While the iPhone may still have captured the hearts and minds of consumers as THE phone to have, it is clear that Google’s Android operating system is generating big gains, through calculated and smart business moves by the parent company, in the smart phone market. The NPD Group released findings in early May that indicated a new pecking order in smart phone sales for the first quarter of 2010: the Blackberry operating system maintained its lead with 36% of all smart phone sales, while Android jumped into the #2 position with 28% of sales, leaving Apple in the #3 position with 21%.
While the merits of the two operating systems (AppleOS vs Android) can be debated, the reason for this huge jump in sales lies in two significant decisions by Google. The first is to give the operating system away for free (yes! free!), which provides handset makers with a large economic incentive to create devices that use the system. The second decision by Google is to partner with any handset maker or carrier that wants to, ensuring that their phones are available on all carriers in a variety of handsets.
To date, there are 20 new Android models that are either on the market, or announced as coming to the market in next few months. The sheer volume of new Android options will make Google’s operating system almost ubiquitous. Now remember, this compares to Apple’s single iPhone model, which is currently only available on AT&T.
Now the battle seems to be moving to tablets, as the iPad has caused a rush by other manufacturers to produce a similar device. And what operating system are they choosing to run these new tablets ? You guessed it – a modified version of Android for the same reasons that handset makers have chosen it.
Apple has a fantastic history of being a first mover, creating innovative products that define spaces. That being said, Google has done a fantastic job of eliminating Apple’s first mover advantage and launching a potent rival to Apple’s hit iPhone.
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