Much has been written about the Apple iOS Apps vs the Android Apps available and which is better and which has more. This number of apps is only a guide. The quality, depth and breadth is more important.

I have spent a considerable amount of time looking into the different apps on the operating systems and included my own experiences too. I have purchased nearly 1,500 apps on iOS and 700 now on android, just as a reference. I have owned and used the latest of both operating systems from the iPhone 5 which I use currently and the Samsung S3, my last phone. Before the S3 I had the Note and prior to that the iPhone 4S. I have used both size and owned both size iPads and Nexus 7.

I am going to start this article with the conclusion and then explain why. So in conclusion the iOS app selection tops android. With the tablet configuration iOS wins hands down. With smartphones whilst the number of apps on both platforms is huge, it is the breadth and depth where IOS really has a larger edge over android. However, android does have a win over iOS in terms of game emulators. On iOS they do not exist really, but on android they are several superb options. Also on the android platform you can use play station or other game controllers to play some of these games. That’s more to do with the open aspect of android hardware and software. The other aspect where android apps have an edge over iOS apps is the ease of sharing data throughout the system, with better use of background multitasking. The other consideration is Google apps and services. Google is really trying to create a superb user experience.

Now, I know some of you are going to say my favourite apps are on both platforms. That may be the case, but it is often updated or available first on iOS. Another challenge is that whilst that app is not available on android, there is an android equivalent that is just as good. And that’s a fair challenge.

But look at the the categories available on both. Then think about apps for women, apps for men, for children, for specialist interests and so on. What you will find is that on iOS the offerings are far greater with more depth, quality and breadth. This isn’t a question of looking at the top 50 in both app stores, this is about going deeper into sub categories of sub categories. Previously when I did this comparison, I only looked at my apps and were the equivalent available on both operating systems. This time I went far deeper in to the types and quality of the app offerings. I must admit, I really thought iOS wouldn’t have a clear advantage but overall it really does and if I am being honest by a decent margin except for apps that are game emulators or share data.

What I do believe is that this gap will totally close and the offerings will be down to personal preference and the services the two operating systems offer.