Which OS for your Mobile Devices?

One of the most common questions we've been getting from our readers these days is on which smartphone or tablet should they buy...and those who are more technical drill down further and ask which mobile OS should they go -iOS, Android, BB10, or Windows Phone 8?

This question is bound to come given that mobile devices are the hottest selling products these days. The answer depends upon the target users, and we would like

to classify them into three categories-consumers, IT decision makers of enterprises, or software developers who develop mobile apps.

We opened this question to some leading tech experts from across the country to get their views. While you'll find their detailed inputs in this month's cover story, here's a quick summary of their collated judgment over which mobile OS is best for what kind of user.

First up are regular consumers. For them, iOS continues to be the dominant choice, followed by Android. That's because Apple's ‘i' devices have a high degree of aspirational value associated with them. Most users aspire to buy these devices for their looks, the rich App Store that is full of good quality apps that are also very secure (because the paid ones are very easy to buy). For those who can't afford to buy ‘i' devices, Android becomes the second choice. This is

understandable considering that most lowcost smartphones and tablets are Androidbased, and Google Play has plenty of appsto keep them engaged.

IT decision makers are also facing a dilemma given that their users are walkinginto the office with all kinds of devices. It'snot easy to decide which ones to support and which ones not to. Here, experts recommend Blackberry and Windows Phone 8, and not without good reason. Blackberry is a tried and tested product inthe enterprise space, and with RIM finallyintroducing BB10, the interest in product has revived again. Whether organizations would get hooked to it again or not remains to be seen, but it does become a strong contender given its foothold from earlier times.

The second strong contender for enterprises is Windows Phone 8, becauseof its large and captive base of Windows OS at the server and desktops. Plus, there's a lot of Windows based enterprisesoftware from both Microsoft and third parties. Windows based mobile devices become another extension for the organization, and their familiarity with the platform makes it easier to manage them.

For developers, iOS appears to be their top favorite. This voice came not only from our tech experts but also from our developer community (you'll see their inputs as well in our cover story). iOS enjoys the top spot because it has been a well-established brand due to the 4-5 years of lead time it got. So all the

processes for creating apps are very well streamlined and have fixed parameters, making it easy for developers to quickly get on board. The second preference

is gradually becoming Windows 8, which isn't surprising considering how aggressive Microsoft has been in trying to get developers to build apps for its platform. There are lots of tools and support being provided by the software giant to enable this. Blackberry too has been aggressively pushing app development, but considering how delayed it has been in introducing BB10, it would take some more time for things to shape up for the Canadian giant.

Whether these mobile OSs will continue to enjoy their dominant position amongst their target audience remains to be seen. Do send us your views and queries on the subject in the meantime.