Apple sticks it to Android: 93% of iOS users on current software vs Android’s 33%

WWDC 2013 is kicking off and Apple’s Tim Cook has taken the stage to talk about…. Android. It’s no surprise that Android has been Apple’s biggest competition, flooding the market with countless hardware designs and configurations to suit just about anyone’s needs or better yet, budget. It’s no wonder Cook couldn’t keep Android out of his charts (or mouth) when bragging about iOS. Tim wasted no time in pointing out the fact that iOS devices were “#1 in customer usage,” with iPhone users clocking in approximately 50% more minutes of smartphone usage vs Android users (we’ve seen similar reports in the past).

He once again brought up the now tired argument that most iOS users — approximately 93% of them — are currently running the latest version of iOS 6 when compared to only 33% of Android users on Jelly Bean. This is true, but it’s also very misleading.

Using a chart like this is almost downright dishonest and not a true “apples to apples” comparison. It’s been said many times but the open nature of Android and the way it was designed was never so that every device from toaster ovens to smartphones would be running the latest version. No, it’s so that devices that would otherwise be “dumb,” can be infused with Android and suddenly do more than just text and make calls — they’d be smart. Because of the functionality found even Gingerbread (it makes calls, surfs the internet, plays games, downloads apps), many of these 2-year old devices from no-name manufacturers haven’t felt the need to update (and really, neither have their users).

I just find it odd that he didn’t attack a specific device or manufacturer. Why not Nexus devices? Heck, even Samsung devices would have yielded much different results. I’d also like to point out that whenever Google takes the stage during Google I/O or whenever they debut a new Nexus device, sure they boast about their current install base and milestones, but Apple and iOS are almost always left out of that equation. Could it be because Android is already so far ahead, Google doesn’t have the time to look behind at iOS? Sounds about right to us.

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