A former Google vice-president took to his personal Facebook page to praise Apple’s iOS cameras and explain why he believes they are several years ahead of Android cameras.
Vic Gundotra, formerly Google’s vice-president of social and the main figure behind Google+, posted a picture of his children eating at a restaurant, accompanying the picture with the following text.
The end of the DSLR for most people has already arrived. I left my professional camera at home and took these shots at dinner with my iPhone 7 using computational photography (portrait mode as Apple calls it). Hard not to call these results (in a restaurant, taken on a mobile phone with no flash) stunning. Great job Apple.
A Facebook friend then responded that the Samsung Galaxy S8 does an even better job, but Gundotra wouldn’t have it, writing: “I would never use an Android phone for photos!”
Why? Gundotra says the reason comes down to the openness of the Android operating system, which leads to fragmentation and slow-downs. He also states Google has fallen behind on the “computational photography level.”
Read his full post below.
Here is the problem: It’s Android. Android is an open source (mostly) operating system that has to be neutral to all parties. This sounds good until you get into the details. Ever wonder why a Samsung phone has a confused and bewildering array of photo options? Should I use the Samsung Camera? Or the Android Camera? Samsung gallery or Google Photos?
It’s because when Samsung innovates with the underlying hardware (like a better camera) they have to convince Google to allow that innovation to be surfaced to other applications via the appropriate API. That can take YEARS.
Also the greatest innovation isn’t even happening at the hardware level – it’s happening at the computational photography level. (Google was crushing this 5 years ago – they had had “auto awesome” that used AI techniques to automatically remove wrinkles, whiten teeth, add vignetting, etc… but recently Google has fallen back).
Apple doesn’t have all these constraints. They innovate in the underlying hardware, and just simply update the software with their latest innovations (like portrait mode) and ship it.
Bottom line: If you truly care about great photography, you own an iPhone. If you don’t mind being a few years behind, buy an Android.
Many, however, argued with his assessment, pointing out that the Google Pixel, in particular, has been almost universally lauded as the one of the best mobile cameras on the market, and there are many other Android phones producing remarkable results, as well.
It’s also important to note that Gundotra may have a slight bias — after all, Recode reported that AliveCor, the company of which he is currently CEO — is building an Apple Watch strap for those with particular heart conditions.
If nothing else, however, he’s kicked off a heated debate between Apple and Android fans. Let us know your thoughts on the matter below.
Source: Facebook Via: The Next Web
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