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Android Sales Overtake iPhone in the U.S.

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Re: Android Sales Overtake iPhone in the U.S.

#21

Post by wtallis »

TrevorFancher wrote: post #6

This is only interesting if you look at it the right way. The way I see it is that there are many manufacturers of Android phones, while every iPhone is manufactured by Apple. Also, every phone that runs iOS has specifications much more the same than that of every phone which runs Android. Apple's approach makes it easier for developers to get their app running consistently on as many devices as possible. http://giga…

Those numbers for future purchases are pretty interesting, particularly if you consider where they lead. If those numbers hold relatively steady, then it suggests that Blackberry is doomed to drop below 10% of the installed base, and that Android won't ever be able keep hold of an installed base even one third the size of the iPhone's.

In reality, a platform declining as steeply as Blackberry will probably accelerate it's decline until their only remaining customers are those who are locked-in, unless they can make their phones much more enticing before they've lost too many customers.

Re: Android Sales Overtake iPhone in the U.S.

#23

Post by axod »

byoung2 wrote: post #15
axod wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google showcased a ton of this at Google I/O. Android ties in really well to their webapps, Google TV (If that succeeds), etc. I remember one example was that you can go to maps.google.com and click on a phone icon, and it just sends it straight to your phone which opens a map in the same place. That's really useful integration. I forget the rest of the examples, but they were all pretty 'wow'. I think iTunes is an e…

I remember one example was that you can go to maps.google.com and click on a phone icon, and it just sends it straight to your phone which opens a map in the same place That's in Android 2.2...which my phone (HTC Evo 4G) is supposed to be getting today!

It's an awesome update. Got mine a few weeks ago now. Wifi access point tethering is awesome.

Re: Android Sales Overtake iPhone in the U.S.

#25

Post by dannyr »

axod wrote: post #4
byoung2 wrote: post #2

I think part of the loyalty numbers for iPhone users is the substantial investment they make in other Apple hardware, software, and App Store apps. Unfortunately, I don't have any hard data to back this up, but I imagine a large percentage of iPhone users have at least one other piece of Apple hardware, such as a Mac, iPad, iPod Touch, etc., that works seamlessly alongside the iPhone and iTunes. That makes it tougher…

Google showcased a ton of this at Google I/O. Android ties in really well to their webapps, Google TV (If that succeeds), etc. I remember one example was that you can go to maps.google.com and click on a phone icon, and it just sends it straight to your phone which opens a map in the same place. That's really useful integration. I forget the rest of the examples, but they were all pretty 'wow'. I think iTunes is an e…

If you have Android 2.2/Froyo, you can download both the Chrome Extensions & Android app.

http://code.google.com/p/chrometophone/downloads/list

Re: Android Sales Overtake iPhone in the U.S.

#26

Post by jacquesm »

Of course it did, it simply had to. Now the question is whether the android ecosystem can keep its users as good as the apple one can.

I sure hope so, but it definitely isn't a given. Android is a big step in the right direction but there are still plenty of things that need fixing before they can compete with apple on anything else but units shipped.

When developers have to seriously think about which platform to support first you can say they've achieved parity. That may be quite a while though.

Re: Android Sales Overtake iPhone in the U.S.

#27

Post by billybob »

byoung2 wrote: post #18
cageface wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The integration point for Google's stuff is the cloud, not physical devices. I expect this to gradually become a key differentiating factor. Apple is riding the coattails of an old paradigm, and, like Microsoft before them, they're too invested in the money they're making in the old paradigm to make the sacrifices necessary to properly address the new one.

The integration point for Google's stuff is the cloud, not physical devices That may be part of the problem with loyalty to Android. If everything is in the cloud, there is nothing tying me to a Google device. When I got my Android phone, I put in my Google account and got all of my contacts from Gmail and Google Voice, etc., but that is nothing new, as I had the same thing on Windows Mobile, and I could get the same…

"That may be part of the problem with loyalty to Android. If everything is in the cloud, there is nothing tying me to a Google device."

...Which is exactly why I'd like to get a Google device. And to the loyalty point: you don't HAVE to keep all of your users if you're getting more by the boatload. If the lack of lock-in draws more users than your competitor's lock-in keeps from leaving, hooray!

The whole concept of lock-in is misguided. If people are loyal because, even though they DON'T LIKE your product, it's too hard to switch, that means that a lot of your users are out there griping about you. Plus it can't feel good to know that you have to tie your customers down to keep them.

At some point, the dislike reaches a critical mass and people start leaving in droves. That's what's happening to BlackBerry now. And it's going to be hard to undo the harm to their reputation that years of frustrated users have done. Whereas if people could have left more easily, they would have seen the problem sooner.

Re: Android Sales Overtake iPhone in the U.S.

#28

Post by nlanier »

byoung2 wrote: post #2

I think part of the loyalty numbers for iPhone users is the substantial investment they make in other Apple hardware, software, and App Store apps. Unfortunately, I don't have any hard data to back this up, but I imagine a large percentage of iPhone users have at least one other piece of Apple hardware, such as a Mac, iPad, iPod Touch, etc., that works seamlessly alongside the iPhone and iTunes. That makes it tougher…

I have an iMac, two macbooks, and an iPod touch. My phone of choice, however, is a Nexus One.

After eating the cost of an unsubsidized unit, I pay sixty dollars a month for 900 minutes and unlimited everything else. SIXTY DOLLARS!

If the iPhone experience is anything like the iPod touch experience - and I imagine it is - then I am more than happy with the N1. It does everything the iPhone does and it does most things better as far as I can tell.

Re: Android Sales Overtake iPhone in the U.S.

#30

Post by dlsspy »

old-gregg wrote: post #13
dlsspy wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> He has an iPhone, a Macbook, and a Mac Mini. He loves the fact that iTunes ties them all together, and wouldn't get a different phone because of it. I have a macbook, mac mini, iPad and formerly used an iPhone. iTunes was the worst part of that. I simply never plug any of that stuff into my computer unless I really need to get photos or something off of it. That's a usability pain. It doesn't help that I have more…

+1. I absolutely love my Nexus One (we have iPhones in our family) and I believe that N1 represents the "next generation" of mobile devices, if you will. iPhone is stuck in the past - it requires a computer to be fully operational: a few months ago we went overseas and I wanted to put more stuff on it to listen/watch on the plane, but the people we were staying with only had a Linux laptop - iPhone was as useful as b…

> the future is here

And unfortunately, the masses seem to not care very much. That's the sad part. I have a similar experience with my N1, and I experienced it a lot when I went from G1 back to my iPhone for a bit. I was strangled by all the things I couldn't do anymore.

iPhone -> N1 I lost, um, PvZ and the Chase bank app that just came out. Basically, third party apps. Nothing from Apple.

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