

How Android fragmentation actually affects users - 11031a
http://www.extremetech.com/mobile/93760-how-android-fragmentation-actually-affects-users

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wccrawford
In short, it affects users the same way that the PC market's fragmentation
does:

1) It's harder to program when you can't predict everything. 2) Users have a
lot more choice. 3) Most programs are pretty solid, but the really bad ones
are really bad.

Assuming that the screen size can be different is something that PC and Mac
devs have dealt with for years. Why this is such a hard concept for mobile
devs is beyond me.

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garyrichardson
I think the difference is that there is a successful one size fits all
platform that it's competing with, which wasn't the case for PC's through the
90's. I don't think iPhone is better than Android -- they are just two ways of
doing the mobile thing. Android and iPhone are still 10000x better than BB and
Nokia.

I'm an iPhone guy -- I prefer it over Android for many of the reasons in the
article. The bottom line is I don't need to think to get apps and
functionality out of my iPhone. When people ask me what they should get, I
usually reply with "I like iPhone because of X, Y and Z, but if you choose
Android you're still going to have an awesome phone."

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wccrawford
Prior to IBM Clones, pretty much every system was the same across the board.
Just like Android's situation.

But even now, iP(hone/ad) isn't the same across the board. There are several
generations with different hardware, plus a tablet or 2 to deal with. (And if
we're lucky, the iPad 3 will have retina display.)

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garyrichardson
You're splitting hairs. That's 5 years of iPhone development. Android is super
fragmented in 2.

