2Q Worldwide Smartphone Market Share: Android 48%, iOS 19%

[jpeyton]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2389525,00.asp

The real danger of Android's growth is its potential to steal developer support from the iOS platform. When a platform is 48% of the global market, how long before developers start making their apps for Android first?

And when Android is 80% of the smartphone market, will developers slowly forget iOS altogether, like they are with Blackberry OS?


Locked for straying too far off the topic of marketshare despite warnings.

Moderator PM

 

[BoberFett]

Even with higher marketshare going to Android, it sounds like revenue is still higher on the iOS software side.

At the very least, hopefully increased marketshare will mean that Android can't be ignored when developing mobile apps. It's annoying how frequently mobile app still means iOS only.

 

[Dulanic]

Waiting for the apple fans to come in here and reference stealing apps....

On the other hand, this doesn't surprise me either. Yes some of it is because some android phones are free. However, worldwide... the SGSII is setting huge sales records. Now just the waiting game for the US releases... stupid carriers.

 

[gsaldivar]

As much as I love Android, I think Apple will do a fair bit of catching up when they release their next iPhone.

 

[JS80]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2389525,00.asp

The real danger of Android's growth is its potential to steal developer support from the iOS platform. When a platform is 48% of the global market, how long before developers start making their apps for Android first?

And when Android is 80% of the smartphone market, will developers slowly forget iOS altogether, like they are with Blackberry OS?

Developers will go where the money is, i.e. the platform that better monetizes.

 

[poofyhairguy]

This is the answer to the other thread. Android can't be killed internationally, just maybe in America.

 

[ElFenix]

Now just the waiting game for the US releases... stupid carriers.

US carriers are terrible and it looks like even though they'll all be on LTE it's not going to fix anything.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

This is the answer to the other thread. Android can't be killed internationally, just maybe in America.

If by killed, you mean Apple buys up patents and patent trolls. Maybe. It's the only chance Apple has at this point.

 

[Pliablemoose]

If by killed, you mean Apple buys up patents and patent trolls. Maybe. It's the only chance Apple has at this point.

Yep, Apple is DOOMED!!!!!!!!!!

Sigh...

 

[kaerflog]

People really need to get a clue.
Apple takes in 66% of all smartphone profits among the top 8 vendors.
http://www.bgr.com/2011/07/29/apple...66-of-q2-smartphone-profit-among-top-vendors/
Just stand back and grasp that concept for a sec before making more dumb statements.

 

[Pliablemoose]

This is the answer to the other thread. Android can't be killed internationally, just maybe in America.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...-k-following-loss-in-u-s-itc-patent-case.html

http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...amsung-tablet-sales-in-australia-on-hold.html

You haven't seen anything yet, Jobs is essentially embarking on a holy war to protect his legacy...

 

[foghorn67]

People really need to get a clue.
Apple takes in 66% of all smartphone profits among the top 8 vendors.
http://www.bgr.com/2011/07/29/apple...66-of-q2-smartphone-profit-among-top-vendors/
Just stand back and grasp that concept for a sec before making more dumb statements.

Who is making dumb statements?

 

[badb0y]

Android growth and market share dominance is undeniable but Apple is still making bank compared to all the other phone vendors.

People need to keep in mind that Apple doesn't just have an OS but they also make their own phone.iOS will probably get clobbered in the market share race but their profits/sales will always be high.

 

[kaerflog]

Who is making dumb statements?

Really ??
Statements like this:
"And when Android is 80% of the smartphone market, will developers slowly forget iOS altogether, like they are with Blackberry OS?"
"If by killed, you mean Apple buys up patents and patent trolls. Maybe. It's the only chance Apple has at this point."

 

[smartpatrol]

http://www.bgr.com/2011/07/18/48-of-smartphone-buyers-want-iphone-next-survey-says/
48% of smartphone buyers intend to buy an iPhone for their next device, vs 32% for Android. This will undoubtedly only increase once iPhone 5 is released.

http://www.1800pocketpc.com/2011/07...tion-for-microsoft-smartphone-os-only-27.html
Also, Android ranks behind both iOS and WP7 in terms of customer satisfaction.

- I don't think Android will be reaching 80% market share any time soon. If anything, I expect Android's market share to peak in the developed world, although it will probably keep growing in the developing world. E.G. I just got back from Peru, and the smartphone market there is dominated by cheap low-end Android phones, mostly LG and some Samsung models.

- iPhone buyers are largely a group that loves having a high-end, status symbol device. There has been story after story about how iPhone owners spend more on apps than Android owners.

- Not only that, but the Android app market is completely overloaded with garbage. Every app store has some crap in it, but Android's takes it to a whole new level. IMO it makes it very difficult for the good apps to shine through.

- Android is a mess of different hardware configurations, CPUs, screen resolutions, OS versions, etc. It's much less of a headache to develop for iOS or WP7, both of which have a much simpler range of target devices.

- Eclipse is also inferior to both Xcode and Visual Studio .NET.

So no, I don't see Android becoming the primary platform of choice for app developers in the near future.

 

[dguy6789]

Majority market share eclipses every counter point you made about developer os of choice

 

[poofyhairguy]

- Not only that, but the Android app market is completely overloaded with garbage. Every app store has some crap in it, but Android's takes it to a whole new level. IMO it makes it very difficult for the good apps to shine through.

- Android is a mess of different hardware configurations, CPUs, screen resolutions, OS versions, etc. It's much less of a headache to develop for iOS or WP7, both of which have a much simpler range of target devices.

Both those two points completely ring true for the dominant desktop OS, and it hasn't stopped Windows from getting developers. They roll up their sleeves and deal with what the platform gives them.

If anything I get out of these articles that many mobile developers are crybabies that have never had to deal with developing for real platforms like Windows. When smartphones hit critical mass, and there is more money to be made developing the mobile version of something like Photoshop than the PC version, then these crybaby developers will be replaced by large companies with large budgets that just find ways to make it work. This is already happening at some level- aka Gameloft games on both platforms, EA games on both platforms, etc.

 

[smartpatrol]

If anything I get out of these articles that many mobile developers are crybabies that have never had to deal with developing for real platforms like Windows.

Developers are choosing to make apps for a more lucrative platform that has better development tools, a better marketplace, and is less fragmented. I don't call that being a crybaby, I call that being smart.

When smartphones hit critical mass, and there is more money to be made developing the mobile version of something like Photoshop than the PC version, then these crybaby developers will be replaced by large companies with large budgets that just find ways to make it work. This is already happening at some level- aka Gameloft games on both platforms, EA games on both platforms, etc.

I agree with this somewhat, and I look forward to a better selection of professional, high-quality apps in the future.

That said, there are other big-name professional devs (crybabies?) who avoid Android as well. E.G. Epic doesn't make games for Android because OEM/carrier bloatware creates too many inconsistencies with memory/performance, according to Tim Sweeney: http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/0...ble-on-android-we-have-the-carriers-to-thank/

Or other devs like Square Enix who do all their serious development on iOS and treat Android as an afterthought at best.

 

[WelshBloke]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...-k-following-loss-in-u-s-itc-patent-case.html

http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...amsung-tablet-sales-in-australia-on-hold.html

You haven't seen anything yet, Jobs is essentially embarking on a holy war to protect his legacy...

Yep, Apple Android is DOOMED!!!!!!!!!!

Sigh...


:whiste:

 

[zerocool84]

http://www.bgr.com/2011/07/18/48-of-smartphone-buyers-want-iphone-next-survey-says/
48% of smartphone buyers intend to buy an iPhone for their next device, vs 32% for Android. This will undoubtedly only increase once iPhone 5 is released.

Surveys all over always say people would buy an iPhone over other phones but just like on Verizon when the survey said 30% of subscribers would get the iPhone, what people say they want and actually end up getting are two different things.

 

[gsaldivar]

Developers are choosing to make apps for a more lucrative platform that has better development tools, a better marketplace, and is less fragmented. I don't call that being a crybaby, I call that being smart.

There is nothing wrong being a developer that prefers a closed environment. But it's kind of lame to look down at the rest of the diverse world for not living in the walled garden with you.

 

[BoberFett]

Surveys all over always say people would buy an iPhone over other phones but just like on Verizon when the survey said 30% of subscribers would get the iPhone, what people say they want and actually end up getting are two different things.

I wonder how many of those people that said they wanted an iPhone would know the difference between an Apple brand iPhone and another smartphone? I'm sure to some people, any smartphone is an iPhone.

 

[gsaldivar]

I wonder how many of those people that said they wanted an iPhone would know the difference between an Apple brand iPhone and another smartphone? I'm sure to some people, any smartphone is an iPhone.

That's a good point actually.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Developers are choosing to make apps for a more lucrative platform that has better development tools, a better marketplace, and is less fragmented. I don't call that being a crybaby, I call that being smart.

You are correct that developer resources are best spent on iOS. I understand why it is the target platform and will remain that way for at least another year, currently it is the money-maker. But already larger mobile development companies are releasing on many platforms (not just iOS and Android) and that trend will continue. Basically as the market grows, the advantage of one platform over another shrinks.

That said, there are other big-name professional devs (crybabies?) who avoid Android as well

Of course. Right now the entire mobile platform is at best a third option for gaming companies behind dedicated mobiles like DSes and game consoles. Already the portable console market is being consumed, and eventually such devices will have the power to challenge traditional consoles as well. At that point the money will be made in mobile devices, and the current issues separating platforms today will erode.

Consoles are a great example of this future. Vastly different hardware, vastly development environments, and still most large games are ported between them with often minor differences. Why? Because the money justifies the effort to do so. No one cares that the Xbox (or whatever) is technically the "best" to develop for.

 

[runawayprisoner]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2389525,00.asp

The real danger of Android's growth is its potential to steal developer support from the iOS platform. When a platform is 48% of the global market, how long before developers start making their apps for Android first?

And when Android is 80% of the smartphone market, will developers slowly forget iOS altogether, like they are with Blackberry OS?

I think it's worth noting that developers don't just build apps for phones. There aren't too many apps that are built specifically only for phone devices.

Also it's worth noting that iOS holds share in more than just the smartphone market, and many of its current developers take note of that as well.