Woz Wishes His iPhone Did All The Things His Android Does; Stuns World+Dog

If there's one fact that's emerged after Steve Jobs' death this fall, it's that the man hated Android. Really hated. As in, declared thermonuclear war on it and dedicated himself (and Apple's bank account) to wiping it from existence. In light of Steve's Khan-like level of loathing for Google's operating system, it's a wee bit surprising to hear the "other" Steve sing its praises.

“My primary phone is the iPhone,” Woz said. “I love the beauty of it. But I wish it did all the things my Android does, I really do."


According to Woz, the iPhone is a better option for anyone who's plugged into the Mac ecosystem or suffers from a fear of computers, but Android wins out in terms of the total number of options and capabilities. Even more surprising is Woz's opinion of Siri. Apple's voice technology is generally seen as an area where the Cupertino-based company has a clear lead over any Android competitor, but Wozniak sees the situation differently. According to him, Siri was a better application before Apple bought the company in 2010.

“I used to ask Siri, ‘What are the five biggest lakes in California?’ and it would come back with the answer. Now it just misses. It gives me real estate listings. I used to ask, ‘What are the prime numbers greater than 87?’ and it would answer. Now instead of getting prime numbers, I get listings for prime rib, or prime real estate,” Woz says.


“With the iPhone 4 I could press a button and call my wife. Now on the 4S I can only do that when Siri can connect over the Internet. But many times it can’t connect. I’ve never had Android come back and say, ‘I can’t connect over the Internet.'"

Other tidbits from The Daily Beast's interview reveal that the Apple co-founder has had trouble with battery life since moving to the iPhone 4S. Ultimately, Woz still believes that the iPhone 4 is the best choice for most users -- he describes it as "the least frightening thing," -- but he views Android as a much more serious competitor for Apple than Windows ever was, at least as far as design strength and capabilities are concerned.

Google has major plans for the first half of 2012; we'll see a bumper crop of new phones rolling out on Ice Cream Sandwich, ICS updates, and new tablets and smartphones with 28nm hardware shipping by the end of the first half. The Apple rumor mill, meanwhile, continues cranking, with whispers of an iPad 3 dropping in March.

Intel's Medfield also launched last week with design wins from Motorola and Lenovo. We expect to hear more about the new x86 smartphone platform at Mobile World Congress at the end of February.