What is the future for Android

[mgray5159]

I think Android is great but I feel like it could be so much more. Google has released their productivity software quickoffice on Android but its not where near what Microsoft and Apple release on their tablets. I would like to use my Nexus 7 for more than a consumption device only and was wondering if people think there would be plans to make Android more of a serious OS or is Chrome OS the solution.

 

[tr-1]

I think Android is great but I feel like it could be so much more. Google has released their productivity software quickoffice on Android but its not where near what Microsoft and Apple release on their tablets. I would like to use my Nexus 7 for more than a consumption device only and was wondering if people think there would be plans to make Android more of a serious OS or is Chrome OS the solution.

In your example, what exactly is Android lacking comparing to iOS?
You have a very mature Google Docs suite (with group collaboration capability which Apple doesn't have ASAIK). You have QuickOffice as you said. And most importantly IMO, you have a freaking mouse support to use all these "productivity" apps. Try to do actual work in Excel sheet or Power Point, etc without a mouse with your tablet raised on a stand. Your arms are gonna fall off.... there's a reason why office ergonomics are so important.
Also, Samsung (and I really believe pure Android in 5.0) and LG support side-by-side multitasking like Windows. Again, very important for productivity tasks.

Anyway, I agree it could be much more, always can improve. But I disagree that Google is lagging behind Apple in productivity... this is just a misconception. I have no experience with Windows apps but I guess it'll always be the king because most corporations use Microsoft tools.
Sure, iOS might have some niche apps that Android does not have (like some doctor specific apps or whatever) but the Office suite is the most important IMO. Also, no one's stopping whoever created those niche apps for iOS to create them for Android. Google certainly will not go after niche apps.

 

[Pollster]

The future of Android is fragmentation up the wazoo. The official message is that people should update to a new phone every 18 months at the least, but reality and economics are a bear on plans like that. Making Android more open to manufacturers supplying low power phones and tablets just means more devices that never see a single update are coming.

 

[Alik Malix]

I prefer iOS, so I have this... may not be much help to you, but it touches a few Android points... It may be a bit Apple-centric though...
On The Future of iOS and Android | steve cheney – technology, business & strategy

 

[Pollster]

I prefer iOS, so I have this... may not be much help to you, but it touches a few Android points... It may be a bit Apple-centric though...
On The Future of iOS and Android | steve cheney – technology, business & strategy

HA HA

The very first point which includes the conjecture "What will happen when the low cost iPhone 5C comes out? It could really shake things up globally." is where I stopped reading. Sounds like this guy insightful!

 

[Alik Malix]

Dude, it's a speculation, exactly what this thread was asking for. On top of my post I also revealed my bias, just because you disagree with a speculation doesn't mean it's a bad one, it also doesn't mean it's going to happen, but to discredit a point of view (a good one as well) is like arguing that green color is better than blue.

 

[CooCooCaChoo]

Wait for the smores version or the hard candy version in the future.

 

[someguy01234]

There are tons of office apps for Android that are fully capable of doing docs excel and powerpoint, you don't have to use Quick Office or Google Docs.

sent from tapatalk

 

[alltechinside]

I think Android is great but I feel like it could be so much more. Google has released their productivity software quickoffice on Android but its not where near what Microsoft and Apple release on their tablets. I would like to use my Nexus 7 for more than a consumption device only and was wondering if people think there would be plans to make Android more of a serious OS or is Chrome OS the solution.

Microsoft I can understand but apple? IDK what you are talking about. Google has Google docs, Spreedsheet, presentations, form, etc. Even now, Google has quick office which is a huge improvement. Apple is no different from these (and Google's package are better) so I don't know what you are talking about.

Android can be improved but they aren't behind Apple at all for "productivity". If anything, the nexus 7 lack tablet apps compared with iPads because it doesn't have a lot of tablet optimized games and apps. Windows tablets barely has any apps unless they can play legacy applications (x86 programs).

 

[1210saad]

Android is a Great OS. I think android will have a great future. Its open source so Next generation programmers will make it even better. I think you have more freedom with android then you do with iOS.

 

[Claire Oliviya]

In Future no one will be having PC or Laptop, we may not be seeing it anywhere. Android will conquer the whole world in a single tab, their will be no need of any other equipment's such as woofer, speaker etc...As it is a open source, programmers can create application apart from our imagination.. Samsung is utilizing it very well so that both will rock...

 

[iN8ter]

In Future no one will be having PC or Laptop, we may not be seeing it anywhere. Android will conquer the whole world in a single tab, their will be no need of any other equipment's such as woofer, speaker etc...As it is a open source, programmers can create application apart from our imagination.. Samsung is utilizing it very well so that both will rock...

Microsoft is much closer to this than Google and Apple.

ChromeOS is still a Browser running on top of a minimal Linux Distro. Android is still a Mobile OS. Neither or suitable for serious desktop use. Sorry, but Photoshop Touch on an Android Tablet doesn't hold a candle to Photoshop on a Surface Pro with a Wacom Digitizer and Pressure-Sensitive Stylus. No one is using an Android tablet for serious work in almost any domains, and the same goes for iOS. They are used as companion devices mainly for content consumption, not creating content which is what is most associated with "productivity work." Productivity comes from the root word "Produce," we should all note...

Apple hasn't really crossed the lines with their platform yet.

The only platform on the market right now giving users the benefits of Mobile along with the benefits of a Desktop Ecosystem is Windows 8.1.

Yes, it is polarizing, but it's the most forward-thinking operating system on the market right now, bar none.

---

About the Office discussion.

1. Windows RT and 8.1 have BT support and that includes Mice and Keyboards. There are Windows 8.x mice designed to be Surface compatible at Best Buy. Hard to miss the big blue Windows Buttons on them. Go look. This B.S. about not being able to use Excel with a Windows RT/8.1 Tablet propped up is ludicrous. This has always been possible using USB or BT keyboards since the first Surface RT Tablet has been released, and Microsoft has Keyboard covers for all of them (though they have a built in Kick Stand and you can use any BT keyboard with them). What you can do with Office 2013 on an RT tablet is far and beyond above what can be accomplished on any Android or iOS tablet with iWorks and *especially* Google Drive (which is the least capable of them all).

2. Google Docs is popular because it's cheap and packaged with other Google services. Universities use it for their students, small businesses may use it. Larger corporations may use it to save money. However, a lot of those businesses also *still* use Office and many do not use Google Drive's native file formats - they only use it for document storage. Law Offices, etc. are not using Google Docs. They're using Microsoft or WordPerfect Office. Google Docs is borderline unusable for the way those businesses use Office Software (i.e. Redactions, Document Protection/IRM, etc.)

3. iWorks is a better Office Suite than Google Docs - this is especially true once you venture out of a browser windows. Docs is only usable offline with Google Chrome as well, which is a showstopper for a lot of people in the days that every major desktop platform has a perfectly usable default/pre-installed Browser (IE 10/11, Safari 6+, etc.). There is no desktop app, and it's capabilities are quite limited compared to desktop office suites. LibreOffice/OpenOffice are much better Office Suites than Google Docs, so if you don't want to pay for Office or a Mac there are ways to not artificially limit yourself to inferior products "cause you can."

4. All three of these companies support collaborative editing. Apple and Microsoft has a huge advantage in that they also have real desktop software that can be used for more complicated work than Google Docs. Some things really demand the performance of a native application. All three of these companies also have Web App versions of their office suites that are largely on feature-parity with each other...

5. Both Apple and Google lack a decent Note Taking component (comparable to OneNote). No, Google Keep does not count. It's basically forgettable. OneNote basically has a monopoly as far as professional note taking is concerned.

6. The Office Software on Windows RT Tablets is a full version of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook). There is no mobile office suite on iOS or Android that is even remotely comparable to that. It's not even a contest. If you are a heavy Office user and are looking into a Tablet to actually get work done, yes, Windows RT blows both iOS and Android away for this type of work. It truly is the best choice, regardless of your techno political affiliations or preferences...

7. iWorks and Office have better file format support. I think Windows 8 WordPad supports ODT files, while Google Drive does not. At least, the last time I uploaded one I couldn't even preview it (never mind edit it) on Google Drive. Office + Drive file support on Android is fragmented into two separate (and in some ways, largely redundant applications). Office interops better with WordPerfect formats - which is forgettable to consumers but not to business users as a lot of businesses use WordPerfect or have Migrated from it to Office (or the other way).

8. There are better Office Suites on Android than QuickOffice, like OfficeSuite Pro and Polaris Office. Especially, if performance and support for 3rd party cloud storage solutions are taken into account. Scrolling in QuickOffice is absolutely atrocious (Chrome for Android has this issue as well)...

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Google has succeeded in fragmenting the user experience across even its own Nexus products. I have no clue what their plans for Android is.

 

[Algus]

Really only being able to rely on Google Docs is what drove me away from using a chromebook as my primary device. Beyond basic needs it really is rubbish. There are several great free or low cost suites that do an admirable job if you don't have access to iWorks or Office.

Android is very acceptable as a classroom tool and has great apps in that regard. Samsung is doing some great things with the Note. I can't disagree with the above however. The heavy professional user should consider a Surface or Surface Pro.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 3 using Tapatalk 4

 

[physioprof]

For me the answer is to use my Android devices for communication and content consumption, and to use my desktop and laptop computers for content creation with Microsoft and Adobe professional software.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[iN8ter]

For me the answer is to use my Android devices for communication and content consumption, and to use my desktop and laptop computers for content creation with Microsoft and Adobe professional software.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using AC Forums mobile app

Where Microsoft got it right with Windows 8 is that you can do both. That OS does mobile and desktop, and they have well designed hardware to leverage every aspect of it.

From that perspective, you don't have to make compromises with a Windows 8 tab the way you would have to with an Android or iOS tab.

It's the only platform that allows almost equal productivity going from desktop to tablet, with deep cross for factor interoperability to a smartphone platform.

Adoption is slow because most consumers don't actually use devices to be productive. They use them to burn time.

Sent from my Galaxy S III using Tapatalk 4

 

[Rolandrice]

Personally, I think that the future of the cell industry will move towards personalizing more-so to the point where you can choose between multiple OS. (i.e. Samsung products have the choice of TouchWiz, Vanilla Android, Ubuntu, Tizen; HTC Sense, etc. etc.) It was hinted when the Google editions of HTC One and the S4 came out. Will it mean the ending of Google Nexus devices? I hope not.

 

[elizabath]

Well honestly speaking i totally agree with you reland

 

[gamefreak715]

I'd really like chrome OS to be so much more. I'm so on the line about getting a chromebook since I'm so entrenched into googles ecosystem. I just wish it had app support and widgets like android does

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