Could the iPhone 4's Verizon release kill Android slowly?

[RebeccaL]

Yes carries have to pay some hardware manufacturers for the right to update. So much for open software...

Here is an article specific to the samsung phones

http://lifehacker.com/5736836/this-is-why-your-galaxy-s-phones-havent-updated-past-21


Windows Phone gets their updates straight from MS as the iPhone does from Apple. Where is the benefit of Android being free and open if carriers have to pay for updates?

 

[Dwalls90]

You are a fool for thinking that Android can compete with iOS. iOS has competed and still remained ahead of Android in terms of marketshare for YEARS now, despite iOS being on ONE carrier vs the FOUR Android is on. iOS will stay ahead of Android, and with the iPhone being THE Phone almost any user recognizes and automatically seems to want, as it migrates to all major carriers, it will definitely establish itself as the dominant mobile platform.

Mark my words!

 

[Darthdingo]

I have no idea why Apple doesn't release the iPhone on all four major U.S. carriers already. They have the GSM for ATT and CDMA for Verizon, well T-Mobile use GSM and Sprint uses CDMA, don't think hardware wise it would be too much of a change to make it work on T-Mobile and Sprint.

If and when the iPhone is on all 4 U.S. carriers, it will just dominate like nothing before, Android wouldn't have a chance.

But for now the EVO is the best phone out on Sprint, and the Nexus-S is the best phone on T-Mobile, and those two are very good phones, but what if they had the iPhone4 to offer, I doubt the EVO and Nexus-S would be as popular ?

 

[kdarling]

Yes carries have to pay some hardware manufacturers for the right to update. So much for open software...

Here is an article specific to the samsung phones

http://lifehacker.com/5736836/this-is-why-your-galaxy-s-phones-havent-updated-past-21

If you followed that link down to the post that started that rumor, it was from a one-post wonder who claimed to have inside knowledge.

Intomobile already has an article on it:

In a recent note to PhoneScoop, the Korean manufacturer said the following:

“No. Samsung is not charging carriers for Froyo updates to Galaxy S. We hope to have more detail on status shortly. Promise!”

The manufacturer already told us via Twitter on January 3 that it was still trying to resolve technical issues with the update and its compatibility with the hardware and user interface.

All it took was one anonymous user on the XDA forums with one post under his/her belt to send everyone into a fury.

 

[profets]

You are a fool for thinking that Android can compete with iOS. iOS has competed and still remained ahead of Android in terms of marketshare for YEARS now, despite iOS being on ONE carrier vs the FOUR Android is on. iOS will stay ahead of Android, and with the iPhone being THE Phone almost any user recognizes and automatically seems to want, as it migrates to all major carriers, it will definitely establish itself as the dominant mobile platform.

Mark my words!

lol.. you realize there are cellular carriers outside of the US right?

 

[Dwalls90]

lol.. you realize there are cellular carriers outside of the US right?

Where did I specify America as being the only playing field? I mean, in general Apple and Goggle's most important markets are their home fields, but I didn't mention only USA ...

 

[profets]

Where did I specify America as being the only playing field? I mean, in general Apple and Goggle's most important markets are their home fields, but I didn't mention only USA ...

You should have mentioned that then.

Besides, Android is going to compete just fine. One carrier in the world isn't going to make a big effect on Android in the grand scheme of things.

You are a fool for thinking Android can't compete with iOS

 

[NebulaClash]

Android won't die until Google abandons it, and I don't see that happening any time soon (though with Google's habits of moving on, you never know). Android will take the cheap end of the market where all those Asian knockoffs will want a free OS to use that will make a sorta-iPhone phone. That part of the market will be theirs.

On the high end Android will market to the I-won't-use-Apple-products crowd (even if Apple handed them iEternalLife).

But mostly it won't die because the phone market is far too big for any company to own it all. This is what is so pitiful about the Android fan boyz crowing about Android market share surpassing iOS market share (something they trumpet every single quarter, making you wonder when it actually did happen, if at all). We've gone from people scoffing that Apple could ever get more than a percent or two of the market, to laughing that they have finally been overtaken as the dominant OS by Android. Which is it, haters? Apple has no chance? Or Apple is the dominant player that is now surpassed? They hate so much they can't keep their own story straight.

So Android will be around for years. So will iOS devices (160 million and counting). So will Windows whatever. And Symbian.

 

[RebeccaL]

If you followed that link down to the post that started that rumor, it was from a one-post wonder who claimed to have inside knowledge.

Intomobile already has an article on it:

If that was true it makes no difference to the end user. Windows Phones and iPhones are updated while android phones wait for updates from manufacturers. Plus the manufacturers customise anroid too much creating fragmentation.

 

[chris975d]

It'll obviously put a dent in Android sales in the US, as now the other main US carrier finally has the iPhone to offer customers that may (because of coverage issues, etc) had to stay with Verizon and before now, have only really had Android as a choice for a high end smartphone. But everywhere else around the world has had the iPhone and Android offerings for sale for a few years now, and Android has still sold quite well outside the US. So, worldwide numbers of iOS vs. Android probably won't change drastically. Just offering iPhone on Verizon (again, a US only carrier) certainly won't "kill" Android. If just having an iPhone to offer right along side all the Android handsets was going to "kill" it, then it would be happening around the world already.

 

[Maverick1337]

I think it will put a good-size dent in the android market. I know a lot of Verizon customers that settled for android because they were tired of waiting for the iPhone to come to Verizon.

 

[johndallas999]

I seriously doubt it. I setup all the phones for our corporate email and the ones that bring down Droids absolutely love them. iPhone users feel the same way as well but I think the Droid has as many huge fans as the iPhone does.

 

[xstex]

Not at all, the iPhone 4 in the UK is on every major network like android phones.

 

[chris975d]

Not at all, the iPhone 4 in the UK is on every major network like android phones.

That was my point with my previous post. Both (iOS and Android) have been available elsewhere around the world for a while now, and Android has held its own.

 

[xstex]

That was my point with my previous post. Both (iOS and Android) have been available elsewhere around the world for a while now, and Android has held its own.

I'm sure you'll have people switching, but it isn't really going to change much at all.

 

[kdarling]

If that was true it makes no difference to the end user. Windows Phones and iPhones are updated while android phones wait for updates from manufacturers.

So what? Where is it written that everyone must be kept updated together? Certainly Apple doesn't feel that way. Do you recall the long wait for iPad 4.x?

With Android, users can get OTA updates and notices. iOS users have to plug into a host computer even to find out about an update, and many never do that. Others avoid upgrading because of slowness worries.

At least every Android user has multitasking, unlike half of iOS users not on 4.x. Talk about major frag.

Plus the manufacturers customise android too much creating fragmentation.

How so? Each Android version has a compatability test suite that must be passed to use its name.

Can you point out such an customization example? Or are you confused about the difference between customized app launchers and OS versions?

 

[maflynn]

No, because people actually like choice. One size does not fit all, and there many people who do not want or like the iPhone.

The OP makes the same fanboy mistakes thinking that apple products are the end all and be all products for every human out there and that the competition produces inferior crap not worthy to be sold to consumers who are intelligent

the sheer popularity of android based phones is testament to the fact people want different phones.

 

[NebulaClash]

the sheer popularity of android based phones is testament to the fact people want different phones.

Absolutely, your points are valid that some people simply do not want what Apple is selling. But when someone else copies the look and feel of an Apple product, then they want the copy.

But the sheer popularity of Android is due to several things:

A) What you said: people want different phones than iPhones.

B) It's cheap, so Asian knockoffs flock to it so they can flood the world with cheap models (thereby boosting Android's share).

C) It's the only iPhone-like phone you can get on Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile. Mom and Pop go into the store, ask for the iPhone, get handed an Android and that's close enough.

 

[Krandor]

Android won't go away and in fact with google basically giving it away I think you are going to see android start showing up on more "non-smartphones" as well. There is no reason why a scaled down android can't be the OS underneath a non-smartphone.

That is also where Android's problem is as well. Saying a phone as "Android" tells you nothing about it or what you can do with it. Every carrier has their own skin that looks and acts different and has been mentioned upgrades are slow to nonexistant. For a phone that came out in 2010 to not get an upgrade to Gingerbread is ridiculous.

As Android moves to tablets, this fractionation will get worse. Does having both an android table and android phone get you anything? How will they integrate together? That is where Apple really has an advantage is in integration of devices. The ability to do things like that content playing on your iPhone and then airplay it to play on your TV and then control the Apple TV with the iPad creates a very seemless experience and an experience where buying multiple Apple products enhances what you can do.

 

[Krandor]

Absolutely, your points are valid that some people simply do not want what Apple is selling. But when someone else copies the look and feel of an Apple product, then they want the copy.

One of the marketing pitches that has alrways bugged me is "our product is as good as company X". oh really... so you are basically saying company X has the best product but your is equal. That really doesn't give me a good reason to buy yours over company X.

I remember when Lexmark used to use "we are as good as HP"... well, if HP is the standard for good printers I'll just buy that.

 

[maflynn]

B) It's cheap, so Asian knockoffs flock to it so they can flood the world with cheap models (thereby boosting Android's share).

Not all android based phones are cheap Asian knockoffs. I think mostly that's the exception and not the rule. Just look at HTC phones, they don't look anything like the iPhone, have multiple designs, large screen, some with keyboards, varying amounts of ram.

Motorola is also hitting their stride with the droid phones, well received and quite popular. Finally there's the samsung phones and after an initial bumpy start their latest crop of phones are excellent.

Again by commenting that android phones are cheap asian knock offs, people sound like apple fanboys without seeing the market as it truly is.

My point with the fanboy comments are this, if someone picks a non apple product, then its a piece of crap, a knock off, or the consumer is ignorant of the fact of that apple products are so much better.

Why not state the obvious, that there are many excellent manufacturers that produce some top quality android based phones, and these phones have found a market.

Apple has a great UI, and a striking design, but one size does not fit all.

 

[Tarzanman]

In a word, No.

Android is a very, very easy way for hardware companies like Samsung, Motorola, and HTC to manufacture smart-phones and be *given* the high-end software those devices need to be viable.

Android is also a way for all carriers (even small ones) to be able to offer premium data services to their customers without entering into one-sided agreements with control-freak companies like Apple.

You iPhone fans always seem to forget that iPhone exclusivity died years ago in the rest of the world... and Android has larger market share in those markets.

One carrier (Verizon) selling the same exact phone that is already available elsewhere isn't going to turn the tables on Android devices where you can get a phone at any shape, size, price point and feature list that fits your budget and desires.

Android dominance is here to stay until Google stops innovating.

Fragmentation is only an issue if you're a developer or an advertiser trying to collect demographic data. If you are an end user then you can vote with your dollar. If Samsung phone X isn't upgrading to the latest version of Android then there are half a dozen other phones available today, and half a dozen more due out within 3 months that will have the latest and greatest features.

Apple can't keep up with 3 or 4 of the biggest electronics manufacturers in the world AND Google. Its not surprising that iPhone has already fallen behind in sales and features.

Verizon won't save you. Too little, too late.

 

[NebulaClash]

I never said ALL Android phones are cheap Asian knockoffs, so no need to put words in my mouth and then argue against something I never said. What I actually said is that Android is tempting to those knockoff manufacturers, so while there are indeed some high quality phones being developed, there are also hundreds of me-too varieties, and that's what is driving world market share. Sure, when you flood markets with hundreds of different phone models, and do lots of BOGO offers, you get market share.

I personally feel sorry for some Android users. Not the tech savvy ones such as who post here. You know how to get a good phone, and you know how to get the most out of it. If you prefer Android, I have no beef with you. That's your choice and I'm happy for you. But most Android users are Joe and Mary Average Consumer who pick up whatever the shop's latest model is that happens to be on sale. They hardly even know they have an Android phone. They hardly know how to get the most use out of it. They won't easily get the latest Android version. They find the app stores confusing beyond the basics.

With the fragmentation of the Android market, at the mercy of their cell service providers, locked down in any practical sense (that you tech savvy types know how to get around, but they do not). There's a decent chunk of the Android market. So while the tech savvy types crow about market share, they have to realize that the bulk of that same market share is made up of people who haven't a clue what they are using or why.

 

[TruckdriverSean]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

While I hate to agree with one of our resident Android evangelists, Tarzanman is basically right. Android sales may take a hit in the short term, but that will likely result in slower growth, certainly not Android's death.

As pointed out, Android offers hardware manufacturers a near ready-made iOS software competitor with an expanding array of apps to help further sales. This is simply too good for them to pass up, especially considering Symbian and WinMo's long stagnation.

Now that Mr. Softy is waking up, I'm not as convinced as I once was of Android's long-term market dominance, but they're certainly not going to stop being a big player in the mobile world.

 

[h1r0ll3r]

Doubt it. Though I'm guessing it might put a little dent in the sales of the Android driven phones. My guess is that some people will be curious and try the iPhone now that it's available on VZ or have had a Droid phone and are sick with it for some reason and want to try something new(er). Now that there's a choice (at least on AT&T/VZ) it'll be interesting to see how the head to head sales of these phones go. If anything, I think we'll see more decisive partitioning of FANdroids and Fanboys. This should make for some interesting threads in the future.