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Latest survey figures show US smartphone market continues moving the Android way.
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Latest survey figures show US smartphone market continues moving the Android way.
Did they really choose it, or is it what came with their handset? I have an iPhone 3G which is slowly dying the death. My Mrs just got a cheapish HTC Wildfire (which runs Android). I've had a play, and IMO it's awful, but then it's also much much cheaper than a new iPhone.
Maybe at the top end, people are considering iPhone vs Android, but I'd guess for a big chunk of the population an iPhone is just too expensive for what they need, and as Apple aren't competing there, of course Android will be more desirable.
Funny how 2 years ago Android wouldn't have even been on that chart. Now it owns the majority with 37% :eek:
Indulge my curiosity - what exactly was it about the Wildfire that rankled - presumably the UI?
My daughter's got an X10 Mini Pro, and to be honest I much prefer my larger X10 every time - so much easier/nicer to use. Which makes me wonder if the fault is not necessarily with Android, but with the device size - maybe there's a minimum size for usability that the Wildfire/X10Mini(Pro) are below.
In which case I'm left wondering if the smallest HP/Palm device (running WebOS) is any better.
Just didn't really like the UI. It was the same when I tried using Windows Mobile on a HTC a while back, before owning my iPhone. It just isn't as nice to use. It could be the size of the device I guess, but I think the main problem is that Android is one-size-fits-all whether you're buying a £20 phone or a £500 phone.
That being said, since they implemented the whole multitasking thing for iOS, I've noticed a considerable drop in speed on my phone. I guess if you suffer only supporting 4 devices - even though they're 4 different generations, having to support 50 or 100 times that number of devices is going to present problems unless you go for the lowest common denominator every single time.
I must admit though, I've bought into the whole Apple ecosystem, and it all plays nicely together, so I'm probably biased.
<dons flame retardant - burn the Apple fanboy suit> :O_o1:
Hmm, I'm thought it'd be the UI - I can't understand why some of the manufacturer's bother with their own UI and don't just buy in one of the excellent 3rd party alternatives. Thanks for answering my question! :)
As to "one size fits all", I'm not sure that this is the case - certainly Sony did a competent job of rejigging their UI for the smaller screen on the Mini Pro. So, even before both were hit with 3rd party ROM's, the two X10 models in the house were different in look and feel. I'm now using the Sony Arc's launcher and it's quite good.
No, no - I wouldn't say that was 'bias'. If anything that's a pretty solid justification for staying with iOS - you like the infrastructure and it's proven reliable for you. :D
Similarly, the patronising attitude I got from the local Apple Store; combined with many iTunes issues; and the prospect of the hoops I'd have to jump through to get an iPhone working with a Linux desktop; convinced me that iPhone wasn't a suitable choice personally.
double post....
To be fair, I'd not really expect anyone with Linux on the desktop to try getting an iPhone working. Unless you're can, and are prepared to use iTunes, I guess managing it would be a bit of a PITA. That being said, I have a mate who had a Sony Android phone who could only update the firmware through Windows. Nice one Sony! :mrgreen:
I think the Apple Store thing is a mixed blessing. They can come across as patronising, but if you tell them specifically what you want they're usually fairly helpful. I guess they deal with a lot of non-techies who just want the shiny-shiny. On the plus side, I had a problem with my iPad and they replaced it immediately on the spot (after checking for water damage) with a brand new one, so that's kind of handy.
What a refreshing change to be able to have an adult conversation about Android / Linux / Apple without the usual flame war starting.
Hear hear! The voice of reason; we all have different priorities and needs and some of them are better suited to one combination than another. We are all free to choose whichever laptop/tablet/mobile phone to use, without others reacting like we have insulted their mothers.
By the way, Microsoft smells of wee...
of course android fragmentation is getting a problem, but for me (as said above) it's the non reliance on itunes and the fact that I can use it easily over different os's. Sony have been pretty appalling with their android support however, and other companies haven't been great (some samsungs come to mind). Even htc and the tattoo was hit and miss, however the newer stuff seems to be better, and then of course there is the whole modded roms scene. I feel that apples closed garden approach is now harming them, you can get an android phone from a manufacturer you like, with the specs and price you like and go from there...
I'm not so sure you're right. You only need to look at their profits.
For most non-techies iTunes is fine. You put your CD in, and it autorips and stores the tunes for you. You buy your music, and it autoappears within the same interface, and getting it to sync as long as you're on Windows or OSX is trivial.
My father in law brought over his Android (coincidentally also a Wildfire) and asked me to set it up for email, etc etc etc. Whereas I could tell him how to load music from his CDs through iTunes, ripping stuff to MP3s using one tool, then syncing it to his phone using another is just way out of his comfort zone.
possibly...but the iPhone has been dumbing down phones for years...
My point is that Apple are unwilling to support multiple price points and contracts unlike android. I'm sure if you could buy an iphone for £100 they would gain massive market share, but it isn't gonna happen. However there a about 10 android phones available around the £100 market, and as most people don't even use half of what they are capable of then apple lose out. Not everyone is willing to fork out iphone prices, in fact I know of very few who are at this moment in time.
...but the profit margin on a £100 phone is way different to the profit margin on a £500+ phone. People who are also buying high end devices are likely to have more money to blow on apps and iTunes which is where a big chunk of their post handset purchase revenue comes from.
Having been with Android for about 6-7 months now I can't recommend it strongly enough. Really is a solid OS, customizable, plug & play, yet reliable enough to use without problem.
The Galaxy S does have an utter inability to handle the GPS though, takes a long time to get a fix which anoys me at times but thats a hardware issue.
Having Google maps & navigator is amazing value as well. Voice guidance, re-routing, traffic updates, 3D mapping. Looks amazing, works even better & when compared to a Tomtom can more then handle its own...all for free on android! :D