Steve Jobs tears into Android on Apple's earnings call

Steve Jobs poked holes in Google's Android operating system during an unusual appearance on a financial call on Monday.

Explaining his appearance was a rare one, Jobs said "I couldn't help dropping by for our first $20+ billion quarter." He went on to rip apart Google's Android strategy, devices and operating system. "Apple activates 275,000 iOS devices per day, sometimes almost 300,000" Jobs said. The Apple CEO confirmed Gartner's report of 10 million iPhone devices in June. Jobs claimed there's no solid data on how many Android handsets shipped per quarter.

Jobs explained Google's claim of being open and Apple being closed is "disingenuous... Android is very fragmented" he suggested. "Many Android OEMs, including the two largest HTC and Motorola, install proprietary user experiences to differentiate themselves." Jobs mentioned Twitter client Tweetdeck and how the developers had to work on more than 100 different versions of Android software on 244 devices. "Many android apps work only on selected Android handsets running select Android versions," said Jobs. "Compare this with iPhone, where there are two versions of the software, the current and the recent predecessor to test against".

Jobs didn't stop there and started on Microsoft's "Plays For Sure" music strategy that ultimately failed. "Open doesn't always win" he said describing Microsoft's system that it was ultimately forced to ditch. "Google's claims are a smokescreen for what is best for customers, integrated or fragmented." Jobs also spoke heavily on the screen size of seven-inch tablets that are currently on the way. "This size isn't sufficient to create great tablet apps, in our opinion. While one could increase the resolution of the display to make up for some of the difference, it is meaningless unless your tablet also includes sandpaper, so that the user can sand down their fingers to around one quarter of their present size." Ouch.

Despite all the strong words, Jobs also confirmed the company had sold 250,000 Apple TVs so far. Apple is set to announce a brand new Macbook Air at a press event on Wednesday. According to reports from Cult Of Mac, the redesigned 13.3-inch MacBook Air will include a bigger battery and more ports but remain thinner and lighter than the current model. Apple sent out press invites last week hinting at a "back to the Mac" theme for the event.

Update: Recording of Steve Job's, below.