Android is losing marketshare and the iPhone is totally killing it, right? Whereas the fandroids and iPhonies can certainly spin the iPhone vs Android data to their advantage, the fundamental fact remains that everyone wins when there’s plenty of competition, especially in wireless services.
Android’s market share seemed to be heading, inexorably, toward 100 percent and utter world domination. According to fresh ComScore data put out by BusinessInsider, that run of luck appears to have come to an end, at least in the US.
For the three months ended in February, Apple had 38.9 percent of the US smartphone market, up from 35 percent for the same period ending in November. Android fell to 51.7 percent over the same period, down from 53.7 percent.
These numbers underscore a few fundamental truths about Android and iPhone.
iPhone vs Android: The Plain Facts
First of all, for a large majority of Android smartphone users, their choice of device comes down to the cheapest option to replace their feature phone just like Phil Schiller said. Although the Galaxy S III and other high-end Android devices on the whole deliver a quality experience, most people aren’t willing to pay that premium.
Second, Apple’s iPhone does offer an overall better experience vis-a-vis build quality, service and integration. Because Cupertino makes both the hardware and software, the result is a more polished device.
Third, the two platforms’ relative strengths can also be viewed as weaknesses. For example, Android is more open, which has lead to a proliferation of features and services not available to iPhone users. In the same breath, however, that openness leaves Android wide open to a huge and growing number of security issues.
For its part, Apple’s walled garden approach — measurably more stable, secure and consistent — means iPhone users don’t get advanced features, like NFC, and can’t as easily customize their devices a la Android.
And, have you seen Windows Phone 8 and Blackberry lately? Neither of these competitors have cracked 10 percent market share, but both offer unique and often compelling features (i.e. Microsoft’s flat UI and Blackberry’s topflight security) the market leaders simply can’t match.
Lastly, when it comes to the iPhone vs Android vs Windows Phone vs Blackberry battle for dominance, where do the real issues lay? With the handset makers or the effing wireless carriers?
Yeah, I love my iPhone and you may greatly prefer the Galaxy S III, or vice versa, but we’d both be better off with faster, cheaper and more responsive service…
What’s your take?
Image: Guys Gone Geek