Article
Android, Apple or Windows: Choosing the best kiosk OS
When it comes to choosing your kiosk OS, making a final choice can be be difficult. So a more thorough examination of the major available operating systems is in order.
August 19, 2015 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator
In the 1990s, with a single ad campaign called "Sega does what Nintendon't," Sega turned playgrounds into battlefields as children argued whether Nintendo or Sega consoles were superior. At the same time, a similar debate raged between OS users, with Apple leading the charge in its marketing campaigns attacking Windows. As tablets and smartphones entered the market, Android also joined the OS debate. With all these arguments over platforms and features, it can be difficult to cut through the marketing speak and pick the right OS for your kiosk software. So a more careful examination of each OS is in order to discover the ideal OS for your deployment.
Windows
One of the biggest strengths of Windows is its history, according toKioWare Director of Marketing Laura Miller. Due to its history, end-users have a wealth of options. "From an external device standpoint, Windows has a huge library of external devices that are compatible," Miller said.
Another pro for Windows is its touchscreen all-in-one PCs, which could be used as a kiosk. According to Miller, a PC provides more options than a traditional tablet. For example, tablets do not have many input/output ports, while an all-in-on PC has many ports. However, from a market-share standpoint, in the mobile/tablet realm Windows has a market share of barely over 2 percent, according to NetMarketShare, so users are likely to be more familiar with other platforms.
Android
One advantage of Android is cost. "Android has less expensive options," Miller said. "From a cost perspective, Android is the better option." Price can certainly be a determining factor if you are looking for a tablet kiosk that is more familiar to consumers than Windows devices.
In addition, Android has more customization options than iOS, according to anarticle by LapTopMag. "Despite Apple’s clean and attractive OS, Android is more customizable — both by tablet makers and consumers," Anna Attkisson wrote in the article. "Android offers plenty of widget options, as well as launcher apps that can change the look and feel of your device."
However, one disadvantage of Android, according to Miller, is the lack of support for certain devices. Due to Windows' longer lifespan, it simply can support more add-ons than Android can. "Sometimes devices just aren't supported on Android yet," Miller said.
iOS
One advantage enjoyed by iOS is consumer familiarity, according to Becca Rice, director of software development and marketing at Kiosk Group Inc. "People often already have previous experience using iPads and other iOS devices, which provides a certain comfort level that can make kiosks based on these technologies more approachable and user friendly."
In addition, iOS devices have low failure rate, according to Rice, and there are multiple different lockdown protocols. "If you don’t want to lock the system to a single app, iOS also supports a number of device-level restrictions right out of the box. If you want to prevent access to certain apps (such as mobile Safari) or types of content (such as movies with a specific rating) or just to prevent users from adding new accounts or accessing the App Store, it's easy to do." As a counter to this point, there is kiosk lockdown software available to provide similar options on Windows and Android systems.
Another key issue is cost: iOS tablets can be more expensive than Windows or Android tablets. However, Rice argues that iPads are more reliable than competing tablets.
According to Rice, iOS does restrict certain activities such as remoting into an iOS device from a laptop, but there is a silver lining to this restriction. "For example, while there's no way to remote into an iOS device from your desktop, if you look at this from a security perspective, that's also one less way a device can potentially be compromised in the field," Rice said.
Final Thoughts
One important point to consider is simply what your tech support is familiar with from an institutional standpoint. "If you have tech support who know a certain OS you are going to stick with that OS, because you don't want a huge learning curve," Miller said.
If your strength is with a certain OS, it would not make sense to jump ship to another and risk a long, difficult learning curve. You should also consider your customer base. If most of your customers are familiar with a certain OS, then that should weigh into your decision making process.
Finally, some strengths are not tied to a particular platform. "The important thing is that you look for markers of good software — a solid customer base, clear documentation, an easily-accessible support team and a history of regular updates and communication about changes are examples that come to mind," Rice said. "These things aren't tied to a single platform, but they do often differentiate good software from bad."
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