he "Android vs. iPhone" battle doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you think about it. "Android" isn't something you can buy in a store; it's a part that corporations like HTC use to make smartphones and tablets.
Where the comparison's relevant is in deciding what to buy, when you go into the store. For all their customizations, like HTC Sense, Android phones have a lot in common. It's easier to decide whether you want Apple or Android and then narrow it down from there, than it is to choose between dozens of smartphones.
Which choice you make, though, has ramifications beyond whether your home screen has widgets or not. Apple and Google both create more than just the iPhone and Android, and they do their best to tie their mobile offerings into those other products. Here's what you get when you choose each "ecosystem" ... and what you give up, as well.
Apple: Back to the Mac
That was the name of Apple's October 2010 special event, where they introduced Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion." It's also a succinct description of their approach. What they've learned in making the iPhone and iPad, they've brought back to Mac OS X, like dramatic full-screen apps and a new Mac App Store. And even though the iPad 2 is perhaps the best portable computer ever created, it still needs to be synced with a Mac (or a Windows PC) running iTunes in order to receive updates.
If you use an Apple smartphone or tablet, you have to use iTunes at the very least. Ideally, though, they would like you to use it on a Mac, and use their MobileMe service to keep all your contacts and data in sync. Their apps are built around these assumptions, and often include tie-ins and features that don't work if you're not paying for MobileMe ($99 a year). Moreover, they have complete control over who can publish apps for the iPhone and iPad, and some of their App Store rejections have been controversial to say the least.
It's possible to get around some of Apple's restrictions; you can legally jailbreak your iPhone if you have the knowhow, or install Windows (or even Ubuntu) on your Mac. In many ways, though, that defeats the purpose of choosing Apple to begin with.
Google: Getting to know you
The official Google apps are one of the biggest reasons to use Android, since they tend to be more fully featured and more frequently updated there than on their iPhone counterparts. You can also use them on the web from any Mac or PC, and they tie together quite nicely, like how Google Docs lets you share documents with your Gmail contacts or import pictures from Picasa.
Google can't afford to ignore the iPhone and iPad, although there is the occasional Google Voice incident. They do "cloud" stuff much better than Apple does, though, especially at their price point (free compared to $99 per year for MobileMe).
Google's strategy is to give everything away for free, and then "make it up in volume" with ads and their extensive (and creepy) data gathering efforts. They give you the tools to opt out if you want to, though, plus their official "Data Liberation Front" tells you how to get all your data out of their sites if you decide you want to go elsewhere.
Perhaps that's the bright side of this battle ... at least one of the two opponents knows how to concede graciously.
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