The legal tussle between Apple and Google are well-known. Even though both the companies patched up recently over the case involving Google's Motorola Mobility; it is not the end of the war for the tech giants.

Apple's attempt to stifle the competition in the mobile and tablet markets in order to pose a monopoly is quite an old news. But under the hood, both iOS and Android are very different from each other.

Nevertheless, David Gewirtz from ZDNet demonstrates that the Android is way ahead of the iOS when it comes to usability. The underlying image which is utilized to back his claim is a home screen of the Galaxy S4. Having used both the Android and iOS handsets, Gewirtz points out the arena iOS falls behind via a comparison.

Comparison

The screenshot from Gewirtz's Galaxy S4 shows all the screen controls, information with an assortment of widgets and icons that he uses in his day-to-day life. It is worth noting that, the iPhone does not support widgets instead the phone's screen constitutes of icons. Also Gewirtz is quick to point out that, users cannot scale the icons in their iphones.

As he puts it, "If you happen to be over 40, you're forced to squint at your home screen to get anything done. It's even worse for those damnable folders, with their incredibly teensy icons -- and you can't even set a folder icon."

In addition, he compares the iPhone to the palm-held devices from the 1990s. According to his observations, the iPhone is less flexible and regressive than the aforementioned age-old devices.

In his comparison between Android and iOS devices, he points to the customized home screen and explains the flexibility and usability of each widgets and icons and how it makes a difference in his life.

Sample

Notably, one particular point stood out, where he compares the control over 'house lights' with both the handsets. Apparently, he uses 'Hue lights' in his house. Such lights can be controlled by an app called 'Hue Pro' via handsets. There is also an 'on and off' widget located in the center of the screen right next to the 'Hue Pro' app. This On/Off widget allows him to turn the lights of his house on or off with a tap. In addition, he need not launch an app to toggle.

Gewirtz says, "If I've got my Android phone, I can merely tap the screen to turn on my desk lights. If I've got my iPhone, I have to launch an app, wait for the loading screen, and then find the icon to invoke my setting." He goes on to add, "In day-to-day use, it's a huge difference."

As a huge boost to Android fans, Gewirtz says Android's home screen provides usability and flexibility that iOS-based handsets do not offer.

Interested readers can check out the screen capture and the full analysis of Gewirtz by heading straight to ZDNet.

What do you think of this claim? Feel free to leave a comment.