During his comments, Jobs also referred to TweetDeck, developers of a popular Twitter platform who recently launched an Android application, noting that they had to test their application against 100 different versions of Android on 244 different handsets. […] Dodsworth followed up with a second tweet noting that the company has only two employees working on the Android version of TweetDeck and citing that as proof that Android fragmentation is essentially a non-issue.
— Source: Macrumors

The difference is that Jobs assumes that a developer will test its applications against all the range of possible client devices. On iOS that’s four iPhones, three iPod Touches and one iPad. Or you can just go for display constraints and check against iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad.

Basically, this lack of proper testing is the reason why many Android applications suck. Hell, I know a lot of Android developers don’t own an Android terminal. So going back to the title, comparing the Android user experience to that of iOS, both at system level and in third party applications, is comparing apples to oranges.

And about Andy Rubin’s succint response with a definition of open… don’t get me started.

For starters, Open means let me access the f*cking Marketplace from any device. Let people create tablets with Android 2.2. And develope openly, with community participation.

But the point that unnerves me is his double standard. This is the same guy that recently said about Windows Phone 7 (my emphasis):

I think the screen shots I’ve seen are interesting, but look, the world doesn’t need another platform. Android is free and open; I think the only reason you create another platform is for political reasons.
— Source: PCMag

Back to Google I/O 2010 and that dialogue with Andy Rubin that starts with Vic Gundotra’s question:

Andy, I don’t get it. Does the world really need another mobile operating system? Google’s about advertising. Shouldn’t we be on every phone?
— Source: Google I/O Keynote Day 2

I’ve basically had enough bullshit from Google. I’ll finish with another quote.

We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business. Make no mistake they want to kill the iPhone. We won’t let them … This don’t be evil mantra: It’s bullshit.
— Steve Jobs at Apple Town Hall meeting, Jan. 2010. Source: Wired

Fuck, let’s make that two quotes:

Derek says it’s always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already said it best. So if you can’t top it, steal from them and go out strong.
— American History X