Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak tests out Siri on the iPhone 4S. (AP)
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak says he’s a fan of phones powered by Google’s Android mobile operating system, the Daily Beast reported.
While still the proud owner of an iPhone, Woz admits that in certain situations -- such as voice commands and GPS -- Android is a better bet.
“I have a lower success rate with Siri than I do with the voice built into the Android, and that bothers me,” Woz told the Daily Beast. “I’ll be saying, over and over again in my car, 'Call the Lark Creek Steak House,' and I can’t get it done. Then I pick up my Android, say the same thing, and it's done."
"Plus I get navigation. Android is way ahead on that," he added.
The love for Android might seem somewhat strange, coming from someone so engrained in Apple culture and a legend among fans.
The relationship between Apple and Google has grown contentious in recent years after the latter entered the market for mobile phones. So convinced that the search giant’s offering was a blatant “rip-off,” the late Steve Jobs swore to do everything in his power to “destroy Android.”
It was then no surprise when a photo of Woz hanging out at Google campus, checking out a pre-release version of Google’s latest flagship phone, caused a stir in the tech scene in November.
Never one to hold a grudge, Woz takes a pragmatic approach. In fact, he and Andy Rubin, who leads the Android project, go way back. “I’ve known Andy a long time, and I respect him a lot,” Woz said.
“My primary phone is the iPhone,” Woz told the Daily Beast. “I love the beauty of it. But I wish it did all the things my Android does, I really do.”
Still, he believes the iPhone is probably the best choice for many users.
“The people I recommend the iPhone 4S for are the ones who are already in the Mac world, because it’s so compatible, and people who are just scared of computers altogether and don’t want to use them. The iPhone is the least frightening thing. For that kind of person who is scared of complexity, well, here’s a phone that is simple to use and does what you need it to do,” he said.
Read more about Woz and his love for Android at the Daily Beast.
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