Good point. Android suffers from severe fragmentation.
Over 60% of devices are now on 2.x, if you add 1.6 numbers that is over 75% of the market. The largest leap in compatibility is from 1.5 to 1.6.
But on top of that, apps run on the Dalvik virtual machine, meaning that fragmentation is a LOT smaller problem than it is with linux and the like. There is an issue, yes, but it's not this game breaking problem like everyone says it is.
Tell your wife you told a little lie, or kind of. There are plenty of music players, mms and many other programs for the iPhone. And up until this week, you could not download the froyo 2.2 for your phone on the same date that it was released for others. SO you have Froyo, but did you get the whole update? or did Verizon nix a couple of features, such as wifi sharing, so you have to (according to Verizon) pay for their service. When iOS is updated, it pertains to all of their current models (within last 2 years) and is not held back by the manufacturer or the carrier. Android is great, but sadly, the updates and features are so fragmented that developers are having a hard time making one app for all, and consumers are starting for feel "feature envy" from other phones using the "same" Android operating system. If I buy an iPhone today, I don't have to worry about a new model coming out in 3 months like the Android phones. Why would I want to buy a phone that will be obsolete in just 4-6 months?
When Apple announced Tethering for their devices, it didn't launch on any ATT iphones. So yes, carriers do have some say in features, though much less control over iOS than other ones. And currently there is NO way (carrier approved or otherwise) to get wifi tethering on your phone without rooting it and installing a custom Kernal. Verizon didn't block tethering to launch a paid app, they could configure the built in tethering to require payment. They said it "doesn't support the feature." My theory is that they said so to try and drive sales of new devices. That, or they couldn't find a way to open up wifi tethering on the device without allowing free alternatives to be developed.
Android is also an OS that needs to be coded for each phone individually. So the "droid got froyo later than N1" argument really doesn't make that much sense. This isn't like a windows update where it's bloated with preloaded drivers. each built of froyo is specific for those devices.
And the average customer buys phones every 2 years, so even apples 1 phone a year path is too fast for the average customer, and yet they don't seem to care. There are some customers feeling "feature envy" but most of them don't, and a lot of them that do wouldn't feel it either without engadget and other blogs harping on it every couple of week.s (just like most customers don't have antenna issues on the iphone, but because of blog posts, everyone thought it was a huge issue) I'm not denying that device envy does exist, but the envy for android devices isn't anything new for average consumers. yes, it's faster than most former apple customers might expect, but for most customers, it's really nothing new compared to them getting an ENV3 and then the next month the Samsung Reality comes out.
Over 60% of devices are now on 2.x, if you add 1.6 numbers that is over 75% of the market. The largest leap in compatibility is from 1.5 to 1.6.
But on top of that, apps run on the Dalvik virtual machine, meaning that fragmentation is a LOT smaller problem than it is with linux and the like. There is an issue, yes, but it's not this game breaking problem like everyone says it is.
Meanwhile, in Headinthesandland:
Game Center not compatible with iPhone 3G in iOS 4.1 beta 3
Interesting, how much money does Google make of this tho? None.
I saw an Android device, its simply the best phone OS out right now. But from a business prospective Apple still dominates smartphone profit share.
iPhone is fine, Apple can control only 5% market share and still make a killing. RIM should be worried about HP and Microsoft.
No doubt Apple dominates smartphone profit share. It's Apple's biggest earner and cash cow. But Google is hardly relevant in a discussion about smartphone profits when its only entrant is no longer sold by Google and its raison d'etre was as a reference platform to seed Android development.
Google obviously doesn't care that it earns no revenue from Android. They went on record to say that Android was their way of preventing Apple from becoming the 800lb gorilla in the smartphone space (I'm paraphrasing, but that was essentially their rationale).
So far they're succeeding in that and I think we'll all benefit from their involvement.
As for profitability, Google reported 27% net profit without smartphone earnings except for Nexus One retail margin, while Apple reported 21%.
Actually as a developer it would be which company drives the most profit for the developer, wouldn't it? Marketshare is fine and can attract developers initially, but it will be the profitability of the platform for the developers that keeps them in place.
For example, Android now has a larger marketshare, but that share is largely in the pre-2.x space which restricts developers from using some of the better features found in 2.0 and upwards. This will give an new developer pause, and cost an established developer additional development cycles in order to keep the whole marketshare on-board.
A good companion piece to this article would be an analysis of the profitability of the developers market, looking both revenues from app pricing as well as revenue from ad placement.
Another one that would be good would be a study/profile of the dev shops involved in each, who is dedicated to a platform, who is devving cross-platform and their effective "loyalty" or what retains them.
Great post, apart from the 1st paragraph where you're overstating the fragmentation problem. These are Googles stats:
(Data collected during two weeks ending on August 2, 2010)
And then there are the total scam apps, including an app that claims to help you quit smoking by merely displaying solid colors on the screen, one that claims to be able to detect the ripeness of watermelons, and for $3 you can get lied to by an app that claims to be able to remove warts -- all approved by Apple.
c'mon now, don't be an elitist snob. Some people find tremendous pleasure in fart apps and low-res wallpaper. In fact, it was on the iPhone that a buddy showed me this first pick-up line app, the light sabre, the star trek tricorder thousands of other crap apps that caused my wife to put password protection on her iPad. You don't have to download them, you have a choice. I have excellent photo apps that take advantage of the Evo's camera, some Latin phrase books and a bible.
Won't no one answer to the absurd amount of lies and disinformation spread by the self-named troll of the thread?
- To accuse iPhone of fragmentation?!? Really? When their form factor is practically the same from day one and they are all upgraded in software on the spot, regardless of carrier's "mood" towards their clients? Is this even remotely comparable? Hardware is utterly different in android phones, all around, from form factor, specs, capabilities, touch-screen types and qualities, screen res, oh boy I can go on forever;
- To state that iPhone developers are "evading" teh iOS towards android? COME ON, that's the biggest bullshit I can ever imagine, for many reasons, most of them being stated thus far.
If this guy isn't a google worker, he is simply a deluded freak. And he dares to call himself rational. How insulting to anyone with a working brain.
Won't no one answer to the absurd amount of lies and disinformation spread by the self-named troll of the thread?
- To accuse iPhone of fragmentation?!? Really? When their form factor is practically the same from day one and they are all upgraded in software on the spot, regardless of carrier's "mood" towards their clients? Is this even remotely comparable? Hardware is utterly different in android phones, all around, from form factor, specs, capabilities, touch-screen types and qualities, screen res, oh boy I can go on forever;
- To state that iPhone developers are "evading" teh iOS towards android? COME ON, that's the biggest bullshit I can ever imagine, for many reasons, most of them being stated thus far.
If this guy isn't a google worker, he is simply a deluded freak. And he dares to call himself rational. How insulting to anyone with a working brain.
Most sensible people have learned to ignore his biased rants.
Won't no one answer to the absurd amount of lies and disinformation spread by the self-named troll of the thread?
- To accuse iPhone of fragmentation?!? Really? When their form factor is practically the same from day one and they are all upgraded in software on the spot, regardless of carrier's "mood" towards their clients? Is this even remotely comparable? Hardware is utterly different in android phones, all around, from form factor, specs, capabilities, touch-screen types and qualities, screen res, oh boy I can go on forever;
- To state that iPhone developers are "evading" teh iOS towards android? COME ON, that's the biggest bullshit I can ever imagine, for many reasons, most of them being stated thus far.
If this guy isn't a google worker, he is simply a deluded freak. And he dares to call himself rational. How insulting to anyone with a working brain.
Most android apps are coded for the Dalvik Virtual machine (the SDK) so it doesn't matter what hardware the device has. It's also possible to softcode almost anything, keeping an xml file, which makes it easier to build for the few things that still do matter (screen resolution, multi touch, etc) Again, most apps run on a virtual machine WITHIN android, so a lot of issues you bring up are non issues. Is it still more "fragmented" than the iOS market? Yes. Is it as bad as you are claiming? No
Saying "he's obviously a liar" doesn't make your statement any more true. I'm not saying I agree with his rants either, for the record, but there are a ton of tools out there to make device fragmentation less of an issue, if it's one at all for your app.
If this guy isn't a google worker, he is simply a deluded freak. And he dares to call himself rational. How insulting to anyone with a working brain.
It won't take you long to learn which posts to skip over. Lying and exaggeration are the norm - but it's been much worse since the release of the highly successful launch of the iPhone 4.
You apple fan boys are unbelievable. First, you say, "oh, Android will never overtake the iPhone" and then "well, NPD or Nielson are the definitive voices on market share--they'll really tell the truth."
Now that BOTH of them have said that Android is now NUMBER ONE, you can't take it. Just accept the fact that, while iOS is fabulous in its own right, there's no way that Apple can keep its momentum against an OPEN SOURCE mobile operating system that runs on multiple carriers and multiple devices from multiple manufacturers. Android will soon dominate the mobile space. This shouldn't minimize Apple's place--competition is good. This will push Apple to make even better products for all its fanboys and Android will in turn do the same for all its fanboys as well. Yes, I'm obviously an Android fanboy, but I realize that both OSes provide things that the other doesn't have. I won't go into them here. But one thing is certain: Apple and its fanbase can no longer ignore the momentum that Android has demonstrated here in the U.S. and worldwide.
And please don't give me the argument that iPhone beats the Droid X or Evo in sales. It's not about an individual product. It's about THE OS. This is the underpinning of it all. If I want an 8MP camera, I get an Incredible; a 4.3" screen, an Evo on Sprint or an X on Verizon, and on and on ad nauseum.
One thing I must note before you all flame me: I'm an Apple fanboy as far as computers. I will never buy a Windows PC, even if Windows 7 is much improved. I have ONLY Macs and have had ONLY MACS for the past 10 years. They're the best. But that's where my fanboyism ends--and turns into Android fanboyism for mobile devices.
After years of preaching the virtues of net neutrality, to their benefit, naturally, Google now does an abrupt about-face and goes into negotiations with Verizon to get priority for their traffic. Whatever happened to do no evil? I guess they don't think they need to keep up that charade any longer.
There has never been a company in my lifetime, so hypocritical, with so little respect for either laws or personal freedom and privacy as Google. The minute it's to their advantage to abandon net neutrality, under the bus it goes. This is a company utterly devoid of any principles, moral or otherwise.
And this is the company you Android fans think is so great, and are so eager to see succeed?
... there's no way that Apple can keep its momentum against an OPEN SOURCE mobile operating system...
Android is only partly open source, part proprietary code. The parts important to Google are proprietary. If you're going to get into bed with them you ought to at least know who's sticking it to you when they do.
Android is only partly open source, part proprietary code. The parts important to Google are proprietary. If you're going to get into bed with them you ought to at least know who's sticking it to you when they do.
Agreed to a point. But they're far more open source than Apple is. The deepest parts of the code are protected but the vast majority is not. The most important part is that manufacturers don't pay for licensing and anyone can modify the OS through rooting and custom ROMs. In addition, rooting an Android device is far more beneficial for the user than jailbreaking is for the iPhone user.
And, as an aside, (not at you), please stop with the "fragmentation" argument. There's fragmentation everywhere. Look at the latest iOS update on the iPhone 3G. It's a DISASTER!!!! The anti-Android/pro-iPhone users have created the illusion of fragmentation to scare off those who might be interested in the OS. It's not unlike Fox News with it's purported "fair and balanced" crap.
Comments
Please read the corrected article, not the misinformation originally posted by venture beat, which they have since retracted.
++.
Android has about as much loyalty as iPhone users.
I saw an Android device, its simply the best phone OS out right now. But from a business prospective Apple still dominates smartphone profit share.
iPhone is fine, Apple can control only 5% market share and still make a killing. RIM should be worried about HP and Microsoft.
Good point. Android suffers from severe fragmentation.
Over 60% of devices are now on 2.x, if you add 1.6 numbers that is over 75% of the market. The largest leap in compatibility is from 1.5 to 1.6.
But on top of that, apps run on the Dalvik virtual machine, meaning that fragmentation is a LOT smaller problem than it is with linux and the like. There is an issue, yes, but it's not this game breaking problem like everyone says it is.
Tell your wife you told a little lie, or kind of. There are plenty of music players, mms and many other programs for the iPhone. And up until this week, you could not download the froyo 2.2 for your phone on the same date that it was released for others. SO you have Froyo, but did you get the whole update? or did Verizon nix a couple of features, such as wifi sharing, so you have to (according to Verizon) pay for their service. When iOS is updated, it pertains to all of their current models (within last 2 years) and is not held back by the manufacturer or the carrier. Android is great, but sadly, the updates and features are so fragmented that developers are having a hard time making one app for all, and consumers are starting for feel "feature envy" from other phones using the "same" Android operating system. If I buy an iPhone today, I don't have to worry about a new model coming out in 3 months like the Android phones. Why would I want to buy a phone that will be obsolete in just 4-6 months?
When Apple announced Tethering for their devices, it didn't launch on any ATT iphones. So yes, carriers do have some say in features, though much less control over iOS than other ones. And currently there is NO way (carrier approved or otherwise) to get wifi tethering on your phone without rooting it and installing a custom Kernal. Verizon didn't block tethering to launch a paid app, they could configure the built in tethering to require payment. They said it "doesn't support the feature." My theory is that they said so to try and drive sales of new devices. That, or they couldn't find a way to open up wifi tethering on the device without allowing free alternatives to be developed.
Android is also an OS that needs to be coded for each phone individually. So the "droid got froyo later than N1" argument really doesn't make that much sense. This isn't like a windows update where it's bloated with preloaded drivers. each built of froyo is specific for those devices.
And the average customer buys phones every 2 years, so even apples 1 phone a year path is too fast for the average customer, and yet they don't seem to care. There are some customers feeling "feature envy" but most of them don't, and a lot of them that do wouldn't feel it either without engadget and other blogs harping on it every couple of week.s (just like most customers don't have antenna issues on the iphone, but because of blog posts, everyone thought it was a huge issue) I'm not denying that device envy does exist, but the envy for android devices isn't anything new for average consumers. yes, it's faster than most former apple customers might expect, but for most customers, it's really nothing new compared to them getting an ENV3 and then the next month the Samsung Reality comes out.
Over 60% of devices are now on 2.x, if you add 1.6 numbers that is over 75% of the market. The largest leap in compatibility is from 1.5 to 1.6.
But on top of that, apps run on the Dalvik virtual machine, meaning that fragmentation is a LOT smaller problem than it is with linux and the like. There is an issue, yes, but it's not this game breaking problem like everyone says it is.
Meanwhile, in Headinthesandland:
Game Center not compatible with iPhone 3G in iOS 4.1 beta 3
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles..._1_beta_3.html
iOS social unification dream fragmented as Game Center drops support for older devices
http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/PG.Biz/...ws.asp?c=22602
Device Fragmentation Exists on the iPhone Platform
http://fivemobile.com/development/de...hone-platform/
iPhone fragmentation confuses customers - the App Store needs a rethink
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhon...re.asp?c=21764
iPhone now as fragmented as Android
http://mobile.venturebeat.com/2010/0...ed-as-android/
iPhone OS 4: Welcome to fragmentation-land Apple
http://thereallymobileproject.com/20...on-land-apple/
Interesting, how much money does Google make of this tho? None.
I saw an Android device, its simply the best phone OS out right now. But from a business prospective Apple still dominates smartphone profit share.
iPhone is fine, Apple can control only 5% market share and still make a killing. RIM should be worried about HP and Microsoft.
No doubt Apple dominates smartphone profit share. It's Apple's biggest earner and cash cow. But Google is hardly relevant in a discussion about smartphone profits when its only entrant is no longer sold by Google and its raison d'etre was as a reference platform to seed Android development.
Google obviously doesn't care that it earns no revenue from Android. They went on record to say that Android was their way of preventing Apple from becoming the 800lb gorilla in the smartphone space (I'm paraphrasing, but that was essentially their rationale).
So far they're succeeding in that and I think we'll all benefit from their involvement.
As for profitability, Google reported 27% net profit without smartphone earnings except for Nexus One retail margin, while Apple reported 21%.
Both highly profitable corporations I'd say.
Developers migrate from iPhone to Android in droves
Research finds 60 percent of developers working on Android
http://www.techeye.net/mobile/develo...roid-in-droves
Comes with this handy chart:
See also:
Apple app developers furious with their cut of profits
http://www.techeye.net/internet/appl...cut-of-profits
AOL Mobile Goes HTML5, Picks Android Over iPhone for New App
http://gigaom.com/2010/07/22/aol-mob...e-for-new-app/
Apple Says ?Sue Us, Please!? to iPhone, iPad Developers
http://www.bnet.com/blog/technology-...evelopers/3336
Over 70% of iPhone developers are planning Android apps
http://www.neowin.net/news/over-70-o...g-android-apps
Tim Bray Throws His Hat Into The Android Ring Because He Hates The iPhone
http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/15/tim...google-iphone/
Developers More Interested in Android than iPad
http://mashable.com/2010/03/31/ipad-developer-interest/
Google?s Android Gaining on Apple via Developers
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-0...-on-apple.html
Over 70% of iPhone developers are planning Android apps
http://www.neowin.net/news/over-70-o...g-android-apps
That one includes this convenient chart:
More:
http://www.google.com/search?q=iphon...eloper+migrate
Those bloggers are not a reliable source.
Those bloggers are not a reliable source.
Bloomburg, Techcrunch, Bnet (A CBS business focused network) arn't reliable sources?
Bloomburg, Techcrunch, Bnet (A CBS business focused network) arn't reliable sources?
Nope. The only reliable source is appleinsider.com.
Actually as a developer it would be which company drives the most profit for the developer, wouldn't it? Marketshare is fine and can attract developers initially, but it will be the profitability of the platform for the developers that keeps them in place.
For example, Android now has a larger marketshare, but that share is largely in the pre-2.x space which restricts developers from using some of the better features found in 2.0 and upwards. This will give an new developer pause, and cost an established developer additional development cycles in order to keep the whole marketshare on-board.
A good companion piece to this article would be an analysis of the profitability of the developers market, looking both revenues from app pricing as well as revenue from ad placement.
Another one that would be good would be a study/profile of the dev shops involved in each, who is dedicated to a platform, who is devving cross-platform and their effective "loyalty" or what retains them.
Great post, apart from the 1st paragraph where you're overstating the fragmentation problem. These are Googles stats:
(Data collected during two weeks ending on August 2, 2010)
Some relevant statistics:
Number of fart-related apps boosting the App Store count: 764
http://www.uquery.com/search?q=fart
Number of apps boosting the App Store count by mostly replicating free info from news web sites: 14,971
http://www.uquery.com/search?q=news
Number of those news apps costing $2.99 or more: 1,621
http://www.uquery.com/search?page=1&q=news&range=3
Number of apps that display clocks boosting the App Store count: 4,785
http://www.uquery.com/search?q=clock
Cost of Apple's clock app built into iOS: free
Cost of an app to let you alter and animate the rendering of women's breasts in photos: $0.99
http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewe...=236567,00.asp
Cost of an app to let you use the free ping protocol: $1.99
http://www.uquery.com/apps/375562087-ipingtool
Enjoy the high-quality interface it provides for that higher-than average price:
http://images2.uquery.com/appstore/s...59075/full.jpg
Cost of an app that plays water sounds ostensibly to assist urination: $3.99
http://www.uquery.com/apps/341807729-peasygoing
Percentage of iOS apps the developers themselves don't feel are worth paying for: 81%
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...age_price.html
Number of pages of search results for the phrase "stupid iPhone apps": 13,300,000
http://www.google.com/search?q=stupid+iphone+apps
And then there are the total scam apps, including an app that claims to help you quit smoking by merely displaying solid colors on the screen, one that claims to be able to detect the ripeness of watermelons, and for $3 you can get lied to by an app that claims to be able to remove warts -- all approved by Apple.
http://gizmodo.com/5555853/the-apple-app-stores-scams
Yeah, quality?
c'mon now, don't be an elitist snob. Some people find tremendous pleasure in fart apps and low-res wallpaper. In fact, it was on the iPhone that a buddy showed me this first pick-up line app, the light sabre, the star trek tricorder thousands of other crap apps that caused my wife to put password protection on her iPad. You don't have to download them, you have a choice. I have excellent photo apps that take advantage of the Evo's camera, some Latin phrase books and a bible.
- To accuse iPhone of fragmentation?!? Really? When their form factor is practically the same from day one and they are all upgraded in software on the spot, regardless of carrier's "mood" towards their clients? Is this even remotely comparable? Hardware is utterly different in android phones, all around, from form factor, specs, capabilities, touch-screen types and qualities, screen res, oh boy I can go on forever;
- To state that iPhone developers are "evading" teh iOS towards android? COME ON, that's the biggest bullshit I can ever imagine, for many reasons, most of them being stated thus far.
If this guy isn't a google worker, he is simply a deluded freak. And he dares to call himself rational. How insulting to anyone with a working brain.
Won't no one answer to the absurd amount of lies and disinformation spread by the self-named troll of the thread?
- To accuse iPhone of fragmentation?!? Really? When their form factor is practically the same from day one and they are all upgraded in software on the spot, regardless of carrier's "mood" towards their clients? Is this even remotely comparable? Hardware is utterly different in android phones, all around, from form factor, specs, capabilities, touch-screen types and qualities, screen res, oh boy I can go on forever;
- To state that iPhone developers are "evading" teh iOS towards android? COME ON, that's the biggest bullshit I can ever imagine, for many reasons, most of them being stated thus far.
If this guy isn't a google worker, he is simply a deluded freak. And he dares to call himself rational. How insulting to anyone with a working brain.
Most sensible people have learned to ignore his biased rants.
You'll get with it too......
Won't no one answer to the absurd amount of lies and disinformation spread by the self-named troll of the thread?
- To accuse iPhone of fragmentation?!? Really? When their form factor is practically the same from day one and they are all upgraded in software on the spot, regardless of carrier's "mood" towards their clients? Is this even remotely comparable? Hardware is utterly different in android phones, all around, from form factor, specs, capabilities, touch-screen types and qualities, screen res, oh boy I can go on forever;
- To state that iPhone developers are "evading" teh iOS towards android? COME ON, that's the biggest bullshit I can ever imagine, for many reasons, most of them being stated thus far.
If this guy isn't a google worker, he is simply a deluded freak. And he dares to call himself rational. How insulting to anyone with a working brain.
Most android apps are coded for the Dalvik Virtual machine (the SDK) so it doesn't matter what hardware the device has. It's also possible to softcode almost anything, keeping an xml file, which makes it easier to build for the few things that still do matter (screen resolution, multi touch, etc) Again, most apps run on a virtual machine WITHIN android, so a lot of issues you bring up are non issues. Is it still more "fragmented" than the iOS market? Yes. Is it as bad as you are claiming? No
Saying "he's obviously a liar" doesn't make your statement any more true. I'm not saying I agree with his rants either, for the record, but there are a ton of tools out there to make device fragmentation less of an issue, if it's one at all for your app.
If this guy isn't a google worker, he is simply a deluded freak. And he dares to call himself rational. How insulting to anyone with a working brain.
It won't take you long to learn which posts to skip over. Lying and exaggeration are the norm - but it's been much worse since the release of the highly successful launch of the iPhone 4.
*Shrug
Now that BOTH of them have said that Android is now NUMBER ONE, you can't take it. Just accept the fact that, while iOS is fabulous in its own right, there's no way that Apple can keep its momentum against an OPEN SOURCE mobile operating system that runs on multiple carriers and multiple devices from multiple manufacturers. Android will soon dominate the mobile space. This shouldn't minimize Apple's place--competition is good. This will push Apple to make even better products for all its fanboys and Android will in turn do the same for all its fanboys as well. Yes, I'm obviously an Android fanboy, but I realize that both OSes provide things that the other doesn't have. I won't go into them here. But one thing is certain: Apple and its fanbase can no longer ignore the momentum that Android has demonstrated here in the U.S. and worldwide.
And please don't give me the argument that iPhone beats the Droid X or Evo in sales. It's not about an individual product. It's about THE OS. This is the underpinning of it all. If I want an 8MP camera, I get an Incredible; a 4.3" screen, an Evo on Sprint or an X on Verizon, and on and on ad nauseum.
One thing I must note before you all flame me: I'm an Apple fanboy as far as computers. I will never buy a Windows PC, even if Windows 7 is much improved. I have ONLY Macs and have had ONLY MACS for the past 10 years. They're the best. But that's where my fanboyism ends--and turns into Android fanboyism for mobile devices.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/te...ref=technology
After years of preaching the virtues of net neutrality, to their benefit, naturally, Google now does an abrupt about-face and goes into negotiations with Verizon to get priority for their traffic. Whatever happened to do no evil? I guess they don't think they need to keep up that charade any longer.
There has never been a company in my lifetime, so hypocritical, with so little respect for either laws or personal freedom and privacy as Google. The minute it's to their advantage to abandon net neutrality, under the bus it goes. This is a company utterly devoid of any principles, moral or otherwise.
And this is the company you Android fans think is so great, and are so eager to see succeed?
... there's no way that Apple can keep its momentum against an OPEN SOURCE mobile operating system...
Android is only partly open source, part proprietary code. The parts important to Google are proprietary. If you're going to get into bed with them you ought to at least know who's sticking it to you when they do.
Up from 160,000 just a few weeks ago.
Android is only partly open source, part proprietary code. The parts important to Google are proprietary. If you're going to get into bed with them you ought to at least know who's sticking it to you when they do.
Agreed to a point. But they're far more open source than Apple is. The deepest parts of the code are protected but the vast majority is not. The most important part is that manufacturers don't pay for licensing and anyone can modify the OS through rooting and custom ROMs. In addition, rooting an Android device is far more beneficial for the user than jailbreaking is for the iPhone user.
And, as an aside, (not at you), please stop with the "fragmentation" argument. There's fragmentation everywhere. Look at the latest iOS update on the iPhone 3G. It's a DISASTER!!!! The anti-Android/pro-iPhone users have created the illusion of fragmentation to scare off those who might be interested in the OS. It's not unlike Fox News with it's purported "fair and balanced" crap.