I don't want to turn this into a Google bashing because I prefer options and openness over Apple anyday. I am a tweaker at heart.
That said, gapless playback manages the space between each song and crossfade makes the transition between songs seamless instead of a harsh stop and start. This is standard on iphone, windows phone, ipods etc etc. Nothing special.
If android is great with refinement then why do you think most of us replace just about every stock app(text, music, camera, contacts, browser) ? Where as iPhone and Windows users run stock. Those companies have the same things to work on. Comparing new Android to old Android only means it's getting better. But it does not provide the user experience or refinement out of the box as others do. Heck! They just decided it made sense to offer hardware acceleration in the UI.
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