Mobile OS wars; iOS 5 vs. Windows Phone 7.5 Mango

OS war in mobile

The challenge

Both Apple iOS 5 and Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ have been long awaited mobile operating systems. They have been announced some time ago and both have some amazing set of features. Apple iOS 5 will power Apple iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, the current generation iPod Touch and the next generation iPod Touch which is going to be released soon and iPad 2. Windows Phone 7.5 Mango will come pre-installed in HTC Titan, Radar and many other Samsung phones and besides that majority of current Windows Phone 7 handsets can be upgraded to Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.

There have been lots of rumors and leaks about the functionality and usage of both the mobile operating systems but now that both the mobile operating systems have finally been released we can put them to test and see which mobile operating system comes on top. Will Apple win it with their simple and elegant iOS 5 or will Microsoft beat Apple with their re-imagined operating system Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango”? Continue reading to find out –

Comparison attributes

User Interface

Windows Phone 7 is indeed a bold re-imagination of how a mobile operating system should be. Microsoft has done a really good job with the operating system, the Metro UI of Windows Phone 7 is not only beautiful, and it is simplistic and informative too. You are no longer staring at icons, you are looking at tiles which provide you will live updates of information that you care about. With the Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ update Microsoft promised an even enhanced home screen with more useful and informative tiles. This is great for looking at weather updates and check stock info without actually going into the application. The social media integration in Windows Phone 7.5 Mango is really great. You can stay updated on all the things happening with your friends and family right in the Social Hub.

Apple has received much praise for releasing iOS with a simple and elegant user interface. But that was at the time of release of the first iPhone, nothing much has changed in the look of the interface, it is still icon based like most other mobile operating systems in the market. This interface makes using iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad a pleasure. Apple is also bringing in tiny elements of iOS into Mac OS to simplify the desktop operating system and make it pretty.

Winner: The winner here is obviously Windows Phone 7.5 as it provides a unique, simplistic yet informative user interface.

Multitasking

Both iOS and Windows Phone 7 started without having multitasking feature. Apple introduced multitasking feature in iOS 4 and has upgraded it to work even better in iOS 5. Microsoft introduced multitasking in Windows Phone 7 in the 7.5 ‘Mango’ versions. Multitasking works well in both the operating system but Apple obviously have an advantage as they had more time to develop, improve and integrate multitasking into iOS 5.

Winner: Microsoft will obviously work on and improve the multitasking in Windows Phone but for now Apple iOS 5 is the winner with its simple and quick multitasking.

Web browsing

Safari is the default browser in iOS 5 – it has received lots of improvements in iOS 5 update. Safari now supports HTML5, faster performance and has features like reading list. On the other hand, Windows Phone 7.5 has Internet Explorer 9. It is faster and delivers better performance than Safari. The performance, simplistic interface and features of Internet Explorer 9 makes are way better than Safari browser in iOS 5.

Winner: Windows Phone 7.5 Mango is the winner here thanks to the latest browser Internet Explorer 9.

Multimedia

Flash is not supported in both the operating systems. Apple has been against flash since the start and it seems Microsoft also has joined the rank. Flash is in general considered as old and resource hungry which would result in bad performance and greater consumption of battery life. So instead of using flash, both the companies are integrating future technologies like HTML5 into the OS. Windows Phone 7.5 works great with Zune media player but the same cannot be said about iTunes with iOS5 in comparison.

Winner: So the winner is again Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.

Product distribution

If you are considering iOS 5 then your choice is tribally limited. There is only iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone. There are no different form factors or separate choice for customers. But that is not the case with Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ – Dozens of mobile manufacturers are building phones for Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. There are already phones from HTC, Samsung, Acer etc. and Nokia would also start manufacturing smartphones running Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ soon. HTC Titan and HTC Radar have already been announced.

Winner: Windows Phone 7.5 Mango because of the sheer number of choice it allows to the customers.

Processor performance

Most of the devices announced and running Windows Phone 7.5 have single processors but iPhone 4S announced recently has dual core processor.

Winner: The winner here is Apple iOS 5 for now because other manufacturers would also start putting in dual core processors in their hardware.

Verdict

It cannot be denied that both iOS 5 and Widows Phone 7 ‘Mango’ are powerful mobile operating system. Microsoft is playing the game really well, they have ties with major players in the industry and they are doing everything to make their products successful. Windows Phone 7.5 is a really solid operating system which could very well become the dominant operating system. That said you really shouldn’t forget that iPhone is the most sold-out consumer electronic product.

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