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.
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.
RELATED ARTICLES
MSI MPG Velox 100R Chassis Review
October 14 2021 | 15:04
Want to comment? Please log in.