270 Million Android Users In China

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270 Million Android Users In China

Posted by timothy on Saturday November 30, 2013 @09:02PM from the multiply-by-tea-per-user dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Until now, it was particularly difficult to obtain reliable figures on the results of the Android operating system in China. Indeed, there is no 'centralized app store' and most smartphones sold in the country do not use Google services, including activation. In fact, it is very difficult to know the actual results. The search engine Baidu has corrected this by publishing a report on trends in the mobile internet for the 3rd quarter 2013. It appears that there would be now 270 million active users of the Google platform in the country (more than 20% of the total population). Growth would, however, decrease with a small 13% against 55% for the same period last year but up 10% compared to Q2 2013."

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Almost heaven by bob_super · 2013-11-30 21:16 · Score: 1

> there is no 'centralized app store' and most smartphones sold in the country do not use Google services, including activation.
Get this on this side of the Big Pond and I'll sign up in a heartbeat.
1. Re:Almost heaven by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-30 21:20 · Score: 1
  
  www.dealextreme.com
  You're welcome
2. Re:Almost heaven by Eunuchswear · 2013-11-30 21:44 · Score: 1
  
  Get this on this side of the Big Pond and I'll sign up in a heartbeat.
  Sign up?
  Just but the phone. No "signing up" needed.
  
  --
  Watch this Heartland Institute video
3. Re:Almost heaven by zequav · 2013-11-30 21:50 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Nobody forces you to use the google services with a Nexus, and you can buy one now in USA or Europe. Get AOSP/CM/AOKP/PA/whatever from git, compile it (or get it from xda from someone who compiled it) and voila: (mostly) open source OS with no traces of google. With fdroid replacing the play store, humble indie bundle for some nice games and DAVdroid (available in fdroid) for contact and calendar sync with your own carddav/caldav server you get a nice private smartphone.
4. Re:Almost heaven by AmiMoJo · 2013-11-30 23:29 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  As of KitKat, Google search cannot be disabled.
  Sure it can, it's just part of the default launcher. You can replace the launcher with any type that you want, with or without Google search. There are hundreds available on Play or via side-loading if you want to completely avoid anything Google related.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
5. Re:Almost heaven by knarf · 2013-11-30 23:43 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Nonsense. The source is there, anything can be disabled, changed, added. The only thing keeping Android from being completely open is the amount of blob code needed to access device-specific hardware. Google has as much control over your phone as you want, from 'none at all' to 'they know who I'm about to meet'. The choice is yours.
  The KK launcher ('home screen app') in Google apps is built around Google search. Don't want it? Just use another launcher, there is one for every need, some of them free software, others closed. The choice, again, is yours.
  
  --
  --frank[at]unternet.org
6. Re:Almost heaven by spikenerd · 2013-12-01 02:16 · Score: 1
  
  The only thing keeping Android from being completely open is the amount of blob code needed to access device-specific hardware.
  This is no small barrier. To end users, it is the difference between a phone that works, and one that is broken. Reverse-engineering proprietary blobs is a tremendous bother. Who wants to put in all that effort for a phone that will be obsolete in 3 months? Essentially, if there is even one proprietary blob, the whole thing is effectively proprietary. From a practical perspective, is only marginally more open than Windows ever was.
7. Re:Almost heaven by brunes69 · 2013-12-01 02:38 · Score: 1
  
  I don't know what you are talking about really but no one forces you to use Google services with any android device. Adding a google account is optional, and there are several app stores available.
8. Re:Almost heaven by brunes69 · 2013-12-01 02:57 · Score: 2
  
  Please explain what you mean by "As of KitKat, Google search cannot be disabled". Disabled where? On the home screen? Yes it can. Google now? Yes it can be disabled. In Chrome? How about installing Firefox or Dolphin or one of dozens of other browsers?
  I think you have no idea what you are talking about.
9. Re:Almost heaven by tlhIngan · 2013-12-02 04:20 · Score: 1
  
  Nonsense. The source is there, anything can be disabled, changed, added. The only thing keeping Android from being completely open is the amount of blob code needed to access device-specific hardware. Google has as much control over your phone as you want, from 'none at all' to 'they know who I'm about to meet'. The choice is yours.
  Actually, a modern Android phone (non-Chinese version) is actually full of closed source at the top - and I'm not talking about drivers, but Google-installed closed source.
  AOSP gets you a basic phone, yes, but you'll notice most of the apps are actually missing and anyone using AOSP will probably ask why they're so crippled - Google has closed source versions of many apps that leave the AOSP versions in the dust.
  http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/10/googles-iron-grip-on-android-controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary/
  These days, Android is dominant. Google no longer needs Android to be open-source in order to prevent an "iPhone takeover" or to build marketshare. And we see that happening - Google is restricting what they put in AOSP to prevent Amazon and others from taking AOSP and running with it - doing stuff like tying apps to Google Services Framework so devs can't port to Kindle easily, etc.
  Perhaps the biggest threat to Google is that Samsung is the only player with a complete set of fully functional (closed source) replacement apps. But anyone starting from AOSP has a lot of extra development work to do.
  
  The KK launcher ('home screen app') in Google apps is built around Google search. Don't want it? Just use another launcher, there is one for every need, some of them free software, others closed. The choice, again, is yours.
  Yes you can. However, that's sure a HUGE PITA that for everyone concerned, no one would bother. Sure you'll have a few, but the vast majority won't, so much so that the few that do are insignificant and ignorable and if you're an app developer, you don't care.
  I know there are probably a few people who change launchers daily, but others may try it once and forget it - the big problem with Android is the lack of a sane backup solution - you can spend hours/days customizing it, but then move to a new phone and then lose it all. Repeat a couple of times and it's just a huge PITA.
Not that supprising by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-30 21:24 · Score: 3, Informative

I was browsing this page the other day ...
http://www.tech-thoughts.net/2013/11/smartphone-market-share-by-country-q3-2013.html#.Uppjs6kW1dU
It seems that the Android market in China has roughly 80% of the market but the surprising thing is the level of iPhones. Some European countries have less iPhone uptake than that.
Android clearly dominates the market outside the US and Australia.
On interesting figure is that in China there are 1.2 billion in China so lots of room for growth as phones come up for replacment.
1. Re:Not that supprising by jbeaupre · 2013-11-30 23:30 · Score: 1
  
  On interesting figure is that in China there are 1.2 billion in China so lots of room for growth as phones come up for replacment
  
  Growth may be not be that great as your stats also show the population has recently shrunk by 150 million.
  
  --
  The world is made by those who show up for the job.
2. Re: Not that supprising by iamhassi · 2013-12-01 05:55 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  The numbers are probably skewed since android can be put on any device by anybody while iOS is only available on iPhone so naturally everyone in china is using android. Even though a iPhone 5s costs more than the average monthly wage in China they're still selling out in hours. Can't ask for better sales than that, the fact anyone spends a month's salary is amazing, that would be like what, $3,000 in the US?
  
  --
  my karma will be here long after I'm gone
3. Re: Not that supprising by AmiMoJo · 2013-12-01 09:27 · Score: 2
  
  Even though a iPhone 5s costs more than the average monthly wage in China they're still selling out in hours. Can't ask for better sales than that, the fact anyone spends a month's salary is amazing, that would be like what, $3,000 in the US?
  The link you provided doesn't give exact sales numbers, but it is a fairly common tactic to limit the supply of expensive items artificially to keep them expensive and exclusive. iPhones are aspirational purchases, if they were cheap and plentiful it would take the shine off.
  As for costing more than the average monthly salary that's because there is even bigger disparity of wealth in China than in the US. A friend of mine works in a clothes shop over there and some of the dresses she sells are more than a month's wages, and she considers herself to be doing okay. On the other hand I could buy one every day or two, and most of the clients she gets have wardrobes full of them.
  In other words there are plenty of people who can afford iPhones, but also a vast number of poorer people who can't and who drag the average wage/iPhone ratio down. The iPhone is just like those expensive dresses that have high profit margins on them but are kept expensive to remain exclusive and desirable.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
4. Re: Not that supprising by getNewNickName · 2013-12-01 17:37 · Score: 1
  
  The link you provided doesn't give exact sales numbers, but it is a fairly common tactic to limit the supply of expensive items artificially to keep them expensive and exclusive. iPhones are aspirational purchases, if they were cheap and plentiful it would take the shine off.
  Sure, many companies play the "limit the supply" game, but given that the WSJ says that they've increased production of the iPhone 5s, I don't think that Apple is playing this game.
5. Re: Not that supprising by tlhIngan · 2013-12-02 04:08 · Score: 1
  
  Sure, many companies play the "limit the supply" game, but given that the WSJ says that they've increased production of the iPhone 5s, I don't think that Apple is playing this game.
  Limiting supply also means scalping, and Apple is against scalpers - a lot of their purchase policies are basically enacted to foil scalpers (it doesn't always work, because if you're willing to throw people at the problem...).
  It's far less likely that Apple is artificially limiting supply - the iPhone has traditionally sold for ridiculous amounts of money (most of it going to scalpers) - people are just willing to pay $1000-2000+ for the latest iPhone - imported from the US if necessary. Apple would rather sell those people a phone at retail price than to encourage sales by "limiting supply" and "running out".
  And heck, if the numbers are to be believed, Sony and Microsoft are learning that selling out works initially, but if you want sales, you have to have product in channels (i.e., the Xbone is actually having better sales than PS4 - because the latter is impossible to find due to low supplies, whilst the former is much easier to obtain as Microsoft skims people by simply being available).
  "Sold out" is a cheap marketing ploy that only works at the beginning. Being constantly sold out means you're giving everyone else money as only die hards will explicitly continue to wait for your product.
Re:This isn't google's platform by jones_supa · 2013-11-30 22:44 · Score: 1

If a device uses android, but doesn't use google's services and doesn't use google's app store, it got nothing to do with google.
Why not? The Android operating system is still created and maintained by Google.
Re:This isn't google's platform by pmontra · 2013-11-30 23:19 · Score: 2

It's not Windows if you use Firefox, Google, Open Office and Eclipse instead of IE, Bing, Word and Visual Studio?
Re:This isn't google's platform by rasmusbr · 2013-11-30 23:40 · Score: 1

It's not Windows if you use Firefox, Google, Open Office and Eclipse instead of IE, Bing, Word and Visual Studio?
If Microsoft has open sourced Windows recently and I missed the news then yes, it wouldn't necessarily be a Microsoft platform.
NSA backdoors Heaven by HansKloss · 2013-11-30 23:52 · Score: 1

Imagine how hard Google, Cisco, M$ and others must be pressed to put backdoors in their products.
It's like having "swiss cheese" of networking, so many holes.
1. Re:NSA backdoors Heaven by citizenr · 2013-12-01 02:02 · Score: 1
  
  Why would you think so? Not a lot of Americans in China at the moment. NSA is mostly interested in spying on US citizens.
  
  --
  Who logs in to gdm? Not I, said the duck.
Re:This isn't google's platform by alen · 2013-12-01 00:35 · Score: 1

the android OS itself is created by lots of companies and maintained by google
but at this point anything of monetary value in android has been stripped out by google and runs under google play services which is licensed separately. you can create all the non-google android phones you want but unless you pass OHA cert you can't run google apps on them
Windows WILL be opensourced by aNonnyMouseCowered · 2013-12-01 02:06 · Score: 1

It's only a matter of time and who knows what restrictive GPL-incompatible license Microsoft will come up with. Everything's being opensourced, including guns, money, and government secrets. Note that I don't equate opensource with free as in freedom. Microsoft will still be in control so that maybe you can't mix Windows source with Android/Linux source. And you'll probably still need to pay a license while all your improvements will belong to them.
1. Re:Windows WILL be opensourced by jones_supa · 2013-12-01 03:42 · Score: 1
  
  Why would Windows be open sourced? Could it be made to work as a good business case for Microsoft?
2. Re:Windows WILL be opensourced by symbolset · 2013-12-01 04:49 · Score: 2
  
  No. Somebody would great a more secure fork and it would be the grand xfree86 migration all over again. And then there would be no reason to move off XP ever.
  
  --
  Help stamp out iliturcy.
Re:This isn't google's platform by Billly+Gates · 2013-12-01 02:08 · Score: 1

Sure it is.
A platform is a stack such as LAMP. The kernel, OS, and apps, and last use are part of that platform. Windows is just one piece.
Slashdotters keep getting into the argument of whether Android is Linux. I argued no as Linux applies gnu/Linux with an xorg, shell script, unix whatever app. Android is a Linux kernel with a java based proprietary stack on top. Otherwise I am a VMS operator because I run XP at work with a VMS like kernel or a BSD admin because I work on Avaya phones which run on NetBSD.
MS Office is a platform too and if I do office on a Mac I can share with you on Windows. Only outlook and Access are not there.

--
http://saveie6.com/
What app markets should I upload my app to? by aikawa · 2013-12-01 16:26 · Score: 1

Some friendly users translated my free (open source) app to Simplified Chinese.
Where should I upload the APK to reach most of the Chinese market? What 2-3 app markets are the most popular in China? Thanks a lot!
1. Re:What app markets should I upload my app to? by tlhIngan · 2013-12-02 04:26 · Score: 1
  
  Some friendly users translated my free (open source) app to Simplified Chinese.
  Where should I upload the APK to reach most of the Chinese market? What 2-3 app markets are the most popular in China? Thanks a lot!
  Don't bother - someone else in China probably already has. And maybe even charge for it, and a couple of versions probably have added malware as well.
  Quality control, piracy (both ways - paid apps for free in the store, and other devs submitting the same app and making money off it), etc., are non-existent.
  There's a reason why the latest Android malware generally spreads through China first - the official app stores are so bad that you really cannot tell if you're getting the real thing, a pirated copy, an infected copy, whatever. That and the popularity of sideloading and such.