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The dirty secret Apple and Google don’t want you to know about iOS 8 and Lollipop

Published Nov 13th, 2014 1:06PM EST
iOS 8 Vs. Android 5.0 Lollipop

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Apple and Google love accusing one another of being copycats but the dirty truth is that both companies have been swiping ideas and features from one another for years. This has become even more obvious with the releases of iOS 8 and Android 5.0 Lollipop, which this in-depth review of both platforms by Dice’s Nick Kolakowski makes clear are more similar than ever before.

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In the first place, Kolakowski notes that with Material Design, Google has moved much more toward the flatter, cleaner look that Apple first showed off with the debut of iOS 7 in 2013. Next, he notes that Apple and Google have once again copied features that each company had previously announced on older versions of their operating systems.

“For years, Google and Apple have been locked in a war over smartphone features,” he explains. “One side will add a new and interesting app or function, only to be imitated by the other during the next upgrade cycle. That perpetual battle has reached a climax of sorts with Lollipop and iOS 8: both offer their own version of an NFC-powered e-wallet (Apple Pay vs. Google Wallet), a health app (Apple’s Health app vs. Google Fit), car-dashboard control (Android Auto vs. CarPlay), and home automation.”

In other words, both platforms have been moving closer and closer together and not farther apart.

Be sure to read Kolakowski’s full analysis of both new platforms by clicking the source link below.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.