Android Markets hit 50k apps

[dwell]

I'm not saying they'll have more apps than the Apple app store. What the hell does that matter? If a year from now, Android has 150k apps and the App Store has 250....so what? Apple started the "there's an app for that" campaign when there were what....75k apps? If that? Its not like Android users won't have options with their "pathetic" selection of 150k apps.

But you keep saying Android will beat the iPhone in unit sales, where again you're wrong. While your theory makes sense that being Android is free and open it will appear on a multitude of handsets, Apple has a 42M unit advantage over Android phones and is not standing still. Not to mention the Apple ecosystem has 30M iPod Touches and now the iPad to bolster it.

Sure, Android is selling at a fast pace, recently, due to multiple handsets hitting the market at once, but even if you calculate the growth rate against Apple's current rate it would take years to reach where Apple is now if Apple just stood still and did not sell anymore units. The iPhone will be reinvigorated in June, Apple is not sitting around waiting for Android to catch up.

At the end of the day, Apple beat Android; on multiple fronts, not just the App Store or unit sales. Quote me on that. It's over. Apple has a better brand with the iPhone (do you think "Android" has anywhere near the mindshare of "iPhone"). They have a better user experience both on the device and on the App Store. They have and sell more software and attract more developers. That's my point.

A lot of geeks dislike Apple because of their non-openness and recent business practices and that's fine with me. Just don't go thinking that's how everyone thinks. People bitched like crazy about Microsoft in the 1990s and turn around 15 years later and Windows still has > 90% market share. People painted Linux as the great white hope back then in the same way they are painting Android today. Now, I am not saying Android will do as bad as Linux on the Desktop, what I am saying is that it's is too late for it to beat Apple.

 

[dguy6789]

Android is to smartphones as Windows is to desktop, it's less like linux on the desktop.

Linux on the PC had too many different versions, wasn't user friendly, wasn't being used in a large number of consumer machines, didn't work with a lot of software, and wasn't backed by a super giant corporation that will move heaven and earth to make sure it succeeds.

Android is easy to use, has tons of devices out and many more coming, has rapid growth, etc...

Can you seriously look at current numbers and say "It's over"?

 

[TheStu]

Yep Steve Jobs denies whatever he doesn't like. Even stupid harmless political cartoons. They tell people how and what to do with their devices and I'd rather not support a company like that.

I do not mind your philosophical reasons for not liking Apple, and more power to you, yay Capitalism! However, I have noticed a problem that you and many others have when thinking about Apple (and there are pro-Apple people that make this mistake too).

Steve Jobs runs Apple, that is true, and it is true the company is driven by his will. However, to think that the reason that I cannot resize the windows my Mac from any side is because Steve Jobs didn't like it that way is like thinking that the reason that I can scroll in inactive windows is because he did. There are many anecdotes on the internet and in the wild of decisions Jobs has made regarding individual products, such as the 2 screws on the left side of the original MacBook (they don't screw into anything structural, they simply go into an aluminum sheet, they are purely cosmetic).

Steve Jobs does not sit high upon his mountain of aluminum and glass, enthroned upon a dais made from the souls of fanboys. He does not approve every app that gets submitted, he does not sit there and decree everything that happens.

And I am not defending him, he is a megalomaniac. However, he is a megalomaniac in control of a company, and he has a vision of usability and design that I have to like, so... for now, long live Jobs!

 

[Cuda1447]

Less users, confusing app store experience, fragmented software platform, fragmented hardware platform, easy piracy, audience less likely to purchase apps. Take your pick.



Sure. Why not? Apple's not slowing down though and has an enormous head start and has a better platform, brand, marketing, etc. Apple will always beat Android. Quote me on that.

Oh, I'll quote you on that. I think that's complete bullshit. I think its only a matter of time before there are more Android handsets sold than Iphones.

 

[dwell]

Linux on the PC had too many different versions, wasn't user friendly, wasn't being used in a large number of consumer machines, didn't work with a lot of software, and wasn't backed by a super giant corporation that will move heaven and earth to make sure it succeeds.

The industry has proven time and again that throwing a ton of money and resources at a problem does not always equate to success. Google has been vastly successful in search and online advertising. They've been moderately successful in other areas like gmail and docs. They also have a long line of failures, as I previously listed.

They don't have any experience in the CE arena, not much dealing with the magnitude of challenges it takes to keep an OS focused and unfragmented when dealing with multiple stakeholders; the mess that is Android on AT&T phones is testament to this. What I'm saying is, being a megalo corporation does not always equal success. I think they'll get there, eventually, and have a compelling product in the end, but as for beating the iPhone -- that ship has sailed. I entirely stand by that based on today's numbers.

Android is easy to use, has tons of devices out and many more coming, has rapid growth, etc...

It took a call to Sprint support to uninstall a pre-bundled Nascar app (why was that even there in the first place?) on my sister-in-law's HTC Hero. Google has a long way to go to match Apple in terms of user friendliness.

 

[Cuda1447]

But you keep saying Android will beat the iPhone in unit sales, where again you're wrong. While your theory makes sense that being Android is free and open it will appear on a multitude of handsets, Apple has a 42M unit advantage over Android phones and is not standing still. Not to mention the Apple ecosystem has 30M iPod Touches and now the iPad to bolster it.

Sure, Android is selling at a fast pace, recently, due to multiple handsets hitting the market at once, but even if you calculate the growth rate against Apple's current rate it would take years to reach where Apple is now if Apple just stood still and did not sell anymore units. The iPhone will be reinvigorated in June, Apple is not sitting around waiting for Android to catch up.

At the end of the day, Apple beat Android; on multiple fronts, not just the App Store or unit sales. Quote me on that. It's over. Apple has a better brand with the iPhone (do you think "Android" has anywhere near the mindshare of "iPhone"). They have a better user experience both on the device and on the App Store. They have and sell more software and attract more developers. That's my point.

A lot of geeks dislike Apple because of their non-openness and recent business practices and that's fine with me. Just don't go thinking that's how everyone thinks. People bitched like crazy about Microsoft in the 1990s and turn around 15 years later and Windows still has > 90% market share. People painted Linux as the great white hope back then in the same way they are painting Android today. Now, I am not saying Android will do as bad as Linux on the Desktop, what I am saying is that it's is too late for it to beat Apple.

Oh sir, you are so wrong. You proudly proclaim that Apple beat Android. What you fail to realize is the game is just getting started.


I present you with this data:

http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2010/03/10/android-market-share-exploding/


If you don't want to clicky, I'll give you the important data.

In October of 09 Apple had 24.8% marketshare in the US. Google had 2.8%

3 months later Apple had 25.1% an increase if .3% Apple had 7.1% an increase of 4.3%.


So while Apple essentially stood still, Android doubled. At this pace, Android would surpass Apple in a bit over a year. Now, I'll admit, there were no Iphone launches during that time period and I suspect when the new Iphone launches, they will have a short growth period. But then they will become stagnant again (or even begin losing marketshare) while Android, given their business model, will continue growing.


Combine that with the fact that the new Iphone, as best we can tell, is hardly innovative. When it first came out, there was no competition and it was amazingly polished. Well now there is competition and Apples answer to that competition isn't to be innovative and blow the competition away, its to add features to their phone that the competition already has.


It will help Apple immensely if the decide to release their phone on multiple carriers, but even then... it may not be enough.


One last point I'd like to make about Apple/Android. A lot of you are arguing about Apples software/interface being a lot better. Here's the issue a lot of people have with Apple. You can't DO anything to the phone. Sure, us ATers will JB or Root a phone, but the vast majority of people aren't doing that shit. So stock, Android is 1000x more customizable than Apple. That is a HUGE selling point for Android.

 

[Cuda1447]

The industry has proven time and again that throwing a ton of money and resources at a problem does not always equate to success. Google has been vastly successful in search and online advertising. They've been moderately successful in other areas like gmail and docs. They also have a long line of failures, as I previously listed.

They don't have any experience in the CE arena, not much dealing with the magnitude of challenges it takes to keep an OS focused and unfragmented when dealing with multiple stakeholders; the mess that is Android on AT&T phones is testament to this. What I'm saying is, being a megalo corporation does not always equal success. I think they'll get there, eventually, and have a compelling product in the end, but as for beating the iPhone -- that ship has sailed. I entirely stand by that based on today's numbers.



It took a call to Sprint support to uninstall a pre-bundled Nascar app (why was that even there in the first place?) on my sister-in-law's HTC Hero. Google has a long way to go to match Apple in terms of user friendliness.

Apple is idiot easy to use, hence their success. Android is easy to use, if you have a brain. And how can you proclaim the ship has sailed.


Apple is coming out with 1 phone this year (presumably). Hopefully that will allow them to start gaining marketshare again. Android will probably come out with 20-30 phones, if not many many more. Including, Dell, Garmin, HTC, Motorola, Samsung and Nokia designs. MANY options, LOTS of innovation, TONS of choices. Something for everyone. That is why they will be a lot more successful.

 

[dwell]

One last point I'd like to make about Apple/Android. A lot of you are arguing about Apples software/interface being a lot better. Here's the issue a lot of people have with Apple. You can't DO anything to the phone. Sure, us ATers will JB or Root a phone, but the vast majority of people aren't doing that shit. So stock, Android is 1000x more customizable than Apple. That is a HUGE selling point for Android.

I'd argue that it's a huge disadvantage for Android. It's precisely what makes the Android experience inconsistent from phone to phone, dilutes the brand name, and confuses the user experience. What good is being on a bizillion different phones if the platform is so fragmented and inconsistent that it's not really the Android brand anymore?

iPhone will win because iPhone is a stronger brand and always will be. They can't even keep it straight for Android. I see commercials where the phones are advertised as "with Google", "Android", and of course "Droid". If I can't keep it straight, how are they going to build brand loyalty when even the brand name itself is fragmented?

 

[dwell]

Regarding the above, I'll hand it to Microsoft -- they "get it" a lot more than Google do.

Where WP7 has very strict guidelines defined as to how the software and hardware experience should be across phones, Google would be happy if you just slapped Android on any old handset, and modified the UI however you see fit. As long as the Google apps and search are there, they don't really care. Good for Google, bad for the brand.

 

[Pliablemoose]

dwell, you know I love you man, but the truth is Android will essentially repeat what MS did to Apple, it'll bury them with devices.

However, everyone misjudges how huge mobile is and will be, and I think Apple will continue to be very popular.

Lets put it this way, I have the first Android phone and one of the most current Android phones the Nexus One, as well as an HD2. I still want an iPhone instead, but Ill be dammed if I ever purchase anything that runs on ATTs network. I held on till the bitter end with my gen 1 iPhone till I couldn't stand Edge, and then went with an Android solution on TMobile.

IMHO, having used virtually every OS on a phone and some wireless connected PDAs, the iPhone does have a superior interface by far. The OS software is tight and provides a superior user experience.

If Apple doesn't go with another US carrier in a year, I will likely go with a dumb phone and a 3G capable iPad with the $15/month data plan. Hell, I might do it today

 

[jpeyton]

A year from now, Apple will have one phone available on one (maybe two) networks. Android will have a few dozen phones available on all networks.

And unlike Apple's market dominance with the iPod, no such dominance exists in the mobile front. If Apple had another 2 years head start on Android, they might have reached the point of no return. But currently, Android is on pace to match Apple in market share within 2 years.

The most interesting development might be if RIM or Nokia decide to embrace Android. At that point, it would be Microsoft vs. Apple all over again.

 

[dwell]

Well, I am not really trying to argue this point here, just stating how I think it's going to shake out and I stand by that. People are really discounting how much marketing and branding played into Microsoft's coup with Windows over the competition in the early 90's.

Blanketing the market with devices only goes so far. You have to follow up with an ecosystem that is developer and user-friendly also create, maintain, and protect a strong brand name and market presence. I think Apple understands these points intimately which is why they are employing a "slow and steady" approach as opposed to Google's "brute force".

 

[Deeko]

But you keep saying Android will beat the iPhone in unit sales, where again you're wrong. While your theory makes sense that being Android is free and open it will appear on a multitude of handsets, Apple has a 42M unit advantage over Android phones and is not standing still. Not to mention the Apple ecosystem has 30M iPod Touches and now the iPad to bolster it.

Sure, Android is selling at a fast pace, recently, due to multiple handsets hitting the market at once, but even if you calculate the growth rate against Apple's current rate it would take years to reach where Apple is now if Apple just stood still and did not sell anymore units. The iPhone will be reinvigorated in June, Apple is not sitting around waiting for Android to catch up.

At the end of the day, Apple beat Android; on multiple fronts, not just the App Store or unit sales. Quote me on that. It's over. Apple has a better brand with the iPhone (do you think "Android" has anywhere near the mindshare of "iPhone"). They have a better user experience both on the device and on the App Store. They have and sell more software and attract more developers. That's my point.

A lot of geeks dislike Apple because of their non-openness and recent business practices and that's fine with me. Just don't go thinking that's how everyone thinks. People bitched like crazy about Microsoft in the 1990s and turn around 15 years later and Windows still has > 90% market share. People painted Linux as the great white hope back then in the same way they are painting Android today. Now, I am not saying Android will do as bad as Linux on the Desktop, what I am saying is that it's is too late for it to beat Apple.

First off, I said its possible they will pass them in unit sales, not that they will. I also said that they will NOT pass Apple in install base any time soon. My point in the earlier discussions about that was that Android sales were picking up rapidly and that naturally Apple considers this a threat (which certain other posters were claiming they don't).

So don't put words in my mouth, sport.

For the record, you grossly underestimate how fast the mobile market moves. To say any one company has "already won" the long term battle or anything like that is absolute ignorance.

 

[QueBert]

Oh sir, you are so wrong. You proudly proclaim that Apple beat Android. What you fail to realize is the game is just getting started.


I present you with this data:

http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2010/03/10/android-market-share-exploding/


If you don't want to clicky, I'll give you the important data.

In October of 09 Apple had 24.8% marketshare in the US. Google had 2.8%

3 months later Apple had 25.1% an increase if .3% Apple had 7.1% an increase of 4.3%.


So while Apple essentially stood still, Android doubled. At this pace, Android would surpass Apple in a bit over a year. Now, I'll admit, there were no Iphone launches during that time period and I suspect when the new Iphone launches, they will have a short growth period. But then they will become stagnant again (or even begin losing marketshare) while Android, given their business model, will continue growing.

Market share can only grow so much, while Android has made awesome strides, don't expect to see it keep doubling. Apple sold MORE iPhones than Google sold Android devices last quarter. Yet Apple still lost .1%. Android won't hit 25% ever because Apple won't lose much, maybe another few tenths of a percent. Apple really can't add to their share as they have hit a wall. Android will slow down greatly, because as I said Apple had a better quarter than Android and the numbers don't reflect that. If the same scenario keeps going how can they possibly pass or even get close to Apple? They can't.

Combine that with the fact that the new Iphone, as best we can tell, is hardly innovative. When it first came out, there was no competition and it was amazingly polished. Well now there is competition and Apples answer to that competition isn't to be innovative and blow the competition away, its to add features to their phone that the competition already has.

It's hardly about innovation at this point, it's about install base and the fact weather you like iPhones or not, they're far easier to use. Also Apple has their name, even my 100% non technical mom knows what an iPhone is. While she has zero idea what Android is. This won't change, she will never know what an Android handset is no matter how much of the market they get.

It will help Apple immensely if the decide to release their phone on multiple carriers, but even then... it may not be enough.

They don't NEED multiple carriers, it would help. But as it stands they're still selling more phones, which won't change. Also look at App base, I have so much money invested apps on mine no way I could ditch it for an Android. Especially when a majority of apps I use on a day to day basis aren't on the Android. Apple's focus is the iTunes store, and as a whole if you think the Android Marketplace will ever be able to compete with that you're out of your damn mind.

One last point I'd like to make about Apple/Android. A lot of you are arguing about Apples software/interface being a lot better. Here's the issue a lot of people have with Apple. You can't DO anything to the phone. Sure, us ATers will JB or Root a phone, but the vast majority of people aren't doing that shit. So stock, Android is 1000x more customizable than Apple. That is a HUGE selling point for Android.

This is actually a good point, except one thing. The average person doesn't care about how customizable a phone is, most people I know do nothing more to their phone than add a few ring tones and maybe change the wallpaper. Both can be done on either phone. The ones who care about this will hack their phone, and when you JB an iPhone that takes away the exaggerated 1000x more customizable argument you brought up for the Android.

 

[tatteredpotato]

Android is more fragmented, but they are taking steps to fix this:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/29/exclusive-android-froyo-to-take-a-serious-shot-at-stemming-plat/

Essentially they are decoupling several applications and components from the core OS and making them updatable via the marketplace. This would likely make updates of anything, aside from the kernel, much easier than on any other platform available.

Android's big advantage is variety and Google knows it, and of course with variety comes fragmentation (same goes with Apple and the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad fragmentation). Google recognizes this and seems to be taking steps to remedy this, much more so than Apple is IMO.

 

[TheWart]

Oh, I'll quote you on that. I think that's complete bullshit. I think its only a matter of time before there are more Android handsets sold than Iphones.

Very likely, but Apple is currently selling ~90,000 iphones a day globally (per the 8.9 million in the last quarter) and Google said that about 50,000 Android phones are selling a day globally, so I really don't see why everyone is going on about how Apple is somehow suing HTC to try and stop Android, lol.

 

[QueBert]

Very likely, but Apple is currently selling ~90,000 iphones a day globally (per the 8.9 million in the last quarter) and Google said that about 50,000 Android phones are selling a day globally, so I really don't see why everyone is going on about how Apple is somehow suing HTC to try and stop Android, lol.

You forgot to mention how Steve Jobs is shaking in his boots scared shitless. The insight from Apple haters and Android owners into the mind of Steve Jobs and Apple is absolutely astounding. Apple just had their best quarter even with the most smart phone competition they've faced to date. Android is on the radar, but beyond that I don't think Apple's losing any sleep over. I could be just as wrong as the idiots on here saying Jobs is fearing for his life due to Google though lol.

 

[Narmer]

I'm surprise Andriod isn't bigger than iPhone already, worldwide at least. Apple has sold like 100 iPhones in China while there are like a new Andriod model coming out every day. Anyway, if they aren't #1 now, I'm sure they'll be in a year or so.

 

[QueBert]

I'm surprise Andriod isn't bigger than iPhone already, worldwide at least. Apple has sold like 100 iPhones in China while there are like a new Andriod model coming out every day. Anyway, if they aren't #1 now, I'm sure they'll be in a year or so.

LOL #1? No way in hell, RIM has near half the smartphone market in the US. Android will never see close to that, hell Apple won't ever touch RIM. That absolutely won't happen. If they ever take the #2 spot it will be years down the road.

 

[Spoooon]

You forgot to mention how Steve Jobs is shaking in his boots scared shitless. The insight from Apple haters and Android owners into the mind of Steve Jobs and Apple is absolutely astounding. Apple just had their best quarter even with the most smart phone competition they've faced to date. Android is on the radar, but beyond that I don't think Apple's losing any sleep over. I could be just as wrong as the idiots on here saying Jobs is fearing for his life due to Google though lol.

I don't think anyone said he should be "shaking in his boots."

Perhaps the size of the threat is in question, but no doubt Apple views Android as competition, it would be idiocy not to.

 

[Narmer]

LOL #1? No way in hell, RIM has near half the smartphone market in the US. Android will never see close to that, hell Apple won't ever touch RIM. That absolutely won't happen. If they ever take the #2 spot it will be years down the road.

I wasn't even talking about US. Worldwide...

 

[dwell]

I'm surprise Andriod isn't bigger than iPhone already, worldwide at least. Apple has sold like 100 iPhones in China while there are like a new Andriod model coming out every day. Anyway, if they aren't #1 now, I'm sure they'll be in a year or so.

If by "100" you mean 2.1 million in six months, yeah:

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/21/iphone-sales-soar-in-china/

"The revenue, we have never released this number before but I will do this in this particular case, through the first half of the fiscal year that we just completed for the six month period our revenue from greater China was almost $1.3 billion and this is up over 200% year-over-year."

The folks at Brainstrom Tech did some math and figured that represented 2.1 million iPhones sold (give or take) in a 6-month span -- a number that beat Wall Street's Q2 2010 estimates by 25% to 30%.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

What's wrong with Flight Director?

because it's a simple screenshot of Google Maps satellite view?

Flight control is so simple yet it looks polished and it's fun. Where are our Android equivalents? Or even Tetris? The iPhone Tetris apps look better.

Android shoudl be the more powerful OS here!

500? try 50.

http://toucharcade.com/

I used to follow that on a daily basis. Even if not all the games are your taste, you can tell they are FAR more polished than the Android games. Makes Android look like crap. Look, you can laugh at all the FART apps or whatever, but I followed iPhone OS 2.0 when it came out, and when it did, we already had a FLOOD of awesome apps.

I know a lot of them aren't alive today, but games like Flight Control hit within a month of OS 2.0's release. Even some of the original games like Tetris, Flight Control, Zombieville, Flick Fishing were great from the start. Hell, look at Tap Tap Revenge. That was one of the first apps and it's been beautifully done. We're almost at year 2 of them all, but such a simple game has been built great from the start. Why can't we get anything even CLOSE to that on Android?

Look I'm glad that Android's doing a lot of catchup, but I don't see how they're really catching up yet. I sold my 3GS and iPod Touch by Sept 2009, so most of my app experiences were with OS 2.0. Right now, I still feel my Android device hasnt surpassed my app experiences in OS 2.0. So, with OS 4.0 on the brink of release and the iPad has really upgraded a lot of apps, and iPhone 4.0 almost out, I say Android has even MORE catching up to do because Apple's going to keep pushing the boundaries.

 

[Spoooon]

I don't see anything wrong with using a screenshot of a Google Map. It's not like Flight Control is rendering some crazy scene for the planes to fly over.

Air Control:

As far as Tetris goes, blame EA.

edit: BTW, I don't disagree that gaming could be better.

 

[Cuda1447]

This is a silly argument. I'll just say one last thing. All these people who are claiming Android will NEVER have good games, NEVER reach the marketshare of Apple, NEVER sell x amount of devices... NEVER, whatever. The bottom line is that its absurd to state things like that. The bottom line is we simply don't know. We can speculate and argue why we do or don't think things will happen. But to boldly state, without a doubt, that something will or won't happen is just stupid. Plain and simple, STUPID!


Don't be dumb.