The larger the customer base the better, meaning that Apple has won by a landslide. The platform in and of itself is simple to program for, the SDK is available to nearly everyone, and only a small portion of applications fail to pass the application process. Developers have access to daily download statistics and have near complete control over their application. The Android platform, though powerful, simply does not have the subscriber base.
The iPhone has also begun to seep into business with its simple exchange integration and, with the recent upsurge of business use, many business have begun to create their own applications for use. The android platform still has the stigma of being a toy, much like the iPhone did at first, but can not quite seem to shake it. Apple set the barriers of entry very high within the app market, and only time will tell if other platforms can compete.
I agree that only time will tell if others can compete with Apple in many aspects of the smart phone industry. Having experience with an iPod Touch (I know it's not an iPhone, but it's very similar) and an Android phone, I can happily say that I believe that Android will soon meet and exceed Apple in the smart phone race. The reasons I believe this include the fact that the Android operating system is available on more than one phone, more than one carrier, and it's open source software which is more developer friendly.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who knows first hand that a great product may be brought in to Verizon but a great product will not leave. Part of the problem with Verizon is that they add all those conditions that the phones must adhere to and it basically just ruins them. Verizon had the first chance at the iPhone but Apple refused to the conditions that Verizon wanted. Sometimes it is the carrier and not the manufacter that is the problem.
ReplyDeleteWhat I got from that article is the developers are swayed by the excitement of new products. The iPhone of course has a larger customer base because it has been around for going on three years. Also new developer projects for Android was on the the rise and a made big jump in December due to the release of the Droid. While iPhone development has jumped in January because of the new OS that while also run on the iPad. I think these inverse relationships will continue through out the year with every product that each side releases.
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