Apple's Phil Schiller Slams Android On Eve Of Galaxy S4 Release (UPDATE)

Samsung is launching the Galaxy S4 on Thursday, and Apple just won't let Samsung have the spotlight for a minute. In not one but two interviews on Wednesday, Apple executive Phil Schiller slammed Android, the S4's operating system, the day before their launch.

"Android is often given as a free replacement for a feature phone and the experience isn't as good as an iPhone," Schiller told the Wall Street Journal. He added: "When you take an Android device out of the box, you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with," he said. "They don't work seamlessly together." Not content with just that comment, Schiller also told Reuters that many Android users are stuck on out-of-date software. "Over 50 percent are still on software that is two years old," he said.

Read the Wall Street Journal interview here and the Reuters interview here.

It's natural for Apple to feel insecure at this time in its life. There is much speculation as to whether or not Apple can continue to be a top tech competitor, and Samsung is on an upward trajectory. As of January, Samsung Galaxy phones had outsold iPhones for an entire year, and like iPhones of yore, the Galaxy S4 has been feverishly followed and anticipated by Samsung fans.

Also on the rise is Google, the company that wrote Android. Its stock climbed to a new high in March as the tech press gawked over Google Glass, the company's computerized glasses to be released in 2013, while Apple's stock hit a one-year low on the same day.

Schiller's statements happened to coincide with Android's chief, Andy Rubin, stepping down Wednesday. He will be replaced by Google executive Sundar Pichai.

UPDATE: This story was updated to include information from Schiller's interview with Reuters.