Android doesn't need the best UI

People make statements like this all the time and assume that’s the end of the argument right there:

[Android is] never going to be Apple-like in user experience, polish, or design.

I agree that the iPhone is a great product. However, I can also conclude that Android phones are great as well. There are pros and cons to both devices¹. Yes, generally, the Apple UI is more pleasing to the eye. I wouldn’t say it’s clearly more intuitive though.

Regarding the UI: not everyone cares about how perfect the UI is. Sure, designers will care. Even people who are more educated about the design can care. But plenty others won’t care. People I know who don’t care: me, my wife, my parents, my in-laws, my brother, some of my co-workers. Some of us like Android’s pros more than the iPhone’s. Others don’t care either way.

There are some things I don’t think Google will do better than Apple. That’s ok. It doesn’t make either the absolute best, but depending on your tastes, one or the other might be better for you.

This is also why I try to completely ignore the “score” that video game blogs try to give to games. What they feel makes a great game isn’t necessarily what I feel does. I try to read the reasons why they think its good and bad, and then I can make the choice when they say something like: “the gameplay is really fun and unique, but the ladder climbing animation is just ridiculous. In this day and age, I can’t give it more than a 5/10.” Hey, that’s fine. I’ll go enjoy the gameplay, and you can ignore it for it’s funny yet rarely seen animation. ↩