AFAIK, even though some device makers/carriers are implementing their own app stores, all the apps are available on the Google Marketplace app.
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I guess the iPad will have its arse kicked
- Thread starter jns2001
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AFAIK, even though some device makers/carriers are implementing their own app stores, all the apps are available on the Google Marketplace app.
Are you sure:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1935471/android-overtakes-iphone
Given other reports quoting numbers such as Android growing by over 800% in the last year, I'd say Android is more like an unstoppable steam train that's going to blast past Apple.
Apple are probably not bothered as they know full well this is going to happen and there is nothing they can do about it. Well there is, but they won't.
I think the iPad is a great product, and it will be a shame if the same happens to this with Android tablets blasting past the iPad in the next few years.
There is only 1 company that can stop this happening, question is, will they, or will they happily just make what they want to make replying on loyal brand customers rather than competing.
If only my crystal ball was working. How I would love to see what the market looked like at 2020.
Whether Apple was the king at the top of the pile, or everyone was looking back at how they waisted their lead and missed the opportunity as they were far too sure of themselves.
We'll see
Apple, imo, squandered a great opportunity by not being multi carrier and a bit more multi device out of the gate.
If they launched in the US on AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint, they'd be in a much stronger position. Also, I feel like they should have three levels of iPhone vs two (current gen, last gen).
Except mobile OSs are bundled with specific pieces of hardware, obviously so in the case of the iPhone, and people buy both together, so you can't legitimately compare software and not hardware when the two are inseparable in practice.
It's not as irrelevant as you think b/c an iOS developer can make an app an know it will work on any iOS device capable of running the current (and previous version). Android OTOH has so many "current" version and is so customized by hardware makers that a developer isn't assure it's apps will work on all current Android devices.
But other than that maybe you missed this article on iOS marketshare vs. Android marketshare: https://www.macrumors.com/2011/01/04/iphone-continues-to-hold-off-android-in-u-s-smartphone-market-share/
Are you sure:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1935471/android-overtakes-iphone
Given other reports quoting numbers such as Android growing by over 800% in the last year, I'd say Android is more like an unstoppable steam train that's going to blast past Apple.
Apple are probably not bothered as they know full well this is going to happen and there is nothing they can do about it. Well there is, but they won't.
I think the iPad is a great product, and it will be a shame if the same happens to this with Android tablets blasting past the iPad in the next few years.
There is only 1 company that can stop this happening, question is, will they, or will they happily just make what they want to make replying on loyal brand customers rather than competing.
If only my crystal ball was working. How I would love to see what the market looked like at 2020.
Whether Apple was the king at the top of the pile, or everyone was looking back at how they waisted their lead and missed the opportunity as they were far too sure of themselves.
We'll see
You know, all the results of those studies always depends on what the author/sponsor wants to see in the data.
bottom line: nobody can deny that android based phones sell like hell, nobody can deny that iphones sell like hell.
People can argue/weight as much as they want based on x phones on android vs 1 or 2 from apple or y carriers vs 1 - for the companies producing the phones the only thing that matters is how much money they make. Apple looks here pretty good and I'm sure that the Android phones also don't come in at a loss.
Guess the market is big enough for two big profitable types of smartphones
Firstly, widgets? Really??? I sort of use them on my macs but in the bigger picture they are just tiny bits of relatively useless software that save you no time whatsoever, to say that widgets will be part of what iOS5 needs to be very impressive is ridiculous.
Secondly, (believe it or not I'm not a fanboi, regardless of what my sig says) Do you honestly think that in this day and age a company like Apple is going to release an operating system that isn't very impressive?
They strive to produce the best quality hardware and software, and do very very well at that. Do you think they will release an un-user-friendly and all round unimpressive operating system on what are commonly known as arguably the best mobile devices in the world... I think not. Just my opinion, iOS5 will blow the others out of the water.
Anything new to Android for the tablet?
How does that address when the Android app store will catch up to the iOS App Store "in functionality/use?" Considering Android Market is not closing the gap at a significant rate to date . I guess that does depend on your metric of choice.Regardless, I'm always amazed that people are impressed that demos of unreleased products are always better than year old Apple products. Shows what kind of expectations they have for Apple!
How do you think Android outsold Iphone? By blanketing the market with a million different models by a million different manufacturers on every conceivable carrier. If Android had been following the same model that Apple is, it would have been an utter, collosal failure. The reason it has succeeded is because most people are cheap and the cell companies know this so they sell them dirt cheap, not because everyone cares about it being "open." Most people I hear *want* an Iphone but *got* an Android of one type or another because A) it was cheaper, B) it was on the carrier they were already under contract with, and/or C) they just don't care at all. The Ipad will follow suit - they will contract with 3G/4G carriers to drop the prices ridiculously low, and saturate the market, but Ipad will still be the one that people WANT to have. Apple knows this and Apples LOVES this.
As for Honeycomb, I didn't see anything particularly impressive about it. It's an interface for the computer geeks, if anything. This isn't something that everyday people are going to get excited about.
I don't even use them on my mac - they are pointless and even more so on the iPhone. On the iPhone if I want to see the weather, i use fast app switching to bring it up look at it and go back to the app I was in before. what would widgets buy me?
Exactly, I said 'sort of' in my post above as I only use my dashboard to use the calculator and check the ink levels in my printer *yawn*...
Not to disagree with your overall point, but of course you can compare them. The problem is people are making comparisons for the sake of comparison.
Sure there will soon be more Android phones than iPhones. So? What does that get you if Apple is still making the most money, has the most/best developers, and has the largest segment of compatible devices for features such as facetime?
How often do most people obtain Android without any hardware?
QFE. Major point. No single company has toppled Apple in iPhone sales. It has taken hundreds of devices on every US and international carrier combined to beat the iPhone numbers.
I have an Android-powered Archos 5 PMP and it has a proprietary app store, no Google marketplace.
And I'm hearing about an Amazon marketplace now too?
Personally, I would like to be able to add some information to my lock screen, but "widgets" lose interest for me once I'm logged into my device. When most programs start in less than a second, instant isn't as much of a benefit. Screen space is more important.
True, but how many of those Android phones were actually sold, as opposed to being given away in the "Buy One Get One" promotions that were running last year?
I gotta completely disagree here. One widget I've seen on android lets you turn WiFi and Bluetooth on and off in one swipe -- that's handy for those of us who use wi-fi at home but don't want stray "do you want to join XXXXXX?" messages when on the road, not to mention saving battery when roaming in the field. If you're out and about in 3G land having the wifi radio on wastes battery. On the iPhone you gotta go a few levels into the settings menu every time. And the Android lock screen/home screen with widgets does some impressive things (such as weather, search, media controls) that iPhone would do well to imitate.
Why does that matter considering the manufacturer still gets paid, and we are still talking about a major commitment for the customer in the form of a two year contract? Is there really that big a deal between $49 and free when you are talking about a $70 a month contract?
Just like all the "spec" phones and devices before it. For the quadrillionth time. Specs mean *****. They are pointless and useless gauges. It's all about how it all works together - hardware, software, UX design.
All we know for certain about Xoom at this point is it's got big spec's, and the current experience is so bad that didn't dare let someone do a live demo and have resorted to all videos.
You can take what you wish from that. Chances of the Xoom shipping in Q1 -- blutarsky. If you can't live demo 10 weeks before the final date to ship, you're not close.
I'm surprised Apple hasn't added wifi/bt/etc toggles to the home button double tap slider.
Congratulations, you figured out why you can't just compare software by ignoring how the software is distributed across hardware (one-to-one or one-to-many).
Okay, yes, we agree.
This is the crucial point.
Over the years I've swapped phones from Motorola, to Sony Ericsson, to Nokia and back; because it was easy to do. They were just used for calls, txts, and emails, and little else.
But now, users have dozens of apps on their phones, they're less and less likely to switch. I wouldn't want to switch to Android now, and have to buy all my apps over again, or lose them. That's why it's crucial to 'grab' users now while the industry is new and 'green'.
People aren't going to switch to Android tomorrow if it had a slightly better App Store, because there's a big inconvenience in switching platforms now.