Breaking its signature silence when it comes to commenting on rivals, Apple has lashed at Android, with SVP of marketing Phil Schiller claiming its fragmented nature is putting users off.
In an interview with Reuters, Schiller said Apple's research suggests four times as many consumers are switching from Google's platform to iOS than the other way around, with Apple's focus on the user experience paying off.
Old OS
Schiller also pointed to Google numbers detailing the userbase split between the various versions of its platform.
"With their own data, only 16 percent of Android users are on year-old version of the operating system," he told Reuters.
"Over 50 percent are still on software that is two years old. A really big difference."
On that score, Schiller claims rumours suggested that Samsung's Galaxy S IV due to be revealed in a matter of hours will likely "ship with an OS that is nearly a year old" and that "customers will have to wait to get an update."
Big numbers
Despite this, Schiller had to acknowledge Android's impressive activation rate 1.5 million devices activated a day according to Google's latest figures but claimed the race for top place isn't all about big numbers.
People who have iOS devices, he claimed, use them far more than equivalent Android handsets according to independent research, and iOS in his view provides a far superior user experience.
Android best-seller, Samsung's Galaxy S III
"At Apple we know that it's not just enough to have products pumped out in large numbers," he said. "You have to love and use them. There is a lot of data showing a big disparity there."
Schiller's comments come as numerous sources suggest Android boasts a healthy global lead over iOS, despite iPhone 5 remaining the top selling device in most major regions.
Samsung's Galaxy S III passed the 40 million sales mark in mid-January, selling at a daily average of 190,000 units since launch in May 2012. Apple, meanwhile, sold 47.8 million iPhones during its last financial quarter.
[source: Reuters]
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