Is it 3rd place for Android?

[jaybo1973]

Hi all

The might of iPhone still dominates the media and clouds the minds of the layman. Windows mobile seems to be off to a flying start too.friends of mine who were going to go with android next are swaying towards Mr gates. Is Android going to loose the smartphone war?

I love my desire but without the massive media hype... all the big devs seem to go with iPhone.

 

[lordofthereef]

I think people who want something simple will gravitate towards MS and Apple on this one. MS takes Apple's minimalist approach to a whole new level, and that is also their selling point and honestly the only feature that I see them marketing today. I have not used a windows phone in person, but that mentality is not for me. I just broke free of the walled garden (iOS) and ove the extreme customizability of android. I personally wouldn't have it any other way at this point. Whoever comes out on top, I don't think is going to put anyone else out of business. I see three key players for a long time (sort of like the gaming console wars). All three are too stubborn and rich to give up!

 

[Stuntman]

I think that most people are not experts in most of the products that they purchase whether it is a phone or something else. The less knowledge you have, the more likely you would just go with what is popular or well known. MS and Apple are well know brand names where as Android is not. Unless people really know that Android is owned by Google, the others have an advantage in this respect.

Android phones have been gaining market share at a fairly rapid rate. It is possible that this helps the Android brand name.

 

[BORIStheBLADE]

Apple has a lot of momentum, but its slowing down.

If Windows, Palm, Android and Blackberry were to all have the same apps, games etc Apple wouldn't stand out as much as it does.

My .2 cents

 

[EarlyMon]

The might of iPhone still dominates the media and clouds the minds of the layman. Windows mobile seems to be off to a flying start too.friends of mine who were going to go with android next are swaying towards Mr gates. Is Android going to loose the smartphone war?

The numbers say quite a different story:

ComScore: Android keeps chugging, BlackBerry falters, world awaits Windows Phone 7's numbers -- Engadget

Android's growth rate is 8 times higher that iPhone, while Blackberry loses market share.

It takes a little while to become Number One in market share - just give it a little time.

As far as Win 7 phones being off to a flying start - one source claims they've sold about 120,000 units in the first month - the Evo alone sold at least 150,000 units on its launch weekend.

Gloomy start for Windows Phone 7 sales - iPhone app article - Howard Wolinsky | Appolicious iPad and iPhone App Directory

Last number I saw was that Google was activating 200,000 Android phones per DAY.

I'd have to say NO, Android isn't going to lose this war.

I love my desire but without the massive media hype... all the big devs seem to go with iPhone.

I not sure how one assesses apps in this sort of climate.

Android Market surpasses 100,000 apps: can't stop, won't stop growing -- Engadget

iPhone - 300k apps, Android 100k apps.

Aside from games - and Android's growth in that area is just taking off - it seems like either store tends to duplicate a MUCH smaller number of apps and that's about it.

I will say that for the longest time the iPhone has a lot of specialized apps that will never see the light of day on Android - like that one for airline employees that will let them log on to their private scheduling system.

Oh wait - airline employees doing that with Froyo just use their full-Flash browsers and don't need that class of apps. And how many people are running Froyo?

Android 2.x now accounts for 83 percent of all active Googlephones -- Engadget

In my opinion, there's just not a lot to worry about Android losing this war.

You never know - but today's numbers suggest it's winning.

 

[JunBringer]

I think it's good to have the competition in this market. iOS and Windows Phone 7 are going to appeal to entry level folks, just like iPhone did with me when the 3GS came out. The more people jump into smartphones in general the more people are going to eventually go to Android as well. That doesn't even take into account the people whose first smartphone is Android based as well. I think Android will do just fine

 

[LoyalServant]

iFan propaganda.
Admitting that their platform just went into the niche category... again is too hard for them to swallow.

My assessment of an iFan and his logic... if he says it enough it comes true.
All of the iFans I know and have encountered in my vicinity are college dropouts flipping burgers that mommy and daddy support and buy them bling.

I am running down my list of iUsers and coming up short on people that actually DO WORK with them.
Everyone I know that is doing REAL WORK using a smartphone either has a crackberry or an Android phone.

I must be in a different world....

 

[Stuntman]

As for the demographics of iOS, Android and BlackBerry, the people that I know who like the iPhone either see it as fashion or are just unaware of other alternatives. The iPhone is probably the most well known brand amongst the average person and by average person I mean people with an average knowledge about smartphones which is not very much. I find that the average person calls every smartphone an "iPhone" which bugs me and others who know more about smartphones.

People who use BlackBerrys like the communications capabilities, or more specifically, BlackBerry messenger. It is also used often in businesses. My work place only supports BlackBerry smartphones. I personally feel that its communications capabilities for work is excellent.

As for Android, I know only one other person who uses an Android phone at this moment and that other person worked at Google (before moving onto something else now). I personally prefer Android because I feel it provide me with the best web browsing capabilities. That is my own personal requirements. I like Android for a number of other reasons now.

 

[takeshi]

Is Android going to loose the smartphone war?

What figures are you basing this on? Or is this just based on gut feeling/personal experience? The market figures that I've seen don't seem to support this assertion.

Besides, it's not a "win or lose" thing. The market can support more than one platform. It can even support several despite what fanboys apparently believe.

People who use BlackBerrys like the communications capabilities, or more specifically, BlackBerry messenger. It is also used often in businesses. My work place only supports BlackBerry smartphones. I personally feel that its communications capabilities for work is excellent.

Most consumers and even the forum enthusiasts don't seem to be aware of their built-in centralized management tools (with BES, of course). That feature is of importance in the corporate world.

 

[sremick]

EarlyMon beat me to the punch, bringing the facts.

I see far more TV ads for Android-based phones than iPhone now.

 

[MegatronVsMe]

Honestly, all i see now with iphones are 13 and 14 year olds who dont even know what android is.
Ok, im 20 and i went to a college bible study (this doesnt prove my above point but whatever) and out of 10 people, 8 of them had iphones. All different types. When i brought out my evo, a couple of them were like DAAAAMN thats sick, but the rest of them were like "IPHONE PWNS ALL!"
"I HAVE AN APP THAT PICKS MY NOSE MUHAHAHA! AND I CAN MOVE MY ICONS HOWEVER I LIKE!"
And then i unlocked it and showed them beautiful live weather live wallpaper, before showing them anything else, and explained what it did and how it worked. Nothing else to say.

Anyways, android is no where near going down. I show my phone off at work where all 3 of my managers have iphones, and one of them said iphone needs to pick it up and the other 2 didnt say Sh*T.

Iphones are becoming like razors..remember what happened to them?

 

[happy0506]

android is positioned really well to take over the #1 spot in the near future. however, i don't think it is a definite.

apple has a huge install base and is finally going to start offering on multiple networks, that should help them significantly. plus, they will always have the cult of apple snobs that will only buy an apple product. sooner or later they will offer widgets and eliminate that competitive disadvantage.

blackberry has a big base of corporate world customers and the torch looks like a decent step in the right direction for them. i remember having a pager like blackberry that my company issued me 10 years ago that just gave me email. think about how many IT departments in all the major companies have blackberry servers already installed, so keeping blackberry for the employees is cheaper and easier than converting their email systems. they've supported blackberries for years, know its quirks and are comfortable with it. blackberry's big problem is lack of ease for developers to make apps. they are really late to understand that this has really hurt them, but it looks like they finally get it. it may not be too late to turn it around.

microsoft... well, they have so much money, they can throw a ton of muscle behind their phone marketing and make a run. plus, they have the advantage of most large companies running outlook. i think that is a big problem for android. i've seen numerous forum posts about problems syncing with outlook and i think google would be really smart if they created better integration with outlook for the corporate world.

android has a lot going for it, but the lack of email integration for the corporate world should be addressed. also, my neighbor is a IT manager who was tasked with choosing android, iphone or blackberry as their standard. he was given an evo to evaluate android. he said there were two reasons android wasn't chosen. one, he didn't like the email support. two, he was worried about the lack of controls in the market and worried about "porn" on company cell phones. he wound up staying with blackberry because they knew it and already supported its infrastructure. i believe android really needs to make their os more big company friendly to become king of the hill.

 

[EarlyMon]

Isn't it true that any phone with a browser can access porn and the whole porn-on-Android meme was started by Steve Jobs because he needed to slag something around iPhone 4's release? In fact - didn't he do that in a public speech? And isn't this satirized extremely well in the videos on YouTube, search - Walt Mosspuppet -?

Why yes - I believe that's all true.

he wound up staying with blackberry because they knew it and already supported its infrastructure.

And there's not a thing wrong with that.

RIM/blackberry does have some great corporate tools.

Many IT departments are slow to move to new platforms. They're often derided for this, but the truth is that their #1 job isn't supporting the user - it's supporting the user at the lowest risk (of security, backups, control, etc).

So - the leap to Android's support of big business may not be as large a gap as many presume.

This is evidenced, in my opinion, by the many posts I see where people are just coming from a blackberry to Android and asking integration questions.

As for iOS - not to slag an otherwise decent product - but I'm about to do just that:

Android is a Linux and uses the same multitasking as found in desktop Windows or Apple's OS X for Macs (pre-emptive multitasking).

This allows for VERY powerful apps and app management.

Apple's iPhone iOS runs apps that look like their OS X cousins - but iOS uses a highly primitive cooperative multitasking scheme. Same as the multitasking for 16-bit operations in Windows 95.

And that's the new version - without an overhaul, iOS is at a technological dead-end. Just as many consider Windows 95 quite powerful - you wouldn't use it today, and within a short time, users of both iPhones and Androids will see larger and larger differences in app capabilities in simple, friendly side-by-side at home or office comparisons - and the buzzwords won't matter. It will be that obvious.

As for others creating better integration with Outlook - Microsoft has no vested interest in keeping Outlook stable when they can change it to break a competitor. This is - how shall I put it? - somewhere between common and not unheard-of behavior. Besides - maybe it's just me - but I seem to recall seeing a lot of Windows users with those same Outlook complaints.

Once a company has made bad technical decisions and gone down the wrong path, no amount of money thrown down that path will save them.

 

[Guamguy]

I think it's good to have the competition in this market. iOS and Windows Phone 7 are going to appeal to entry level folks, just like iPhone did with me when the 3GS came out. The more people jump into smartphones in general the more people are going to eventually go to Android as well. That doesn't even take into account the people whose first smartphone is Android based as well. I think Android will do just fine

Windows Phone 7 are not going to entry level folks, nor iOS, unless they are rich.

It's all about pricing.

In Asia, I see many folks with touch screen feature phones like the LG Cookie, Samsung Star or the Corby, and tens and tens of millions of them are sold, in such a scale even Apple or Google would blush.

These touch screen phones offer resistive screens, but featurephone simplicity and near smartphone functionality, with built in widgets that include for Facebook, Twitter, Opera Mobile, and even GMail and Google Search.

All these touchscreen pseudo feature-smartphones are making the grounds ripe for a conversion to true low end smartphones, and that is exactly what is happening now. For example, LG users of GD510 or the Cookie moving to the Optimus One for their first smartphone.

 

[Anthony1]

android has a lot going for it, but the lack of email integration for the corporate world should be addressed. also, my neighbor is a IT manager who was tasked with choosing android, iphone or blackberry as their standard. he was given an evo to evaluate android. he said there were two reasons android wasn't chosen. one, he didn't like the email support. two, he was worried about the lack of controls in the market and worried about "porn" on company cell phones. he wound up staying with blackberry because they knew it and already supported its infrastructure. i believe android really needs to make their os more big company friendly to become king of the hill.

Don't worry. It is being addressed. Cisco is using Android for their new unified communications strategy.

 

[happy0506]

Isn't it true that any phone with a browser can access porn and the whole porn-on-Android meme was started by Steve Jobs because he needed to slag something around iPhone 4's release? In fact - didn't he do that in a public speech? And isn't this satirized extremely well in the videos on YouTube, search - Walt Mosspuppet -?

Why yes - I believe that's all true.



And there's not a thing wrong with that.

RIM/blackberry does have some great corporate tools.

Many IT departments are slow to move to new platforms.

i was kind of surprised that porn was one of his big issues. you're right that every brower phone can get porn. he saw the "porn apps" in the market. they're really not porn apps, although i've never really downloaded any of them and i think they are just pics, but the perception is that it is porn. he was afraid of an exec thinking he picked a platform that has porn and them seeing it on an employee's phone. anyone that has worked in a large company IT dept knows that they don't always do the best job researching before making a decision. so, to him, it was just a risk he didn't want to take.

i think the main reason for staying with blackberry was it was the path of least resistance and he didn't see anything really compelling from android to merit the cost of switching platforms. however, if android gets better corporate email support it would make android less of a risk and lower the cost of supporting it.

although i will say, many of the things that make android great for business take a while go discover. i have a few friends that recently got android phones and i told them that they might not like it for the first month. the second month, they'll learn to really like it. then, 4-6 months down the road, they'll really love it. android has great apps for productivity, but they aren't in the os. it takes a while to download a few apps and find one you like. or, by chance a friend tells you about this other app and it is fantastic. i don't think my friend found these types of apps on his own and appreciates the full potential of android. but, that's also a problem i feel with android. the market really needs better search, organization, and suggestions. plus, it wouldn't hurt for google to make a "business app productivity package" or at least work with large companies to give them guidance on how to make android a great business phone.

 

[happy0506]

Don't worry. It is being addressed. Cisco is using Android for their new unified communications strategy.

i was unaware of that. they stole my idea before i thought of it!

i think that is a smart move because the cell phone market is going to get even more competitive than it is now. everything is moving away from the desktop and getting smaller. laptops -> netbooks-> tablets -> cell phones. not only will microsoft, google, rim, and apple be spending huge money on their cell phone divisions, but the world's largest cell phone maker will, sooner or later, get their act together and make a run - nokia. i'm amazed they have gone from first to worst in the US, but they just released a phone that is decent. they released it 6 months too late, but i'm guessing they'll make a splash sometime next year with a viable product that is competitive.

if the cell phone market gets as crowded as i think it will, there will be a lot of confusion for a while and the average consumer won't be able to tell the difference from one to another. who knows which one will come up with the new wiz bang feature that makes them the leader. i think android is best positioned now, but its no guarantee and market leaders fall all the time.

 

[EarlyMon]

You make a really good point - several in fact.

It may be that Google should do this - or - it might be right up the alley of some IT/Integration after-market company.

I believe you'll find many IT managers/departments have a standard package of things they'll install appropriate to their company - all in one shot, one DVD, using their corporate licenses - on users' new Windows machines (or - a relatively small of DVDs like this to accommodate various job classes at their firms).

Windows doesn't do that for you.

When Rim/blackberry took off they had one clear market goal - business, not personal. It's out of the box configuration reflected that - still does.

When iPhone launched, it was the everybody but business phone. Same thing reflected out of the box.

Android is more like a Windows phone in the sense that it's general purpose, with claims of being so powerful, it's mission-capable for any role. **IF** you configure it.

I can't say if you're right or wrong about Google doing this, but it seems like a good idea to support the business IT world.

I'd bet it exists - or will very soon.

 

[2acclaim]

this 'battle' is far from over.

RIM went business and flourished(still is but losing steam).

Apple took the joy of their music players and turned it into a phone then scaled it back to the itouch. Many iphone users simply make the upgrade from the their music only players(yes the touch does more than play music) and make it a 1 carry device which is very popular.

Windows phones are decent. Haven't seen the 7 phone yet in person but when i've used friends windows phones i felt them to be pretty well laid out.

When I first got my Acclaim(a low end android) I thought it was ok but was used to the iOS4 setup. Took a while to learn how to use it. After adding LauncherPro and Homeswitcher and making it look/run the way I wanted I love this phone. It's still weak compared to the Evo or Galaxy S phone. Now that I have a software that allows 'free' tethering I'm happy as can be.

The only real issue I see with android is that there are too many variants out there. While it's helping them become a major player, it's also causing some incompatibility issues with some of the lesser phones.

They all have their pros and cons, I went android and don't regret it. I do somewhat regret my phone selection but being with a regional carrier choices were minimal.

 

[barneystuta]

The big players (excluding apple) have a wide range of handsets. From an "entry level" one, to their flagship(s) models. I think it is great that there is a wide range of choice out there, not matter what OS you prefer.

For me, it comes down to a simple choice.

iOS and iPhones are great as a dual Phone and Music device. If you use iTunes, there isn't really any that comes close. Personally, I hate iTunes, always have, and always will. You have to do what iTunes wants you to do, as opposed to what you want iTunes to do. There are work arounds, yes, but if you want a work around, I don't think the iPhone is your best choice. The App Store is still (in some respects) miles ahead of the others, and most Apps have a bit more polish than their counter parts.

As for Blackberrys, I would say these are by far the best choice for business use. That is why they were designed, and then it became "cool" to have one. Since Android and Apple have upped their game, the Blackberry has slipped back for more personal use. But it still is still the best option for businesses in the main.

And for me, Android should be for everyone else. If it isn't for business use, and you don't use iTunes, then you really can't go wrong. And the beauty is, even if it is, you can use it those two reasons too.

As for the rest, they have a lot of catching up to do. I have little experience with Symbian, Windows, and the rest, so I can't comment much more.

 

[hannahl3]

Is it third place for Android? Nowhere near.
I wasnt quite sure exactly where to lay the blame for the shoddy operation of my HTC Hero, and someone even replied to an earlier post of mine saying that the Hero was 'old hat' now - (dunno, if a phone is remotely any good, it should have a working life of over one year, I'd have thought), but obviously the blame lies with either HTC or with Google.
I am now in the very happy position of being on my third repair for the same faults (dropping calls and SMS messages, plus unresponsive touchscreen) and am now able to exchange this nightmare phone and system for something that will work properly and be reliable.
The experience I've had has put me off touchscreens for a long, long while, and whether this is down to shoddy workmanship by HTC, or by Google Android, there is no excuse whatsoever for putting an operating system (or phone) out on general release that is obviously faulty and expect the general public to buy them while being guinea pigs.
My trusty eight-year old Symbian S60 phone has seen me through this nightmare period (oh, so some phones DO last longer than one year then?) and I've even been at the point of DREADING the call from the 'repair' centre to say that my HTC is now ready for collection, as I know I'm going to have to put up with a sub-standard brick again.
This will be one of my last messages on this forum as I'm obviously not going to replace my Hero with another Android phone, so I'd like to thank those that battled against all the odds in helping me to get my phone running right, and I'd like to offer my condolences to those that have this scenario to look forward to.
I've been looking through a few Android reviews on Youtube and will post a few of these in my final message. These will not be bad reviews as there are none, but to anyone who has suffered gravity defying unresponsiveness on their device, it should be pretty obvious what I'm getting at, and also obvious that some of these reviews are just a little bit biased towards Android, even though the UI is seen to be pitifully awful.
Is it third place for Android?
Well theyre probably above Alcatel but thats about it.

 

[happy0506]

You make a really good point - several in fact.

It may be that Google should do this - or - it might be right up the alley of some IT/Integration after-market company.

I believe you'll find many IT managers/departments have a standard package of things they'll install appropriate to their company - all in one shot, one DVD, using their corporate licenses - on users' new Windows machines (or - a relatively small of DVDs like this to accommodate various job classes at their firms).

Windows doesn't do that for you.

When Rim/blackberry took off they had one clear market goal - business, not personal. It's out of the box configuration reflected that - still does.

When iPhone launched, it was the everybody but business phone. Same thing reflected out of the box.

Android is more like a Windows phone in the sense that it's general purpose, with claims of being so powerful, it's mission-capable for any role. **IF** you configure it.

I can't say if you're right or wrong about Google doing this, but it seems like a good idea to support the business IT world.

I'd bet it exists - or will very soon.

it just seems to me that if android were more business friendly, they would be the dominant one. then the average person working for xyz big co. could get one and not have to fight with the IT guys. i'll bet that is holding back a lot of folks from getting an android.

 

[EarlyMon]

it just seems to me that if android were more business friendly, they would be the dominant one. then the average person working for xyz big co. could get one and not have to fight with the IT guys. i'll bet that is holding back a lot of folks from getting an android.

And you may be right.

Or, it could be a case of being the newest player in the list and it's a case of not there - yet.

Google announced that their roadmap is to stabilize at Gingerbread - no one has that.

IMO, it makes to fully stabilize the OS before trying to dominate any one segment of the market.

iPhones are accepted by many businesses now (driven by CEO and upper mgmt demands) - but in the earlier days, they weren't business capable or IT-supportable at all.

It's simply not a fixed situation, nor one of missing the boat.

When they design an easy-to-use, anyone-can-do-it blackberry to android data transfer app - because blackberry lives in its own world were something as simple as the contact list is concerned - then the floodgates will open.

In my opinion.

 

[happy0506]

And you may be right.

Or, it could be a case of being the newest player in the list and it's a case of not there - yet.

Google announced that their roadmap is to stabilize at Gingerbread - no one has that.

IMO, it makes to fully stabilize the OS before trying to dominate any one segment of the market.

iPhones are accepted by many businesses now (driven by CEO and upper mgmt demands) - but in the earlier days, they weren't business capable or IT-supportable at all.

It's simply not a fixed situation, nor one of missing the boat.

When they design an easy-to-use, anyone-can-do-it blackberry to android data transfer app - because blackberry lives in its own world were something as simple as the contact list is concerned - then the floodgates will open.

In my opinion.

completely agree.

you know, google should put us in charge of the android roadmap. we obviously have it all figured out and know better than them.