apple v. orange

ExpertPhotoshop apple-orange The expression, ‘comparing apples and oranges’ is used to indicate that two items can’t meaningfully be compared because they fall into radically different categories. Literally, however, apples and oranges are much more similar than say, apples and 19th century French imperialism, making them fairly straightforward to compare. 

• An apple is a pome; an orange is a citrus fruit.
• Apples are usually red or green; oranges are orange.
• Apples are mealy; oranges are pulpy.
• Apples have a thin skin; orange peels are thicker.
• Apples can grow in colder climates than oranges.
• There are substantially more apple cultivars than there are orange varieties.
• Apples originated in Turkey; oranges originated in Southeast Asia.
• China cultivates most of the world’s apples; Brazil grows substantially more oranges than its next closest competitor (the U.S.). 

Wikipedia on apples

Wikipedia on oranges

Wikipedia on ‘comparing apples and oranges’