Is the iPhone vs Android Battle Still Relevant?

I have been thinking recently about how in the tech age that people either prefer Android or an iPhone for a smart mobile device. With a few months of research I think that the answer might surprise you as it did for me.

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First, in order to delve deeper into this mystery, one must know how these each started.

Android started at its roots as Danger OS, which was exclusively on the Danger Hiptop which went on sale on October 1, 2002 (also known as the T-Mobile Sidekick). In October 2003, One of the veterans of Danger, Inc., Andy Rubin, leaves Danger to form Android, Inc. The primary purpose of Android, Inc. was to create a new Open Source OS for mobile computing. So, skip to 2005 here. Android, Inc, has been around for over a year. In order to get a large name behind Android, Rubin pitches it to Google's Larry Page who liked the idea so much that he offered to purchase Android. This purchase went through on August 17, 2005. So, thus began the "Android OS powered by Google" that we know today.

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Now, let's dive into the known info about the iPhone. It had no past device that it originated from like Android did. In 2005, Steve Jobs of Apple saw that the iPod needed an upgrade. This upgrade would include telecommunications by the fact that Jobs fears that phones with built in media players like the Moto ROKR E1 would one day render the iPod obsolete. So, he came up with an idea of how to make a device that was unlike any other. So, to accommodate this "unlike any other" idea, he created iOS, a mobile OS that is very minimal. Along with a very minimal device that was released in 2007. This device would be what we know today as the iPhone.

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Now, have either of these devices changed drastically since launch? Absolutely! They have both changed in size, shape, and build material. All in all. They are becoming more and more similar.

For instance, iOS has been getting more and more features that Android has had. For instance, the notification bar of both of them have been getting more and more populated and more "useful". The bottom bar (control center) of iPhone is pretty much the exact same as swiping down with two fingers on the Android notification bar.

Is iOS becoming Android?
In a way, I would believe it is. In other ways, I know that it is not. Despite all of the similarities, there are differences that still set iOS and Android apart. For instance, Android is open-source compared to iOS: closed source. The security model is also very different, with iOS being more secure than Android.

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Could Android become iOS?
Unfortunately, this wouldn't be possible. It is true that Android is becoming more secure, and is supposedly becoming more like iOS, but how much like iOS could Android ever become? Android could lose the app drawer, but that is not enough to make Android into iOS. Due to the closed source nature of iOS, iOS will ALWAYS be more secure than Android. Android is becoming more secure, but it won't be as secure as iOS unless the security model of Android becomes closed source and the Android device becomes an iPhone. That is the only way it can be put.

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Is the iPhone (iOS) vs Android battle still relevant?
It is for you to decide. Both of the two have their strong and weak points. Both have similarities and differences. The rest is up to the beholder of both of the devices. If you prefer iOS, that is fine. If you prefer Android, that is also fine. Why is there such a battle when the two are becoming more and more alike though? The truth is, they are becoming alike but the battle will probably continue to rage on as long as Apple and Google are still in business. Humans love competition, humans love simplicity, and humans love customization. It is up to the user to decide whether to fight in this battle or just watch it happen.