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Android Sales Surpass iPhone Sales
gollum123 writes with this excerpt from VentureBeat:
"Smartphones based on Google's Android mobile operating system outsold Apple's iPhone in the US during the first quarter of 2010, according to a report by research firm The NPD Group. The data places Android, with 28 percent of the smartphone market [last quarter], in second place behind RIM's Blackberry smartphone market share of 36 percent. Apple now sits in third place with 21 percent. NPD points to a Verizon buy-one-get-one-free promotion for all of its smartphones as a major factor in the first-quarter numbers. Verizon saw strong sales for the Motorola Droid and Droid Eris Android phones, as well as the Blackberry Curve, thanks to its promotional offer. Verizon launched a $100 million marketing campaign for the Droid when it hit the market in November 2009, which likely contributed to strong sales in the first quarter as well."
Preston Gralla notes that it's not all bad news for Apple; this report could help their case in upcoming antitrust discussions.
I, for one, am shocked, that many products from several sources on various carriers have collectively outsold a single product available on a single carrier that doesn't even have the most market share. Utterly amazing, isn't it? /sarcasm
Or should that be iMpossible?
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Apple is getting ready to release a new iPhone in the next few months. I'm sure this kind of regular product cycle makes consumers not want to upgrade for the quarter before a new release. I know I'm going to skip the 3GS and wait for the "4" or whatever the new one is called.
-Bill
Waiting for the next iPhone coming in a month which everyone knows about due to the leak.
I for one have an iPhone and I cannot tell you how much I wish it were an Android. Hopefully, the 'Droid can come out with a version that beats Apple's 4G series that are approaching the market.
There's a reason why Windows is still 95% desktop share, while Mac OSX is only 4%
Investment in existing software plays a huge roll in that. Smartphones don't have that issue (though a very small percentage of people have spent a ton on app downloads).
this report could help their case in upcoming antitrust discussions.
Or just as easily hurt it. As the report shows a big part of the sales was on Verizon network, which is a market Apple does not exist on. A large portion of those sales "might" have been for Apple's product had it be available on the Verizon network.
We were all warned a long time ago that MS products sucked, remember the Magic 8 Ball said, "Outlook not so good"
Android phones are not as open as Maemo/MeeGo phones. Andoird could have been way cooler if Google have picked up Maemo instead of starting from scratch using Java. That said, I don't mind that all the mobile games targeted for Android should eventually run on Maemo.
(Random text inserted at the end of the message to allow mouse chicks on text in Shashdot's edit window on Safari)
The Christian religion has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world. -- Bertrand Russell
> (Sits back and waits for the karma burn.)
Yes, that karma burn is going to have nothing to do with your statement objectively actually being flamebait. It adds nothing at all to the discussion. Even people that agree with you that it was unavoidable that Android phones were going to surpass iPhones can at most ignore your post. There's nothing interesting, informative or insightful about it.
Maybe just don't post shit next time.
but companies could face anti-trust action even if they don't own a monopoly over a product or service. (Confirm/Deny?) I am also smirking over the reaction of Apple supporters over this news. Previously, it was "we are the champions, no time for losers" now it is "hey, told you we're not evil because we are the underdogs, support the underdogs!" Not trolling by the way.
Maemo?
Option 3: A smart phone that doesn't expect me to be a falsebook/twatter obsessive and just works as a smart phone with some computing & browsing (and farting if I choose) capabilities.
Keep taking the pills.
Stick Men
There are RDP and VNC clients for both iPhone and Android.
Pretty good is actually pretty bad.
I'm curious to see what effect this will have on the app markets. Like, will more people start developing for Android now because of the increased market share? Will that increase the Android market size to the point that it can catch up to the head start the iPhone had? Will that have any effect on the iTunes policies?
Perhaps not, but it's something to think about.
So Apple having 20% of the market and being behind RIM and Android is different from an antitrust perspective than Apple having 20% of the market behind RIM and a bunch of other companies that share an OS? Do the people making these comments even think they make any sense? Apple can argue it isn't dominant if it's #3 for phones sold with a given OS (having little to do with the markets that define antitrust law) and it can't argue it isn't dominant if it is #2 in the market for smartphone sales? Insanity!
I see. So it's because the Mac was built for quick sales; and Windows was built for long-term quality. Thanks for setting the record straight.
Does anyone know the profitability of Android OS?
How much money has Google made with having Android on all the phone platforms? How much money has been made by Apple Inc. selling all their iphone's?
My Nexus One does both, although we wrote the app that allows for talking to our power/network API for rebooting equipment and changing VLANs via the phone when you're in the datacenter.
Yes, you can RDP on Android. Not sure about iPhone.
believing the big bang requires a certain amount of supernatural faith
Option 3 would be the Nokia N900 running Maemo (or its successor), I would think Thought about it myself, but hate the keyboard and went with a rooted HTC Desire.
Support remote desktop? I work in an enterprise environment and have found the feature very useful when away from my desk. When I'm on the production floor troubleshooting an issue and need to do a novell password reset; I just unlock my phone, enable remote desktop connection, log into my work machine and reset the password without ever having to leave the machine i'm trouble shooting. This saves me time; otherwise I would have to walk back to my terminal just to reset a password and then walk back to the client machine and continue troubleshooting. Any takers?
There are VNC and RDP clients for iPhone and iPad. Not sure about android.
Track your TV Shows with your iPhone - FREE
"If you see huge sales numbers, they blew it"
Great news for developers... Let iDevices fade into oblivion with their closed operating system and their watchdog policy on App Store. Though nothing is as open as Maemo. HTC hardware running maemo, now that would be one kick ass phone.
Yes it does. There's an app (it's not free, maybe a few $$$) called "Remote RDP" that connects to both Windows RDP machines, and any Linux box running XRDP. It may work with VNC, but I've never tried it. I also have an app called "Connect Bot" installed which manages ssh connections. It supports full public key authentication and port forwarding.
If a man isn't willing to take some risk for his opinions, either his opinions are no good or he's no good
Yep, on iPhone check out Jaadu (now called iTeleport I think) - VNC or RDP versions.
Apple is committed to making the same mistakes it made in the 80's. It amazes me how they think they can break the natural laws of the market and make their business model work. In five years the iPhone's market share will pale in comparison to Android and it will be for the sole reason that Apple cares more about its vision than its customers. Android is the Windows of the mobile world.
or else!
There's been anecdotal evidence that there isn't as much money to be made writing Android apps as there is to be made writing iPhone apps.
One theory has gone "that's because the user base isn't there yet; when the users show up, the developers will come".
Well. It looks like the users are showing up in numbers that are becoming difficult to ignore. So now it's time to keep a close eye on app developers, and see what happens! Is Android more like the XBox 360 (where a lot of third-party developers make a lot of money), or more like the Wii (where almost nobody but Nintendo ends up making much money)?
It's all going to be very interesting to watch. Yay competition!
How is it relevant ?
The goodness of something doesn't rely on the amount of money you make out of it.
I see. So it's because the Mac was marketed for quick sales; and Windows was marketed for long-term sales. Thanks for setting the record straight.
FTFY
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:25 (NKJV)
It exceeded iPhone sales, not iPhone OS, as iPhone OS includes the iPod Touch and iPad. The sales of the iPod Touch are far from insubstantial.
Meanwhile, iPhone sales are down because new ones are due in June, as they have been the last three years. People know this (and if they don't, they ask a geek friend who does), and sales drop. Just watch, they'll skyrocket in June/July, just as they have the last couple years.
I don't know what kind of crack I was on, but I suspect it was decaf.
As others mentioned, they exist on iPhone and Android. In my experience, however, it runs better on Android for 2 reasons: higher resolution displays and a hardware input to mimic the mouse (in some cases the keyboard also).
-]Phreak Out[-
Yeah, the iPhone was certainly a blip that faded into obscurity after a few months on the market....
Seriously, 21% market share years after launch is hardly defined as "quickly fall down and die".
Not saying the iPad will fare as well. The iPhone was a game changer when it was released. It filled a desperate need in the market (a smartphone that wasn't a freakin pain to use).
The iPad however is trying to _create_ a market. That's a lot more difficult. Everybody immediately recognized the usability of the iPhone; hardly anybody has a clue what need in their life (beyond "oooh shiny!") the iPad might sate.
Also, when the iPhone came out, it took a while for Android do show up and match it. Android's here now, and tablets running it are already starting to appear. Though I'm guessing it'll be another 6 months before any really good ones start appearing.
Unless people have decided there's no market for these devices by then (in which case they'll all quietly vanish), I still suspect the iPad will do fine. It was first to the table, plugs into Apple's eco system, and has the app store.
Android has an ssh client--first thing I installed when I got mine. No idea about that other one, since I have zero interest in it.
Or that the iPhone is an inferior product in the Enterprise market. Or that people don't like dealing with the AT&T network. There could be a million different reasons for this.
My Sysadmin Blog
1 million sales is the first month is far from "hardly anybody". Particularly as that figure is limited by supply - they had to delay launch in non-US territories because US sales were higher than predicted.
.. because I have OVPN in my home and my iPod Touch is a no go / f*ck you on OpenVPN even if jailbroken.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
You're doing it wrong.
My Sysadmin Blog
Your reply doesn't disprove the GP's point.
...the year of Linux on the desktop, uh I mean phone.
"We live in a global world" - Harvey Pitt, former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman
It's going to crash a lot and get a lot of viruses? /duck
Verizon's droid does porn advertising campaign is what really hooked me into my purchase. If Jobs hadn't pointed it out to me I probably would have just bought an iPhone.
They have their work cut out for them. I understand the model they want, it's close to the model used by game console manufacturers to ensure quality on their consoles and also to reap the rewards of complete control. But what I've never heard of is a restriction on using a particular language that compiles to a native format using a published API. They're gonna have a hard time selling that one as something that offers value to the customer given they already have a fairly intense filtering process for their app store. Even console manufacturers don't dictate what code you compile in, as long as it compiles to a proper native image and meets all the checks and balances.
It's important to note that the iPhone is in one of the low-sales points of its product cycle for these figures. Everybody who's paying attention *KNOWS* that Apple is going to introduce a new model of the iPhone next month, with greater capabilities and probably at the same price as the current model. Anyone who can wait until summer solstice to buy their first iPhone is waiting, and the oodles of people who bought an iPhone 3G in the second half of 2008 are waiting to become eligible for a subsidized upgrade 2 years later. Kind of like unemployment figures, iPhone sales figures need to be "seasonally adjusted" to be meaningful.
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
It doesn't seem you read what you quoted and replied to.
What part of 1 million != "hardly anybody" did you not understand?
Hardly. If Apple licenced the iPhone OS to OEMs I'm sure there would be loads more phones around.
Android phones are available in lots of different form factors, some people insist on hardware keyboards.
Android has an ssh client--first thing I installed when I got mine. No idea about that other one, since I have zero interest in it.
iPhone does, too. If you jailbreak it.
(See previous conversations about iPhone not being designed for power users & IT admins.)
How is it relevant ? The goodness of something doesn't rely on the amount of money you make out of it.
It does when you are COMPARING marketshare of two companies that are in the business of making money.
How is it relevant ?
Well, it's relevant in that if it turns out nobody is making any money off Android devices, a lot of companies will simply stop making Android devices, and switch to something they can make money from.
Or: the goodness of something doesn't rely on the amount of money you make out of it, unless you are a business that only exists in order to make money. Then, it does.
I'm sorry, but it's you that's not comprehending.
The quote you replied to did not pertain to sales figures. It it had, it would have said "hardly anybody bought".
yes, being more open will always result in more sales. That's how Linux was able to surpass Windows so quickly.
hardly anybody has a clue what need in their life (beyond "oooh shiny!") the iPad might sate.
The only thing I could think of is that it would be GREAT for traveling. Unfortunately I don't travel much, so I didn't get one, but I can easily see a heavy traveler picking one up.
Seems like a powerful tool to have; i use the hd2 and enjoy the platform. Unfortunately, it seems that I would need a mix of the services available on this tool, I don't need everything Professional offers but need more than basic; For now however, I am satisfied using rdp with my phone, most my tools I need are on my computer and can access them from my phone. However, it is interesting to find out that these features are supported on both the android and iPhone, I think I will test the Android out first before deploying on the network; since I don't need to jail-break the Android to use ssh, vnc, and rdp.
Of all the things I've lost; I miss my mind the most. - Mark Twain
hahahahaha, what?
you think apple will ever license the iphone os? are you joking? Maybe you are wondering what the psystar case is about, for example?
Mac by design basically will never license anything mac to non apple products. That's both a flaw and a feature.
meanwhile, it shows something more significant: apple interest is not raising anywhere near the interest that android is and has now.
Where the FUCK did you come up with that garbage?
From watching NPD numbers, paying attention to the gaming industry press, stuff like that.
Did you follow how "Dead Space Extraction" did on the Wii compared to "Dead Space" on the XB360?
Heck, just compare this list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_games#Wii
to this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_games#Xbox_360
and this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_games#PlayStation_3
How many non-Nintendo titles on the Wii list? How many different companies are represented? How many non-Microsoft titles on the XB360 list? How many different companies are represented? What about the PS3 list?
Presumably you find fault with the argument. I'd be more than happy to look at any data you've got that contradicts it, hints at other explanations for the same data, whatever. Got a handy cite?
Option 3: A smart phone that doesn't expect me to be a falsebook/twatter obsessive and just works as a smart phone with some computing & browsing (and farting if I choose) capabilities.
Congrats! Thanks to 2009, you have just described the starting state of every smartphone. You don't have to visit their 'markets' and install Facebook/Twitter/etc apps and choose to enter log-in info. Just because the TV ads say you can do everything doesn't mean you have to do anything.
BTW, Never underestimate the power of "oooh shiny!"
WinMo FTW! ;)
(I'm gonna miss it)
I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
None. Though it seems that perhaps you misunderstood the sentence to which you replied. It said nothing about sales. It only allowed for the possibility (or likelyhood) that even many of the people buying the ipad might not know exactly what they need it for.
Verizon fanboys should stop trotting out this dead horse. AT&T and T-mobile are the only major mobile phone carriers in the U.S. that support GSM. Almost all non-GSM phones become useless bricks outside the U.S., kinda pointless if you travel.
I hear talk about how T-mobile's coverage is even weaker than AT&T's, but honestly it's fine for places you'd ever make a phone call, like any town that has an airport. AT&T and T-mobile's higher end phones all inherently offer world wide coverage, plus you can always just drop a local sim into your GSM phone.
I'm sure some people are inexperienced enough with the wilderness that enough extra coverage might save their life while hiking, but I personally know how one uses an old fashioned map and compass, and I like being offline when hiking.. and I kinda doubt Verizon's coverage is *that* great. ;) In fact, I've only ever used my mobile phone's data plan while hiking in Europe.
The Christian religion has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world. -- Bertrand Russell
The final comment of the summary indicates it might help Apple with its antitrust inquiry.
I think people misunderstand that 'antitrust' law really is another name for 'competition' law, and that any anti-competitive behavior may be regulated whether there is a monopoly or not.
http://blog.slaingod.com
I'm not sure if you are serious or being rhetorical, but since it's a good point either way, let's just state it:
Google's Android revenue: 0.
Apple's iPhone revenue: over $5B per quarter and growing.
Summary: Apple could not care less about market share, as long as their total sales and revenue keeps growing at the insane rate they have been.
And since the iPad is really just a giant iPhone/Touch (ie uses the same OS)... 1M units in 30 days is probably about $600M revenue for their latest product - in a month. Yikes.
As far as I can tell, there are about 5 flavours of Android (1.5, 1.6, 2.1 etc), and your ability to switch between them depends entirely on your network operator. I'm not even sure whether apps are compatible across all the flavours?
I suspect that Android will end up with a similar rep to Windows - too many hardware platforms and compatibility issues.
Do you run a custom ROM on your HD2?
My wife has the HD2, and there are some stability issues with her phone that I don't have with my Touch Pro 2.
I make my own ROMs for my touch pro 2, but don't want to mess with trying to cook up something for her phone as she wouldn't be happy not having it for long periods of time. I'd rather just flash a third party custom ROM on her phone.
I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
It has amongst educated consumers i.e. server admins, researchers, and the top500.
Also, the Android platform is based on Java running on Linux. Where were the wince phones on this list again?
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
The leaked iPhone 4G looks like Apple is just trying to catch up with the Nexus One, and not even succeeding at that. People who already have iPhones will go for it, for others, it won't make a big difference.
That's fuckin' awesome, but I have to question the real value in it.
I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
Well, it's relevant in that if it turns out nobody is making any money off Android devices, a lot of companies will simply stop making Android devices, and switch to something they can make money from.
The manufacturers are probably making just as much money from sales of Android devices as they would from Windows Mobile or Symbian devices. A hardware sale is a hardware sale, regardless of what OS the hardware runs. The interesting question is if Google is turning a profit from all the resources they've invested.
Not saying the iPad will fare as well. The iPhone was a game changer when it was released. It filled a desperate need in the market (a smartphone that wasn't a freakin pain to use).
The iPad however is trying to _create_ a market. That's a lot more difficult. Everybody immediately recognized the usability of the iPhone; hardly anybody has a clue what need in their life (beyond "oooh shiny!") the iPad might sate.
Have you seen the numbers for the iPad? 1 million units in a month - and that's US sales only. At around $600 per unit average, that's $600M in revenue in one month. Given that sales are supply limited right now, and it's launching internationally next week, they could very well see $2B in revenue in ONE QUARTER for a brand new product. That's over 1/3 of the iPhone's *current* revenue for last quarter.
They are not trying to create a market. They already created one. And they barely even had to pay for advertising, the media frenzy did that for them...
Or just as easily hurt it. As the report shows a big part of the sales was on Verizon network, which is a market Apple does not exist on.
So to summarize what you are saying, is that because Apple is only only a single network instead of several, that makes it MORE LIKLEY they will be found to be violating antitrust because they are LESS ubiquitous than they might be?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Of course there are.
It didn't "allow for the possibility". It stated it as fact. The poster was transferring his personal lack of compelling use for the iPad onto people in general.
Looks like they are, no android app.
Apple has released an updated iPhone model every summer for the past 3 years. The recent leak was all over the prime time news, morning talk shows, everywhere. Even Joe Smo knows that a new model is coming out in a month. There is likely a dramatic drop off in iPhone sales after the leak announcement, which tanked the quarter sales.
The only fanboys around are the ones who point out everything terrible about the iPhone/iPad every time it is discussed.
...except an iphone is locked down.
Sure, I can jailbreak it but that's something that is scary to a lot of people. It's probably even scarier to geeks that actually understand the implications if something goes wrong.
So no. Not every smartphone starts out the same way.
With Android you can install stuff from where ever and with Apple you either lump it or leave it.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
iPhones are easy to spot, they all look the same.
I buy it, but then again we're in May... how many people wanted an iPad instead? How many people are holding out for the next model of iPhone?
Slow iPhone sales don't baffle me, what does baffle me are the poor use of statistics against the fact that Android runs on dozens of models of phones and iPhone still only runs on less than a a dozen.
"It will sell good at first"
You do realize that the Android sales figures are inflated by the same phenomenon? The Droid is new and hawt; that's a large part of how it and its OS buddies surpassed ye olde iPhone last quarter. What remains to be seen is whether it has legs, or will burn out and fade away. (I'm guessing it has legs.)
"Microsoft wouldn't had built the Windows brand if they just went for quick sales without thinking long term."
How old are you? Do you know anything about the history of Windows and Mac OS while their relative market shares were being established (i.e. the late 80s and early 90s)? Microsoft did a lot of things right in marketing Windows, and Apple made plenty of mistakes, but it had nothing at all to do with MS "thinking long term" vs Apple "going for quick sales".
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
Well if you don't want to play with the rom, try this shell, I run and enjoy it, it doesn't have the same issues you'll find with the htc sense, although some features are different from the htc sense configuration, I feel she will enjoy it as much if not better, it also has a droidish flavor to it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW62zRLns3w
Of all the things I've lost; I miss my mind the most. - Mark Twain
Depends on your app. Just because you found one on the android first doesn't mean the iPhone doesn't do it.
Sorry, that's the sPb Mobile Shell 3.5.3
Of all the things I've lost; I miss my mind the most. - Mark Twain
What are you talking about? There are plenty of companies making money off of selling Android devices. Google isn't one of them because Google doesn't manufacture phones or charge for Android. Consumers get the iPhone for the OS/interface. The underlying hardware is largely irrelevant. What this data tells us is that consumers are embracing a smartphone OS outside of the iPhone. Apple isn't capturing the same level of market/mind share domination as it had with the iPod. The space will get even more exciting when Microsoft releases what looks to be a solid OS in Windows Phone 7. Ultimately, this is a market that will be commoditized. Android is FREE and a viable competitor. Microsoft is a commoditizer and will charge peanuts for its plaform. If there's one thing that Microsoft does right, it is to claw its way back into a market people forgot about it in. The premium that Apple charges for its platform/phone will be eroded over the next few years.
That's one perspective. But I think you're misreading Apple. Apple doesn't care, and has never cared, about being the largest vendor in any particular space. They only care about being the "best" -- where they get to define what "best" means. Remember when they launched the iPhone and they claimed to want 1% of the smartphone space, which at the time represented perhaps 10% of the mobile phone market? They achieved that goal and then some. Other vendors had to respond to Apple and what Apple was doing. They still are. So success for Apple is to have the lead in mindshare and to make money hand over fist. They're doing that without dominating the market and I suspect they will continue in spite of Android's sales win for this quarter.
If Apple ends up with a minority share of the market they won't care one bit as long as their share is the most profitable portion of that market.
The main thing of concern for Google is probably whether or not the ecosystem is open to their way of making a profit. Maybe they saw a problem looming, with the walled garden approach of Apple.
Google wasn't really involved in activelly contributing to healthy mobile landscape when Blackberry was dominating in the US (still is actually) and Nokia globally (still is)
One that hath name thou can not otter
You really fail. I have 5 remote apps and I know I don't have even close to all of the ones available.
All so I can cover: VNC, NX, SSH, RDP and the myriad of combinations in between and through various OSes and my iPhone has NEVER been jailbroken.
The one I use the most is iSSH since it does raw VNC or tunneled through SSH and because I can write my own macros for the SSH terminal (which is handy for quick administration of services at home).
I also heavily use LogMeIn with my Mac at home.
I'm surprised this was modded troll - he's actually got a very good point.
He didn't say they should or would do that, just that if it happened, there would be devices with it everywhere. And he's right.
What he also doesn't say is that the device quality control would KILL the OS as people ran from it in droves when it was shoved down on sub par hardware and the apps that were designed for it made the device look sub standard.
I've held enough Android phones to realize it's mediocre, not because of the OS, because everyone is trying to capitalize on it instead of make it good.
Google's Android revenue: 0.
Apple's iPhone revenue: over $5B per quarter and growing.
This is a very misleading statement.
Google does not get revenue directly from selling Android. However, they do indirectly get revenue from in-app advertisements, search advertisements, and app store purchases that are all tied to Android phones. I would be that if Google ever released numbers it would show a significant amount of revenue.
Considering that they did not have to develop Android from scratch and does not make the hardware; I'd say this is a pretty good deal for Google.
If you suddenly added 1 million people to the MacOS user base, no one would notice.
It's like movies. Sure they come on strong. Then they quickly fade away.
It's the long term sales and market share numbers that are ultimately relevant.
Some of the web hit stats are also interesting too. Although the entire market there is still inconsequential.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Okay, so you'd rather stamp your feet and swear than participate in a conversation. Did you have a rough day, sweetie? I do hope tomorrow goes better for you.
I also hope you feel better after venting like that. But be aware that it gets boring to read pretty quickly.
Yep. Apple is a hardware company and Microsoft is a software company...
I still cannot find the droids I am looking for...
Those numbers are about 6 years old... get new ones you want to make such a statement.
Maybe we can use some naga jolokia peppers (> 1 million scoville) to seasonally adjust iPhone owners?
I am thinking a quick rub where the turtleneck folds over might be apropos.
There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
Couldn't this also be true of Android phones?
Every day I read about a new Android phone that has better specs and features than anything previously released.
I don't see how this thought is relevant.
Yup! In 6 months, Android has surpassed Apple's 3 year head start.
I drank what? -- Socrates
To access an android phone you have to link it to a Google account... you download apps from the google app store... This is this different than linking to an iTunes account and downloading from the apple apps store how?
Where do you get zero dollars? From what I understand Google makes deals with carriers and handset makers to make the Google search engine the default on the phone, and shares revenue from the ads delivered.
As others stated RDP and VNC. Personally I love the logmein app. Works through all the little firewall issues in most locations.
Or proof that being a new phone gets you attention. They don't tell you most andriod phones were sold last quarter. Once they are both six months old see what happens.
Google fanboys will buy android the minute it comes out same as apple fanboys will buy iPhones.
Supplies were low? Hardly!
What I don't get about this is every time I went by the local best buy they had hundreds of the things stacked up behind the counter in the computer area. Even on launch day - around noon I was able to just walk in and I could have bought one if I wanted - I even have photo proof of this.
Something doesn't ad up if you ask me.
I was surprised to see that as well, but I am sure there is an Android equivalent to this somewhere out there. I wouldn't be surprised if Rove ported the application to Android.
My Sysadmin Blog
I want one for around the house. I don't travel much but do spend time at home.
I drank what? -- Socrates
Seriously, this is the first really good Apple and Google related news I remember since long ago.
But... the future refused to change.
While yes, you do have to link you Android phone to a Google account, you don't have to download apps from the Google app store. You can download and install apps from anywhere. All it takes is checking one box in the settings.
Wait, Apple pricing their Macs and phones expensive was not a strategy for quick sales?
I drank what? -- Socrates
But not free ones that will tunnel thru SSH :(
---- Booth was a patriot ----
. . not in the article, press release, or NPD's site. At one time, it was the leader. Can anyone recall seeing anything else of Microsoft going from such a top position to nowhere (Bob doesn't count)?
Just one quick thought: could it be that you, as a giant douchebag idiot fanboy, are much more prone to spotting the brand you support than the brands of rivals.
So did you even read the f'ing article? Silly question.
They mention people waiting to buy the new iPhone. They mention verizon's marketing push, including buy one get one free. They mention that this was not from sales figures, but from consumer surveys.
I'm not sure where you've been but the four quarters of the year labeled coincidentally, 1Q, 2Q, 3Q and 4Q, are pretty standard reporting periods.
Warping statistics to suit your agenda isn't impressive and that is really all your post is attempting to do.
Where is the damn, ooo shiny tag in slashdot when you need it?
CS: It is all sink or swim...oh and did I mention there are sharks in that water?
Because those ever-more awesome Android phones are always being released somewhere else with an approximate U.S. release date of "six months to never".
When did the future switch from being a promise to a threat? -C. Palahniuk
design illiterates...?
so tell me, do you really think that the shiny web 2.0 icons that make up the interface for the iphone are sophisticated? have a look at them again...
if its the shape of the phone that does it for you then have you never allowed yourself the luxury of some really nice jewelery?
now you might think the glorious bright colour screen is lovely and who could take that away from you.
but my friend, can you not consider that you might have been cleverly tricked into thinking that you're part of an elite, when this is not the case.
it's not hostility that makes people like me want to let you know this kind of thing - it's just that you really ought to know how things might appear to others. and how this has nothing to do with having a developed or educated sense of what looks good or doesn't.
apple is a very mean machine when it comes to marketing - they wouldn't deny they're the best in the business.
It's going to crash a lot and get a lot of viruses? /duck
Goose!
"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right" - Salvor Hardin
They also fail to mention that most of those Android phones were distributed by Verizon for free as an attempt to wrest away some of AT&T's iPhone advantage. If Apple ever starts allowing other U.S. carriers to offer the iPhone, I'll bet Android sales number will make a big u-turn in a hurry.
This ain't rocket surgery.
I've seen dozens of Android phones on the college campus I work on. Many people who bought into it switched from an iPhone to Sprint or Verizon because the network worked better.
I guess it depends on where you live. I see just as many Android phones as iPhones nowadays. Hell at a boardgame party Saturday night (I am that lame) we even whipped 'em all out to compare. 3 iPhones, 3 flavors of Android phones (including my G1) and 1 Palm Pre. The most amazing thing is that a lot of the Android phones that I see are being used by non-tech people and they seem to be as happy with the experience as the iPhone users.
I never noticed motorcyclists on the road until I started riding.
"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right" - Salvor Hardin
Actually, if Google goes ahead with implementing Flash in their browser, that's actually pretty likely...
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
I'm sure you'll get modded down for your comment, but you are dead on. The fact of the matter is many people choose style over substance without ever knowing that they're buying a very restricted device.
"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right" - Salvor Hardin
The leak was last month. Sales have fallen off since Q4 2009...well before the leak started. Face it, the iPhone has fallen behind it's competitors.
My Sysadmin Blog
No, I doubt it's true of Android phones. January was clearly a high point in their sales with the release of the Nexus One, and the Droid still only a few weeks old. I (and probably many others) were waiting for an Android phone to be released that had specs better that were better than the G1 and Dec/Jan is when that finally happened.
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
This all rather presumes that Apple simply wants to sell as many iPhones (or iPhoneOS devices) as possible.
Apple want to be No. 1 in the top 50 or 25% of the market. That's where the profit margins are.
You can now buy phones running Android for £100. The hardware sucks. The margins must be pretty thin.
That isn't a game Apple wants to be in.
The key to Apples success is selling aspirational products. Sure their hardware is more expensive, but it also *feels* more expensive.
Lots for both?
There are what 3 Iphones even?
iphone, iphone 3G, iphone 3GS.
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One can't get "I am Rich" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Rich for Android! What is one to do?
The US government have made it clear that we have no inalienable rights; any we do not defend vigorously will be taken.
That's for the first quarter! Nobody knew about iPhone 4th reincarnation then. And yet, Android was on par in the 4Q2009 with iPhone.
So I doubt that it's only because a new phone is coming out.
well, just a contradictory personal story, I spent the last 2 weeks looking for one (for the office - not me). none to be found at local apple stores, mac stores ( a regional vendor I believe), or best buys (CDW had none either). We ended up purchasing one from apple online, which drop shipped from HK after one week.
they may have had a lot at launch, but they have since sold them out, and have not been able to keep up with demand.
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Perhaps, but there has not been major press on every news network about the secret android prototype as the next version of the Droid. Compare that with the press circus around the apple prototype. I have not seen android news pushing much beyond tech press.
The new iPhone rumors began in January, and culminating in the massive leak last month. I think this had a big impact on sales. Since Apple does not do constant incremental upgrade like other manufacturers, I think it more likely to be subject issues of waiting and pent-up demand. And, unlike with many Apple products and update cycles, the general public is pretty well informed on the new iPhone to come.
As you said, every day you read that is a slightly faster/better android phone, so some people might wait, but if upgrades are constant, it would argue for less seasonality. You buy when you need that new phone. That is not the case with the iPhone, there are big surges with the new models, which come yearly. That is seasonal adjustment that needs to be modeled into the time-series.
This is great news for both Apple and Android users. This is just the sort of news Apple needs to hear to make them tired of their single-carrier approach in the US. As with many AT&T users, their lack of supporting tethering on the iPhone and the inconsistent network coverage (although when it does work their 3G is MUCH faster than Verizon's) has made me long for another carrier to be available to iPhone users who don't want to jailbreak their iPhones. However we shouldn't forget that there are two MAJOR problems with Verizon on all their phones that make me not want to switch to Verizon even if they did have the iPhone: 1. Verizon's 3G network is NOT capable of voice and data at the same time. Once you're on the phone, all data connections are closed until you hang up. Not so great when you're trying to use maps and someone calls you, or while on the phone you try to find a nearby restaurant to meet the caller. As Verizon callers know, "I'll have to check that and call you back" is not an uncommon thing to say. In an age of Bluetooth headsets being the norm, we should be able to use our phone's data channel while we're on the phone. Verizon's 3G network is very 2G in this instance (and LTE, Verizon's 4G network will fix this but launch is not until mid-2011 at least) 2. Verizon only gives their 3G data users 5GB of use before they start levying HUGE overage charges (http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/04/30/family_provider_far_apart_over_nearly_18000_phone_bill/). I personally have no intention of going over 5GB but I also don't want to WORRY about a limit at all. Again, very backward thinking by Verizon here, reminiscent of Compuserve and AOL charging hourly for Internet access back in the 1980s. Charge a fair price for unlimited data (I think $30 is fair but let the market decide) and then you'll have a shot at my business. In short, I'd love to see Verizon get the iPhone but not in an exclusive deal, not with 5GB data caps, and not unless they can support data and voice at the same time on their 3G network (which has excellent coverage).
WOW! You've seen seen an Android? That's gotta be like 50% of all the Androids out there! Also, the fact that you waited for so long to replaces your iPhone could also be due to their shitty customer service etc.
Help fight spam
Is it any wonder that iPhone sales are falling behind Android sales?
1) There is more than one phone using the Android OS compared to the iPhone's offering of two storage options (Reaches more pockets)
2) In the US, most Android phones are on networks other than AT&T (Not the most favored of cellphone networks in the US)
3) There is a new iPhone due out in the next few months (anyone who's in the know will be holding off until June 17th?)
I'm not saying that the iPhone is better than the Droid, but now might not be the right time to be judging it's popularity
And never underestimate the ability of people who bought into hype to rationalize their decisions.
--Jeremy
Jesus was a liberal
The difference is that a smart phone is basically an application platform like the PC. The iPOD is not, it's basically a souped up media player. And don't forget that although these kind of markets are highly volatile, it may take a long time before a relatively good product like the iPOD is taken over by its competitors.
What a hate filled post you wrote. Seek some counseling or something.
There is nothing fanatical about understanding statics that show one company has 21% of the revenue, while several other companies have to divide 28%...
In regards to user-base, its a significant difference if the product is paid for or given away. That's lost revenue. It effects the sharholders.
My bad for spreading misinformation again.
Yes, RDP on the iPhone has saved my ass a number of times.
Try taking them orally - whatever you're doing with them seems to have left you with a fart fetish.
Requiem for the American Dream
Thanks. I'm aware of SPB, but actually like Sense/Manilla myself. I don't know what she would think of SPB.
She had a Motorola Cliq before and she liked the Android interface, but the phone was horribly buggy (10x worse that the issues she has with the HD2) so we mailed it back to t-Mobile.
I might have her try SPB.
I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
If you'll note from all the replies to the parent, most won't.
Why would I care what a a bunch of random people on the internet think? These are same fools that think Linux makes for a good desktop OS.
I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
Sure, but there really isn't anything Android-specific about that. They do the same thing with Palm, RIM, and of course Apple. In fact, rumor is they paid Apple about $100M for that deal - hopefully they are getting more than that back in ad revenue from it...
Apple's business strategy seems to work very well. They make a lot of money and they have stayed in business for 40+ years.
You're either incredibly bad at math or a time traveler.
Required reading for internet skeptics
That's the beauty of open source - you don't need Apple's approval to make your own.
This isn't an OS war. Microsoft got/gets paid for each and every computer that gets shipped out. I'm not sure Google is in such a position to demand/get such a royalty. OTOH, Apple gets $$$ for ever iPhone shipped.
Also, desktop is upgradeable (generally) and you want to want multiple parts from multiple companies in multiple variations playing with each other nicely, perhaps with a driver install.
A phone, otoh, is an appliance. No added ram, nothing. It gets upgraded every 2 years by most people. The experience of the hardware/software will be pinned on the maker. Apple offering the iPhone OS to other makers will give away Apple's edge for little added benefit and lots of aggravation ensuring backwards compatibility and that apps work on a slew of phones.
This is not the PC war. The best things Apple can do is wholly outside of licensing out iPhone OS and that is offering the phone unlocked and on multiple carriers. This other shit is irrelevant.
What this data tells us is that consumers are embracing a smartphone OS outside of the iPhone. Apple isn't capturing the same level of market/mind share domination as it had with the iPod. The space will get even more exciting when Microsoft releases what looks to be a solid OS in Windows Phone 7.
I think a big reason for this is the iPhone's AT&T exclusivity. If the iPhone was available on Verizon and Sprint, I'd guess that the iPhone would be doing a lot better against Android. Carrier (i.e., cell phone service availability) is still a big issue in the US.
Frankly, I'm amazed that Apple has stuck with AT&T so long. iPhone sales appear to be leveling off (maybe even decreasing), and opening up the iPhone to multiple carriers is a virtual sure-fire way of significantly increasing sales (in the US). (Yes, yes, I know about the 5-year contract but, as others have said, there are probably ways out of that. Apple must probably have gotten a really sweet deal with the iPad ....)
The interesting question is if Google is turning a profit from all the resources they've invested.
I believe Microsoft is doing quite well from licensing the 100s of their patents in the Linux kernel.
Google does not get revenue directly from selling Android. However, they do indirectly get revenue from in-app advertisements, search advertisements, and app store purchases that are all tied to Android phones
Actually, your statement is much more misleading, and in fact mostly untrue. Do your research next time.
"Google denies a report that it is sharing advertising revenues derived from mobile applications on Android smartphones with carrier and handset partners. The search engine maintains the only revenue sharing it engages in is from paying carriers a cut of its search-related advertising sales."
They only make money from good old search advertising revenue, which is really not Android specific anyway - they do the same thing on nearly every handset, including the iPhone.
It's pretty much conventional wisdom in the industry that Google's goal right now is to get an open platform out there to compete with the closed ones like RIM and Apple. Which is very cool. But THEY aren't claiming to be making money on that project right now, so no need for you to pretend they are.
Since when is "buy one, get one free - but you still need to sign them both up to a multi-year contract" free? Just like those $100 iPhones aren't really $100 once you look at the contract.
Check out the Evo 4g and try to say that with a straight face - it's kit like that which will kill both the iPhone and iPad. Bigger, easier-to-read display than the upcoming iPhone 4g, much more portable than an iPad ... it's the face of the next generation of smartphone computing devices that people will actually be able to type on half-way decently.
Why is AT&T astroturfing here?
Da Blog
Best Buy in Eugene Oregon - they had plenty over the weekend.
So, where is the integration of iPhoneOS with my microSD memory cards or with other Bluetooth devices, for file transfer and usage as access point?
One that hath name thou can not otter
Just because the TV ads say you can do everything doesn't mean you have to do anything.
Some phone like Palm Pre are designed so their software (Synergy, in WebOs) counts on cloud-based storage to import your contacts. It's designed to work this way. And if you don't want to, then the only alternative to Google/Facebook/LinkedIn/etc. is to manually type-in everyone of your contacts.
(And as its an US-American company, their Bluetooth is crippled and doesn't support a decent Obex, so no "just copy the whole address book over BT" like with Ericsson/Nokia/etc.)
(And for some reason, Palm decided to drop BlueZ and use some weird proprietary Bluetooth stack. Thus no decent 3rd party homebrew BT support either).
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Cos, y'know... what's the point in buying one if you've already got one?
j'ai découvert une démonstration vraiment admirable (de ce théorème général) que cette si
I keep hearing this from Apple Fan Boys. "Apple does not want to be the dominent player". This is typical Apple style, tell people the exact opposite of what your really doing. There is good reason not to be to dominent, (DOJ anti-trust issues that Apple are defiantly breaking and would be in trouble for if considered a monopoly)
But looking at their online audio and video moves. They defiantly want to be as big as they can be without triggering anti-trust. Thats is what they are DOING. And if you have any brains, you listen to what people DO before what they say. (Usually what they say is the opposite to what they do. A big reason Google has so much trust. They have been aligning with what they say and do.. well most of the time and in the sight of consumers..)
Dominance of the media gateway is dominance of the media platform. Apples knows this..
I personally think there should be government laws that say you cannot own the gateway and the media platform and the companies have to be independent. Open competition using open standards.
Its like most countries in that the Telco owns the back haul and the retail. History of abuse and inflated prices. The UK forced their telco apart to break this strangle hold. Here in Australia, the government is in a death match with Telstra.. trying to break this model..
Its just bad for consumers. No company or individual should have or even need this responsibility.
"Poor"? That's simply a choice Apple makes. What, are you suggesting other manufacturers should limit themselves artificially?
Would it be still "poor use of statistics" if Anroid had 98% of smartphone OS market, uniformly distributed across 200 devices, and iPhone 1% with two devices? Hey, iPhones would be higher per device...
One that hath name thou can not otter
I dunno where the definition of everywhere is, but Sprint is second only to Verizon in New York city coverage. Maintained Internet radio streaming without any trouble all the way on a drive between NYC and Boston.
Furthermore, all modern Sprint plans come with free roaming, which means you effectively get Sprint + Verizon's coverage.
I haven't had any problems with Sprint coverage.
Maemo/MeeGo seems awesome, but I think it's just a sad case of too little, too late.
There's only one phone that runs Maemo, the Nokia N900, and none that run its successor MeeGo. Nokia's recently announced new flagship phones are all running Symbian.
I really like the concept of a truly open OS on a smartphone, but I haven't even ever seen one in person.
At this point I'd rather take and lend my support to something that is 80% as good (Android arguably) that actually has a shot at success in the marketplace rather than hold out for something perfect that is way too late to the party.
Given that, according to the study, they were giving away a phone (buy 1 get one free), I don't think Apple has too much to worry about just yet. I'm sure they are concerned, but this is hardly the end of the world. iPhone sells from a single carrier here in the US and for a premium price. They have always gone for higher markup items and done very well. This reminds me of the XBox and the MS tactic of selling them below cost to get market saturation.
From TFA: NPD points to a Verizon buy-one-get-one-free promotion for all of its smartphones as a major factor in the first quarter numbers. Verizon saw strong sales for the Motorola Droid and Droid Eris Android phones, as well as the Blackberry Curve, thanks to its promotional offer.
welcome our android overlord.
If enithin kan gow rong it whil. (Murfey)
This was actually a fairly well documented fact. I remember they walked the line of people lined up outside the Apple stores and a good number of them really didn't know what they were going to use it for. They just wanted it. There were articles published about this phenomenon at the time (here's the best I can google right now: http://modmyi.com/forums/ipad-news/704633-surveys-100-dont-know-what-ipads.html )
Never underestimate the power of people who have hatred for certain products to think they know better that the purchasers of a product the reason for the purchase.
Particularly when they are design illiterates. It's like someone who can't read thinking that people who buy books do so because the covers are colourful.
I had the same experience. I walked into Best Buy on launch day (this was in Boston) and they had a big display with 5 iPads. No lines, 3 of them were not even being used, so I wandered up and played with one for 10 minutes and only at the end did someone else come up behind me to try one out. I listened with amusement to the guy trying to avoid telling the elderly people who asked him how much RAM it had (he had a long explanation about how how a small amount of memory in an Apple device was like ten times as much in a windows computer, but couldn't bring himself to say the actual number).
Perhaps it was just incredibly uncool for any Apple devotee to ever cross the threshold of Best Buy, but I couldn't observe *any* kind of shortage either on launch day or in the weeks thereafter.
Verizon was doing the buy-one-get-one-free deals. Were the manufacturers giving Verizon any kind of discounts, or is Verizon sucking up the loss in exchange for the service contract? HTC and Motorola may be getting as much per phone as Apple does, they just don't force the carriers to sell the phone at some "suggested" retail price.
Wow, that was a particularly dumb article:
So if you interview people buying PCs, and some say they want theirs for games, others say they want theirs for MS Office, and yet others say they want theirs for the internet, that represents "confusion" does it? What a stupid concept!
News At Ten: Different people want a computing device for different reasons. Weather next.
It's nice during the short period when you're in transit, but it presents a dilemma once you get there because it is so deprived of basic capabilities that people do tend to want.
For example I go on holiday, I want to take pictures. I need something easy to plug my camera into to download and quickly crop and edit pictures. The iPad is just horrendously horrible for this due to Steve's obsession with locking it down and removing all the standard ports from it. So you are confronted with the dilemma of bringing both the iPad AND the laptop and doubling up on a lot of capabilities or doing without a lot of the basic things most people *do* want to do when they are travelling.
When comparing Apples and Oranges, it's all fruit.
"Google denies a report that it is sharing advertising revenues derived from mobile applications on Android smartphones with carrier and handset partners. The search engine maintains the only revenue sharing it engages in is from paying carriers a cut of its search-related advertising sales."
They only make money from good old search advertising revenue, which is really not Android specific anyway - they do the same thing on nearly every handset, including the iPhone.
What you quoted says the opposite - the only money that carriers get is part of search-related ads. Everything else - specifically including ads in apps - goes straight past the carriers and into Google's pockets (after app developer gets his cut, that is).
Android is an operating system that runs on multiple devices. iPhone OS is an operating system that runs on multiple devices. So why are they comparing Android on all devices to one device running iPhone OS?
Include iPod touch and iPad sales and Android is not outselling iPhone OS.
IMO the iPod will eventually lose market share. The mid/higher end models will be replaced by smartphones. They low end models will not be enough to justify the investment into R&D. The iTunes store on the other hand...
Option 3: A smart phone that doesn't expect me to be a falsebook/twatter obsessive and just works as a smart phone with some computing & browsing (and farting if I choose) capabilities.
My blackberry works pretty well for that kind of stuff...
Considering the way they've been giving away 2 phones for the price of one, this isn't a useful measure. How about comparing how many actual sales were made?
For Android, there is an RDP client for $10 which does that (or a $20 "enterprise" version which has SSL support).
Works pretty well in my experience, especially on Android phones with a trackball (all of them? at least all HTC ones, so far as I know), because that gives you precise control over mouse cursor - Windows UI, especially on such a small screen, is hard to work with in touch mode without a stylus, unless scaled up significantly.
Actually, I always wonder how they do it on iPhone. I know there are RDP clients there, but they only have touch to simulate mouse, which must be a pain.
Market share has absolutely nothing to do with vertical monopolies, which is what Apple has. That's where you control each step of production along the way. Apple doesn't have a total vertical monopoly, since they don't make the individual components, but they've got a stranglehold on the consumer's end, and that's what they should be nailed on if an anti-monopoly investigation goes through.
Canada: The US's more awesome sibling.
Google gets a "royalty" from Android in form of 1) ad views in Android apps, and 2) new users for GMail, Picasa, Buzz etc, which means more personal data for mining.
Ok, I guess that wasn't clear/enough context. There is of course more to the article and to Google's quoted statements...
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Google-Denies-Revenue-Sharing-For-Android-Mobile-Apps-336067/
Here's another key bit, and my point:
"We share revenue on search, not on mobile applications. The same is true for non-Android devices that use Google as the default search engine."
ie. yes, they get advertising revenue from apps, but it is NOT is Android-specific. App developers can use Google advertising on Blackberry or iPhone apps as well, and Google in fact has several native apps (Google Voice Search, Google Earth) in the iPhone, etc.
In fact, they even have an AdSense developer kit for iPhone (as well as Android, of course!) I'm sure they'd be happy to support Palm's (HP's?) WebOS, etc if they ever became relevant.
http://www.google.com/ads/mobileapps/
What you see is Market Share.
The report is about Sales (of new phones).
Nobody claim that Android phones have more market share than iPhones (which have been selling for almost 3 years now)...
> There are VNC and RDP clients for iPhone and iPad. Not sure about android.
FUD much?
Here's my go: Android handles email really well and definitely doesn't corrupt and delete all your files regularly. Not sure about iPhones.
http://code.google.com/p/android-vnc-viewer/
meep
I own a work BB Curve and a personal Android phone. I'm also a BES admin. The only thing I can see that Blackberry's have going for them is decent admin control on the BES (remote wipe etc) and good reliable email push, most of which you can get on other devices pretty well with a few apps. By any other measure the Android phone and iPhones totally outclass them. Android has many more apps, BB apps tend to be more expensive and very dully business orientated (financial tickers etc).
The newer BB next gen devices aren't very exciting and the Storm 2 is especially poor. I'd say the BB is a (very) good business email device and that's about it. They were very late to the 3G show, they still sell curves etc without 3G which to me looks very penny pinching and crappy now.
So who's making RIM number one, it surely can't be all just business sales. I wouldn't thank you for one as a personal device, but you do see it. Do people just like the full keyboards for social networking or something?
Or will this RIM advantage disappear as the market for smartphone grows overall and dwarfs the business sales that have put RIM where they are?
What can I say? You read wrong. Google is not sharing with carriers and handset partners. They do, indeed make money off of the Android market by sharing with developers:
Transaction Fees
For applications that you choose to sell in Android Market, the transaction fee is equivalent to 30% of the application price. For example, if you sell your application at a price of $10.00, the fee will be $3.00, and you will receive $7.00 in payment.[1]
Put identity in the browser.
Pre-emptively replying to myself - I misread which post yours was replying to. No FUD in your post, just information - apologies!
Is this Android as in ALL android devices or just phones?
I cant wait for option 3.
Option 1: Locked down fisher price phone that wont let you fart without His Jobsiness's permission. (Iphone) Option 2: Much more open phone that comes with spying baggage that monitors every fart. (aNdroid) Option 3: A smart phone that doesn't expect me to be a falsebook/twatter obsessive and just works as a smart phone with some computing & browsing (and farting if I choose) capabilities.
Dude, as much as you seem to have a fart fetish, I doubt you'd care about any of the options other than maybe #1. Just sayin...
StarTrekPhase2 - The Five Year Mission Continues!
Perhaps because almost all Android devices are currently phones like the iPhone, and not like the iPod touch or the iPad.
I have a router that runs a version of Linux just as the Android devices do. Should it be counted too?
Oh, but one can: http://slideme.org/application/i-am-rich
A computer is a tool, but I am not. I use Linux
hardly anybody has a clue what need in their life (beyond "oooh shiny!") the iPad might sate.
Yup... that sums up the needs in my life. :-)
I think you drastically oversimplify. At least if the iPad owners I know are any indication. For them, the "oooh shiny!" aspect is simply an added bonus.
StarTrekPhase2 - The Five Year Mission Continues!
So does that mean we now have a another clear leader in the smart phone market? Or are people including yourself going to continue to measure other smart phones to the iPhone?
To me as long as everyone is comparing their wares to the iPhone, the iPhone is still the one to beat...
Apple will start worrying when people no longer feel the need to measure up to the iPhone or better yet when iPhone versus some other phone no longer generate large number of web traffic.
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
I don't think apps can add hardware to the iPhone. Also, re-read what I said, I found apps to do this on both. I just prefer it on one because of the available HARDWARE.
-]Phreak Out[-
On the other hand the boomers are getting older and their eyesight is getting weaker, so expect to see a lot of growth in geezer-phones like jitterbug.
So I'd say the predictions of the death of non-smartphones is greatly exaggerated.
Good thing every consumer is educated.
Didn't Apple just report Q1 2010 as their best quarter ever. with x million Iphones sold? Now the results in the article are for Q1 2010, which means Android outsold Apple during its best quarter ever. This is not just in the states, in Europe Android has always been strong, in Australia every telco now carries an Android phone and the Desire (on Telstra) is selling well. In China there are over a dozen handsets running Android.
I expect the Q2 results to follow the Q1 results, especially as business look at June to get rid of old assets and buy new ones (last ditch depreciation/tax benifits) but then again Apple is a consumer electronics company and not really a part of this market. Q3 when the predictable Iphone 4 is released is when Iphone sales will pick up, Android sales will not drop off so much as Android tends to be taking market share from everyone (WinMo, RIM, Iphone and Nokia).
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
He was talking about the hardware used for android devices (e.g. high res screen and - in my case rollerball on the Hero). This of course for high end android devices.
Supplies were low? Hardly!
What I don't get about this is every time I went by the local best buy they had hundreds of the things stacked up behind the counter in the computer area. Even on launch day - around noon I was able to just walk in and I could have bought one if I wanted - I even have photo proof of this.
Something doesn't ad up if you ask me.
No.. they were all sold units.
Try looking at it in a slightly different way.. The inconvenient not believing PR releases way.
Apple said 1 million units sold. And I'm sure they were telling the truth. As far as it goes.
They didn't really emphasise very strongly that they were "sold" to retailers and Apple stores. And the iFanboys took it from there. Just like the "Apple biggest phone maker in US" story a few days ago, or "iPad killing netbooks" story yesterday.
Which means all the iPads you saw on display, and the many more in the warehouse were all counted by Apple, as sold. Even though anybody could go in and buy them from Best Buy.
So more accurately... 1 million units shipped to retail outlets.
Not 1 million purchased by members of the public. Six months from now, the same units in that million could still be sitting on a shelf in some store.
Running out of stock from Apple's end is easily done. Ship any surplus units to some low performing out of the way Apple store, delay the worldwide launch, or announce it too early, and not have a a hope of meeting it. And get more PR. Easy. Zero sales lost due to underestimating demand. Plenty of stock to go around shipped from Apple stores to the various outlets.. Job done.
Microsoft quotes shipped figures as sold to retail licenses too, when it includes every copy in every shop, every bulk buy from OEMs. Every free upgrades from Vista, every shipped by default copy that gets erased and replaced with the company image. And naturally.. All the copies that get sent to volume license customers that are still using XP, and will for a year or two more.
It's an old trick that keeps getting swallowed by the fanboys, and regurgitated over and over.
It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.
I'm in the same position (networking/support) in an SME. I have a Motorola Milestone (Droid for you yanks) which performs the task admirably. RDP Lite performs well even over VPN on 3G (for the most part, as always its dependent on your 3G signal), the full version is only 10 of your US dollars. Android also has VPN, which the Iphone lacks, granted it's only for PPTP/L2TP/IPSec VPN's as Cisco and Nortel haven't made clients for them. Tested on Server 2003 64 and 2008 32/64.
I bought a HTC Dream in February last year because I spend so much time working at other peoples desks and the boss started to complain that I took hours to answer his emails.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
> To access an android phone you have to link it to a Google account... you download apps from the google app store...
> This is this different than linking to an iTunes account and downloading from the apple apps store how?
Android owners *can* download apps from Android Market... or we can download them from anywhere else, and install whatever we feel like installing without having to play "Mother, may I?" and get anybody's official blessing, first.
iPhone owners officially have no choice. They *MUST* download apps from Apple's AppStore, and *only* from Apple's AppStore.
Android owners bitch because we haven't quite achieved the ideal of end users being able to build our phone's OS from scratch independently of the handset makers, carriers, and Google. We throw public fits, blame HTC for violating the GPL, and eventually get a cookie thrown to us that brings us a step closer to our goal once we combine that cookie with the next rom image ripped from a related newer phone.
Put another way, if Steve Jobs says the iPhone 4 (or an older iPhone) will not do something, it WILL NOT do it. Ever.
If HTC or Sprint says the Hero won't do something, it's only a real limit until someone rips the rom from the next HTC phone, metaphorically bakes it into a new ROM, and everyone gets to have it anyway.
Perhaps you've heard of the Android marketplace.
It's not locked down like the Itunes store. You can browse it here, here and here. Androlib even has QR codes that you can scan with your Android phone that will take you directly to application in the Android Marketplace.
Because no phishing applications made it past the ever watchful censors at Apple?
NoThankYou.jpg to gateway only security. I'd rather have on-device security which informs me which services (API's, but in simple terms like "can send SMS", "accesses your contacts/personal data" or "can write and delete from the SD card"). Even third party APK's do this (because it's part of Android, not the thrid party software).
So stop spreading FUD and others stop modding up FUD.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
> Where were the wince phones on this list again?
They would have been near the top, except just about everyone who owned a WinMo5/6 phone 2 years ago now owns an Android phone. Legacy PalmOS faded away over the span of 5 years in a slow, dignified sunset. Windows Mobile, by comparison, symbolically committed mass suicide and practically vanished from the earth overnight. The last straw was Microsoft's treatment of Touch HD owners -- thanking them for their loyalty and support by telling them they wouldn't be allowed to have the next version of Windows because their phones had two buttons too many. They could hardly have driven more of their last supporters away by paying HTC to port Android to the Touch HD and emailing the download URL to buyers. As it stands, by the end of this year, the Touch HD will have the honor of being one of the finest Android phones you can buy today ;-)
Ahem, these are for Q1 2010. Didn't apple just state that Q1 2010 was its best quarter ever?
You cant have it both ways, either Android outsold Apple whilst it was doing well or Apple is lying.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
Ok, in theory, yes, the Google Android App Store *generates some Android-specific revenue*. But "make money"?
In practice, I think a statistic I saw was that almost 60% of the apps on Google's Android app store are free, and it's estimated that they make about $60M a year (gross - that's $20M for Google). Contrast that to Apple's app store revenue that easily tops $2B a year.
Not only that, but Android allows 3rd party apps stores - and there are now a bunch of them.
Google probably has $20M stashed in a broom closet - they are just not not trying to leverage Android to make money on that market right now. It's probably below the cost to develop and run it.
Which is again my point. I don't know why everyone wants to keep nitpicking the details... but the fact is phones are Apple's #1 business right now, and they are a (very interesting, but not very profitable) experiment for Google.
Again, I'd love to see Android/Google take a chunk out of Apple's business. But these "market share" statistics from the article just don't mean that much right now...
Windows had a 10+ year head start on Linux.
OTOH, MS-DOS was more open than Macintosh and dominated it in a humiliating fashion.
You had an entire industry versus one company.
But including CP/M, of which it was a mere copy, it had a 10+ year head start.
Lars T.
To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck
The iPad is just horrendously horrible for this due to Steve's obsession with locking it down and removing all the standard ports from it.
Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit: $29
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=connect+camera+to+ipad: priceless
Some privacy policy Slashdot.
I walked into Best Buy on launch day (this was in Boston) and they had a big display with 5 iPads. No lines, 3 of them were not even being used, so I wandered up and played with one for 10 minutes and only at the end did someone else come up behind me to try one out.
A week or two ago, I walked into Best Buy, and saw some iPads on display as well. One was available, and I wanted to toy around with it, but the greasy, oily fingerprints all over it made me want to vomit. I gazed at it wistfully and forlornly for a few moments, and then left.
I'm not sure the iPad is for OCD types like me. :(
In a world where over 90% of people are illiterate, yeah, that'd be a valid hypothesis.
Face it, pretending a significant percentage of iPhone buyers did so out of appreciation for its design is as senseless as pretending that a significant percentage of Android buyers did so out of a desire to download its source-code and hack it. The overwhelming majority of the world's population can't program worth shit, and similarly the overwhelming majority of the world's population does not have a degree in industrial design.
Admit it, both platforms are succeeding because of marketing. You know, the field whose entire purpose is to sway people to purchase a specific product? yeah. Not enlightenment or whatever.
No problem is insoluble in all conceivable circumstances.
I'm not nitpicking the details: I'm saying that you were utterly wrong when you said that Google only gets revenue from search (with a irrelevant quote to try to back it up), desperately trying to support your claim that Google's revenue from Android was "0." Who wouldn't call you out when you fuck up like that? You certainly would if the shoe were on teh other foot, given that's exactly what you tried to do to the AC you responded to.
Google makes money in the Android store, search, and who knows what else. They opened Android so that the could push toward an open mobile web, where they plan to dominate, but they aren't bleeding cash in order to do that.
Put identity in the browser.
Make it oneself? $25.00? How declasse!
The US government have made it clear that we have no inalienable rights; any we do not defend vigorously will be taken.
Perhaps a valid point for VNC, but doesn't RDP use encryption out-of-the-box?
...in the mobile OS space anymore. They don't really have a dog in the fight right now. I've used WM6.5, and it is awful. I think it is actually worse for them having tried to ape some iPhone features.
They are already basically relegated to the sliver of the mobile OS marketshare pie chart labeled "Other." By the time they get WM7 into devices and on store shelves, Apple will have iPhone OS 4 out and be working on improving it, and Google isn't standing still with Android, either. Microsoft is going to be playing an endless game of catch-up, and they can't use their old tactics anymore to chase their competitors out of the market. Windows Mobile now has to compete on merit alone.
They laughed at the iPhone and basically ignored Android, let their own product languish, and now they're paying the price.
~Philly
Well, given that I studied design as a subject to the level of a masters degree and have worked as a designer for the last 14 years I would question your assumption that I'm a design illiterate.
I'm not going to get into the shininess issue because that wasn't what I was referring to when i made my comment.
I can't be bothered to go into the no true Scotsman fallacy or the Stockholm syndrome but you may have heard of them. I get the feeling they may be relevant, from the strength of your response. For example, to characterise my feelings about this as hatred is downright bizarre, especially when I stated that my position has nothing to do with hostility, and was just an attempt to show you that to not care particularly about the way a thing is designed (the iphone) does not imply that you would have to be a design illiterate.
This is just my opinion, but I think it's a bit sad that you have to take things to such extremes to protect your position and perhaps your psyche; it does suggest that something else is at play here. I'm sorry to say this but the way things look to me I'd have to say that you may well have issues with self-esteem. I think this is a factor that is usually at play when it comes to extreme expressions of consumerism. Unfortunately, fetishism of this kind isn't usually helped by attaching more and more ill feeling to those that don't share your attachment or even by buying less of the products that fuel it. But good luck anyhow.
Apple could not care less about market share, as long as their total sales and revenue keeps growing at the insane rate they have been.
Wow. Just WOW .
Let's see that one more time, with appropriate emphasis.
Apple could not care less about market share, as long as their total sales and revenue keeps growing at the insane rate they have been.
So.. Apple doesn't care about the single biggest indicator of sales and revenue, because their sales and revenue are currently growing?
I sincerely doubt that Apple is as stupid as you seem to think they are.
Android also has VPN, which the Iphone lacks
Err, what? My iPhone has PPTP, L2TP and IPSec VPN support, and iPhone OS 4.0 will add support for SSL VPN applications from Juniper Networks and Cisco.
~Philly
Isn't the Apple camera adapter like $30? You need a better example.
once we combine that cookie with the next rom image ripped from a related newer phone.
You should come up with a catchy name for this process, like "jailbreaking". :)
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
I guess it depends on where you live.
I'm not so sure. I live in a tourist town so I see people from all sorts of places in the world. Its quite rare to see an iPhone, Androids aren't that often either (but are seen more often then iPhones), Blackberries are quite common but cheap flip phones are the normal.
Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
The leak was last month. Sales have fallen off since Q4 2009...well before the leak started. Face it, the iPhone has fallen behind it's competitors.
no no that cant be true. it just cant be. here - drink some of this...
This seemed like a reasonable sig at the time.
many people choose style over substance without ever knowing that they're buying a very restricted device.
To use my mother as a case study, I don't think she sees her iPhone as "restricted". It lets her check her email and read and play little games. Yes, her old phone did that, too - but Verizon had it so locked down and the functions were so obtuse that she never bothered. To many people, the iPhone is quite open compared to their previous phone.
I don't have one - they are too big for me, but they certainly were the nicest internet-browsing phone out there when they were introduced. Now there is more competition, but it certainly doesn't come from MS or RIM. You have to buy a phone from a company you've never heard of before in order to get a comparable experience to the iPhone. Apple is one of the most recognizable brands on the planet - HTC... not so much. Hell, I'm pretty damn geeky and I find the process of selecting a cell phone pretty damned daunting.
Anyway, my point was that it's not necessarily people choosing "style over substance" - there is also usability and brand awareness at work here. Does my mom like having something pretty and shiny? Sure! But she also knows the name "Apple" as a trusted brand and everyone who has one of these things raves about it.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Putting Blackberry aside
Why would you put Blackberry aside? It's a sizable chunk of the smartphone market.
Apple individually sells more smart phones than most all other companies put together.
Oh, okay. Spin, indeed.
Writhe your naked ass to the mindless groove.
No virus issues yet (that I know of).
Crashes... most certainly. Several a day, but thankfully not system-wide.
Bugs aplenty spread across apps.
Feels a lot like the early days of Windows, actually.
Time to "unroot" your phone I think.
If your apps are crashing every day, use different apps. The rating system is there to be used...use it.
would you rather Google implemented Android Market the Apple way? it'd certainly improve the quality of the apps...but at the cost of your (and developer's) freedom...you cant have it both ways. the rating system should suffice for most of us...
This seemed like a reasonable sig at the time.
Almost all OS X systems are sold in aluminum enclosures. Are you suggesting that when comparing OS X to Windows, we should only count the number of Windows systems sold in aluminum cases?
Platform numbers are interesting because they give some idea about how large the market is for third-party development. Last time I checked, the iPhone SDK does not even allow access to the phone equipment found in the iPhone. Therefore, developers certainly do not care if the host system is a phone any more than Windows developers care that the host system is made of aluminum.
No. Not because it is not a phone, but because it does not run Android. Both the N900 and the Pre run Linux as well, but they were not considered Android devices in this survey.
If you are actually running Android and capable of running software designed for the Android on your router, then yes, it should be counted.
*Everyone* knew about the gen4 iPhone in January.
They didn't know what it would look like or do, but they knew it would be coming, and (roughly) when. Hell, even with the *first* upgrade (the 3G) in 2008, sales slacked off a couple months before it was announced, because Apple-watchers knew that the company usually operates on an annual refresh cycle. In 2009 the release of a new phone in June it was an open secret that only Apple employees pretended not to know, because they weren't allowed to comment. By 2010, the solstice upgrade pattern has become common knowledge.
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
So.. Apple doesn't care about the single biggest indicator of sales and revenue, because their sales and revenue are currently growing?
That's a lot of sarcasm for such little point. Market share is a HORRIBLE indicator of sales and revenue in this market.
Linux workstation OS market share is about, what, 1.5%? And yet revenue is almost zero.
MacOS has maybe 5% market share, and yet Apple's profits were higher than Microsoft's, and their market cap is getting close.
Sure, a lot of that profit was from the iPhone. But then again, this article is about how Android's sales is now better than Apple's, and yet they have made almost zero significant revenue (and clearly no real profit).
Apple isn't stupid. They realized the key to ridiculous profits is high margin with a solid customer base, not trying to capture the entire market for FREE.
Android is the Windows of the mobile world.
You mean they want an Apple but it costs too much money :)
You raise a good point, but I don't think that Apple's flat stock price of the 90s is simply because they failed to license their OS a decade earlier. Besides, recently, Apple's closed model has spanked MS's open model. Look at the 10-year chart... if you had bough MS 10 years ago - well, at least you wouldn't have lost any money. Apple would have returned 20x your money.
But anyway, what is it they say about past results not indicating future performance :)
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
But will you be able to connect over 3G?
I was never able to get my iPhone to connect to any VPNs when I was on 3G with Rogers, in Canada. Now that I've purchased a Milestone, my VPN connections work without issue.
Can I say for certain that this was an issue with my iPhone, not that Rogers decided to switch their policies. No. But I'm pretty sure that Steve Jobs was personally disallowing it. Think about it... It just makes sense.
Keep on knockin'
https://robbiecrash.me
So you pay a few dollars, who cares?
Pretty good is actually pretty bad.
You do realize that the upcoming iPhone OS update doesn't add multitasking, right?
A mathematician and a physicist agree to a psychological experiment.
The mathematician is put in a chair in a large empty room and a
beautiful naked woman is placed on a bed at the other end of the room.
The psychologist explains, "You are to remain in your chair. Every
five minutes, I will move your chair to a position halfway between its
current location and the woman on the bed." The mathematician looks
at the psychologist in disgust. "What? I'm not going to go through
this. You know I'll never reach the bed!" And he gets up and storms
out. The psychologist makes a note on his clipboard and ushers the
physicist in. He explains the situation, and the physicist's eyes
light up and he starts drooling. The psychologist is a bit confused.
"Don't you realize that you'll never reach her?" The physicist smiles
and replied, "Of course! But I'll get close enough for all practical
purposes!"
Go back and look at the complaints about lack of multitasking, and what people would run.
Pretty much, Pandora and some kind of chat.
No consumer is going to understand the nuance of what multitasking is allowed. They are just going to know they can listen to Pandora, or go between apps more quickly.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
similarly the overwhelming majority of the world's population does not have a degree in industrial design.
The whole point of really good industrial design is that the user does not HVAE to understand how something is designed - it's intuitive to use.
Just like I don't need to know how to service a jet engine to fly across the ocean.
People understand good design instinctively. That's why good design is as much art as science, because to do it right you have to understand what makes humans tick.
History has shown that devices the rest only on marketing are fads that don't last. People move on. The fact is Apple has a lot of products now where people have not moved on, and the user base is growing substantially. To claim that's not because of design is at this point willful ignorance - the inability to learn because you are trying hard to keep your preconceptions intact as long as possible.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Sure - you are right, the terms were wrong.
Replace every reference to "revenue" in this thread with "profit", since in fact that was the OP's original question that I misstated from the start.
My point (that has now been beaten into oblivion by inaccurate statements refuted by my inaccurate responses) still stands - Android makes no *significant* money (revenue OR profit) for Google, the iPhone is Apple's largest profit center. Sales and market share are largely irrelevant if they don't end up generating revenue and profit. Wake me up when Android makes $1.5B+ a quarter in net profit with a supposed losing market share.
Why have outlandish features like USB when you can make people pay extra for completely sensible non rip-off extras like the "Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit"?
However, it is interesting to find out that these features are supported on both the android and iPhone, I think I will test the Android out first before deploying on the network; since I don't need to jail-break the Android to use ssh, vnc, and rdp.
You don't need to jailbreak the iPhone as well to use those features. All you need is a RDP/VNC client. There are a few available from the App Store.
Pretty good is actually pretty bad.
It's a Slashdot post, not a dissertation. Of course it doesn't cover all angles.
I'm not. But "oooh shiny!" has quite a different market appeal and potential compared to "oooh useful, AND shiny!". I didn't think I'd have to spell out the obvious around here.
I disagree. This market is still the "ooh, shiny, gotto have" market. Not saying that can't sustain a product, but it's quite different from the market the iPhone entered.
I have yet to speak to a single owner, or see a single review, that bought the iPad for a specific use. Besides, precisely, "oooh, shiny".
I've seen reviewers take the thing to the street and let a dozen people play with it. All go "ahh cool!", then answer the question "what would you use it for?" with a shrug and "dunno".
One would imagine that if a clear purpose for the device had been discovered, it would've trickled out into public knowledge.
As I've said elsewhere, "oooh shiny!" might carry a product long term. But its story cannot be compared to that of the iPhone.
Are you saying people can't enjoy good design without a degree in industrial design? That's like saying someone can't appreciate a reliable car unless they're an auto mechanic.
They say it's selling well, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what it's for. Anything with a backlit display won't be as good an ereader as a Kindle. Too big to fit in your pocket, and no keyboard for serious business use. What are people doing with it?
No you don't... You only need to link it to a google account if you want to use the google apps. If you use another mail provider and an alternative market, there's no need for a google account.
OK, so Android and iPhone are battling it out with their swish special effects laden smart phones but i have a question, do they need an always on net connection to be any use? Some of us have internet at home and work and a wifi enabled phone for some of the times in between and can manage a bus/train ride without having to check myface and dont see the need to fork over a monthly fee just to use our phone. I'm not trying to sound like a grumpy old man, i happily tweet via sms but if i dont want to use the net connection for anything in particular then i turn it off. actually i turn it on, check email, weather, news, twitter, turn it off. I'm happy for the connect/disconnect to be transparent but i dont want it sat there constantly updating a weather applet and checking everyone's facebook status while i'm asleep.
If you don't risk failure you don't risk success.
It's going to crash a lot and get a lot of viruses? /duck
No viruses that I know of, but the stability of my Milestone is a bit disappointing. It's completely awesome in every other respect, but stability is definitely an issue.
It doesn't crash every day or even every week, but I've had one day where it kept crashing dozens of times in a row, and I was completely unable to use it. The next day everything was fine again.
Forgive me if I'm wrong ... but companies could face anti-trust action even if they don't own a monopoly over a product or service. (Confirm/Deny?)
ACK
The Future of Human Evolution: Autonomy
the greasy, oily fingerprints all over it made me want to vomit. I'm not sure the iPad is for OCD types like me. :(
I'm not sure a girlfriend is for OCD types like you!
Tip: if you're paranoid about this, carry sanitizing hand wipes (Purell).
8 of 13 people found this answer helpful. Did you?
I'd say the Java security infrastructure sounds like the most legitimate reason, well Maemo can't even keep applications off / in /opt. :( I don't buy the programmer supply issue however.
I'd imagine that developing from the ground up forces real development, while Nokia has clearly expected unrealistic help from the Maemo community, but they would not have taken that approach.
Ideally, we'll eventually get a solid MeeGo phone that runs all the open source software, while also providing an Android JIT, API, etc. for small applications.
The Christian religion has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world. -- Bertrand Russell
Sprint has an HTC Android phone too called the HTC Hero. So does Verizon with the HTC Droid Eris. alpine white teeth whitening
I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but anybody following the smartphone market would tell you that manufactures (and carriers) strike deals with Google for the branding and also for development and customisation of Android for their phones. The fact that it's OSS doesn't mean that Google doesn't make money on it, and in fact not all of it is OSS. The default Google apps bundle is proprietary, and Google licenses it out. The Cyanogenmod cease and desist incident comes to mind.
:. Ultimate Control Dedicated/VM Servers
I don't understand all the people that want one platform to be the other one's 'killer'. I dont want one platform to kill the other, no matter what the platform is... The market is probably large enough to support 3 or 4 (maybe even 5) large platforms.
My (non-expert) opinion is that:
- there's still some headroom for Apple (after the 5 year exclusive)
- there's some headroom for Android.
- HP's (supposed) commitment to WebOS can also make for some very interesting devices
- Symbian will probably become less important, unless Nokia changes it considerably
- I don't know what to think of Windows Phone 7, but it might be too little too late
- Maemo and Co will remain a niche platform for some time, either to wither away or grow to 5 - 10%
I would really like Apple, Android and WebOS to continue competing for market share in the coming years, since that will get us more features (or better implementations of current features), and more choice, which is rarely a bad thing...
What you are about to see in the comments to this story:
- ”explanations”
- excuses
- denial
- hate
- ignorance
- delusions
Then when they get some point right, cue the:
- counter-”explanations”
- counter-excuses
- counter-denial
- counter-hate
- counter-ignorance
- counter-delusions
Oh, and: ;)
- a lot of fun for the whole family!
Basically you can mod every comment “Troll” or “Flamebait”, and always be right. ;)
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
1) I never specified INDUSTRIAL design. Sure, Apple's products have the best industrial design in the business. But that's only one aspect of design that makes Apple products the best on the market. But then there's software design - how the software looks, yes, but more importantly who the software works.And also the design of the infrastructure - for example that content: apps, music, movies is 0,1,2 clicks away.
2) You don't need any design education to appreciate well designed products. Good design makes products understandable, easy and pleasant to use, it strips away annoyances that are common in other products, it's innovative, it's unobtrusive, it's honest. etc. I mentioned design illiterates because there are people here, like you, who don't understand intellectually WHY certain products are attractive to people. But people don't need design literacy to be drawn to those products which have been well designed.
3) All large companies do marketing. And by it's nature, it's obvious what marketing they do. Any other company could do the same things for marketing as Apple does. And they could do it right now - marketing can be developed in days. Apple's marketing could be emulated in days. They have no advantage here. The answer is that marketing can only work in the longer term when a company has desirable products to sell.
"Google denies a report that it is sharing advertising revenues derived from mobile applications on Android smartphones with carrier and handset partners. The search engine maintains the only revenue sharing it engages in is from paying carriers a cut of its search-related advertising sales."
You haven't read your own quote. The quote clearly says that it is about sharing advertising revenues. This actually implies that they are receiving revenue from these sources and are keeping it for themselves rather than paying some of it to the people who make the phones.
You are saying there is another doohickey that you need to carry with you, not attached to the phone most of the time (as it can break and besides, it makes the phone look less sexy), or else you will have to ask around for it or find a store and spend $29 every time you need it?
My exception safety is -fno-exceptions.
The matter of the fact is if the cage is big enough, most people don't feel locked in.
The average person is apparently fine not having tethering and the 5-10 other "must have" flavors of apps you can't get on the app store. Or at least, the UI niceties outweigh it in their estimation. I'd actually be really curious to see a number on what portion of android users are actually installing software that is not allowed on the app store.
We need to get over this idea that most consumer give a shit whether something is "open" or not. They care about usability, features, price, and form factor, in some random ordering. Openness is only interesting so far as it impacts those four.
For most people, the lack of flash is a blessing and not a curse.
I am not alone when I consider flash to be the most annoying aspect of the whole web browsing experience.
or at least it seems..
Rather than stylish and in-the-know people buying iPhones plumbers, social workers and truck drivers have iPhones here. This is due to the offerings by telcos such that iPhones are practically free with a fairly tenable contract. iPhones are becoming not just middle-class but traversing further down the so-called classes. A few of my very self-conscious dyed-in-the-wool Mac using friends (France, Germany, Austria) have mentioned a desire to escape this ubiquity, in their lifelong quest for edginess.
Here the uniformity of iPhones, the sheer lack of definition in their outward appearance has become a problem. Differentiation - in the quest for affirming individual identity - is much easier with other brands. The Android market will start making a lot of sense to the snobbish and the trend-setters. The Apple brand is less and less the 'BMW' or 'Mercedes' within the market.
...because it's definitive proof that they're maintaining their elitist minority status and still capable of sneering down their noses at the rest of the great unwashed masses.
Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
I'm under the impression that that the current slate of Flash 10 based attacks may not *compromise* the Android browser, given the binary incompatibility between Windows and Android, however, I'm still imagining it's going to crash still.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
I can't say I use it that often, but every time I have, it has worked without issue.
So all the Android OS devices combined (how many are there now, a dozen or so?) sold more phones than the one phone that runs iPhone OS, which pretty much everyone that wants one already has it, in the quarter right before a new model is coming out. This is news? Wake me up when something relevant happens, like a single device getting anywhere near the market penetration as the iPhone. I have a feeling I will be sleeping for a loooooooooooooooooong time.
Android is an operating system / mobile platform. An iphone is... a phone. This reeks of fanboyism to me. A slew of phones outsold a single phone, but that's really exciting because they all have the same OS! That's like saying IOS outsold a specific series of Juniper, or Redhat outsold a Dell 2950.
Linux has become a great server OS, basically replacing the traditional offerings like HP-UX, IRIX, Solaris, VMS and others to a large extent.
It hasn't yet shown to be a credible contender in the Desktop arena. We've been hearing that this year is the year of Linux on the Desktop for over 10 years now.
There are plenty of reasons which I will not enumerate here now.
RogerWilco the Adventurous Janitor
Motorola is a pretty well-known company. And my Droid beats the hell out of any iPhone (IMO).
God is imaginary
I wasn't in the market for a smartphone until I saw the specs on the Evo 4g. This is really a game-changer. a 4.3" screen is going to make so many baby boomers go "I don't need bi-fuck-alls to see this!".
For the video crowd, being able to shoot in 720p from a smartphone is going to float their boat. The HDMI out is another "don't need a laptop to transfer the files to watch on the big screen" changer.
People are going to latch on these, shove big micro-sd cards into them, and ditch their net-tops. Why tether your laptop when you can carry everything you need in a pocket or purse?
Our company is in the process of telling everyone that we will be dropping AT&T. We simply can't afford international travel, at least not with an iPhone. When you call them they seem smug in their prices, almost like "Well, what do you expect. You have an iPhone, paying ridiculous amounts of money is part of the deal".
Quotes for Android phones from Sprint and Verizon range from 1/5th to 1/4th of the AT&T costs for the same phones but with unlimited data. Eventually the 'new' wears off everything and you have to evaluate what it is really costing you.
I get modded down as over-rated, makes me wonder of the people that didn't contribute to this string might not now how or don't use these great tools on either of the mobile platforms, I have gained a lot of great information from your posts and my next phone may very well be a droid or an iPhone, more than likely a droid. Thanks for your great input.
Of all the things I've lost; I miss my mind the most. - Mark Twain
Thing is, a superb programming environment is interesting to maybe 5% of the population, while a superb design is interesting to many, many more people. You don't have to be able to design, or even intelligently criticize design, to appreciate it.
Of course, you can't quantify great design, which is why it tends to be discounted in places like this, but it does exist.
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
The dock connector on the bottom of every iPhone / iPad / iPod is USB2 - along with other things like power, video, audio, etc. The problem though, is the host / client nature of USB. When the iPad is connected to your computer for syncing, its the client. When you connect your camera to it to download pictures, its the host. The question is, is that connector simply a pin-out change, or is there actually circuitry in it that allows the iPad to act as a host?
Kiteboarding Gear Mention slashdot and get 10% off!
Actually if you think about it, Windows is open in the same way that Android is as far as applications go, where the iPhone is closed.
That is to say, I can install any software I want on my Android phone (one checkbox in the settings to turn off 'android market only'), and any software I want on a Windows machine too. This ability to run random crapware as well as freely available good software helped propel Windows, along with a fairly complete API. To annoy my fellow Linux geeks, Android is more like Windows in that regard :)
- Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
Hopefully they're being bought by geeks who want to hack with it.
Unfortunately I think they're being purchased by people who won't want to use them in six months.
Either way, I'd much rather have an Android tablet with pretty widgets and existing multi-resolution app infrastructure.
- Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
The Evo 4g may stall a bit with that nine hundred dollar bump .
Well, when I get mine, I'm going to get a powered wall mount in my kitchen. I'll use it as an all-in-one e-calendar, music player, photo display, tube map, ordinary map, etc etc. I'd like to have that handy. It would be really nice if I could also get all my applicances' manuals on there as well, so that when the boiler or washing machine plays up, I don't have to hunt around for it. Of course, being detachable, it'll be great to read Alice in Wonderland and similar stories with my 1-year old daughter and enjoy this amazing new combination of words, graphics and interactivity that she can enjoy in a way that's completely inconceivable with a mouse or trackpad-driven device. Oh, and it'll be nice to have a recipe book that plays videos / shows multiple angles to show me the really tricky bits, compiles instant shopping lists and allows one-click purchasing from Waitrose, etc etc.
Crashes... most certainly. Several a day, but thankfully not system-wide.
interesting. my nexus one is up for weeks. there is some bug that causes the touch screen to go haywire every so often. that's the only problem i've had.
to be fair, my wife's iphone 3g is up for 5x that long.
Android owners bitch because we haven't quite achieved the ideal of end users being able to build our phone's OS from scratch independently of the handset makers, carriers, and Google.
<obama>Yes we can.</obama>
I'm old enough to remember when discussions on Slashdot were well informed.
Oh come on, you edit your pictures while you're still on holiday? Really? You must be fun to travel with.
Clearly, you are not the target market. It's OK, don't be mad over it, just don't get one. My wife (for example), IS the target market. She edits photos when she gets home on a home computer. She likes having a useful browser laying on the coffee table without hauling a laptop around the house. She enjoys reading interactive books with the kids. She likes it PRECISELY because it is NOT a computer. Companies have been making tablets like you claim to want for 15+ years now. I had one in 1989 that was a 386sx and ran "Windows 3.1 for Pen" (no joke). Instead of complaining that Apple isn't filling the niche you want, why don't you support a company that IS and buy one of their devices already?
Really, people, if you don't want one, don't get one, that's cool. What is not cool is assuming everybody that buys one is a drooling idiot and only bought it because it's stylish. Some people would like to do a few basic computing tasks sometimes WITHOUT using a real computer.
Why are people so angry that Apple doesn't make what they want? Why are the same people who DIDN'T buy the tablet of their dreams 5 years ago when HP was making them, now ANGRY that Apple is making money on a similar but different product?
teeker
Google's Android revenue: 0.
wrong.
almost* every android devices locks the user into google search, gmail, google cal, google maps, google news, etc etc. okay, it doesn't lock them into it, but it works really well with those and at least i have not been at all tempted to look for alternatives.
even if the users aren't gettings ads on the phone, they will be driven to google services on the desktop, where they will get ads and put $ in google's pocket. android is already nicely turning a profit in that regard.
not to mention devices that ship with google services pay a licensing fee to google.
google services on the phone drives users to google services on their desktop / laptop. that's where it pays for itself.
They only make money from good old search advertising revenue, which is really not Android specific anyway - they do the same thing on nearly every handset, including the iPhone.
except the iphone and blackberry have already or are soon switching to bing search. oops.
i don't know the numbers, but common sense says this is huge. the % of searches coming from smart phones is increasing exponentially will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
ipad keyboard connection kit: $? ... and so on ...
ipad external storage connection kit: $?
ipad mouse connection kit: $?
ipad video out connection kit: $?
it all adds up.
Hell at a boardgame party Saturday night (I am that lame) we even whipped 'em all out to compare.
TMI, dude... TMI... ;)
Stop! Dremel time!
You hit the nail on the head, and I'm not even sure you noticed. That's the philosophical difference between the iphone and Android phones. One is much more open, with all the good and bad that comes with it...you can really get at the insides and bend it to your will, and write any sort of app you want, for better or worse. The price you pay for openness like that is the potential for huge instability, but the rating system will hopefully help with that over time. For some technically oriented people and some others, this trade is very worthwhile. The openness is worth those possible inconveniences, and we understand and accept it. I mean, it's not like the user experience is BAD or anything, it's just sometimes things don't work as perfectly as you'd like.
Meanwhile, you have the opposite approach, which is very much the Apple way of doing things. Very closed, very restricted from a developer's standpoint. The benefit of this approach is that the user experience is very controlled and streamlined. Not that they never experience crashes, but generally speaking, the overall experience is a lot more sanitized, clean, and consistent. Few crashes, familiar overall look and feel. It's "the Apple Way" or the highway, but you can see they try to make "the Apple Way" pretty darn nice, if not open.
When people ask me if they should get an iphone or something else, I tell them for most people, your 2 best bets are an Android phone and an iphone. The way they should decide is by thinking about what they expect out of their cell phone. If they only want a few apps they saw on TV and don't want to fuck with it too much and just want a really nice capable phone, then iphone. If they want to do all sorts of additional interesting things, they should definitely get an Android, but recognize that with those abilities comes complexity, and be sure you want a device like your cell phone to *be* that complex.
It all depends on what you want out of a phone, and it's different for everybody. I don't really get why people get so angry about it.
teeker
In my office (small company - 50ish employees in our building). We have three Android phones... the VP has a Moto Droid, the IT guy has an HTC Eris, and I have an Eris. There is a Blackberry or two and everyone else has a dumbphone. I think of all people everywhere, I know one single person with an iPhone.
This is not exactly a high income area, which I think has a lot to do with it. The smallish number of us who make enough money and have the technical know-how and/or need for a fancier phone went with Android phones for a few reasons:
1. The network (Verizon) has better coverage (yes, I know it's generally considered inferior technology...)
2. They were cheaper (deals through Verizon)
3. The phones are damn impressive, especially to non-tech folks.
4. (This one only applies to me). It's Linux.
5. (Also only applies to me). I can't stand Apple's propaganda machine and the false image it portrays.
The Blackberry folks had them before Android was out and either don't know or don't care to switch. I'm not sure what they would pick if they got new phones now.
The confidence of ignorance will always overcome the indecision of knowledge.
I bought one as I just needed something simple for browsing the web, email at home, don't need a laptop, like the form factor and can see the potential neat software people will be able to write for it..
Granted, it's not for everyone, not really a workhorse by any stretch of the imagination, and 500+ dollars isn't disposable income for a decent amount of the population.
But, it works for me.
Live EVERY week... Like it's Shark Week
While the price hasn't been finalized, here's some info: http://www.phonedog.com/2010/05/07/htc-evo-4g-documentation-spotted-at-radio-shack/
$200 on contract, $600 cash. In other words, this puts it in line with other smartphones. (go check the price on an iPhone without a plan - if you can find one. Apple won't sell it to you without a contract in the US - in Canada the 16GS is $$700 without a contract, the 32GS is $800 without a contract - with a contract the 16GS is $199, the 32GS is $299). So expect the Evo 4g to be $200 - $300 with a contract.
At an earlier point it was possible to purchase an unsubsidised iPhone . The unsubsidised price was right in line with the Evo 4g's current price . I think I recall it being Seven Hundred bucks . If memory serves you could accept the iPhone deal , then drop the service for a penalty of around six hundred bucks . That brings it right up to eight , nine hundred dollar bump with your original costs (I think I am reasonably close to the correct amount) .
I hope Evo 4g is a great phone deal . I was responding to your optimism while contrasting that with the only price I could find for it . I am not speculating , or able to compare these products other than they seem comparable . More phone than I need , my wife is interested though .
Destroying? Really? Not according to this: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/26/idc_q4_2009_servers/
Behind which competitor? All different Android phones? All models of Blackberry? Or all other smartphones put together? Apple has one product in the samrtphone space. Do you know how much it's competitors would kill to have 21% of the market with exactly one model of phone?
It's like someone who can't read thinking that people who buy books do so because the covers are colourful.
*sniff sniff* But that cover was really colorful. It made me happy.
once we combine that cookie with the next rom image ripped from a related newer phone.
You should come up with a catchy name for this process, like "jailbreaking". :)
And contrary to jailbreaking, rooting an Android phone is not illegal. =)
I'm not sure a girlfriend is for OCD types like you!
That's probably for the best, as my wife would probably get pretty upset if I had a girlfriend!
Tip: if you're paranoid about this, carry sanitizing hand wipes (Purell).
If I had an iPad, I'd probably clean it regularly with wipes (or whatever), and I probably wouldn't share it (due to the greasy, oily fingerprints issue).
Someone is selling more? "Oh, if we sell too much, it ruins our grand plan. Really!"
Also, Apple will get a large boost in sales due to iPhone upgrades. Quite a substantial number of upgrades are on the same cycle as the phone releases. So yeah, right now, the numbers are down, artificially low, as everyone knows the new iPhone announcement is coming in June or July. Once it's out, there's an almost guaranteed spike in iPhone sales, as all of those with expired 2G contracts rush out to buy the new phone. At least, that's expected... if it really sucks, maybe there's less of that, but I'd still bet on Android carrying 2Q2010, with iPhone probably back in the #2 or even #1 slot for 2H2010.
And that's just dandy, and not an Android problem. I think the fact Android hit #2 this early, and in the USA rather than globally, was kind of a surprise, if not a downright anomaly. Apple's situation helped, but it's definitely a sign that Android is growing, and growing fast. My personal opinion is that, unless Google manages to do something stupid on an epic scale, the dominance of Android over iPhoneOS is only a matter of when, not it. But with folks like China Mobile embracing Android, while Apple's still weak in much of the world outside the USA, I really expected this to be a global win before it hit stateside. And I still think it's going to flip-flop from quarter to quarter for awhile. Android will be more consistent, simply because there's a "hot new thing" introduced in the Android ecosystem every few months. But this will also allow Apple's sales spikes to have it keep winning sales from time to time, even after Android dominance is assured.
Given Apple's various policies, it's impossible they're not fully aware that they can't hold their current #2 position in the US forever. They probably don't care... selling high priced PCs hasn't been at all bad to Apple's bottom line. They're not going to change that policy anytime soon in the devices market... iPhones will continue to compete with the high-end of the Android and other smart phone markets, while the Android world will encompass an increasingly wide range of devices, getting to low price points Apple will never even bother with.
And in fact, Apple can't bother with those lower-end markets. It's the same reason Mercedes and BMW only get so cheap... they have to protect their hard won position as high-end models. Apple's selling much the same thing in the PC, PMP, Smartphone, and Tablet market as everyone else, but at twice the price, give or take. They're not about to give that up for increased market share... why would they? From a techie point of view, lots of us are bothered by this... I've been a little bothered by Apple since the 80s, as I was designing computers with the same parts for Commodore, delivering more performance, and Apple was still considered "high-end", even with often inferior hardware designs out of Apple.
But from a sales and marketing viewpoint, you have to love how successful they've been at maintaining this market perception... and for decades. This is the reason Apple's flush with cash, while many PC companies and cellphone companies alike have been struggling.
-Dave Haynie
It's a cool toy. That's it. Some article last week claimed that demographically, the iPad was bought largely by older, rich men. In short... yeah, it's "oooh... shiny...." all over again. Just as when the iPhone first came out... it wasn't even a PDA at that point, just a cellphone with a PMP and Web browser built-in.
Having viewed the dozen-or-so keyboardless tablets shown off at CES this year, as well as the iPad two weeks later, I have an idea of why I'd like something like this, and particularly why it's not the iPad. But I'll need a valid reason.
Smartphones are a valid reason to buy such a device. Before my Droid, I had a Palm Treo. The big advantage of the smartphone is that it's really not a phone, it's an application processor, a PDA, something that replaces a dozen small electronic devices. My Droid is a phone, sure, and it's just dandy as a phone. It's actually more than that, since it supports pretty much every form of modern communication: Skype, Twitter, IM, SMS, Facebook, interactive blogs, etc. About all that's missing is a front-facing camera for videoconferencing... and those are coming in the newer phones. Next time an important new form of communications comes along, there's just a new app to download.
It also replaces, and sometimes extends, the slew of small devices I'm likely to carry. It does the MP3 player/PMP thing, but does it better than any MP3 player or PMP I've had. First of all, a better-than-SD screen just rocks for video, and network access to YouTube and other sources make it more useful for video than, say, a plain old iPod. Same with music... the MP3 player function is dandy, but there fact of apps means you have better alternatives. On the Droid, I use Museek for listening to locally stored music... it adapts to my current mood. Or Pandora and other "internet radio" options... I recently drove from South Jersey to Boston and back, with Pandora running the whole way, perfectly glitch-free.
Next is GPS.. this is a better GPS than many units I've owned, even if you never use the live satellite overlays. There may be issues if you lose the network, but that generally doesn't happen. It's also a functional pocket camera and camcorder. No, it's no replacement for my Canon EOS or Panasonic HMC40, but since I have it anyway, it's ok. Video on this device is actually better than on many consumery SD camcorders... sure, the audio is just as bad if not worse, but again, it's one more device function.
I get more, via apps. I used to carry around one of those Sony mini-tape recorders, for writing ideas. I used voice notes on the Treo, these days I have both voice and text notes, and automatic, invisible sync to my PC via Evernote.. again, not just the old function, but an improved version of that old function. It's also a fully functional flashlight, a guitar tuner, a games machines, a ssh client, etc.
Then, of course, email and web... the web browser is good enough that, for a simple "hey, I want to check that out" kind of use, I don't bother with a PC anymore... the phone's always here. I have email set up though my server to go to the phone and the PC, and of course, work email via the crufty Microsoft stuff works as well as anywhere, I guess.
So... on to the tablet. I need a number of larger format devices replaced by the tablet, or I'm not interested. What could these devices be? Well, some of that's maybe basic laptop stuff.... if I'd take this tablet where I wouldn't take the laptop, but still get some needed functionality, I might find that useful. Doing CAD and Video, I'm always going to have a desktop, so for me, a functional enough tablet might replace the laptop entirely.
First thing I might drag along -- portable video player. I have a portable DVD player, I might like a portable Blu-Ray player to replace it, but given enough function in a tablet, maybe that'll do the job. The big problem there is storage... most of these don't have a single Blu-Ray's worth of storage. But if you can use SDHC/SDXC cards or USB sticks/hard drives, op
-Dave Haynie
Also, I don't think it's a matter of Apple allowing other carries in the US. It was originally a matter of AT&T not allowing them... Apple had to give AT&T exclusivity in order to get them to carry the iPhone. By all accounts that's over, but the real question is, can anyone else deal with Apple. Verizon and Apple have apparently had serious talks at least three times now, and so far, no iPhone on Verizon. The story as I hear it is that Verizon has been interested, at least in the past, and were willing to deal with Apple much as they dealt with every other vendor. Apple, on the other hand, wanted the same kind of special treatment, like profit sharing, they got from AT&T.
Going forward, though, I think it's more of a longshot. The fact is, Verizon is doing very nicely with Android now. But it's not just that... they can only offer so many phones that do basically the same thing before it's just not worth their carrying the phones. As they have in the past, Verizon likes to brand the models they carrry. It's not that big of a deal to most people.. the Verizon Droid is essentially just a CDMA2000 Motorola Milestone. But when you say "Droid", it's automatically Verizon. All their other Android phones are marketed under the "Droid" name.
Look at the Google Nexus One deal... supposedly, Verizon was set to carry the Nexus One. Only problem... that was going in with Google primary branding, not the secondary branding you get with the Droid (being a "Google Experience" phone, the Droid is just as untouched by Verizon as the N1 would have been, but the Google logo's on the back, it says "Motorola" and "Verizon" on the front). Put an iPhone into Verizon, and it's still an iPhone, still Apple branded, with maybe a tiny "Verizon" on the back. I'm not sure they want that.
And if you can't have Verizon, that's at least currently 30% of the smart phones sold in the USA, and growing much faster than AT&T. So Apple would have to tag both T-Mobile and Sprint for the same coverage. And really, are they interested? Would Apple do a special CDMA2000 + WiMax phone for Sprint... that's probably what they'll be requiring for their high-end phones, like the EVO 4G, from now on. Given that AT&T and Verizon are both going LTE at 700MHz, this is probably a non-starter for Apple. So that leaves T-Mobile. Well, they're already GSM/HSPA, just on different 3G channels. But they're also the smallest carrier.
-Dave Haynie
Google didn't do Android to make a vast fortune selling smart phones. Their primary concern was to ensure their primary profit center, internet search, extended to small devices. Given that, prior to Android, every smart phone platform was proprietary and closed source (some, like Symbian, have gone open source since then), it was easy to believe that at least, default search could leave them out. In fact, that's just what happened ... RIM made a search deal with Microsoft, and overnight, Blackberries started using Bing! as their default search engine.
Google is actually making money on Android, via search. In fact, depending on just how they package Android, some of the carriers are getting profit sharing from Google based on that income.
Search will absolutely become increasingly important on mobile devices. Things like Google Goggles, the various tools for finding things in unfamiliar areas, other augmented reality toys, they all show pretty clearly that this is going to replace a great deal of the stuff people once did on the desktop. Google was smart enough to not only see this coming, but release Android in such a way that ensured it would eventually dominate the small device market.
-Dave Haynie
Motorola is new to the 'Droid game, and indeed I'd wager that their name is a big reason for the surge in Android device sales.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.