iOS is a simple OS for the user who enjoys using simple devices. Android is a complex OS for a user who enjoys using complex devices.
iPhones have everything sealed up, so it's very easy (and expensive) if you break it; you generally just throw it out and buy a new one.
Android phones (well, most Androids) have more modular and expandable hardware, and usually last longer. You can usually add more memory in an SD card and carry a spare battery in case yours dies after heavy usage, among other things.
With every iOS update, each software update (iOS and some application updates) is progressively more (very slightly with each update) hardware demanding, making you want the latest and fastest device. Their devices have CPU's that are actually underclocked, so although they run slower in games, it increases battery life and reduces the release of heat.
Android doesn't update quite as often, but has much faster devices than the iPhones and iPods/iPads (The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a quad-core 2.5 GHz CPU with 2GB of RAM, while the iPhone 5S has a dual-core 1.3 GHz CPU with 1GB of RAM). This major speed difference is absolutely not true for every Android device, but it is definitely noteable.
iOS devices are able to be Jailbroken, and although I do not know much about jailbreaking, I do believe that you cannot physically wipe the internal storage and install your own custom ROM. Jailbroken iOS is highly customizable, however, and from what I've heard, every app on the app store is free!
Android devices have a similar option to Jailbreaking, called Rooting your device. Rooting is much more customizable than Jailbreaking, and you are able to install custom ROMs and, in many cases, overclock your CPU and GPU. I am not sure if all of the Applications are free when Rooted.
On iOS, you are limited to getting apps directly from the iTunes app store.
On Android, you have the option to enable the use of third-party apps downloaded from the web or your computer.
iOS has Airplay.
Android has many alternatives that are built-in, such as NFC (for transferring files only), DLNA over WiFi. (Airplay uses a very locked-down version of DLNA.)
Both platforms have apps from the app stores that also stream music/video/pictures between devices.
iOS has Siri, which has more feedback voice than Android. I have heard rumors that it will soon be turned on by using a voice command such as "Hey Siri" or "Siri, *insert your request here*." It also has some smooth, flowing transitions, which match the feel of iOS 7.
Android has Google Now, which (on most phones) can be activated with the screen turned off, in the home screen, and in the app itself, by using the voice command "Okay Google." Google now gives a ton of location-based stats, such as reminding you to get trash bags once you enter Walmart, or only waking you up with an alarm at a certain location/area.
Random perks of each platform:
----iOS 7: Lots of animations, transitions, blur effects, transparency, and overall pretty appearance. Ability to turn off or on animations. Some animated wallpapers. All-in-one, sealed devices that are very simple and decently durable. Amazing hardware audio quality on pretty much all of the iOS devices. iOS updates frequently. There is that cool slow-motion 120FPS mode on the camera, which works great and is a lot of fun. The lightning charger/data USB plug can be plugged in upside-down or upside-up, and is decently fast thanks to USB 2.0. Headphones with built-in Mic1 or Mic3 work nearly flawlessly with the software. The music application is very comprehensive and simple, yet extremely usable in terms of playlists, podcasts and many other common things. There is an equalizer for the Music app, but you are limited to the presets that Apple gives you unless you download an app that plays music on its own. The control center (when swiping from off-screen from the bottom up) is great and very useful! The notification panel is just like any other, however, and gives you app notifications, weather updates, sports updates, and some other stuff. You are limited to the iTunes store for downloading music, and I do know that there are some apps that can download music for free, but those apps don't store the music in a place that the regular iOS Music app can see and use them without jailbreaking. You are able to plug your device into a computer, and through iTunes, you can drag and drop your songs from your music library on your computer (That means any compatible MP3, aac, etc. file on your computer) to your device. This isn't exactly something you can do on the fly, like at a comp out or something, but it is easy if you have a computer to access!
----Android 4.4.2 KitKat: Several variants of the OS based on phone manufacturer and carrier, such as stock KitKat, TouchWiz KitKat (Samsung), and some others. Some transitions that are smooth but not as flowing and loose- and relaxed-feeling as iOS 7. Transitions are somewhat customizable via Developer Settings. Live wallpapers have been a thing with Android for a long time. On-screen controls that rotate with the screen (when screen rotation is enabled) are common. Some devices do have touch-based hardware buttons with a push-button home button. Custom keyboards, such as Swype, can be installed and customized. Little easter eggs (such as Bean Flinger, which was in Android Jelly Bean). Some newer devices use ultra-fast USB 3.0 mini, although it is not very common yet. The hardware sound quality varies between different devices, but is usually very good - the Adapt Sound feature helps the quality a lot though in most cases if sound quality is low. It isn't usually quite as good in terms of quiet music playing (Lots of electronic noise can be heard at the lowest sound levels) as compared to iPods and iPhones. The music app has a built-in Equalizer, but along with the EQ presets, you can customize EQ your own way if you wish. The Equalizer also has something called "Soundalive," which features virtual surround, bass boost, clarity enhancer, and reverb/echo settings, and all of the previous features can be adjusted or turned off. Android has a control center type thing in the notifications panel. Android also features a task manager very similar to the task manager in Windows, where you can clear out the RAM to make the phone run faster, end frozen or unresponsive applications, view the applications on your phone, and many, many more things. On the home screen, widgets are very useful tools, and there are probably as many widgets available as there are applications! You can download music for free off of the internet, and you are not limited to a store like iTunes or Google Play for getting music. You do not need to connect to a computer to put music onto your device, but you are certainly able to do so if you wish.
I hope that this gives you all a better understanding to the pros and cons of iOS and Android. I own and absolutely love a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, and I am usually biased towards Android, but I hope that I was able to be very unbiased in this blog. I apologize if I was biased (let me know if I was), and please don't start another war about this in the comments! Thank you for reading!
~Corbin Blanchard, owner of Nibroc99 Productions
