7 signs that Android is stronger than iOS

posted by Rob on 2012.02.09, under Brand Strategy

02.09

In a post I just wrote for FutureBrand’s FBlog, I claim Apple has “peaked” and has nowhere to go but down from here (although it may take years or decades for them to sink). Admittedly, I wrote the post to spur debate as much as anything else, and it’s already started to do so. Sushobhan at R/GA Singapore fired back a couple of quick tweets, some agreeing with me and some playing devil’s advocate.

One of his tweets directs us to a GigaOM article, 7 signs that Android is faltering as iOS strengthens, since one of my “signs of the Apple-ocalypse” was the relative “openness” that Android proponents claim over iOS. Having read up on this a bit before writing my post, I fired back that I could probably come up with seven signs that Android will win out over iOS rather easily. Mind you, I’m no tech expert, but it does seem the evidence can be interpreted either way. So here’s a quick seven:

Recent data shows that despite iOS’s gains, Android still has a larger market share
Android still 1st choice among virgin smartphone buyers (the same GigaOM blogger cites this)
iPhone iOS Apps Crash More Than Android
Usability scores: “Android 9 and iOS 7.5″ in a usability battle
iOS Social Apps Leak Contact Data (more so than Android apps)
(Asia-Pacific) Developers turn to Google’s Android over Apple’s iOS
According to this article, “Android is the (present moment) king of 4G.”

But I know this is a contentious issue, and I’m just skimming the surface (after literally skimming these articles). Feel free to leave your two cents in the comments below, or join the debate on Twitter.

{ 3 comments }

comment

Hi Rob,

My thoughts on this: http://rohanroutroy.tumblr.com/

Cheers

Rohan ( 2012/02/09 at 15:17 )

Thanks Rohan! Great points. Honestly there’s a lot of evidence pointing to Apple’s superiority (iOS aside), which is why I thought it would be fun to write a post (the one on FBlog, which I’ll repost here next week) about cracks under the surface. But their ability to manage and react to these challenges is what matters, not whether or not they exist.

Rob ( 2012/02/09 at 15:48 )

Thanks Rob. Yeah read your post on Fblog. Great read and I completely agree. The iBook made me fall in love with Apple and eventually made me pursue Product Design in Uni. Then came the time when everyone had an ‘iProduct’. They started losing their niche market appeal and somehow that didn’t go down too well with me. It was a change in their perceptive branding for me.

Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs and we have to wait and see how they react to this ever changing environment. Not comparing them to Coke (cause that’s a completely different brand positioning) but we would need someone like Neville Isdell to ensure that Apple keeps growing. Maybe they can focus on being niche again. Maybe grow stronger in the premium segment. Maybe penetrate further into the publishing, entertainment and content generation industry.

We can just wait and watch. Maybe predict.

Rohan ( 2012/02/09 at 16:28 )

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