Both Android and Windows are extremely widespread operating systems that get used in the majority of devices all over the world. Their combined market share is estimated at 72% worldwide, but each of them has its own unique features and characteristics that’s more or less suitable for certain uses.
When you are choosing an operating system, you must choose wisely. Of course, you can always get the best of both worlds by running a completely virtual Windows computer on your Android device via special software: for example, Limbo PC Emulator allows you to change the number of cores or select graphics. However, usually you have to choose just one of them for everyday use, and it requires that you learn at least the basic difference between the two operating systems.
Android
Android is developed and supported by Google, and this operating system has managed to conquer a fair share of the overall OS market (about 42%) mostly by getting installed on many affordable phones and tablets. It is free and flexible: many different companies develop updates and make apps for it, so it has more different applications than Windows. Android uses the Linux kernel as its basis and makes full use of other open-source programs.
The very first version of the operating system was published in 2008, and it remains completely free to this day. It’s supported by millions of devices all across the world, and the official Google Play store is by far the richest app store: it has more than 3.5 million different apps and games, and the number is steadily growing. All these apps are available for free to every Android user, but some of them feature in-app purchases that allow their developers to earn profits and make even better products.
However, this operating system is praised for more than just the sheer amount of apps. Android has a wide variety of helpful features that make it extremely user-friendly and versatile, including:
- Attractive interface — even the basic version of this OS has an intuitive and good-looking UI;
- Multi-touch technology — all devices running this OS support using several fingers at once;
- Effective multitasking — you can run numerous apps at once and switch between them;
- Wi-Fi Direct — a mechanism used to establish a direct connection between devices;
- Android Beam — a special technology that allows sharing files without any delays by touching devices together physically.
The most serious issue with this operating system is that cheap Android devices perform poorly when running several apps at once.
Windows
With a 76% share, Windows is the leading operating system on the desktop market, and it has a large share of the overall OS market (about 30%). If you have a laptop, there are good chances it uses this operating system. Windows is developed by Microsoft, and the company has already published about 15 different versions of this OS with various characteristics, starting in 1985. Windows 10 is the latest version, and it’s mostly known for its focus on security.
Windows 10 has built-in antivirus software that protects you from all kinds of online threats and allows you to browse the web more safely. The operating system has many helpful features, including:
- Control panel — a convenient instrument that helps you manage the resources of your PC;
- Voice assistant — a virtual helper named Cortana is installed in every official copy of the OS;
- Disk space management tools — these tools can help you clean your disk without the need to use any third-party software;
- Task manager — a great tool that gives you extensive information about the currently running apps and allows you to manage their resources.
However, Windows has so many features that its interface may be confusing to some users, and often it gets cited as one of the disadvantages of the system.
