Android cedes ground to iOS in U.S. smartphone market during April - Page 2

Speaking of nitwits who don't understand statistics, have you looked in a mirror lately?

Apple's share went up 0.7% in April and Android dropped 0.2%. That makes the net gain 0.9% - or about twice the 90% confidence interval.

Oxidised or damaged contacts on a new phone and SIM?

For the record:

- It's an O2 prepaid Android phone.  I have tried several active O2 sim cards in the device, only for it to go into endless restart.

These same SIM cards, including the one that came with the Android phone, work fine in other phones and USB modems.

 

- I have tried SIM cards from other operators within this O2 Android phone.  The phone then starts normally and goes to its home screen as expected.

Whilst I can't make calls with the SIM card, the phone is able to read contact details from these SIM cards

    The same is true when I just start the phone without any SIM card at all.

 

The phone has taken sudden exception to O2 SIM cards.  This strongly hints at some sort of software or firmware problem within the Android phone, not physical problems with SIM cards.

And yes, the phone was bought brand new at an official O2 dealer, and no, I've not made any amendments or rooted the phone in any way.

 

 

 

Well it's suggested that the majority of Android devices are cheap handsets so it's fair to judge Android by what most people experience of it.

 

This may actually work in Apple's favour, those with a bad experience are unlikely to spend more money getting an expensive handset offering "more of the same Android experience", especially when they have mainly free or cheap apps they feel little commitment to.

 

 

 

My prime concern is that even apps on Google Play, the trusted source may not be so trustworthy:

http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/04/googles-official-app-market-found-hosting-malicious-android-appsagain/?comments=1#comments-bar

 

and once malware is on your Android, yes, contrary to your assurances, it can download and upload stuff whilst you're sleeping, without your knowledge.

I would disagree with that. I find the expensive android phones are the biggest sellers. The galaxy S II is the first or second best selling phone on every network it is offered.

 

I hadn't realized from your previous post that the card worked in other phones; that would of course rule out mechanical damage. It seems then that it's a problem with the software from O2 but not Android per se, since other SIMs work.

 

 

I disagree that it's fair to judge Android by the cheapest devices, but I agree that most people do so. It does work in Apple's favor, since many would fail to understand that going from a $200 to a $650 phone is what makes the difference, not going from Android to iOS. I would expect that a greater number of people will choose to buy another cheap phone either from another Android vendor, or with another OS such as WP.

 

 

The article you cite does not present any evidence at all, does not list any apps nor any developers. It is safe to regard as FUD and ignore; alternatively, you may don a tin hat and live the rest of your life in fear.

Something has altered within the software of the phone itself, it was recognising the O2 sim on Thursday but entered the endless loop on Friday with the same SIM.  It's possible that a SIM update was pushed to the phone which has messed things up, but then it underlines how Android makes significant changes without informing the user.

The OS is Android, even if O2 have customised it (on that note, the customisation I see on this handset are an O2 wallpaper and there info app).  

It's safe to presume that it's the OS within a smartphone that decides whether a SIM card is valid for use, and not an add-on third party application.

It's another thing against Android if any company (or anyone) can mess around with such a fundamental part of the smartphone OS.

 

 

Must I do all the work for you?  There's a direct link in the article, which I am now including for your benefit:

 

https://blogs.mcafee.com/mcafee-labs/android-malware-promises-video-while-stealing-contacts

 

I don't walk around with a tin hat but nor do I leave my car and house doors wide open either.

I think you're being too picky. You bought a cheap phone, you're having an isolated problem, take that with the vendor. Accusing Android as an OS is ludicrous. Have you never heard of iPhones rejecting the SIM card or asking for a SIM when operating on a CDMA network?

 

As to the malware, thanks for the link, but I wasn't able to find any of the apps on  Google Play. With more than 400 000 apps, you can get 2 that are fishy, but the threats are grossly exaggerated. If that's such a problem for you, by all means, don't use Android -- just don't expect me to take you seriously. If you are seriously concerned with safety, then following XDA developers and dedicated Android sites is a much wiser thing to do than reading blogs from companies with a financial incentive to spread FUD.

That doesn't refute the claim that cheap Android phones sell the most. It's much like the iPhone vs everyone else thing. iPhone is at the top of the list, but when you add up the thousands of Android phones, the total number is higher.

Similarly, even if Galaxy SII is the top seller, that doesn't preclude the possibility that the thousands of other Android phones make up the majority. The data on usage patterns suggests pretty strongly that many Android phones are not much more than feature phones. I know people with Android phones who never use them for anything but making a call - but don't know any iPhone users like that.

Furthermore, market share data suggests the same thing. For example, different analysts largely agreed (within a couple percent) on Samsung's total phone sales. However, these same analysts differed widely on their estimates of Samsung's smartphone sales (by 25% or more, IIRC). Clearly, there is a large number of Android phones that are marginal - since one analyst considered them to be smartphones and the other did not. It is clear that a large number of Android phones are low end phones that may be smartphones, but only barely.

Smartphones are expensive whether iPhone or Android based.  They sell because the carriers subsidize large portion of the cost.  Or to put it more correctly the carriers amortize the cost so the buyers feel less of the expensiveness.  And this is the most important reason Android tablets can not compete with iPad.  No carriers want to subsidize the cost.  And the buyers know that at the same price Android tablets are inferior to iPad.  

 

How are so many people affording $70 a month plans? And for their CHILDREN, as well?!

 

 

So why do people constantly buy Android phones at the same price or even a much lower price?

It's frigging buy one get one free on brand new Android models. THAT'S why they have any numbers. But even still, that's TWO $70-a-month plans people are paying! HOW?!

 

You seem to be making the common mistake of suggesting that comparing a bargain Android-based smartphone against the bargain iOS smartphone is unfair.

 

Malware is a serious issue for Android, including on the official store Google Play.

 

• According to Sunnyvale, Calif., security firm Juniper Networks known instances of Android-related malware -- "virtually all" involving apps - have jumped steadily month by month from 400 in June 2011 to 15,507 in February 2012 (1)
• "San Francisco-based Lookout Mobile Security reported In August 2011, that "an estimated half-million to one million people were affected by Android malware in the first half of 2011." (1)
• Trend Micro of Japan, which has U.S. headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. - identified "more than 1,000 malicious Android apps" last year, 90 percent of them on Google's site and noted that the number of bad apps grew last year at 60 percent per month.  Trend Micro has estimated the total this year "will grow to more than 120,000," (1)

 

Lack of software upgrades is unconscionable. 

 

1.  Steve Johnson.  Posted March 17, 2012.  Updated March 23, 2012.  http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_20182226/android-apps-targeted-by-malware?source=rss_viewed.  San Jose Mercury News.  Retrieved March 29, 2012.

There are much cheaper plans than $70.  Try TMobile or Gophone?.  The market share in it is probably 90% Android 10% iPhone.

 

No T-Mobile where I live. GoPhone is AT&T. They'll see the iPhone and change your plan.

 

 

Except it isn't. Not even close.

What is the numbers in TMobile then? 

Apple's Appstore has suffered from the same "malware" problem of apps stealing contact info behind the scenes, and their's is a curated market so less of an excuse for it to happen. Any iOS, Android, WinMo or whatever app that harvests contact info, location, calendar events, etc without notice to the user is considered malware by the security companies. For some reason it's seldom referred to as malware when it's an iOS app, but always considered malicious if it's in an Android app. Any reason they should be thought of/referred to any differently if they do the same things?

http://dcurt.is/stealing-your-address-book

http://iphone.pandaapp.com/news/02152012/181804808.shtml

Edited by Gatorguy - 6/3/12 at 8:38am

 

Oh, T-Mobile! I thought you were responding to my earlier point as a whole; sorry. Yeah, those are probably pretty close for T-Mobile, I guess.

 

What makes you think that I would suggest "that comparing a bargain Android-based smartphone against the bargain iOS smartphone is unfair"? I have never done that and I was the one pointing out that one should compare equally expensive devices to begin with.

 

Malware is NOT an issue at all to the normal user. Nobody on the street talks about malware, there are no regular posts on the most vibrant Android forums that talk about everything else. Security application companies are only trying to justify their existence by magnifying minor occasional threats.

 

If I may use an analogy, malware threats are much like crime in the cities. Sure there is crime in the big cities, but it is by no means deterrent for people who want to live where things are happening, and I don't see everyone running helter skelter for some quiet province. If you aren't afraid to experience new things, all you need to do is stay out of sketchy neighborhoods at night.

 

That's far from the only way.

 

 

Why? Flooding the market with trash is flooding the market with trash. The iPod didn't lose marketshare when the thousands of clones came out.

I love the "common knowledge" posts about how Android is killing iOS, and then Apple announces it's sales figures for another quarter where they blow the roof off the previous numbers yet again.

 

People get confused about global VS US sales and market share over and over, also, anyone who thinks the "flagship" Android devices outsell the iPhone are deluding themselves, repeatedly....

 

That's sort of like saying OS X suffers the same malware problem as Windows. I guess that's the sort of misleading language we've comet to expect from GG.

It may be a cheap Android phone but it's not a cheap phone.  I've bough several cheap £25 dumb phones for relatives that frankly, haven't had a problem like this, despite several years of use.

 

There's no visible physical problem with the phone, but I concede there may be a problem with a corrupt chip or flash memory within the Android phone, so I shall get it replaced or seen to.

Nevertheless it's odd that it  worked fine for several weeks beforehand.

 

 

 

Did you think Google would just leave them there on the Google Play once they were discovered?

 

 

 

And with that statement you highlight what the Android rooters simply don't comprehend, most people don't have the time or inclination to be searching for answers scrolling through XDA developers and Android sites.  They are busy getting on with working, looking after their families and life.  But they do want something that's reliable and secure too.

 

A good example are the electronic payments using debit or credit cards.  99% of people don't want to know about the protocols and details of the interaction between the card, the merchant's machine and the card issuer's computers, these are surprisingly complex.  But people want to know that it can be done reliably and securely.

 

As for FUD, these programs have been out there on Android, no uncertainty there, who knows which other apps are lurking on Google Play for fresh victims?

 

I think with iOS, you give up a little freedom but delegate the app safety to Apple, they do all the hard work to keep your phone safe.

 

Just as with the USA, you give up some taxes and make a few sacrifices but you've got the military and government to keep you safe.

Contrast with a country in anarchy like Somalia.  You can do what you want there, but so can bad guys, heaven help you if you're outnumbered by baddies with bigger guns than you.

IMHO the biggest difference is you wish to think an app sending your personal user details such as appointments, contacts, etc  tied to your name and UDID to 3rd party servers is basically harmless if it's on Apple's platform but malicious if it occurs on an Android device. 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704694004576020083703574602.html

 

You could be absolutely correct that's it's usually just a mis-guided attempt by some developers to enhance their user experience by gathering contacts, names, numbers, addresses and the like. But if so, why wouldn't most of those  "malicious Android apps" that do the exact same thing also be just be the fault of mis-guided developers too, and just as harmless as their iOS counterparts? 

Edited by Gatorguy - 6/3/12 at 12:27pm

Ignore the story, read the chart.  

 

Measures have variance, and monthly variations are random unless seen over a longer period of time -- this is assuming the measures themselves have any validity. Three months says very little as it is; but what it does say is iOS lost ground to Android over three months. 

 

The story itself, especially the title, is ridiculous. It's delusional.

 

It is against forum rules to express my true opinion about the example you've given. Let's just say that if you think Somalia is the only alternative to the USA, you need to broaden your horizons.

No, it's not delusional. The spread between iOS and Android shrunk by 0.9% in April - well outside the error limits for the sample size.

It is a very limited time frame and may not mean anything in the long run, but it is certainly not delusional.

 

You're moving the goalposts, I've referred to Android apps which make premium rate calls and send premium SMS texts without your knowledge.

Those are definitely malicious and for the "benefit" of the app creator, unless you find it acceptable for your phone to call premium rate numbers without your knowledge as you watch a film or play a game.

 

There have been several found on Android,

none within iOS, at least those that aren't jailbroken and received through the official Apple App Store.

 

Your outbursts suggest you lack the capacity to be civil and tolerant, even when people disagree with you.

You're so hell-bent to convince yourself that there's malware in Android worth noting, but those apps that call or send premium messages are not and never were in Google Play. Obviously it is possible to write such an app for both Android and iOS, but it doesn't mean anyone actually installed it and got scammed.

 

As I said before, if you're so terrified from the big bad Android, by all means keep using what doesn't scare you.

Edited by DrDoppio - 6/3/12 at 3:25pm

And consumer satisfaction, year after year. 

Excuse me sir but it's you that's got the goalposts on wheels.

 

Your post #42 linked to an article concerning Android malware and how they collected contact info. My posts referencing and linking the same problems on iOS were answers to that. Rather than acknowledge that iOS has the same problem of developers not following established rules and neither appstore sometimes being aware of it you've now veered off into apps that as a rule couldn't be loaded if users didn't override/jailbreak their devices to change the default security settings. 

 

With 15 billion official Google Play downloads, reporting on a few hundred thousand deceptive downloads demonstrates only the tiniest of chances that any user who keeps to the official Google appstore will download one. It's as much a non-issue (for now) as wi-fi worries on iPads. Not that many users are really affected.

Reported.

 

Waaaaaaaaaaaaa....

Yet you are the only one who made an ad homenim attack.

 

Whom did I attack specifically?

 

There were at least three people in this thread that directly demonstrated lack of understanding of basic statistics concepts. Did I name any of them?

 

Or do people who've realized they've spoken with their rear end suddenly feel defensive?

 

The title of the article is total crap, nobody can draw conclusions based on the fluctuations of 0.2%, and most notably comScore didn't. AI published another flame-bait article, don't wonder why discussion gets heated.

 

You attacked everyone on this Forum. Personally, I'd remove you long before I'd remove myself.

 

 

 

"...According to Sunnyvale, Calif., security firm Juniper Networks known instances of Android-related malware -- "virtually all" involving apps - have jumped steadily month by month from 400 in June 2011 to 15,507 in February 2012...

"..San Francisco-based Lookout Mobile Security reported In August 2011, that "an estimated half-million to one million people were affected by Android malware in the first half of 2011..."

"...Trend Micro of Japan, which has U.S. headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. - identified "more than 1,000 malicious Android apps" last year, 90 percent of them on Google's site and noted that the number of bad apps grew last year at 60 percent per month.  Trend Micro has estimated the total this year "will grow to more than 120,000."

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_20182226/android-apps-targeted-by-malware?source=rss_viewed.  

 

Search “malware” on androidforums.com

The result is “About 6,430 results” 

 

Search “malware” on androidcentral.com

The result is “About 4,420 results”

 

code.google.com/p/android/issues  Demonstrates 582 reported defects and enhancements for the keyword “security”

 

 

“There has been a rash of premium SMS toll fraud apps in the last few months that have primarily targeted users in Europe. These apps have often purported to be downloaders for well-known third party software (often freely available software such as Opera Mobile), and have primarily been found on file sharing sites and alternative markets.”

Google isn’t finding the malware… Security researchers are… “Google responded to reports from Lookout and others by pulling these apps from the Market.”

http://blog.mylookout.com/blog/2011/12/11/european-premium-sms-fraud/

 

 

22 SMS Malware Apps Reach Android Market, Removed by Goole

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/22_sms_malware_apps_reach_android_market_removed_b.php

 

 

A firm has been fined £50,000 after Trojan versions of popular Android apps secretly sent expensive SMS messages to premium rate numbers.

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/05/24/angry-birds-malware-fine/

 

 

The fake Instagram website contains text in Russian and distributes an Android Trojan horse that, once installed, sends SMS messages to premium-rate numbers without the phone owner's authorization, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, in a blog post on Wednesday.

http://www.cio.com/article/704599/Android_Malware_Writers_Exploit_Instagram_Craze_to_Distribute_SMS_Trojan_Horse

 

 

New Android Malware Hides as Google+ App, Answers Calls for You

http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/15/new-android-malware-hides-as-google-app-answers-calls-for-you/

 

 

New Android Malware Can Remotely Root Phones

http://www.bgr.com/2012/04/05/new-android-malware-can-remotely-root-phones/

 

 

idtheftprotect: Google Bouncer isn’t working – over 15 AV and free SMS apps being offered by the same developer “thasnimola.” 

http://t.co/lwLhAaay #NQMobile

idtheftprotect: Google Bouncer isn’t working – over 15 AV and free SMS apps being offered by the same developer “thasnimola”. http://t.co/lwLhAaay #NQMobile

 

 

New Android malware spreads via Facebook, bypasses Google Bouncer.

http://www.slashgear.com/new-android-malware-spreads-via-facebook-bypasses-google-bouncer-24215202/

 

 

Researchers Say They Snuck Malware App Past Google's 'Bouncer' Android Market Scanner.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/05/23/researchers-say-they-snuck-malware-app-past-googles-bouncer-android-market-scanner/

 

 

1. Clearly there are serious concerns about malware on Google Android.
2. Malware which masquerades as legitimate apps and can root devices, quietly intercept phone calls and send SMS messages is not equivalent to purposely installing social media apps that download contact information.  Could Apple do more?  Yes, but the two situations are virtually diametrically opposed.
3. Google Bouncer is not a sufficient solution thus Google Play (formerly Android Market) is not a safe haven for user downloads.

Edited by MacBook Pro - 6/3/12 at 4:48pm

 

No, I only attacked the forum fools. Any forum member who isn't a fool is excluded.

 

Then you attacked yourself.

Nearly all those links show exactly what I've said: As a rule users who stick to the official Google Play don't have much to be concerned about. Read the links and find that very few of those were loading from Google, but instead spoofed web pages, pirate sites and other sources that Google does not have any control over. Even in the official store a dozen or so problem apps out of several hundred thousand is nothing very concerning. There's malicious apps that make their way into Apple official store too, yet it's not seen the same way. 

 

Surely you don't blame Apple and iOS if a user loads apps from an unofficial source or jailbreaks their iDevice and subsequently has a problem. 

 

 

And customer retention.  http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/09/22/apples_iphone_has_89_retention_rate_next_nearest_hardware_is_htc_at_39.html

 

And smartphone reliability.  http://www.squaretrade.com/cell-phone-comparison-study-nov-10

 

And lower average cost of quality apps.  http://mobile.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/iPhone-Apps-Are-Cheaper-than-Android-Report-321632/