Android Nougat 7 vs. Apple iOS 10 - smart phones OS go head to head

Google recently launched the most recent version of android, android nougat seven whereas Apple remains performing on the coming version of its OS, Apple iOS 10. Both the companies have worked different the operational systems that power their mobile devices for more than half a decade. Whereas iOS was launched in 2007, android was released in 2008 with both the operating systems undergoing a minimum of seven major versions in last eight years.

User Interface

The user interface for both the operating systems has taken a significant overhaul concerning however polished it looks after multiple changes. even though the basic core principles of the home screen in android and the lack of home screen in iOS are glaring, but the delicacy is clear from the initial versions.

Apple iOS 10 focuses on interaction using force touch in Apple devices, where Apple has specifically introduced sensors inside the display to detect the amount of pressure being applied accurately. In addition to force touch, Apple is bringing ‘Rise to wake’ feature which is the Android equivalent of ‘Always on’ display. The company has also changed its stance, introducing widgets on the lock screen and notifications drawer. Another important changes is the support for 3rd party apps to leverage widget framework and include dedicated widgets specific to different apps.

While Android 7 Nougat has changed the navigation bar buttons to include a new function of ‘Quick Switch’ which can be accessed by double tapping the recent button to jump to the last app that you were using. Even though Nougat does not have anything regarding newer ways to interact with the content but we can look forward to a unique experience with Daydream compatible devices.

Notifications

Apple iOS notification system is one of the most robust notification systems in the mobile operating space with a quick glance for everything happening on your iOS device. Apple is making the experience better with the ability to interact with your notifications, right from your lock screen. This newer notification system works with third party apps as well where developers can push live updates to the notifications.

Android Nougat has also improved the notification system, enabling the users to interact with the notifications without opening the app. Google redesigned the entire notification system in Nougat with a uniform width, smaller fonts, and notifications stacked according to apps. Users can even pull down the notification and reply to messages directly from the notification, without opening the messaging app.

Digital Assistants

Apple’s AI based digital assistant, Siri will gain a lot of capabilities with the latest update. Users will be able to book cabs, send messages to a particular contact in a specific third party app like WhatsApp among regular things like conducting an online search, ask for directions, schedules, set alarms, reminders, notifications and making calls all by telling Siri.

Even though Google’s AI-based digital assistant, Google Now does not have these many automation or magical ‘speak, and you shall get it done’ commands, but the offering is gradually improving with each interaction, and we can see it coming in a more comprehensive way with the upcoming Google Pixel lineup.

Messaging

Apple has revamped its messaging service, iMessage from the ground up, adding more social features with a lot of glitter and flash. This is a significant improvement regarding the way one can interact with mere messaging client, but we will wait for the real world change that it brings when it releases.

Things are contrasting if we talk about the Android Nougat side of messaging. Even though Google is working on its new messaging service ‘Google Allo,’ but there is no fixed date for the launch of the app and the efforts to improve messaging seem to be scattered with Messaging, Hangouts, and upcoming Google Allo.

European Commission slams Apple for back taxes, sets sights on Google

The European Commission has just completed a three-year investigation into Apple’s taxes, and they’ve determined that the benefits the company receives from Irish banking entities are illegal. As a result, Apple will have to pay 13 billion Euros to Ireland, and a precedent is now set that puts other massive multinational companies like Google in a tight spot.

What’s interesting is that Ireland has no interest in collecting the money. Finance minister Michael Noonan has gone on record saying, “I disagree profoundly with the Commission… The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek cabinet approval to appeal. This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation.”

Apple is unsurprisingly in the same boat claiming, “Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate. We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned.” The company went further to say that the Commission’s case is needlessly aggressive and harmful to the economy

The Commission is standing their ground, stating that Apple’s taxable profits “did not correspond to economic reality.” The current corporate tax rate in Ireland is 12.5 percent. In 2003, the European Commission concluded that Apple paid a mere 1 percent in taxes, and that in 2014 they paid less than .01 percent.

The Commission says that all they are doing is requiring Apple to pay taxes that they would have owed anyway. “The Commission’s investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years.”

The reason that Ireland doesn’t want Apple to have to pay these back taxes is that their leniency on international businesses drives a lot of commerce through their system. In the aftermath of this Apple decision, the Commission is gearing up to investigate Google in a similar capacity.