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Android Is Now the Most Popular Smartphone Platform

14 points by apedley 16y ago

replicatorblog 16y ago
The title should be "Android is now the most common operating system for heavily subsidized/free phones". I know the debate is tired, but it you measured popularity by brand recognition, NPS, # of apps on the platform, developer enthusiasm, or any meaningful metric iOS would win hands down. Not to say Android isn't important or a force to think about, but its kind of a silly thing to measure. The other hackneyed point is that iOS crushes Android when you factor in iPod touch and iPad sales. Old news, but never seems to register with reporters. EDIT: Why did this comment warrant negative votes? Not inflammatory, not inaccurate, just a critique of the way info is presented.
- vetinari 16y ago
  You wrote that down as if iPhone was not heavily subsidized phone. There are not many people, who paid full price for it.
- dagw 16y ago
  "Android is now the most common operating system for heavily subsidized/free phones" What distinction are you trying to make? Isn't the iPhone heavily subsidized/free? According to Apple's website the iPhone 'costs' $200. That sounds like heavily subsidized to me. Also I don't know if there are better deals than that in the US, but certainly here in Sweden I can get an iPhone 4 for 'free' from all the major mobile operators.
  - replicatorblog 16y ago
    Of course the iPhone is subsidized, but you can't get an iOS phone for free or a "2 for 1" deal which you can many places with Android. Android has some awesome things going for it, but the reason it is growing so fast is that it's given away for free and carrier friendly, not because it's intrinsically popular with customers.
    - NickPollard 16y ago
      Says who? Revoo[1] claims that top-end android phones are now as-or-more popular than the iPhone 4. [1] http://blog.reevoo.com/2011/01/android-overtakes-iphone-in-user-reviews/ http://blog.reevoo.com/2011/01/android-overtakes-iphone-in-u...
- pavlov 16y ago
  "Android is now the most common operating system for heavily subsidized/free phones" The iPhone is also heavily subsidized. Almost nobody pays the $600+ full price for an iPhone in any market globally. I get your point, but this wording makes it seem like you're trying a bit too hard to paint Android as "cheap junk that doesn't sell on its own merits".
- jasongullickson 16y ago
  All you needed was "Android Is Now the Most Common Smartphone Platform" - the iPhone is just (if not more) subsidized. I can say this from experience, as an iOS developer I've had to pay full-price for iPhones twice because new hardware was released "out of sync" with my AT&T contract :(
- podperson 16y ago
  No "Android is the fastest selling operating system..." Installed base would be a better analogue of "popularity" in the context (in fact "popularity" has nothing to do with sales. Which is more "popular" -- chevrolet or ferrari?)
wippler 16y ago
I can't help but notice reading the same headline every month. Very tired of this debate now.
- Synaesthesia 16y ago
  It's been the best selling smartphone OS in the US for a while, this news is that it's now the best selling globally (unseating Symbian AFAIK)
- ryandvm 16y ago
  You are tickling the uncontrollable urge I have to try to guess what type of smartphone any given commenter has.

14 points by apedley 16y ago

The title should be "Android is now the most common operating system for heavily subsidized/free phones". I know the debate is tired, but it you measured popularity by brand recognition, NPS, # of apps on the platform, developer enthusiasm, or any meaningful metric iOS would win hands down. Not to say Android isn't important or a force to think about, but its kind of a silly thing to measure. The other hackneyed point is that iOS crushes Android when you factor in iPod touch and iPad sales. Old news, but never seems to register with reporters. EDIT: Why did this comment warrant negative votes? Not inflammatory, not inaccurate, just a critique of the way info is presented.

vetinari 16y ago
You wrote that down as if iPhone was not heavily subsidized phone. There are not many people, who paid full price for it.
dagw 16y ago
"Android is now the most common operating system for heavily subsidized/free phones" What distinction are you trying to make? Isn't the iPhone heavily subsidized/free? According to Apple's website the iPhone 'costs' $200. That sounds like heavily subsidized to me. Also I don't know if there are better deals than that in the US, but certainly here in Sweden I can get an iPhone 4 for 'free' from all the major mobile operators.
- replicatorblog 16y ago
  Of course the iPhone is subsidized, but you can't get an iOS phone for free or a "2 for 1" deal which you can many places with Android. Android has some awesome things going for it, but the reason it is growing so fast is that it's given away for free and carrier friendly, not because it's intrinsically popular with customers.
  - NickPollard 16y ago
    Says who? Revoo[1] claims that top-end android phones are now as-or-more popular than the iPhone 4. [1] http://blog.reevoo.com/2011/01/android-overtakes-iphone-in-user-reviews/ http://blog.reevoo.com/2011/01/android-overtakes-iphone-in-u...
pavlov 16y ago
"Android is now the most common operating system for heavily subsidized/free phones" The iPhone is also heavily subsidized. Almost nobody pays the $600+ full price for an iPhone in any market globally. I get your point, but this wording makes it seem like you're trying a bit too hard to paint Android as "cheap junk that doesn't sell on its own merits".
jasongullickson 16y ago
All you needed was "Android Is Now the Most Common Smartphone Platform" - the iPhone is just (if not more) subsidized. I can say this from experience, as an iOS developer I've had to pay full-price for iPhones twice because new hardware was released "out of sync" with my AT&T contract :(
podperson 16y ago
No "Android is the fastest selling operating system..." Installed base would be a better analogue of "popularity" in the context (in fact "popularity" has nothing to do with sales. Which is more "popular" -- chevrolet or ferrari?)

wippler 16y ago

I can't help but notice reading the same headline every month. Very tired of this debate now.

Synaesthesia 16y ago
It's been the best selling smartphone OS in the US for a while, this news is that it's now the best selling globally (unseating Symbian AFAIK)
ryandvm 16y ago
You are tickling the uncontrollable urge I have to try to guess what type of smartphone any given commenter has.