First and foremost! How many other smartphone manufacturers are using iOS in its complete state, like the one running on today’s iPhones or iPads? None! Does Apple allow anyone else to use their platform in its entirety? NO! You might be saying why do they need to, they sell more smartphones than anyone on the planet, so why should they? I don’t necessarily agree that they have to, at least not yet, but will they need to possibly rethink this sometime down the road? The numbers speak for themselves.
Which brings me to my first point. There’s good reason why people are flocking in groves to get their hands on a new Android device. It is readily available from many different manufacturers, it’s just as solid as iOS, it comes with variety, options, and customization. Need proof? Check out the graph below composed by Nielsen which clearly shows Android is the most popular operating system among people who have purchased a smartphone in the past six months.
Secondly, Google does not get in a pissing contest with a company that it supports on one device and spurns on another with the same basic platform. Adobe ring any bells? How can you support Flash on a Mac, but not on an iPhone or iPad? Tell me how that does not send two different messages to the consumer. Not to mention if you go to an Apple store no one can tell you why. They have been scripted to say it’s because of battery life, and if you’re buying that I have some ocean front property in Arizona I can sell you. This kind of business practice is precisely why I believe Android will continue to gather up more of Apple’s marketshare.
Moving on to the exclusivity deal made with AT&T leaving the consumer with no other options or choices. This topic isn’t even debatable on any front. If you argue this point, you’re simply doing so for the sake of an argument. The Android platform is not only available to all four major USÂ carriers but to every small carrier as well, and even around the globe. Not to mention, they have chosen one of the poorest service providers in terms of connectivity and data in the US, magnifying the matter even more.
Lastly, let’s talk app development! Apple has way more in their App Store than Android does in its Market, but that’s changing. With Adobe Air right around the corner, be prepared to see Android’s market close the gap even further. Developers will have the ability to share apps across different platforms without changing much code or any for that matter. So with all the great games already developed on iOS, migration to Android will be almost instant, filling their Market shelves with an abundance of new apps bringing their grand total so much closer to Apple’s. We then should get a pretty good picture of what platform developers will be opting for when choosing to create their next developments.
Let me reiterate this point! I love Apple, I really do, but their constraints imposed on the consumer are not necessary and are a detriment to a wonderful product. On the other hand you have Android and its open nature which is like a wild flower in full bloom during spring, the antithesis to their rival, listening to the pleas of the consumer and giving them all they desire and more. Competition is healthy, necessary, and the driving force behind future development and growth. I simply believe Apple stunts its own growth at times for whatever reason and in doing so, it is allowing for another great capable company to unseat it, becoming the new dominating force in the Tech Industry!
