Nielsen: Apple's iOS holds at 28% in US as Android rises to 43% smartphone share

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  • Reply 41 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Onhka View Post


    A couple of weeks ago, a colleague of mine was showing off his Android phone which he bought a few months ago.



    When I asked him where he got his apps, he said they came with his phone and he was told that that was all he really needed.



    Well, he called me last week and asked where he could get more apps. When I said that I didn't know he got a bit upset. So I told him that I would do a little due diligence.



    It turns out that, "Android has gained enough popularity since its launch in late 2008, and is already competing tightly with Apple. The Android Market - the online software store hosted by Google - has over 460,000+ estimated apps available for both free and paid download, and as of July 2011, there were more than 6 billion downloads from the Android Market." http://www.thetechlabs.com/tech-news/best-android-apps/



    Now I must admit, my centric attitude around everything Apple may have affected my love for my Macs, iPads, iPhones, etc., and jaundiced my perception of the competition. That is until he called me yesterday to say that it took him 6 downloads of one app to finally get a version compatible with his smartphone. Actually, he got it right on the third try, but he didn't know it



    In any event, he didn't like what he got. That, I couldn't help him with. However, I do wonder why Google hasn't been more boisterous about their numbers. Half a billion apps; Six billion downloads. That's impressive.



    Thats like saying my friend wanted to buy some milk and didn't know where to get any and neither did I, but would you believe that they sell the stuff in grocery stores, CVS and 7-11. It took him 6 tries to get the right percentage fat milk. He kept picking the one with the wrong color top.
  • Reply 42 of 121
    jetzjetz Posts: 1,293member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JunkMailfever View Post


    IMHO, Android's UI is just as simple as IOS. I use both daily, and both are easy to use.



    I concur. And the arguments are often contradictory. "Android copied iOS." "Android's UI is poor."



    I think it comes down to what you're used to. I find myself reaching for the back button every time I use an iPhone. Yet, I can pick up any Android phone and despite the UI Skin on it, be able to use it right away since the hardware buttons and core menus always look and act the same.



    In a lot of ways Android seems to me to be a more a copy of Symbian than of iOS. Stock Android on my Nexus One reminds me a lot of my Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic.



    Incidentally, I fully support iOS5 copying features like the notification blind. This will simply move iOS to a look that's closer to Android (though Ice Cream Sandwich is rumoured to noticeably change things up). This will simply make it easier for users to switch between platforms.
  • Reply 43 of 121
    jetzjetz Posts: 1,293member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post


    This about somes up my feelings as well. Apple doesn't have to be number 1 at everything to be successful, and someone NOT choosing an Apple product doesn't make them a cheapskate/idiot.



    Further to that, there seems to be the assumption in these parts that if you use a single item not made by Apple or are critical of Apple in any way that you are automatically an Apple hater. It's absurd.



    For all the criticism about Android being for geeks, I am often struck by the religious undertones with which some folks approach the choice of mobile platform. Some here sound like the Jehovah's Witness that bug me way too early on Saturday morning.
  • Reply 44 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    1) A phone going into it's 16th month on the market was able to maintain it's percentage in a fast growing smartphone market? That's pretty insane!



    I think this point is really the most salient one made in all the comments so far. Assuming no production snafus with the next iPhone, it's hard to see how Apple wouldn't gain share in the US moving forward, and at least some of that will come at the expense of Android.
  • Reply 45 of 121
    macrulezmacrulez Posts: 2,455member
    deleted
  • Reply 46 of 121
    jetzjetz Posts: 1,293member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Onhka View Post


    A couple of weeks ago, a colleague of mine was showing off his Android phone which he bought a few months ago.



    When I asked him where he got his apps, he said they came with his phone and he was told that that was all he really needed.



    Well, he called me last week and asked where he could get more apps. When I said that I didn't know he got a bit upset. So I told him that I would do a little due diligence.



    It turns out that, "Android has gained enough popularity since its launch in late 2008, and is already competing tightly with Apple. The Android Market - the online software store hosted by Google - has over 460,000+ estimated apps available for both free and paid download, and as of July 2011, there were more than 6 billion downloads from the Android Market." http://www.thetechlabs.com/tech-news/best-android-apps/



    Now I must admit, my centric attitude around everything Apple may have affected my love for my Macs, iPads, iPhones, etc., and jaundiced my perception of the competition. That is until he called me yesterday to say that it took him 6 downloads of one app to finally get a version compatible with his smartphone. Actually, he got it right on the third try, but he didn't know it



    In any event, he didn't like what he got. That, I couldn't help him with. However, I do wonder why Google hasn't been more boisterous about their numbers. Half a billion apps; Six billion downloads. That's impressive.



    Stories like this honestly make me wonder whether they are made up. Every Android phone comes that has the Google logo on it comes with the Android Market pre-installed. That AM icon is on the packaging and is associated with the way you get apps.



    Next, once you click to download an app, it downloads and self-installs, unless there's a connection error (I've had it happen on occassion when I lost signal). You don't have to do anything other than click "Buy" (enter your credit card information the first time), read the permissions and click "Accept and Download".



    Six times? I've never had that happen. And if you have an app installed, it will not let you install it again (all you get is the "uninstall" button). And there is no "version compatible with your phone" business. The Android Market app hides all apps not compatible with your phone or not available in your country. You can see them on the Android market website, but they will not give you the "Install" or "Buy" button and when you hover over those buttons or click them they tell you why it's not available. You never see versions of apps.



    So either you or your friend are making this up. Or your friend lacks the common sense found in any pre-teen who could easily work his way through installing an app on an Android device. I daresay that if your friend could not click four time to get an app (once on the market icon, next on the app he wanted, then Buy and then Accept) that he would not have fared better with an iPhone.
  • Reply 47 of 121
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mercury99 View Post


    Actually quite opposite. iPhone is not smart enough. It's a pseudo smartphone:



    Screen is to small for productive text entry/usage, lower resolution front/back cameras, no wifi hot spot capability, no NFC, slow processor/low memory, no removable battery/memory, no FM radio, no world phone capability.



    iPhone is a stylish pseudo-smartphone.



    A rare find indeed, this specimen looks like Nokiaus fanboius circa 2007 believed to be extinct due to the traumatic disruption to their environment over the past few years.



    It looks like this one has re-emerged as an Androidus fanboius the distinguishing feature is spewing the same old (unsuccessful) crap, which was responsible for their demise in the first place.



    Scientists are still divided on this evolution in action as to whether this is a new species.
  • Reply 48 of 121
    jetzjetz Posts: 1,293member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Blastdoor View Post


    I think this point is really the most salient one made in all the comments so far. Assuming no production snafus with the next iPhone, it's hard to see how Apple wouldn't gain share in the US moving forward, and at least some of that will come at the expense of Android.



    People said the same thing about the iPhone 4 and the launch of the iPhone on Verizon. Neither event took away market share from Android. In reality iOS and Android are both taking away market share from RIM, Symbian and Windows Mobile (which hasn't been fully captured by Windows Phone 7). And this is also a mobile market that's still growing. Even a declining market share does not mean declining sales (See RIM).



    EDIT: None of the above means that kudos shouldn't be accorded to the iPhone 4 for holding its own for 16 months. That's an incredible accomplishment.
  • Reply 49 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jetz View Post


    Six times? I've never had that happen. And if you have an app installed, it will not let you install it again (all you get is the "uninstall" button). And there is no "version compatible with your phone" business. The Android Market app hides all apps not compatible with your phone or not available in your country. You can see them on the Android market website, but they will not give you the "Install" or "Buy" button and when you hover over those buttons or click them they tell you why it's not available. You never see versions of apps.



    So either you or your friend are making this up. Or your friend lacks the common sense found in any pre-teen who could easily work his way through installing an app on an Android device. I daresay that if your friend could not click four time to get an app (once on the market icon, next on the app he wanted, then Buy and then Accept) that he would not have fared better with an iPhone.



    To be honest, I have had this happen to me when evaluating Android phones. I've selected an app to install and received a message to the effect that it was not compatible with my particular phone. To be fair, this was a year ago, and perhaps the market has been updated to eliminate this problem.
  • Reply 50 of 121
    jetzjetz Posts: 1,293member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Napoleon_PhoneApart View Post


    To be honest, I have had this happen to me when evaluating Android phones. I've selected an app to install and received a message to the effect that it was not compatible with my particular phone. To be fair, this was a year ago, and perhaps the market has been updated to eliminate this problem.



    I've never had this happen to me ever. Maybe you're right. That said, they have revamped the market significantly several times in the time I've had my Nexus One. And with each one there have been significant improvements in the way apps are managed. So if this was an error before, I simply can't see them allowing it now. Especially when the website is specifically designed to not let you do OTA installs of apps that aren't compatible or aren't availlable in your country in the first place (with the mobile AM app you just don't see them to begin with).



    And again, there is no picking a version of an app. That's the part that makes this whole story dubious (especially if it was "a few weeks ago"). The app either is or is not compatible with the handset. If it's not compatible the Market won't let you install it. It won't even show you the app if you're surfing for apps on your phone.
  • Reply 51 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Maestro64 View Post


    Not that I do not disagree, but you can not buy an android phone without a data plan, do you think people are paying for something they are not using.



    I know you can root a android phone like you can jailbreak an iphone, theoretically people could be using the phone without a data plan. My son iphone is a handy-me-down and it does not have a data plan so it is glorify feature phone (not really a dumbphone), but he does play games on it and used the internet via WiFi. It only cost him $10 a month to have an iphone without data. Not sure if everyone is doing the same thing.



    The more interesting statistic here is how many of the android activation are new verse upgrade since I have been notice people changing their android phones more than iphone users they seem to jump for Samsung, HTC, LG and so on as they come out.



    Actually, that's not true. see Metro PCS...
  • Reply 52 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gwlaw99 View Post


    Thats like saying my friend wanted to buy some milk and didn't know where to get any and neither did I, but would you believe that they sell the stuff in grocery stores, CVS and 7-11. It took him 6 tries to get the right percentage fat milk. He kept picking the one with the wrong color top.



    Nicely said. A little extreme, choosing milk, but it works.
  • Reply 53 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jetz View Post


    Some here sound like the Jehovah's Witness that bug me way too early on Saturday morning.



    You will burn in hell because you hate Apple.
  • Reply 54 of 121
    deleted
  • Reply 55 of 121
    jetzjetz Posts: 1,293member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    You will burn in hell because you hate Apple.



    Ahh. But on this one I'm more like a lazy Catholic who doesn't go to church often enough.



    I own some Apple gear. And will own more in the future. It's just that not all my personal electronics are "Designed in California. Made in China."



    But you're right. The puritans might still condemn me for not adopting their fanaticism. Apple fanbois inquisition?
  • Reply 56 of 121
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Onhka View Post


    Now I must admit, my centric attitude around everything Apple may have affected my love for my Macs, iPads, iPhones, etc., and jaundiced my perception of the competition. That is until he called me yesterday to say that it took him 6 downloads of one app to finally get a version compatible with his smartphone. Actually, he got it right on the third try, but he didn't know it



    Whenever my son goes app shopping via the website, the Android Market gives him a popup telling him if the app he's selected is compatible with his phone. IIRC it won't allow him to download if it is not, but I'd have to confirm that. I don't think the app appears at all if shopping direct from his phone if it's not compatible



    EDIT: I just checked with him, and incompatible apps won't even appear when shopping the Android Market from his phone. I can't see how someone downloaded 6 incompatible versions unless they were shopping at some 3rd site.
  • Reply 57 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    The economy is bad and people with little to spend will have no choice but to go with the cheapest options available to them. Almost 50% of all US households pay no federal taxes, and that most likely represents a large base of Android users right there, and these people are more likely to be technically ignorant, not to mention economically challenged.



    That is the most asinine statement in have heard in a while..... You apple fan boys say that only geeks buy android, and then say that only technically ignorant people buy them. Both cannot be right.



    I can assure you that I am technically literate and can easily afford any phone I simply find the Android phones to be more useful.......period....





    By the way, many Android phone cost as much as the iPhone. The service (you know the vast majority of the cost of owning a smart phone) is exactly the same....



    In my opinion, it is people like you who give the majority of the iPhone users a bad reputation...
  • Reply 58 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post


    This about somes up my feelings as well. Apple doesn't have to be number 1 at everything to be successful, and someone NOT choosing an Apple product doesn't make them a cheapskate/idiot.



    You mean iDiot.
  • Reply 59 of 121
    Why are the Apple fanboys freaking out? Of course there are more Android phones out there. Multiple manufacturers versus Apple alone. Also, take into account the entire WORLD versus just the U.S. Most definitely there are more Android devices in the wild.



    Apple dudes (that includes me) ... just chill...all will be fine. You folks do realize you don't need the largest total market share to be the best? Right? Think of it this way, while Apple doesn't have the largest part of the market share for the OS, they do based on device manufacturer.
  • Reply 60 of 121
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jetz View Post


    I've never had this happen to me ever. Maybe you're right. That said, they have revamped the market significantly several times in the time I've had my Nexus One. And with each one there have been significant improvements in the way apps are managed. So if this was an error before, I simply can't see them allowing it now. Especially when the website is specifically designed to not let you do OTA installs of apps that aren't compatible or aren't availlable in your country in the first place (with the mobile AM app you just don't see them to begin with).



    And again, there is no picking a version of an app. That's the part that makes this whole story dubious (especially if it was "a few weeks ago"). The app either is or is not compatible with the handset. If it's not compatible the Market won't let you install it. It won't even show you the app if you're surfing for apps on your phone.



    I had it happen on a SonyEricsson X10 when I updated it from 1.6 to 2.1, a program I installed pre update wouldn't install post update.



    Without giving Google lots of permissions there isn't much you can do with an Android phone, I see that quite a lot when people choose to say no to some of the things these phones ask for when setting them up.
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