'Unstable performance' of Android 3.0 seen as benefit to Apple's iPad

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Tablet makers who craft their own mobile operating system -- particularly Apple and its iOS -- stand to gain from the "unstable performance" of Google's tablet-centric Android 3.0, codenamed Honeycomb.



Sources at upstream touch panel makers indicated to DigiTimes that tablet makers that build their own operating systems, including Apple, HP and Research in Motion, have the best chance of benefitting from issues with Honeycomb.



"Due to Android 3.0 currently still having several issues that are unable to be resolved immediately and which are causing unstable performance in terms of operation," the report said, "HP, which is ready to launch its TouchPad tablet PC with its own OS, webOS, in the second quarter, and RIM, which will soon launch its PlayBook with BlackBerry OS in the middle of April, as well as Apple, are expected to gain from the mischief of Android 3.0 the sources pointed out."



Apple's competitors reportedly had "strong shipments" before the end of the first quarter. But orders for the second quarter of 2011 are said to be not as strong, as vendors are taking a wait-and-see approach to the tablet market.



Meanwhile, Apple has seen a highly successful launch of its iPad 2, while overwhelming demand for the device has forced continued stock-outs at stores across the globe.



DigiTimes restated its inside information that Motorola is apparently not planning orders for its just-launched Xoom tablet past June, as suppliers believe the company is already working on a successor. The Xoom is the first commercial device running Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system, but a new estimate has pegged its initial sales at just 100,000 units.



Despite the start of the Xoom and apparent instability with Android 3.0, the report indicated that manufacturers including HTC and Acer are still betting big on Honeycomb. HTC's Flyer tablet was originally planned to run on Android 2.3, but was recently switched to 3.0, while Acer plans to launch the 7-inch A100 tablet with Honeycomb in May.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 106
    The only downside is that it may be a short-lived advantage as Android 3.0 matures. It's up to Apple to keep evolving.
  • Reply 2 of 106
    Of course, Palm could keep evolving and it wouldn't make a lick of difference in their fate. At some point, I expect HP to wake up and say, WTF are we doing? And dump webOS.
  • Reply 3 of 106
    applestudapplestud Posts: 367member
    uh, why is this news? So you're saying "when a company stumbles, their competitors benefit"? Shocking.
  • Reply 4 of 106
    jonrojonro Posts: 64member
    I haven't read any reviews of WebOS, but I'm curious about how it stacks up. I imagine that any serious Honeycomb bugs will be fixed as quickly as possible. I'm not saying that I would never switch, but I'm pretty much tied to the iPad at this point and don't see any significant advantages to Android over IOS. Apple's iPad success is due to IOS, the apps, the development system, and the entire Apple ecosystem. A few companies could conceivably join forces and challenge Apple in these areas, but I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon.
  • Reply 5 of 106
    neiltc13neiltc13 Posts: 182member
    Unnamed sources at unnamed manufactuers cite "unstable performance" yet provide no further details. Is there a story here other than that DigiTimes wrote an article?



    My friend ordered his Motorola Xoom (yes, it does go on sale in a country other than the USA this weekend) a few weeks ago. Looks like there were a lot of people before him though, as the retailer has informed him that they have had high demand and are delaying his order.



    Seems like it's not just iPad that will be hard to find in the coming weeks.
  • Reply 6 of 106
    sacto joesacto joe Posts: 895member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Tablet makers who craft their own mobile operating system -- particularly Apple and its iOS -- stand to gain from the "unstable performance" of Google's tablet-centric Android 3.0, codenamed Honeycomb.



    Sources at upstream touch panel makers indicated to DigiTimes that tablet makers that build their own operating systems, including Apple, HP and Research in Motion, have the best chance of benefitting from issues with Honeycomb.



    In theory, yes, but just like Honeycomb they haven't been "tested" in the market yet. The only tablet OS that's been adequately tested and is ready for prime time is - iOS.



    So as things stand, Apple gains far more than anyone else.



    BTW, I really don't hear much at all about this "unstable performance" issue. Google must have a lot of friends in the media keeping it quiet....
  • Reply 7 of 106
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    The only downside is that it may be a short-lived advantage as Android 3.0 matures. It's up to Apple to keep evolving.



    The thing that keeps Apple from permanently leapfrogging all competitors is... Apple. Make the iPhone available to ALL cell companies and Android will be lost to the dustbin of time.
  • Reply 8 of 106
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    You flip the Xoom from portrait to landscape and it takes so long to change that you can go do the laundry and by the time you come back, the Xoom will finally have flipped the orientation of the screen.
  • Reply 9 of 106
    neiltc13neiltc13 Posts: 182member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    The thing that keeps Apple from permanently leapfrogging all competitors is... Apple. Make the iPhone available to ALL cell companies and Android will be lost to the dustbin of time.



    You mean like the UK, where iPhone is on sale on ALL major carriers, yet plenty of people still buy Android handsets?
  • Reply 10 of 106
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by neiltc13 View Post


    You mean like the UK, where iPhone is on sale on ALL major carriers, yet plenty of people still buy Android handsets?



    There will always be poor people. Poor people have existed throughout history. Most people who buy android phones are poor. The average android phone is not the high end phones, it's the cheap ones, and the ones that they give away for free.



    Android users are also cheap, because they don't spend much on apps.
  • Reply 11 of 106
    istudistud Posts: 193member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by neiltc13 View Post


    You mean like the UK, where iPhone is on sale on ALL major carriers, yet plenty of people still buy Android handsets?



    No, they don't buy them, they get them for free. The day activated my iPhone with 3, I cancelled my previous contract (tatty old sony ericsson phone) that I had had for years with them. I had to activate the phone on the shop, but cancel the contract over the phone. Man!, they begged me for hours trying to convince me to take the free android phone and keep an even cheaper contract. It didn't matter how many times I explained the guy on the phone in India that I had already an iPhone in a contract with them, still he insisted I should take the free android phone, because I was a valued customer!
  • Reply 12 of 106
    neiltc13neiltc13 Posts: 182member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    Most people who buy android phones are poor.



    Do you have any evidence of this whatsoever?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    The average android phone is not the high end phones, it's the cheap ones, and the ones that they give away for free.



    You mean just like iPhone, which is given away for free as well?
  • Reply 13 of 106
    istudistud Posts: 193member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by neiltc13 View Post


    Do you have any evidence of this whatsoever?







    You mean just like iPhone, which is given away for free as well?



    Yes, but the cheapest contract there is £35/month, the Android one 3 was offering me as a "valued customer" was about £12/month or so. I remember because the previous sony ericsson was on a £14.99/month contract, and the offered one was even cheaper.
  • Reply 14 of 106
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sacto Joe View Post


    BTW, I really don't hear much at all about this "unstable performance" issue. Google must have a lot of friends in the media keeping it quiet....



    You probably don?t hear about about it much because of the lack of mindshare and public perception of refinement. Apple releases an update negatively affects a fraction of a fraction of a percent of their user base and even remote villages yet untouched by civilization will have someone claiming Apple has lost their way. (Yeah, I know that is an impossible statement)



    Anand Shimpi reviewing the Motorola Xoom:
    "Elements of Honeycomb do feel rushed however. The stability of the OS/apps, the missing SD card support and random OS quirks come to mind. As a result I'd recommend waiting for at least the first Honeycomb update before pulling the trigger on one of these tablets.?
    Technically speaking, this is performance and not stability:
    "There?s definitely room for improvement. The fact that there are still choppy animations within the OS is perplexing, I've asked Google for an explanation but I've yet to get an answer on that one.?
    And it?s not as is Anand is trying to denigrate the Xoom? :
    ?Am I more likely to use the Xoom than the iPad? Yes. The hardware is faster but more importantly, the software is better suited for multitasking. I?m a bigger fan of Honeycomb?s multitasking UI & notification system compared to the double-tap-home and passive notifications you get with the iPad and iOS. I can be more productive with the Xoom than I can be with the iPad as a result. I don?t believe Honeycomb?s UI is perfect by any means, it?s just more multitasking oriented than iOS is at this point.?
  • Reply 15 of 106
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by neiltc13 View Post


    Do you have any evidence of this whatsoever?



    That is just my highly educated guess, based on the fact that Android phones are being given away for free along with cheap data plans. This appeals to poor people.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by neiltc13 View Post


    You mean just like iPhone, which is given away for free as well?



    No, I don't mean just like the iPhone, because I clicked on your UK links and the only iPhone being given away is when you choose the absolute top tier data plan for 2 years. That is not for poor people. £60 a month for service for 2 years?



    Here's a link from one of your own UK sites, and every single Android phone on this page is FREE, along with the cheapest data plans. That appeals to poor people.



    http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobi..._androidphones
  • Reply 16 of 106
    cmf2cmf2 Posts: 1,427member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by neiltc13 View Post


    Unnamed sources at unnamed manufactuers cite "unstable performance" yet provide no further details. Is there a story here other than that DigiTimes wrote an article?



    My friend ordered his Motorola Xoom (yes, it does go on sale in a country other than the USA this weekend) a few weeks ago. Looks like there were a lot of people before him though, as the retailer has informed him that they have had high demand and are delaying his order.



    Seems like it's not just iPad that will be hard to find in the coming weeks.



    You should probably read some reviews of the Xoom (like this one). Or perhaps some quotes from Google stating that Android 3.0 isn't a one size fits all solution yet and they are withholding the source code. The Xoom is a product that shipped ahead of its time (and not in a good way). At least your friend won't have to deal with sending it back to Motorola for a 4G upgrade since he's getting a WiFi version...



    PS: Two things affect availability of a product, supply and demand. The size of the supply for the Xoom is orders of magnitude smaller than that of the iPad. It takes significantly less demand to induce shipping delays on the Xoom than the iPad.



    I hope your friend is happy with his Xoom, but if I were considering an Android tablet, I'd wait for a finished product.
  • Reply 17 of 106
    .mac.mac Posts: 44member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iStud View Post


    . It didn't matter how many times I explained the guy on the phone in India that I had already an iPhone in a contract with them,



    we Indians are not that much poor. we do use iphones and Mac's..





    Quote:

    still he insisted I should take the free android phone, because I was a valued customer!



    i highly doubt. some old junk using SE shit is not a valued customer. haha
  • Reply 18 of 106
    neiltc13neiltc13 Posts: 182member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cmf2 View Post


    You should probably read some reviews of the Xoom (like this one). Or perhaps some quotes from Google stating that Android 3.0 isn't a one size fits all solution yet and they are withholding the source code. The Xoom is a product that shipped ahead of its time (and not in a good way). At least your friend won't have to deal with sending it back to Motorola for a 4G upgrade since he's getting a WiFi version...



    PS: Two things affect availability of a product, supply and demand. The size of the supply for the Xoom is orders of magnitude smaller than that of the iPad. It takes significantly less demand to induce shipping delays on the Xoom than the iPad.



    I hope your friend is happy with his Xoom, but if I were considering an Android tablet, I'd wait for a finished product.



    Haha, you guys are even trying to convince me not to buy Xoom, even though I don't have any plans to do so (or any other tablet for that matter).



    As for a 4G upgrade, I doubt he'd be interested in that given that there are no 4G networks in the UK to use it on.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    That is just my highly educated guess, based on the fact that Android phones are being given away for free along with cheap data plans. This appeals to poor people.



    No, I don't mean just like the iPhone, because I clicked on your UK links and the only iPhone being given away is when you choose the absolute top tier data plan for 2 years. That is not for poor people. £60 a month for service for 2 years?



    Here's a link from one of your own UK sites, and every single Android phone on this page is FREE, along with the cheapest data plans. That appeals to poor people.



    http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobi..._androidphones



    Of all of my Android-owning friends (I reckon there are about 10 that I know of), only one of them doesn't own a HTC Desire or a Nexus One/Nexus S. He has an Orange San Francisco and he seems to be very happy with it.



    There must be great shame in selling things to these "poor people" you speak of.
  • Reply 19 of 106
    istudistud Posts: 193member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by .mac View Post


    we Indians are not that much poor. we do use iphones and Mac's..




    Well of course! You are terribly business-savy, and get the dough from doing the customer support for all telecom companies in the world! No wonder you guys have the money to spare in expensive iPhones, while forcing android phones down the throats of the rest of us!



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by .mac View Post


    i highly doubt. some old junk using SE shit is not a valued customer. haha



    Precisely! That is why he was offering me the android phone! I was certainly not a valued customer!
  • Reply 20 of 106
    I am so poor, that in the past 5 years I have purchased and Used various smart phone running Windows Mobile, Palm and Blackberry. I now am using an Android. My first real computer was a Macintosh and I spend 13 years from 1984 to 197 working with and for apple computer vendors. I understand the loyalty to the brand and I understand the problems inherent with evolving technologies.



    After having my hands on an Android for the past 4 months and seeing the previews of the oncoming Android 3.0 Honeycomb, I can tell you that whatever "issues" they are having will eventually be worked out, but in the meanwhile it is by far the slickest most user friendly, OS I have ever had the delight to experience (yes including IOS as well).



    I doubt that one technology can "own" the consumer market place for any length of time the way Microsoft has dominated the desktop market, but it seems obvious that Android will be the dominant smart phone platform for the foreseeable future.



    I depend on my smart phone to perform time critical tasks that must be performed with no notice and finished on a web app within 30 seconds. My Android does the job, where Blackberry, Palm and Windows were generally only about 50% effective, in accomplishing the same tasks. As for the I-Phone, well I would never even consider it, I spent too many years buying the latest and greatest Apple equipment and in 97 when they released millions of defective computers with the 603e processor and wouldn't own up to it, I decided Apple's idea of brand loyalty is you buy from them at over inflated prices and when they do something wrong and you are paying for it you will be the last to know.



    Google may not be any better when put to the test but just the fact that there is an alternative to Apple/IOS ought to be enough to convince million of abused Apple loyal to jump ship
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