Well, without saying I told you so, Android continues to grow, and develop at a rapid pace.
Again I use multiple devices so no iHating (well only really towards iTunes) but balance and choice are vital to growth. All to often in all walks of life, when absolute power is given to one, it corrupts and skews development for others.
Android commanded 48 per cent of the market compared to Apple's 43 per cent, according to NPD.
This is ushering in a new age of development, choice and innovation and is a major win for all us.
Many years ago Telstra really thought they were 'all that' (and a bag of xxxl potato chips). They believed Sensis, their woeful search engine, (now in 2011 powered by Google. Ah sweet irony.) was what Australian's wanted. Sensis was better, faster, and that Android was to just be ignored.
They then put all their eggs in the iOs/Apple basket, and as usual, another not so smart move by the monopolistic giant.
The (then) CEO quipped;
Google Schmoogle
&
We’re outgrowing Google in Australia. We’re doing more, we’re growing faster and we have more capability, because we’re more relevant.
Taxi for Telstra CEO please...
So nice to finally see Telstra has rebranded, removed (some of) the arrogance, grown up, wised up, and told the latest CEO to shut up. Finally realising that if you want to get anywhere in this world that listening and collaboration, along with offering customer choice, is the only way forward... Someone at least has now empolyed a brain cell, and the often vastly customer devoid Telstra flagship Australian store, is now partially overtaken as the world's first Android store, called 'AndroidLand' in right here in Melbourne;
Android handsets now account for 30% of Australian smart phone sales to iPhone’s 40%. (IDC survey) So the divide is becoming less and less, and competition is a very good thing for consumers and customers. The screen shot above shows the dual options business are now taking as having iPhone only options, is beginning to offer a kind of 'older generation/not quite getting the mobile space' attitude.
Choice being a point I've stood firm on personally from my own preference, ( I see iTunes as a giant venus fly trap for consumers) but for some time also from a commercial perspective I wanted to ensure RMIT's brand was not able not fall in to the Apple only trap. (Or any other sole mobile vendor for that matter)
I wrote back in Aug 2009;
RMIT is keen to offer an experience that’s open to all, and not locked in to just one platform, device or provider.
Despite Androids now 5.4% growth this quarter and now 42% dominance of the US smart phone market, (Apple 1% growth and 27% share of market) still many choose to remain deeply myopic in Europe and Australia to Androids viral growth.
Ignorance is 'i-bliss'?
Even ignoring those childish and bitter mobile patent wars from Apple & Microsoft towards...well, just about every mobile manufacturer, you can see why these two behemoths are trying to stop Google every.which.way.they.can.
A colleague shared an article on the excellent boxes and arrows site which I had not been on in years, and I then discovered another excellent article. Written by Stephen Turbek, he points out some obvious, but oh so easily missed key design items that all site and app designers need to remember.
Good point on the Apple iPhone ads that of course, also trained generations whilst it played, and gave the perception it was easy to use. A huge factor in the iPhones success.
A cool little site letting you pick your social button. Click the image to fight!
I've not had as much time as I would have liked to dive deeper in to Google + over the past week, but every day it just keeps getting better. Maybe it's the smaller crowd, maybe it's the G+ geeks like myself, but this service IS your social network. Not Farcebook's ad ridden, group adding, farmville, face tagging tosh version of your social network.
Well in truth I'm sure all the ads and games and other items will sadly come along at some point, but until the + on!
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