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161–170 of 196 posts

Re: Android

#161

Post by evgen »

billmcneale wrote: post #141
thought_alarm wrote: post #48

But the iPhone and iPad aren't priced at a premium. Anyway, it's a mistake pit Google against Apple. The real battle will be between Google and Microsoft for the exact same hardware manufacturers and sales channels. (Meanwhile, you can buy an iPad from an Apple Store or from Walmart without any carrier involvement). Google hasn't managed the fragmentation problem very well, they haven't done enough to control the qua…

Actually, the real battle will be between Apple and Microsoft for spots #3 and #4 in the mobile market, as explained here: http://beust.com/weblog/2010/05/22/more-on-android-and-the-i... Android is already #2 and poised to become #1 in the next three years. Apple and Microsoft will soon not even be in the same league.

They will definitely lag in number of handsets, but will also completely destroy the Android players in terms of profit. If you consider the ecosystem as a whole, I am betting that Microsoft will also knock Android down into third-place in terms of third-party developer profit as well.

Re: Android

#162

Post by spiffworks »

num1 wrote: post #37
pavlov wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the big differences is that iOS devices have hardware accelerated graphics. You don't really notice how weak transitions and animations are on Android until you get used to using an iPhone. It's a subtle difference, but it's real and it makes a difference. It's weird that Android still doesn't have this. Even tired old Symbian is now using GPU acceleration for display compositing...

There's a bug in the tracker but it's been shut down for now. The google rep's answer was "This is something we've investigated a couple of years ago already and that we revisit regularly. Of course we thought of using the GPU, but there are non-trivial issues on many Android devices (a G1-class device for instance supports only one OpenGL context at a time, which would prevent you from using any OpenGL based app lik…

No phone left behind?

Re: Android

#163

Post by code_duck »

veeti wrote: post #113
code_duck wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand Scala works fine for Android, too, which is much more attractive than working with Java.

I've always wondered how many apps there are on the Market using Scala - I've never heard of one and it would be interesting to try writing my next one in it.

There's a small discussion here - http://www.reddit.com/r/scala/comments/dqbiu/scala_on_androi...

Apparently bu.mp's Android app is written in Scala.

Re: Android

#164

Post by dminor »

potatolicious wrote: post #86
orangecat wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google hasn't managed the fragmentation problem very well, they haven't done enough to control the quality the Android OS between carriers and manufacturers, and they've utterly mismanaged the Android Market. All true, and still they've had great success. (I'm actually surprised, given how bad the Market is and how blatantly the carriers are screwing up the phones). Which just means they can do even better if they ca…

> "All true, and still they've had great success." I'd argue they haven't. The success would've been the adoption of the platform - but as far as I can see none of the major Android phone vendors actually support the platform - they see it more as a way to skimp on software development costs, and offload it onto Google instead. There's little to no interest in even updating the phones, or supporting the platform as a…

> The fact that there are a lot of units of hardware moving off shelves means little, IMHO, for the long-term success of the platform.

This is true for all mobile platforms. People change their phones often and have few true dependencies on the underlying OS. RIM might be the "dominant smartphone" at the moment but I doubt they're feeling super comfortable.

Re: Android

#165

Post by stakent »

mjfern wrote: post #126

This article by Fred Wilson (AVC) highlights the rise of Android and ARM as the dominant players (and standard) in the next wave of computing (along with Apple and others as strong niche players). For the last several decades, the Wintel standard has dominated personal computing (PC). If we look at current market share data, Microsoft’s and Intel’s position in the PC market appears unassailable. As of September 2010,…

It is paradigm shift.

Dominant model for mass use of computing was Wintel based desktop/laptop connected by the wire to the net.

It is changing now. There is a choice. Deskotop/laptop still exists. But affordable access to WiFi and GSM (CDMA in the US) net connectivity makes use of more mobile devices attractive. These devices are available in many factors and great price range.

The future is not so nice for developers and software firms. There was one target platform. Not any more.

But on the other hand there are completely new classes of needs which can be fulfilled by software. So we have new niches.

Re: Android

#166

Post by [deleted] »

donaq wrote: post #60
pkaler wrote: post #40

I know of no Android tablet available in the $199 price range. Someone please point one out if one exists. The argument that Windows won because Macintosh was priced at a premium is a dubious argument. Apple is able to purchase flash memory, processors, and touch screens in bulk. They own Intrinisty and PA Semiconductor. Apple looks like Walmart on their supply side and looks like Barney's on the retail side. There i…

I know of no Android tablet available in the $199 price range. Someone please point one out if one exists. I saw one in Bangkok. Cost about 4000 Baht and was from China. I didn't get one because there didn't seem to be any warranty for it and I don't live there, but it was pretty awesome to play with.

[deleted]

Re: Android

#167

Post by irons »

ndl wrote: post #80

Ever since "losing" to Microsoft on the desktop, Apple have slowly perfected their strategy for being the smaller alternative. They find the most lucrative niche and design to the point where they can own that piece of the market. Built into Apple products is a sense of superiority, the feeling that the rest of the world is jealous and frustrated. It's in their ads, and its in their users. This has shown its effectiv…

When there are many more Androids out there than iPhones, iPhone dev is gonna be a tough sell.

What do you think the ratio of Android-to-iOS installed base is going to have to be before the median Android developer is making as much money as the median iOS developer? To get to that point, how many significantly different Android devices is an Android developer going to be expected to target?

Looking at this market through the context of the PC wars of the 90s is a mistake, as is assuming that developer allegiance is a function of handset sales.

Re: Android

#168

Post by SwellJoe »

netcan wrote: post #156
SwellJoe wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet Apple have been making the same mistakes they made during the original PC wars.

That's what I'm talking about (or are you being disingenuous). Calling them mistakes (I assume you mean creating the more closed environment) is assuming that OS wars inevitably play out a certain way.

I'm not sure what could be interpreted as disingenuous about my comment.

Openness is not a tactic of any particular war. It is simply the best thing for consumers and developers. The notion that openness doesn't matter in this "war" just because the devices look different and the battleground is the web, is nonsensical. I would argue that openness matters even more now than it did in the late 80s and early 90s, because the form factors are more widely varied, and the number of people who can directly participate is dramatically higher.

Regardless of Apple fanboyism and arguments about the war being "different this time", Android is already winning. There are more Android phones shipping than iPhones.

Re: Android

#169

Post by billmcneale »

evgen wrote: post #161
billmcneale wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, the real battle will be between Apple and Microsoft for spots #3 and #4 in the mobile market, as explained here: http://beust.com/weblog/2010/05/22/more-on-android-and-the-i... Android is already #2 and poised to become #1 in the next three years. Apple and Microsoft will soon not even be in the same league.

They will definitely lag in number of handsets, but will also completely destroy the Android players in terms of profit. If you consider the ecosystem as a whole, I am betting that Microsoft will also knock Android down into third-place in terms of third-party developer profit as well.

The profit argument stopped being true a few days ago, when Google announced their earnings including the mobile break down.

Re: Android

#170

Post by netcan »

SwellJoe wrote: post #168
netcan wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's what I'm talking about (or are you being disingenuous). Calling them mistakes (I assume you mean creating the more closed environment) is assuming that OS wars inevitably play out a certain way.

I'm not sure what could be interpreted as disingenuous about my comment. Openness is not a tactic of any particular war. It is simply the best thing for consumers and developers. The notion that openness doesn't matter in this "war" just because the devices look different and the battleground is the web, is nonsensical. I would argue that openness matters even more now than it did in the late 80s and early 90s, becau…

hey. hey.

I'm on no particular side of anything. I'm not arguing that openness doesn't matter. I can't figure out where you got that. Of course you can argue that openness is more important. My observation is that when people do make those kind of arguments they make a sort of a deterministic argument surprisingly often.

Incidentally, the rest of this thread is a good place to make your argument that android is already winning.

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