud image backup.
• Other users reported problems from patchy wi-fi to loss of photographs.
• If done over the air, the update was a massive 1.2GB and needed 5.7GB free on your phone. Only got 8GB? It's an update hooked up to your computer for you then, not that Apple tells you this...
• Those photos you've deleted? You might want to check the photo album marked 'Recently Deleted'...
What It Doesn't Do
• Some cool features, such as the swipe to delete in Mail, and share to an app, aren't OS wide - third-party apps need to enable and integrate these features too. Want to share a link to Whatsapp? Tough, the app hasn't enabled it. Swipe to delete in Gmail? It's still 'archive' for you, chum.
• The filesystem is still locked down, and there have been no noises from Apple that this is ever likely to change. And yes, that still means no external storage at all.
• Accounts are still not in iOS, which, for an eminently shareable device, is a huge oversight. Apple would of course prefer we had one each, but really, a guest or kids mode is well overdue.
Verdict
With iOS 7 being such a huge leap, iOS 8 seems a little less of a stark change, and to call it a whole number jump could be a bit far. Arguably, much of what is here would be enough for a point release for other companies. Nearly six months in, if you ask the rider on the Clapham omnibus for their favourite feature, and you'll probably still be met with the word 'urn'. That is unless they have been using OS X Yosemite, in which case a working Continuity is likely to win the most plaudits. Where Apple goes with iOS isn't made any clearer by iOS 8, but hopefully iOS 9 will be more exciting.
Google Android 5.0 Lollipop
Now, if the aforementioned award for most substantially changed mobile OS were to be awarded this year, then Android 5.0 Lollipop would run away with it. Arguably it's Android's biggest overhaul yet and the most substantial change since 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (unlike Apple going only in single numbers, 4.0 is some three versions old, with 4.1 Jelly Bean and 4.4 KitKat along the way). Gone is the holo Ul and its somewhat tired, dark-looking design; in comes a bright, layered 'Material' design not a million miles away from that of its Cupertino rival's, but still individual enough to stand on its own merits.
What It Does New
• The headline grabber is that Material Ul. If you've kept an eye on Google Now, the layered paper look will be familiar to you, and here it takes over the whole OS. Notifications slide in over the top of the screen, icons are flatter and bolder, applications now live in a rolodex, and animations are smoother. It has the look of geometric art and 70s children's books about it, and that's no bad thing.
• Like Projects Butter and Svelte, Google's 'project' for Lollipop is Volta, its attempt to make Android's use of battery power smarter. From our experience, it certainly adds something.
• Dalvik, the virtual machine that runs apps in Android, is dead, with Lollipop switching entirely to ART (Android runtime). Difference here is Dalvik compiles each app each time it is run. ART does it just the once, so few overheads, more speed and, yes, less battery drain.
• Notifications are more pleasant and informative, plus tap-holding on them takes you straight to the notifications menu for the corresponding app. Here you can easily switch any notifications off, instead of having to menu-dive.
• Priority mode may not seem new, as it's been around in other apps for a while. However, you can finally dictate what can disturb you and when, including specific applications and people.
• Tap & Go is great if you have another Android device you wish to grab all the settings from. Using NFC you just tap.... well, you get the picture.
• Smart Lock allows you to finally unlock your device using NFC. Useful, for example, in the car, when you want to set your phone up as a sat-nav and don't want to mess around with lockscreens. You can even use your phone to unlock your tablet.
• Google Calendar has cool month drawings!
• Flappy Android. Getting more than two is an achievement.
What It Broke
• For a new OS, Lollipop can be very 'old device' friendly. Flashed from fresh, the Nexus 4 has run like a dream and even gained speed and battery life, surprisingly. It isn't all plain sailing, however.
• Flashing is still a pain, with some experiencing the 'missing system.img' error that means you will have to push it manually via ADB or just wait for the over-the-air update instead.
• Current users upgrading over the air have experienced far more problems than those willing to completely wipe their devices and start again.
• Battery weirdness. This is more of an annoyance, because with the upgrade, the battery stats often get wiped. Therefore until it becomes steady on its feet, Lollipop's battery reporting is a bit odd.
• The flashlight exhibits odd behaviour after timing out, requiring a reboot to get it and the camera working properly.
• No silence button! Yes, you'll have to go through the pain of pressing the volume down button....
• Encryption is enabled on the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 - very safe but performance takes a noticeable hit. Plus, if you disable it, you can't get OS updates.
• Lock screen widgets are no more, at least in stock.
What Is Doesn't Do
• There is still no quick upgrade unless you're on a Google first-party device. Otherwise it's still down to the manufacturer and service provider, so chances are you probably still don't have it some months after the release.
• For heaven's sake, Google, would a 'dose all' open tasks button in the switcher kill you??!
• Or the battery level in percent?!?!
• Gallery is gone and Google Plus Photos is in.
• OK Google is still just for the home screen; you can't get to it in apps.
• Easy, baked in, no faffing joypad support and promotion in games.
• Still not as good as iOS at scaling and rotating on tablets
Verdict
Speaking as somebody whose Nexus 4 feels like a whole new handset, Lollipop is quite possibly Google's greatest version of Android yet. The OS feels mature, stylish, slick and unique, plus it's also ahead of its rivals in many ways. A few months in and some of the bugs have been squashed, though lockscreen icons is unlikely to return. Before, many made the choice between the style of iOS and the flexibility of Android, but with Google's design certainly equalling Apple's, the choice is far less clear. Certainly this season's most exciting mobile OS is Android 5, Lollipop.
Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1
Ever the runner up, Windows Phone has still proved to be steadfast in an ever-changing mobile landscape. Granted, it has the billion dollar might of Microsoft behind it but, if anything, it has gradually begun to make a place for itself, even if that place is likely to remain third. Like its tablet-powering bigger brother, Windows Phone has made a niche for itself in the mid to lower end of the market, offering a powerful OS for excellent value for money. That you can pick up a Windows tablet with a Windows Phone handset, both of which are more than adequate devices, and get change from £130, is extremely impressive. Windows Phone 8.1 was indeed an iterative bump, but in combination with a plethora of Lumia software upgrades (the 1970s sounding Lumia Denim being the latest), these are much better phones than those from 2013.
What It Does New
• Cortana is Microsoft's much-hyped personal digital assistant, its Siri or Google Now, if you will. Named after the Al of the Halo ship Pillar of Autumn, Cortana is a very capable assistant with more than a hint of HAL about her, even singing Daisy Bell when pushed. It's able to work with simple commands as well as longer sentence constructs too, such as 'Remind me to do X when I am at location Y on day Z'. Microsoft is investing in Cortana as the 'face' of Windows and Windows Phone 10, so expect it to only get better.
• Action Center is Windows Phone's long awaited notification tray, with toggle switches and application notifications all a swipe away and all able to be, well, swiped away too.
• IE 11 is the new browser, lining up with Windows 8.1, and, despite IE's patch past, it's really good, if a little rough looking in places. And yes, the address bar is still at the bottom.
• An improved keyboard finally offers Swype-style text input, very welcome on the only remaining platform that doesn't allow alternative keyboards.
• Filesystem access is now allowed, to a degree, and Microsoft has even released its own file explorer application.
• Customisation goes from the simple (images for homescreen backgrounds) to the more complex (codable lock screens).
What It Broke
• Well, it hasn't 'fixed' not running on any WP7 devices, it's still WP8 or bust.
• Some alarms didn't carry over and needed to be deleted and re-added.
• Some devices are a touch slower afterwards, especially if not installed from a fresh reset.
What It Doesn't Do
• Beyond the minor changes, there's still little in the way of customisation.
• All Windows Phone devices look the same in operation, from the budget to the flagship; it's only the physical design and sometimes specifications to separate them. This still makes Windows Phone a harder sell.
• It still uses that divisive interface, and it isn't going away.
• There is still no provision for replacing system apps like the keyboard or the browser.
• Apps are getting better but there are still many missing, most notably official apps from Google.
Verdict
Windows Phone 8.1 will please a certain set of people, namely those who already own a Windows Phone 8 device. There are a clutch of welcome changes and improvements, and it shows that Microsoft and Windows Phone is heading in the right direction. There's little here that will make Android or iOS owners consider the switch, except maybe Cortana or just a new way of doing things. But things are on the up, and with Windows Phone 10 just around the corner, Windows Phone is certainly interesting to follow. Which leads us nicely on to...
Microsoft Windows 10
When you think of mobile operating systems, you think 'good, but limited'. They do a range of tasks very well but they're not quite the same as a 'real' desktop operating system. Therefore it might be a little strange to see what is a 'real' desktop operating system in this list of mobile operating systems. The fact is, however, that any list for tablet-enabled operating systems that ignores Windows would be a list incomplete. Windows 8.1 's salvo of staggeringly priced tablets has meant that the desktop OS is finally breaking new ground, and with Windows 10 looking to finally right the wrongs of the past, it may well be a much bigger threat to the tablet status quo.
What It Does New
• Continuum is Microsoft's clever way of getting round the sticky 'Is it a desktop OS or is it a tablet OS?' issue by being both, separately. Putting it basically, keyboard docked? Desktop mode. Keyboard undocked? Tablet mode. Simple and looking effective too.
• It's free! Well, to all legitimate users of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, the upgrade to Windows 10 is free, as long as you upgrade in the first 12 months.
• The Start menu is now a configurable Start menu on steroids, combining the traditional old XP/7 style with the new tiled Start from 8, hoping for the best of both worlds.
• A personal assistant - yes, beating Apple to the desktop punch, Windows 10 will feature Microsoft's Cortana voice activated personal assistant.
• A 'one-stop shop' finally comes good on the promise made by unifying the Windows and Windows Phone kernals, as Microsoft states that if an app is in the store, it'll run on Windows 10 and on Windows Phone 10 as well. That's not to say all Windows apps will suddenly run on Windows Phone 10, only those in the Microsoft Store.
• Tiled applications can finally break free from full-screen and join the rest of the applications on the desktop in a Window. This is partly to enable Continuum, as apps can go back to full-screen if they wish.
• A whole new browser, currently named Spartan (yes, another Halo reference) that may well break from the Internet Explorer name.
• DirectX 12.
• And finally, the command prompt supports cut and paste - something that only took 23 years...
What It Broke
• Well, Microsoft hopes that it hasn't broken anything, only made improvements to 8.1. As it's still in technical preview stage with a limited set of features, there's not much to report. Of course, using a technical beta as your daily OS would, in itself, break plenty, given it's essentially unfinished.
• The erstwhile Metro interface has been heavily scaled back.
• From an enterprise point of view, Windows 10 is still a leap in the dark, though the corporate resistance to Windows 8 has to be overcome, so you can be sure Microsoft is trying to find the path of least resistance here.
• Applications. As with any OS upgrade, especially desktop, some applications and games won't run, requiring patches or some fiddling about.
What Is Doesn't Do
• It isn't a huge Ul overhaul, and Microsoft will need to work hard to convince Windows 8 naysayers that Windows 10 is different enough.
• Windows 10 isn't the same icon-driven interface as iOS or Android, so it might may alienate prospective buyers.
• It's still Windows-based, so it still inherits much of Windows' flaws, such as relying heavily on an ever expanding registry.
Verdict
Though many feel Windows 8/8.1 was unfairly derided, Microsoft knows that with Windows 10, it has to make a huge impact on what is now a vastly changed technological landscape. When Microsoft's last hit, Windows 7, was released in 2009, the iPad hadn't even been announced, and given Windows 8 had been in development since before 7's release, the operating system's touch integration wasn't actually bad at all; Microsoft just forgot about the desktop a little. Windows 10 looks to correct this and build on Microsoft's growing encroachment into the budget tablet world, as well as the rejuvenating laptop market and the ever present enterprise sector. With so much riding on it, Windows 10 may well be Microsoft's most important release ever, but so far, it's looking pretty good.
The Most Impressive OS
It seems that most years have one standout OS, so while 2013 was the year iOS stepped up with a new look while Android and Windows phone ploughed their same furrows, 2014 sees Android taking the initiative. Lollipop is the biggest and best revision of Android since its inception. Even previous game changers like Ice Cream Sandwich pale in comparison to Lollipop's level of polish and maturity.
The design is superb, easily the rival of iOS, and it quashes Android's 'ugly' look reputation. In terms of the underlying technology, on a fresh device Lollipop can be transformative, with the new Ul, the faster ART runtime, the revamped notifications, the battery life, the user accounts and so much more.
Android is already the biggest mobile OS on the planet, but Lollipop should give it the credibility it craves, making a case for it to also be the best.
The Least Impressive OS
Sometimes you have to feel sorry for software engineers. Ul designers make a few tweaks with shapes and colours and it's applause all round, such is the visual indication of the work they have done. But make a ton of fixes and improvements under the hood and there's barely a hoot from the general public. So while iOS 8 packs a fair few headline grabbing features, it is the least impressive update here. Partly this is due to iOS's maturity, after iOS 7's overhaul; in reality nip-and-tuck is all Apple could really do on the next attempt. Some will be disappointed that there hasn't been a return to the skeuomorphism of previous iOS versions, and some will be upset that there's little to show, unless you have other iOS or OS X devices. But while Android is the new pack leader, don't feel iOS is slipping; it's just carrying on regardless.
The Future
In the near future, we will likely see Android go the way of iOS, and there is every chance both will appear to creatively stagnate for a couple of years. In reality there will be tons of tweaks and additions under the hood, but the overall design language of both is set for the time being. However, with Android, that's not to say that proprietary Ul overlays won't change, because HTC, Sony, Samsung and so on will always be changing their own, so it isn't like the various Android user interfaces will look the same for the next 36 months.
Windows 10 and Windows Phone 10 may well be the next season's most interesting developments, and while it isn't likely to radically change the phone market, the tablet market may well start to see some change come September 2015, especially as Windows is still the OS of choice for devices bought for education, such as those bought by parents for their children's school, college or university education. If more of these phone and tablet packages come about, they could be too good value to ignore.
Mobile operating systems are in rude heath, and nearly all have reached a maturity point where a majority of problems they have had in the past have been remedied. These are platforms that are as competent as they are slick and as powerful as they are friendly, and sometimes it's staggering to think just how far it has all come in around eight years. 2015 may not be looking like a vintage year, but every dog has its day, and maybe the new Microsoft will be the next to have its time back in the spotlight.