I thought I’d take a moment to rank the major mobile platforms in terms of a few specific criteria. Because I know next to nothing about Blackberry, and because I can’t forgive RIM for so blatantly ripping off webOS with the UI on the PlayBook, I’m leaving them out.
Here are my rankings:
So, what am I missing?
Update: @deyobr in the comments takes me to task for picking WP7 (and Android) over Apple in terms of hardware. Let me clarify, then: I’m talking about depth and breadth of hardware offerings, not necessarily (or even at all) quality of a single device. It’s true that there’s probably no other smartphone on the market that’s as nice as the iPhone in terms of hardware build, but of course the iPhone is a slab with a middling sized screen (albeit a lovely one). For someone who wants a physical keyboard or a larger screen, Apple has no offering, whereas Android and WP7 do.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Chris de Pio Sanchez. Chris de Pio Sanchez said: RT @AboutwebOS: How the mobile platforms stack up (should have done this first): http://bit.ly/h0pw9S #webOS #Android #WP7 #iOS [...]
productivity / PIM
I think you sort of messed up the hardware section. Not sure iOS should be third on that one. Definitely not behind wm7 and I’m not sure about Android. I know there is only one device, but if Palm launched a device exactly with the same specs as the iPhone 4 I don’t think you would rank it third. Battery life is so much better with iOS, front facing camera, best screen, etc. There are only a few Android devices with front facing cameras and none with the kind of battery life iOS gets.
Just my quick thoughts.
@deyobr: I hear what you’re saying, but I really meant in terms of overall options. Yes, the iPhone 4 is a nice piece of hardware by itself, but what if someone wants a physical keyboard? Or a larger screen? Apple isn’t offering those options, while Android and WP7 phone makers are. I’d rank HP Palm the same way if the only thing they offered was a slab, and I’m really hoping that they offer a diverse set of devices to meet the needs of pretty much any user (which I think they will).