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Android-based Smartphones Outpaced Apple's iPhone in Q1 2010

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Re: Android-based Smartphones Outpaced Apple's iPhone in Q1 2010

#11

Post by davidedicillo »

detst wrote: post #6
davidedicillo wrote: post #2

No news here. 1. More networks, more devices. It's like saying that Windows sells more than Macbook Pros. 2. Everyone and their mothers knows that in a month Apple will introduce a new one 3. Soon the big majority of cell phones will be what we usually call smartphones. It would be fool to think that one single device will maintain dominate the marketshare. The point is that if you look at the single device, no-one i…

> The point is that if you look at the single device, no-one is even closed to Apple's number. Really? Is that what matters? It seems to me the more significant thing would be the OS and not any one device, especially for HN-types that write apps and build sites for OSes/browsers and not a piece of hardware.

The problem is that doing great applications that sells well it's harder when you need to make them looks polished like iphone ones with such a big variety of devices. Soon your fridge will use Android, that doesn't mean I'd like to develop apps for it.

Also iPhone users have been "trained" for years with iTunes to buy digital content.

Re: Android-based Smartphones Outpaced Apple's iPhone in Q1 2010

#12

Post by davidedicillo »

moultano wrote: post #7
davidedicillo wrote: post #2

No news here. 1. More networks, more devices. It's like saying that Windows sells more than Macbook Pros. 2. Everyone and their mothers knows that in a month Apple will introduce a new one 3. Soon the big majority of cell phones will be what we usually call smartphones. It would be fool to think that one single device will maintain dominate the marketshare. The point is that if you look at the single device, no-one i…

Does that matter to us? When I'm deciding what to support as a developer I care only about the size of the platform.

It's not about the size of the market as much as the quality.

Would you rather have 100,000 potential users and make 1,000 sales or 200,000 users and make 800. Or maybe make the same amount of sale but being able to charge more because you know that who spend $500 for a phone is more incline to spend $10 on an app than somebody who spent $100?

Re: Android-based Smartphones Outpaced Apple's iPhone in Q1 2010

#13

Post by sueders100 »

moultano wrote: post #7
davidedicillo wrote: post #2

No news here. 1. More networks, more devices. It's like saying that Windows sells more than Macbook Pros. 2. Everyone and their mothers knows that in a month Apple will introduce a new one 3. Soon the big majority of cell phones will be what we usually call smartphones. It would be fool to think that one single device will maintain dominate the marketshare. The point is that if you look at the single device, no-one i…

Does that matter to us? When I'm deciding what to support as a developer I care only about the size of the platform.

"Does that matter to us?" Yes, I imagine fragmentation would matter when it comes to developing for a platform.

Re: Android-based Smartphones Outpaced Apple's iPhone in Q1 2010

#14

Post by revaaron »

symesc wrote: post #9
martythemaniak wrote: post #5

I think Android outselling the iPhone (and eventually overtaking it in raw numbers) will soon become pretty obvious. Android is a pretty mass-market product - its flexibility means that manufacturers can put a wide array of products and users can make those products their own. I really don't think a single product (especially a tightly-defined one like the iPhone) can meet even a majority of people's needs.

I agree. And I think this is why Adobe's anti-trust activity against Apple won't go very far. Apple is very comfortable taking part of the market, owning it, doing things their way, and making boatloads of money. They are not trying to be everything to everyone. Disclosure: I just switched from iPhone to a Google N1 because I was tired of the box Apple put me in.

@symesc: I just switched from an iPhone to a N1 for the same reason. An inferior phone for a dozen reasons- but a switch I plan to stick with, for now.

Re: Android-based Smartphones Outpaced Apple's iPhone in Q1 2010

#15

Post by dannyr »

davidedicillo wrote: post #11
detst wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The point is that if you look at the single device, no-one is even closed to Apple's number. Really? Is that what matters? It seems to me the more significant thing would be the OS and not any one device, especially for HN-types that write apps and build sites for OSes/browsers and not a piece of hardware.

The problem is that doing great applications that sells well it's harder when you need to make them looks polished like iphone ones with such a big variety of devices. Soon your fridge will use Android, that doesn't mean I'd like to develop apps for it. Also iPhone users have been "trained" for years with iTunes to buy digital content.

When the IPhone was selling more than Android, Apple defenders were saying that you should choose a platform that has a bigger market (i.e. IPhone).

Now that Android is outselling the IPhone, you should now choose based how many users actually buy digital content.

Re: Android-based Smartphones Outpaced Apple's iPhone in Q1 2010

#16

Post by revaaron »

javery wrote: post #10
detst wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The point is that if you look at the single device, no-one is even closed to Apple's number. Really? Is that what matters? It seems to me the more significant thing would be the OS and not any one device, especially for HN-types that write apps and build sites for OSes/browsers and not a piece of hardware.

The most significant thing is actually what kind of market there is for the apps/sites we are building. Market is not just about the number of users, it's about how much those users are buying. It's the reason that Mac developers can make more than their PC counterparts on many types of applications, because the Mac users buy more software. (at least I know I have since I switched).

My experience over the last few weeks spent using a new Nexus One as a former iPhone certainly supports this. Frankly, I'm stunned at the difference in quality and breadth of applications available in the App Store vs Android Market- compared to the App Store, the Market is like Softpedia or Tucows...

Re: Android-based Smartphones Outpaced Apple's iPhone in Q1 2010

#17

Post by listic »

dave1619 wrote: post #4

Android is definitely picking up pace. I just hope Apple releases an iPhone for Verizon. I think that will give the iPhone a boost. Apple should also release an iPhone Nano, a smaller version of the iPhone. Maybe also have colors.

Hm, iPod nano might actually be a viable idea.

I mean, now, when Apple (a) stopped sticking to the only resolution for all iPhone OS devices and (b) is putting much higher resolution screen into older package - maybe it might make sense for them to also put old resolution (320 x 480) into smaller package?

The problems I see in these approach are the following:

1. How can one meaningfully make iPhone smaller/more energy efficient/cheaper?

2. Do people need a smaller iPhone? Is physically smaller touch screen as usable?

Re: Android-based Smartphones Outpaced Apple's iPhone in Q1 2010

#18

Post by revaaron »

sueders100 wrote: post #13
moultano wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does that matter to us? When I'm deciding what to support as a developer I care only about the size of the platform.

"Does that matter to us?" Yes, I imagine fragmentation would matter when it comes to developing for a platform.

Indeed. Fragmentation is probably the biggest reason we'll never see Android Market-sales on a per-device basis top what each iPhone user spends in the App Store- there's a wife range of CPU power, RAM, graphics capability, peripherals, multitouch or not, etc on Android devices. Like being back in the world of Windows CE...

Re: Android-based Smartphones Outpaced Apple's iPhone in Q1 2010

#19

Post by yason »

Android is the Windows of smartphone operating systems. iPhone OS is the OS X of smartphone operating systems.

Guess which will have the majority of sales and smaller profit-per-phone and which will have minority of sales and higher profit-per-phone, eventually.

Re: Android-based Smartphones Outpaced Apple's iPhone in Q1 2010

#20

Post by blhack »

revaaron wrote: post #14
symesc wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. And I think this is why Adobe's anti-trust activity against Apple won't go very far. Apple is very comfortable taking part of the market, owning it, doing things their way, and making boatloads of money. They are not trying to be everything to everyone. Disclosure: I just switched from iPhone to a Google N1 because I was tired of the box Apple put me in.

@symesc: I just switched from an iPhone to a N1 for the same reason. An inferior phone for a dozen reasons- but a switch I plan to stick with, for now.

An inferior phone for a dozen reasons

Could you elaborate on that? Everybody I know who has an N1 loves it...

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