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App Store Sales For Android To Overtake Apple's iOS, Research Firm Says (sfgate.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: For years, Apple's App Store, the place where people download apps for games and social networking services on their iPhones, has generated far more revenue worldwide than its Android competitors. This year, things are changing: The App Store will fall second to the amount of revenue generated by Android app distributors, predicts analytics firm App Annie. In 2017, the App Store will generate $40 billion in revenue, while Android app stores run by Google and other parties will generate $41 billion, App Annie said. That gap is expected to widen in 2021, with Android app stores generating $78 billion in revenue and Apple's App Store at $60 billion in revenue, according to App Annie's report released on Wednesday. The surge in revenue for Android comes from a growing number of consumers in China who are buying Android phones and are willing to pay for apps. In 2021, App Annie expects there to be eight Android smartphone users to every single iPhone user in China.
I'm seriously considering switching to Android as my next phone, too. My iPhone is beginning to irritate me. I have to press the home button twice before I can enter my PIN, I have only one button (a back button and the other button to switch between apps or kill them would be nice), and there is no light like I see on Android phones indicating that a message arrived and needs answering, etc. These are all things that Apple just doesn't have, and their sandbox is just becoming more of a hindrance.
Like you say, if you're a moron who installs every spammy app you find, then tough luck for you, but I would have a much better experience with Android than I do with my locked-down sandboxed walled garden that is lacking some useful features because Apple knows best. Sorry, but they don't know best, and I'm getting sick of it. I'll still use my MacBook Pro as my desktop OS at home, but as far as a phone goes, iPhone isn't cutting it anymore, and Huawei are making some damned fast phones that look very attractive indeed (and are way cheaper).