Android is only successful because Apple is allowing it

[*LTD*]

http://seekingalpha.com/article/224019-is-android-only-surging-because-apple-is-letting-it

Android is only successful because Apple is allowing it


Android has succeeded despite Google. In fact it’s safe to say that Android is successful for one primary reason. The iPhone is only available on AT&T. If the iPhone was on Verizon a year ago. Android would be no where near as popular. - David Beach, mobile app developer, August 29, 2010

MG Siegler writes for TechCrunch, "Obviously, Beach isn’t the first person to bring this idea up. But he brings it up in a way that he’s able to back-up his feelings from a developer's perspective, while at the same time roping in what isn’t ideal from a consumer perspective about Android as well."

"This is going to sound like flame bait, and everyone knows that I love the iPhone — but I have to agree with Beach. I’ve used no less than six Android phones for extended periods of time over the past couple of years. I really am trying to like them. But I just can’t," Siegler reports. "Now, don’t get me wrong, almost all Android phones are a million times better than the phones we had just a few years ago before the iPhone burst onto the scene. And if the iPhone didn’t exist, there is no question that I would use an Android phone and would probably be very happy with it. But the iPhone does exist. I simply can’t bring myself to use an Android phone when I know a superior device is out there. That’s my only requirement for me to use a product: it has to be the best."

"There are a dozen or more elements that are better about the iPhone. Everything from the big: the App Store versus the Android Market (from the consumer perspective) — to the little: the multi-touch and overall touchscreen responsiveness," Siegler reports. "The thing some consumers don’t like about the iPhone is that it’s AT&T only (in the U.S., obviously). Even if you live in an area where AT&T doesn’t absolutely suck, having no choice of carriers is a big restriction. People have work plans, family plans, etc, etc, that they just can’t switch. Or they don’t want to."

Siegler reports, "If the iPhone was on Verizon (VZ) (which is a larger network, remember), is there any question that it would be selling at least double the amount of units it is right now in the U.S.? I don’t think so. What if it was available on all the networks? And what would happen to Android sales if that was the case?"

 

[OllyW]

Are you accusing Apple of making a big mistake *LTD*?

 

[maflynn]

So the postulation is that everyone who bought an android phone, did so because the iPhone is only on AT&T?

That seems a bit naive and does not give the consumer enough credit to make decisions based on their needs.

Many people I know hate the walled garden approach that apple embraces. While there are some advantages, clearly not everyone is on board with such a business model.

The explosive growth that android is enjoying certainly would have been blunted to a degree if apple was on multiple carriers but I think over all apple had little to no influence in androids success. Generally speaking open products tend to attract more people then closed proprietary products, i.e., people like making a choice, not having someone else make that choice for them.

 

[*LTD*]

Are you accusing Apple of making a big mistake *LTD*?

They should be on Verizon by now. The "desirability via exclusivity" plan was great. Time to expand a little, at least to a second US carrier.

Mind you, I'm not privy to all the details of Apple's strategy on this one - there's probably a fair reason they're holding back.

 

[djellison]

There are more countries in this world than the USA.

In the UK, iPhone is on, I believe, 4 networks. Android sales still strong.

Of course, the possibility that some people just don't like the closed-environment near dictatorship methodology that Jobs drowns his products in flies straight past your radar LTD.

 

[maflynn]

there's probably a fair reason they're holding back.

Control, AT&T is apple's lap dog at this point and money. The boatload of cash AT&T is giving apple for the exclusive contract.

 

[OllyW]

They should be on Verizon by now. The "desirability via exclusivity" plan was great. Time to expand a little, at least to a second US carrier.

Going from exclusive to multiple networks has worked well in the UK and in other countries. It does seem stupid to prevent the biggest network in your biggest market from selling the iPhone, especially as there is obviously a big demand for it from Verizon customers.

The CDMA excuse also seems weak as other, smaller phone manufacturers manage to cope with making phones for both systems.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Well first off you changed the title of the article yet again to twisted it into your very "If it is not Apple labeled it sucks view"

It kind of kills any creditability when you changed the title of the article.

 

[yg17]

So the postulation is that everyone who bought an android phone, did so because the iPhone is only on AT&T?

Not to mention there are thousands of AT&T customers with Android phones who are perfectly happy with AT&T's service and have no desire of switching, they just want nothing to do with the iPhone. I'm one of them.

 

[maflynn]

Not to mention there are thousands of AT&T customers with Android phones who are perfectly happy with AT&T's service and have no desire of switching, they just want nothing to do with the iPhone. I'm one of them.

I was going to mention that, but I was afraid LTD's head was going to explode at the idea of people buying a non-apple phone on AT&T

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I was going to mention that, but I was afraid LTD's head was going to explode at the idea of people buying a non-apple phone on AT&T

LOL so true.

I wanted an Android phone a little over a year ago and I am happy with AT&T. Just no android phone was out a year ago on AT&T so I went blackberry. I had and still have zero interested in owning an iPhone.

Now next year I more than likely will go to an Android phone on AT&T.
Android is popular. You just have to look at the world out side of the US to see that it is really selling well when going head to head with iOS.

 

[maflynn]

I too had an android phone on AT&T - nexus one to be specific.

I have since moved over to verizon, because its coverage is a bit better where I live. I'm now on the droid x which is a good phone, though I do miss the power/flexibility that the N1 had. The DX is a great phone, on a good network, so I'm content.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I too had an android phone on AT&T - nexus one to be specific.

I have since moved over to verizon, because its coverage is a bit better where I live. I'm now on the droid x which is a good phone, though I do miss the power/flexibility that the N1 had. The DX is a great phone, on a good network, so I'm content.

Yeah Nexus 1 was a little outside of my price range at the time hence the reason I have a blackberry 8900 which I think is great. iOS email system I honestly hate and only works some of time it seems but that is another issue that i just do not want to go digging on.

You are one of those people who understands first rule of choosing a cell phone is choose the carrier. THEN worry about about choosing a phone.
I wish the AT&T would pick up GSM version of the Droid2. The Droid X is a little on the large size for my taste. I like the Capitvated but I wish it was like the Sprint Epic and had a hardware keyboard.

 

[Plutonius]

So the postulation is that everyone who bought an android phone, did so because the iPhone is only on AT&T?

That seems a bit naive and does not give the consumer enough credit to make decisions based on their needs.

+1 ...

Android might not be doing as well if the iPhone was not only on AT+T but, it would still be doing well.

 

[steviem]

For Android's current growth, I would agree with this.

I know a lot of Americans who don't want to use AT&T, for whatever reason, and will choose an Android handset instead, just because it is on Sprint or Verizon. They will still spend $100 - $200 for the handset, which completely baffles me.

I think the reason for Android's growth in Europe is similar too. It is a mixture of the specs on paper, contract costs and free handsets.

 

[yg17]

Yeah Nexus 1 was a little outside of my price range at the time hence the reason I have a blackberry 8900 which I think is great. iOS email system I honestly hate and only works some of time it seems but that is another issue that i just do not want to go digging on.

You are one of those people who understands first rule of choosing a cell phone is choose the carrier. THEN worry about about choosing a phone.
I wish the AT&T would pick up GSM version of the Droid2. The Droid X is a little on the large size for my taste. I like the Capitvated but I wish it was like the Sprint Epic and had a hardware keyboard.

Me too, I have the Nexus One, but if AT&T got the GSM version of the Droid 2, I'd be the first in line. I want a physical keyboard, I don't really like touchscreen keyboards at all. I put up with it on my Nexus One, but I would buy it in a second if they got it.

I hear you can get one from Canada and unlock it, but then I worry about not having a warranty in case something goes wrong.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Me too, I have the Nexus One, but if AT&T got the GSM version of the Droid 2, I'd be the first in line. I want a physical keyboard, I don't really like touchscreen keyboards at all. I put up with it on my Nexus One, but I would buy it in a second if they got it.

I hear you can get one from Canada and unlock it, but then I worry about not having a warranty in case something goes wrong.

yeah but that means I have to deal more than full price and still have to do a lot of work to get it to be unlocked.

In the display models I like the Droid2 keyboard. I do not like the droid1's keyboard.
For me I think a vertical slider with a blackberry keyboard would be great. I understand the reason for horizontal sliders is the landscape keyboard eats up an insane amount of screen space so it is very useful in landscape mode just I like the vertical ones better. The Blackberry Touch is a great example of how I would like the keyboard design.


Either way I am glad AT&T has finally figured out Android is popular and starting to carry some real android phones. The backflip was a wantabe smart phone.

One thing I like about android hardware wise is you have choices. There is no perfect phone out there. the iPhone to me fails at being a phone first. It is more of an iPod with a phone thrown on to it so it has a lot of issues.

 

[Melrose]

As fragmented (and for me personally, horrible) interface of Android isn't because Apple is "allowing it." Android is popular because (1) You don't need some fancy agreement with proprietary Apple; (2) It's a feature-rich smartphone OS that people want to buy & use; and (3) Smartphone makers can customize it to suit their needs, eg, what they feel (and are probably mostly correct in assuming) their customers want.

I don't like Android - though there are few nice handsets that use it - and I don't agree with Google's "Let's give it away! Make any mods you want! Fragment the system! Shove our way into a market for no reason than to dominate it!" way of doing things, but the popularity of the operating system has nothing to do with Apple "allowing it." And competition is good. Apple always builds what people want to buy, but I think Android has had an impact on how fast Apple has pushed new features to market.

..I really wish Palm had been more successful with the Pre. They put so much into that, and it was (is) a good, if too little too late, phone.

 

[roadbloc]

This is bullcrap if I ever heard it. I see *LTD* is still the forum's obsessive fanboy, ready to defend Apple, no matter the issue.

 

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2; en-gb; Nexus One Build/FRF91) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

Wow.... LTD made a post about Android being successful.

(I can spin things too!)

 

[steve2112]

As fragmented (and for me personally, horrible) interface of Android isn't because Apple is "allowing it." Android is popular because (1) You don't need some fancy agreement with proprietary Apple; (2) It's a feature-rich smartphone OS that people want to buy & use; and (3) Smartphone makers can customize it to suit their needs, eg, what they feel (and are probably mostly correct in assuming) their customers want.

I don't like Android - though there are few nice handsets that use it - and I don't agree with Google's "Let's give it away! Make any mods you want! Fragment the system! Shove our way into a market for no reason than to dominate it!" way of doing things, but the popularity of the operating system has nothing to do with Apple "allowing it." And competition is good. Apple always builds what people want to buy, but I think Android has had an impact on how fast Apple has pushed new features to market.

And that is the biggest problem. I love the concept of Android, but allowing all the handset makers to customize the UI has become a pain. Now, when an Android update is released, you have to wait for HTC, Motorola, etc, to test it with their UI and make sure it works, then release it. It was annoying waiting for HTC to release 2.x for my Hero because they had to make it work with their Sense UI.

 

[maflynn]

Wow.... LTD made a post about Android being successful.

This is probably why he really hasn't responded. He realized he committed a fanboy mortal sin by stating the competitor is successful

 

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.1-update1; en-gb; Dell Streak Build/ERE27) AppleWebKit/530.17 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/530.17)

Wow.... LTD made a post about Android being successful.

This is probably why he really hasn't responded. He realized he committed a fanboy mortal sin by stating the competitor is successful

There is always hope for a post about "also rans".

 

[OllyW]

This is probably why he really hasn't responded. He realized he committed a fanboy mortal sin by stating the competitor is successful

And he also blamed Apple for their success.

 

[PerfSeeker]

Another LTD trolling thread. Do we really need it?