- Without a shadow of doubt, Android dominates the unit volume statistics but in order to have real long-term value to Google and those who make the devices, the users have to be loyal to the ecosystem.
- This is where I question the value of Android, as I believe that users have yet to develop the kind of loyalty that Nokia saw in its heyday and that Apple enjoys now.
- Without this loyalty, Android will eventually fall prey to the next and greatest thing that emerges in the handset space, which is increasingly looking like an easy, integrated and cool user experience (like Apple) but a cheaper price.
- This is where I believe that Android falls over as to get Android really working the user must do a lot of systems integration himself, something I believe that most users have neither time nor the technology know-how to do.
- The evidence is everywhere. The latest is from (http://insights.chitika.com/2012/iphone-5-galaxy-s-iii-study/) which has surveyed the web traffic from the Samsung Galaxy SIII and iPhone 5 over 7 days from October 3rd to October 9th.
- Here the Apple iPhone 5 took 56% of the traffic compared to the SIII which took 44%.
- Of course this data is full of holes, but remember that Samsung recently boasted of selling 20m SIIIs whereas supply had constrained Apple to around a quarter of that total at that time.
- This contrast is so striking that it more than makes up for any shortcomings in the survey methodology.
- The conclusion is inescapable: iPhone 5 users use much more traffic than SIII users.
- This and all of the other analyses point in the same direction:
- There are huge benefits and value in an integrated, easy to use, switch-it-on-and-it-just-works experience which Android still sorely lacks.
- This is a major reason why iPhone loyalty is so high and why I believe that loyalty to Android is not.
- At the moment there is no real contest. Either you buy iOS or you buy Android and I believe that Android is a great choice for many, as you get a lot more hardware bang for your buck and an OK user experience.
- It is here that Android’s underbelly is exposed.
- What happens when there is a user experience that is: 1) as easy to use as Apple’s, 2) more integrated than Apple and 3) available at a great price on good hardware?
- This is why I believe that all the fuss about Android vs. iOS is overblown.
- The real war will be Android vs. Microsoft Windows Phone 8.
- Microsoft has all the tools, the assets and the talent to take a large slice of share from Android but its travails over the last 16 years cast severe doubts about its ability to execute on that dream.
- War will be fully declared on October 26th.
Blog Comments
Marianne Roling
October 16, 2012 at 2:48 pm
From Microsoft EMEA: We are ready 🙂
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