If someone asked me that was I an Apple fan or a Google admirer, I would have scratched my head hard and ended up with several questions wobbling inside rather than answers. Rephrasing the question to what products you prefer would not help either, because the competition out there is mind-boggling. And the users being inundated with the deluge of products are ending up being scourged by this mess. I wonder what lies in that 10 mile radius where all the brains start working at a lightening speed trying to bring out their products like a shower of hailstones, and giving people just enough time to realize what they have been hit with before another storm strikes in. My words would seem like those of a start-up company trying to survive amidst this Apple vs Google rivalry. But no, I am just a user trying to figure out what is going on.
Apple was born around the same time as Microsoft, starting its journey with a fleet of computer hardware and software. That journey branched ahead to capture a wider market when Apple squalled in with a series of consumer electronics with the i- tag; the i-Mac, i-Phone, i-Pod and the i-Pad. Most of the softwares that Apple produced also bore the same tag, like the i-Tunes, i-Book or i-Life. In fact, the heart and soul of the entire mobile venture was based on the operating system named i-OS. And whatever the reason was for this abbreviation (the most credible of all being to promote the products as internet friendly), it has proved to be the best marketing tool ever seen. These tags have created an empire where everything is flawless, perfect, gorgeous, one of its kind, and they follow a religion known as Appleism.
On the other hand, Google started off in an entirely different league. When some emerging giants had provided the platform to revolutionize the world, the makers of Google decided to expedite the process. They provided the search engine that organized the world in a way no one had previously noticed in the presence of Yahoo and AltaVista. And then we became part of a world where everything you wanted to know went through a single action: Google it! And that practice defined Googleonomy.
When Google started growing, there was nothing else to watch out for. Name an application and Google had something for you. Google brought to us the reality when what you think is in front of you. From various search tools, communication resources and web-based applications, Google entered the mobile industry producing its own softwares and operating systems. Some of the Google products did get busted but overall its stand in the market was never shaken. Not until Apple decided to do so.
Now lets see how that can happen. Google works on a principle entirely different from Apple. Apple believes in less and perfect. Google believes in diversity. Apple keeps its products limited to avoid compromising with quality because of dilution. Google does what it thinks is best for everyone, and to make a difference in whatever way it can. Apple embraces class and sophistication, Google appeals more to the simple man. If Apple had continued producing only desktops and laptops, and if Google had just been an Internet services provider, there would have been less confusion. Then probably Nokia would have been the mobile giant, there would be no smartphones, and Microsoft would be ruling the computer world with its Windows and taking full advantage of the exclusivity of Apple. But when there is science, thinking is never confined. And when everyone is thinking, competition gains grounds.
So, while Apple was reviving from its downfall and returning to making profits with the return of Jobs and introducing i-Mac, Google started to nurture from the seeds that Page and Brin had sown, and in a blink of an eye became the top most search engine. Apple introduced the i-Pod, followed by i-Phone and Apple TV in the coming years. Versions of i-Pod, i-Phone and Macbooks kept luring people who started getting more addicted to the use of smartphones. Google kept winning grounds by introducing a brilliant business strategy called Adwords that made Google a multi-billion dollar company. They brought to the customers several desktop applications, search tools like News, Scholar, Books, etc. and Maps. They also introduced Google Maps and Earth for i-Phone, supporting the popularity of Apple products. There was no competition for Google communication products like Gmail, Blogger, YouTube and Picasa. But then the fields started merging. Rise of Facebook as the king of social networking caught the tail of Google's Orkut and led to its diminution. To parallel that Google introduced Google+ which was advertised as something more noble and mature than Facebook. But due to lack of users it remained there just more than a shadow. Apple jumped in with its novel concept of i-Pad, which made the other companies run amok. Then everyone started producing tablets. By now Apple had won hearts through i-Phone and i-Pod; so Google introduced its friendly adversary in the form of the first Android phone. Android developed its own fan following, and in a span of 4 years, it had defeated the sales of i-Phone. Samsung revealed a soft corner for Google and collaborated to introduce the other category of smartphones. The recent Galaxy III model even beats i-Phone in connectivity, let alone several extraordinary apps that come in the Android package. The friendliness though still public started transforming fast in the applications being introduced for mobiles. Google had Maps with navigation for Androids, i-Phone got it too, and now with their own navigation introduced this year. Google has Drive, Apple has i-Cloud. Apple had a TV, Google got one too. Google got Books, Apple has i-Books. Other comparisons include Google Music/i-Tunes, Docs/i-Docs, Wallet/Passbook and several utility based apps. Google also introduced its own Chrome Book, OS-X in comparison to Mac. But the greatest adversary that Google has developed an apprehension for, is Siri. Though Siri's capabilities are far advanced compared to Google voice search, Siri is more like a miniature version of human brain fed into the mobile that can actually defeat even the intuitive capacity of Google Instant search. And now when Apple is making friends with Facebook, it would be a scene to watch the market for an actual bull fight. (I am really glad for the Gaming expertise being out of their arena).
The bigger question now is-what are users supposed to do. There would be a large crowd of ardent followers who believe in Appleism and its philosophy of perfection. There would be others who believe Google is right because there is nowhere in this world that you can't Google. But most of us are probably happier with a mix of the biggies. The only things that prevents that from happening is compatibilty between the products. Apple makes its products so exclusive that either you buy everything from them or nothing. That can be a drawback for users like us who do not want to feel committed, rather look for things that serve best to our convenience. Apple running on Mac and i-OS confines people to use their products only, but Google at least gives the freedom of mix and match. With the market niches intersecting, it is an interesting and "survival of the fittest" kind of competition for the companies, and a tough analysis for the customers. I personally would enjoy the freedom, and so accepting the competent nature of apps and softwares, would like to possess Android. And as far as adherence is concerned, I would say - "I am not religious".
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