Eric Schmidt: Android is winning the war with iOS pretty clearly

Mouse said:
No money there? Then why are developers making apps for Android? They are likely spending more on Android development too, since there are so many hardware variations to develop for and test on.
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Judging purely on what I see at the development companies that I work with, even though Android has a higher number of devices (by a lot), iOS is by far still the first choice when looking at what platform to target.

Unless you have an app that you know millions of people will play every day, you need to go for a platform where you know people will buy your stuff.
 
icyrus said:
Angry Birds is a good example. They were exclusive on iOS until they became a world wide phenomenon, then moved to Android but had to go free with ads. However they were already a global brand at that stage.
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Small correction needed here.

Angry birds for Android have both models (Free with Ads or Paid with no ads) Some would argue the reason ads model works on Android is because its driven by the same co that "created" the operating system.

roguemat said:
Judging purely on what I see at the development companies that I work with, even though Android has a higher number of devices (by a lot), iOS is by far still the first choice when looking at what platform to target.

Unless you have an app that you know millions of people will play every day, you need to go for a platform where you know people will buy your stuff.
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From what I have seen this is mostly because of the debug value. Trying to debug on multiple devices is a lot harder than targeting a specific model, something Microsoft addressed via strict standards.
 
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Garyvdh said:
Fortunately there are enough smart people in the world to realise that you don't have to spend all your money on Apple crap, when you can get an even better experience for far less, often with the equivalent apps for free! ;)

Number of Activated Mobile Units wins the day! :D
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+1
 
I really don't want EITHER to a be dominant player in the mobile platform. Being dominant makes the manufacturers complacent. WE lose in the end, as the need to innovate and improve diminishes.

I've just moved from iOS to Android for that exact reason. I needed a change as iOS has stagnated since iOS 5
 
icyrus said:
Perhaps, but we won't know for sure until Google offers some real numbers.

One thing about Apple is that they always give their actual numbers.
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How sure are you, do you have full access to their actual books? If so will send some reporters your way as I know a couple that is dying to ask some other questions as well :D
 
AlphaJohn said:
How sure are you, do you have full access to their actual books? If so will send some reporters your way as I know a couple that is dying to ask some other questions as well :D
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Please. Apple is a listed company and falsifying numbers would be a serious offense.
 
I thing googles play is similar to their search engine. They became the dominant search engine on Pc's and totally own that market now and all the associated revenues.

They know the next generation will use pc's less and less, and the phone will become the key interface to information. Establishing your dominance there now should put you in a good position to extract the revenue later. Google Now is a sign of the direction they are going - it knows a lot of what you are doing, and that information is going to be gold in the years to come.
 
AlphaJohn said:
Double standard much? as Google is listed as well :)

Oh wait I am debating with a Apple fanboy... neverming.
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Google don't disclose their numbers and certainly don't give them at shareholders meetings. Take some time to think before you reply next time.
 
I am pro Android at the moment, and expect to stay that way (my bias disclaimer). But I too don't want such a dominant player. Then again, such is the nature of open source with its neverending ROM's, developers and many manufacturers, that it will always drive innovation? Perhaps it does not matter being overly dominant. But I still hope iPhone innovates at a greater pace.

I wish they could analyse that 72%, and readjust it for just high end smartphones (or what was considered as such for the last 2 years, the ave length of a contract upgrade). Of course, iPhones older than 2 years will also be excluded. Maybe the Android dominance figure will be lowered, but I reckon it will still be far ahead. And with this analysis, the 'apples compared with apples' argument will be satisfied.

As to why iPhone users spend more: has it ever been considered that they spend too much? We know a large chunk of iPhone buyers are influenced by the 'glam', 'exclusivity' and 'image' factor that iPhones presumably provide. Those are the people that will mind less to pay more for apps and stuff on the internet. Android users, the ones that knew what kind of phone they are getting and researched it well (most people who research an upcoming phone choice well will opt for Android in my opinion. Or they should, but lets not let the argument devolve around this) are savvy users, and very picky about what they buy on the app stores and the internet. Rich Apple users are less so discerning, in my opinion.

Of course, apps tend to be cheaper or free on Android. That's a factor, too (with regards to difference in spending).

That 72% Android figure is a worldwide figure, is it not? It is closer to half-half in the US, (I think Apple held a slight edge in 3rd quarter sales there due to iPhone 5), and internet buying is much more established in the US than elsewhere. This could help explain why 'iPhone users spend more'.

Given the above, I think it would be incredibly stupid for developers to look at Android after looking at iPhone, at this stage of the race.

In my opinion.
 
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FreeStanler said:
I am pro Android at the moment, and expect to stay that way (my bias disclaimer). But I too don't want such a dominant player. Then again, such is the nature of open source with its neverending ROM's, developers and many manufacturers, that it will always drive innovation? Perhaps it does not matter being overly dominant. But I still hope iPhone innovates at a greater pace.
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problem is, Android IS NOT "true" open source. any improvements done in community versions DO NOT make it into Google Android



FreeStanler said:
Of course, apps tend to be cheaper or free on Android. That's a factor, too (with regards to difference in spending).
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http://velositor.com/2012/03/05/the-average-price-of-a-top-100-paid-app-for-android-is-2x-that-of-an-iphone-app-and-only-19-apps-out-of-the-top-100-were-found-in-both-app-stores/
 
_kabal_ said:
problem is, Android IS NOT "true" open source. any improvements done in community versions DO NOT make it into Google Android
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That does not make it any less open-source. I can still DL the code and modify it, and redistribute it myself. Many other OSS projects have the same restrictions.
 
and then your phone's warranty is instantly void as soon as you root your device to install your modified code. that doesnt sound very open/can do what I like.

when people think open source, they think linux kernal. make a fix/change, submit a pull request. android is like java or mysql, pretty much fauxpen/free source, almost entirely controlled by the manufacturer. I am not even saying this is a bad thing, there is a very good reason that these projects are run like this. all I am saying is that people like to spout terms to support their "position" without even understanding the full picture.
 
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I don't think there's any argument about which platform sells more devices. Its more about comparing the correct information. Apple is one manufacturer thats being compared to Android and its many, many handset manufacturers as if they are one entity. If Android was an individual brand and not a OS that is being used and sold by many manufacturers, then it would be a fair comparison.
 
Title says Android and iOS which is OS vs OS.
Think peeps are confusing handsets and OS.
Apples choice to not open or license iOS. That choice limits the spread of iOS.

Don't see why the comparison is not fair.
 
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