It’s interesting listening to people talk about Android and all of the manufacturers that have adopted the operating system. But what would happen if there was an alternative?

[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]Specifically, what would happen to Android if Apple decided to license iOS to other manufacturers?

Before I go on, I’ll say this — I don’t ever expect that Apple would license iOS to anyone. They built it, and in my opinion, they will keep it.

When Apple first released the iPhone and iOS other manufacturers were left with old operating systems that didn’t stand a chance competing with it. So the search began for a modern alternative that could be licensed.

The result was Android.

Because it could be used fairly easily, manufacturers had an operating system and Google had a lot of customers eager to use it.

I’m not saying Android isn’t a good OS — those that use it seem to like it a lot. It doesn’t seem as polished as iOS to me and others I’ve talked to about Android, but Apple is known for its polished, easy-to-use operating systems.

Because most companies are using Android as an alternative to iOS, I’m willing to bet that most of them would leave Android in favor of iOS if given the chance. Why use the imitator when you can have the real thing?

I’m sure that many companies would try to release devices using both operating systems, and I’m sure that Google would offer some nice incentives to keep manufacturers from leaving. That said, I don’t think it would work.

Manufacturers aren’t exactly thrilled with Google these days since it went from being open to closing down many of the changes carriers and phone companies want to make.