Two decades ago, Almost everybody hated their computer. The same was true for the phone they carried. At the time, technology had passed from being new and amazing, to being uninspired, derivative, and awkward. The companies that made these products had become lazy, greedy, and content. The platforms on which we depended were nothing but weaknesses, with a few bright spots here and there.
Today, the pendulum has swung the other way. Everything seems new and amazing once again. All of the companies seem to be trying hard to win us over. Rather than being taken for granted, we are being courted by the various platforms. As a result, everybody loves their computer, smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, and most of all, platform of choice.
We are not just fans of platforms, but fans of companies. We are not just iPhone fans, but Apple fans. We are not just Android fans, but supporters of Google. We do not just prefer Windows. We stand by Microsoft. No one exemplifies this more than Blackberry fans. But all this fandom has polarized us. We act as if our platform of choice can do no wrong, while others can do no right. By way of a reality check, here are the biggest weaknesses of all of the major platforms:
Mac
Secondary security issues are the Mac’s biggest weakness. The solid, Unix foundation makes the Mac a difficult target. Apple has built atop that foundation with security in mind. Most of the really bad things that can happen directly to a PC are simply not possible on the Mac.
But some of the bad things can happen. And most of the bad things can happen indirectly. It is like having the best security doors in the industry, with only average windows. Most antivirus for Mac packages do not offer the same types of protections as they do for Windows and Android devices, as most of those threats do not exist for the Mac. But they do offer such protections as:
• Blocks Dangerous Websites
• Protects Your Privacy on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and LinkedIn
• Provides Safe Surfing
It doesn’t matter that you can’t get a virus if your identity is just as easily stolen by other means. Apple leaves room for third-party solutions because they do not take the secondary security issues seriously enough.
Windows
The biggest problem with Windows is that it is too unfocused. It wants to please all of the people, all of the time. It wants to be everything to everyone, everywhere, on every device from cash machines to smartphones. It wants to be the same code running on budget laptops and supercomputers. Windows is a hot mess. With such broad ambitions, the best it can ever be is adequate on any given device.
Windows Phone
Technically, a separate platform, it’s biggest problem is Windows. Even with Satya Nadella at the helm, Microsoft as a company, is still convinced that everything has to be a Windows machine running Office. They are incapable is seeing the smartphone as something wholly other.
iOS
The biggest problem with iOS these days, is that it gets new and exciting features before the previous, new and exciting features are fully baked. Nothing gets fully baked, leaving the experience more buggy and hit or miss than it should be.
Android
Google places openness above security. Google just doesn’t seem to care about how many bad things happen on the platform until there are enough negative headlines. Only then will they push out some derivative patch to a problem that should have never existed.
Blackberry
They offer no products that answer the all-important question in the minds of consumers: Why buy this product as opposed to the more popular ones on the market? They don’t know. Developers don’t know. Consumers don’t know.
Your favorite platform has a list of weaknesses a mile long. That said. There has never been a better time to be a fan.
The post A Brief Look at Every Platform’s Biggest Weakness appeared first on Smashing Buzz.