Android growth to explode in 2009

Author: Gareth Halfacree
Published: 12th May 2009
Comments (16) Stumble
Android growth to explode in 2009

The Android platform is gaining a head of steam - and Strategy Analytics reckons it could hit 900 percent growth in 2009.

Apple might be enjoying the iPhone's position as the king of the mobile device world, but risks being dethroned by upstart Android devices if it doesn't start innovating fast.

As reported over on Electronista, analytics specialists Strategy Analytics has released estimates that show market penetration of Android-based devices growing by a massive 900 percent throughout 2009 – far outdistancing a predicted growth of 79 percent for Apple's baby.

Directory of Strategy Analytics, Neil Mawston, believes that “Android is now in a good position to become a top-teir player in smartphones over the next two to three years.” With several companies already committing to Android-based devices – and still more rumoured to be betting their entire future on the Linux-based mobile platform – it's a prediction that can't be far from the truth.

The company fingers Android's success as a result of the low cost of licensing the platform, and the fact that the open source nature of Android attracts companies who can customise and refine the system to better suit their individual implementations. This low barrier to entry has lead to companies such as China Mobile adopting the platform after talks with Apple to customise the iPhone operating system to better suit the market floundered.

Whether Android can really knock Apple off the mobile device top spot remains to be seen, but the explosive growth of both platforms over the past few years must be giving existing mobile platform creators – including Nokia with the Symbian platform it made open source last year – pause for thought.

Will your next smartphone be running Android, or is the iPhone still your gadget of choice? Perhaps you think that Symbian is still in with a fighting chance against these brash new upstarts? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
Quote Jenny_Y8S 12th May 2009, 15:16
So if apple will be selling 23.8 million iPhones a year. How many androids will be sold at their 900% rise?

I'm guessing...

A fair few less.

But give 'em time, it's got the internet inside it and google likes the internet!
Quote fodder 12th May 2009, 15:23
I have an Android G1. It's not flawless by any means, but has come a long way since release. Updates are so transparent it's ridiculous, justs asks you to re-boot when convenient. No need to connect to a mac/pc or seperate software.

Onscreen keyboard that works well now too. Market getting some really good apps on it, some of the best either free or less than a pound.

Now, if they could just get google apps working on there PROPERLY it would go a looooong way towards giving the iPhone a spanking.
Quote KayinBlack 12th May 2009, 15:27
Currently working on playing with an x86 Android setup.

Will say nothing more than kb/mouse make it another linux distro, with more awesome.

If I could only get MINE to install.
Quote perplekks45 12th May 2009, 15:55
So, Android based phones sky-rocketed by 900% from, eh... not much to still a lot less than Apple?
Remember, Apple sold over 18 million iPhones so far. That is, including 1st and 2nd "generation".

I hope that Android based phones catch up but it seems like it'll take another 2 to 3 years, as stated in the article.
Quote lewchenko 12th May 2009, 16:32
The only android handset Ive really heard much about is the G1 by TMobile here.... and it didnt exactly get amazing reviews. I think it even lost in a head2head with the iphone on 'The Gadget Show' (TV). Publicity and desirability seem to be lacking here.

Apple's iPhone is widely known, desired, and has reached mass penetration in the non techy world. I saw an ultra fit girl on the train the other day with her mates, and she got out a white iphone.. they were all saying how cool it was compared to their phones. Seriously... it was a commercial that someone should have captured on Camera for TV. I was surprised that the iPhone was held in such high regard by such a generation (they were in their late teens or early 20's)

I think Android has a long way to go yet.. but MS have tried to woo the 'many designs / many manufacturers' previously and failed miserably with their Windows Mobile ? Im sure that was down to an appalling OS, but will Android's lack of standard model actually put consumers off ?

After all, if I want an iPhone.. there is only one place to go, and all models will work well with the software from the App Store. Plus all Apple products look and function a level above the competition (be it iPhone, Mac, or iPod)

Android is like the MSX computers of the 80's.... many form factors running the same OS. Kinda like PC's now!
Quote yakyb 12th May 2009, 16:33
interesting

so then how do you start developing apps for the android?
Quote perplekks45 12th May 2009, 17:21
Do Apple's products really perform one level above the rest? Really? :p
Quote leexgx 12th May 2009, 18:01
one thing Ms is missing on there mobile devices is an market there is not market place on the phone like android or iphone
Quote dolphin-promotions 12th May 2009, 18:02
To be honest I think Andorid phones will take over the iPhone, purely because there is one (or a few at some point) iPhone against potentially hundreds of Android devices. It is not really a fair comparison as you are comparing an OS to a complete phone. I’m pretty sure Symbian OS phones outsold the iPhone last year?

The biggest criticism most people had with the G1 was the hardware not the OS itself. Surely it is a matter of time before someone releases a phone with the looks and specification to do the OS justice.

Also if there are multiple Andoid devices then they can cater for all tastes whether the phone is small, large, with keyboard or without etc etc.

The biggest gripe I have at the moment is where are all these Android devices? The G1 was released over 6 months ago and the only Android phone to be released since then which by all accounts appears to be a G1 sans keyboard! Though to be honest I am only annoyed as I have been able to upgrade since Feb, and there is no phone that really appeals to me at the moment!
Quote BLC 12th May 2009, 19:18
I did try out Android on my HTC TyTN II (Not an Android device - sold with Windows Mobile), but it was at a very early stage of porting to that hardware - hardly anything worked at all, it barely booted a GUI. If they ever manage to get it properly ported to my current phone (HTC Touch Diamond), I'll give it a shot again - see what the fuss is about.
Quote UncertainGod 12th May 2009, 19:57
I'll be grabbing a HTC Magic with Android 1.5 soon enough, looking forward to having a decent phone again and finally ditching Symbian.
Quote cyrilthefish 12th May 2009, 20:10
Quote:
Originally Posted by dolphin-promotions
The biggest criticism most people had with the G1 was the hardware not the OS itself. Surely it is a matter of time before someone releases a phone with the looks and specification to do the OS justice.
QFT!

The G1 is about the only HTC device in many years i haven't liked, i'd buy one instantly if they put Android on pretty much any other HTC phone (slide-out keyboard type)

I'm sure Google are doing it only to frustrate me :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by BLC
I did try out Android on my HTC TyTN II (Not an Android device - sold with Windows Mobile), but it was at a very early stage of porting to that hardware - hardly anything worked at all, it barely booted a GUI. If they ever manage to get it properly ported to my current phone (HTC Touch Diamond), I'll give it a shot again - see what the fuss is about.
there is a big difference between the TyTN II port and the actual 'finished' version on the G1, as the port for the TyTN is completely unofficial version hacked from the source code without having proper documentation for the phone hardware itself.
It's actually pretty amazing they got it working as well as they have so far

I've played around with a G1 in a T-mobile shop, the OS is lovely, just need it on nice hardware to make it worth buying!

EDIT: post 666! /flee
Quote ChaosDefinesOrder 12th May 2009, 21:18
I recently tried out the latest full GUI Haret hack of the "Cupcake" version of Android on my Touch HD and it's amazingly fast! Still pretty much can't do anything at all once booted but it's extremely fast and smooth for the small amount you can do (scrolling around the "desktop" and opening a limited number of programs) so if the full hack gets finished (which the guys over at XDA-Developers are doing a damn good job so far of doing) I'll definitely be trying to get the full thing working!

Android running on the Haret I-presume-it's-not-really-an-emulator is faster and smoother than Windows Mobile on its own... hmm.... impressive!
Quote barack 13th May 2009, 04:59
Quote:
Originally Posted by dolphin-promotions
To be honest I think Andorid phones will take over the iPhone, purely because there is one (or a few at some point) iPhone against potentially hundreds of Android devices. It is not really a fair comparison as you are comparing an OS to a complete phone. I’m pretty sure Symbian OS phones outsold the iPhone last year?

The biggest criticism most people had with the G1 was the hardware not the OS itself. Surely it is a matter of time before someone releases a phone with the looks and specification to do the OS justice.

Also if there are multiple Andoid devices then they can cater for all tastes whether the phone is small, large, with keyboard or without etc etc.

The biggest gripe I have at the moment is where are all these Android devices? The G1 was released over 6 months ago and the only Android phone to be released since then which by all accounts appears to be a G1 sans keyboard! Though to be honest I am only annoyed as I have been able to upgrade since Feb, and there is no phone that really appeals to me at the moment!

hardware is also seen but OS is more important in terms of marketing, Nokia's symbian platform got a boost just because of the huge mobile softwares & utilities etc. are available and not just because of there hardware.If hardware is seen then why sony ericsson is still after the nokia.I mean everything is exceptionally good in sony from nokia except OS.
Quote BLC 13th May 2009, 11:48
Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrilthefish

there is a big difference between the TyTN II port and the actual 'finished' version on the G1, as the port for the TyTN is completely unofficial version hacked from the source code without having proper documentation for the phone hardware itself.
It's actually pretty amazing they got it working as well as they have so far

I've played around with a G1 in a T-mobile shop, the OS is lovely, just need it on nice hardware to make it worth buying!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChaosDefinesOrder
I recently tried out the latest full GUI Haret hack of the "Cupcake" version of Android on my Touch HD and it's amazingly fast! Still pretty much can't do anything at all once booted but it's extremely fast and smooth for the small amount you can do (scrolling around the "desktop" and opening a limited number of programs) so if the full hack gets finished (which the guys over at XDA-Developers are doing a damn good job so far of doing) I'll definitely be trying to get the full thing working!

Android running on the Haret I-presume-it's-not-really-an-emulator is faster and smoother than Windows Mobile on its own... hmm.... impressive!

Indeed, the community over at xda-developers are an incredibly talented bunch of people - they also now have dedicated forums for the Android devices released so far, so it's not just the WinMobile platform any more. I'd recommend it to anyone with a HTC phone - I'd have been lost without it.

Unofficial versions have a long way to go, but the progress made is impressive.
Quote wuyanxu 13th May 2009, 12:18
when there are as many Andriod apps available, and when Andriod can be as easily jailbroken/unlocked. i'll switch. the OS looks brilliant, but still felt limited comparing to jailbroken iphone.
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