Steve Wozniak: I Wish iPhone Did Everything My Android Does

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak says that he wishes the iPhone did as much as his Android smartphone, claiming that Google does voice commands better than iOS.

Speaking to website TheDailyBeast, Wozniak claimed that Android offered more features than the iPhone and that the built-in satellite navigation in Android phones is another advantage.

"My primary phone is the iPhone, I love the beauty of it. But I wish it did all the things my Android does. I really do," Wozniak said.

The late Steve Jobs believed that Android was a "stolen product" and in his biography by Walter Isaacson, the Apple co-founder and former CEO claimed that he would fight until his dying breath and use every penny Apple has in the bank "to destroy Android".

While never being a fan of Apple's desktop competitor, Windows, Wozniak does accept Android as a valid rival in the smartphone sector. "There's not as big a difference [between iOS and Android] as there was between Mac and Windows."

TheDailyBeast reports that "Woz says voice commands work better on Android. Android's built-in navigation system, where the phone acts like a GPS system, is another advantage."

Siri - the voice-activated personal assistant featured on the iPhone 4S - has been criticised for failing to recognise some accents - such as Scottish - and recently made headlines when a demo iPhone in a branch of Tesco swore at a child using it.

Since its launch, Siri has occasionally stopped working for many users, as the system requires a data connection to Apple's servers to give replies; if the servers are overwhelmed with traffic then Siri simply apologises for not working.

Wozniak explains how Siri no longer works properly for him: "I used to ask Siri, 'What are the five biggest lakes in California?' and it would come back with the answer. Now it just misses. It gives me real estate listings. I used to ask, 'What are the prime numbers greater than 87?' and it would answer. Now instead of getting prime numbers, I get listings for prime rib, or prime real estate."

Also, Siri can only provide geographical information - such as directions or where the nearest train station is - in the United States; Apple is looking at offering locational services through Siri in Europe sometime in 2012.

While being a more complex operating system to initially get to grips with, Wozniak concedes that "if you're willing to do the work to understand it a little bit, well I hate to say it, but there's more available in some ways."

Woz may well be alluding to the way each company runs its application stores; Apple has a tight "walled garden" around its AppStore and has the right to block applications which contain content the company does not wish to have on its iPhones.

However, the Android Marketplace is more open, allowing developers more freedom to create almost anything they want.

Despite its downfalls, the Apple co-founder still maintains that the iPhone 4S is the best choice for most users.