So after reading today's coverage of the Google conference, I must say that, I am impressed. I'm a pretty big fanboy with my iPhone 4 and iPad 2 so it would take a lot to grab my attention. I've always had the impression the Android UI was simply jerky or clunky and not as smooth as iOS, but recently after reading reviews of handsets like the Galaxy S II or that Asus EE pad, I'm not so sure. Sure I was impressed by the cloud based music and film offerings, but what really got me was the simple updates they were doing to their existing software - for instance an update has now allows you to re-size widgets on your Xoom, it just seems like a neat little touch and a big step in the right direction. To me it seemed to all but confirm this cloud based storage rumour for iOS 5, that has been going around. I don't know why, but I always took it with a pinch of salt before, but now it seems this is the direction companies like Google and Apple want to move in So, before I completely turn into a Droid acolyte, let me ask this - what do you think Google's announcement today means for iOS 5? .
It means Google is my hero. I've gone for an entire year without iOS, and now as an Android convert (Currently rocking a stock T-Mobile G2X), I don't plan on going back. Google for me is just the epitome of awesome (I mean, they name their software updates after deserts!), 2.4 Ice Cream Sandwich FTW!
In all honesty, I don't think it means anything. Apple -it seems to me-know what they plan on putting in their updates far in advance, so anything Google announced today probably won't affect anything Apple does till iOS6. With 400,000 activations daily, 200,000 apps, 4.5 billion app downloads (it took 2 years for the first 2 billion and only 5 months for the next 2.5), Apple, RIM, WP7 really have their work cut out for them.
Scott, are those android stats! Dang, they are catching up. It is weird how I do not know a single person who has switched from an iphone to any other (and I know a lot of iphone users), but I can name many who have switched from android and others. I think apple is better at keeping customers, and unlike the mac, the iphone is extending well beyond a niche. Unless apple has a major misstep, I think they can continue to grow at a steady rate.
I made the switch from iOS to android, and I'm happy so far. Some of the brightest minds in the nation are working for both companies, so I'm guessing the actions of one won't have a major effect on the other. These days it's less about who does what first than it is about who does what best. AppStore for Apple, OS features for Android.
Yeah, those were stats taken from the keynote speech this morning. Apple has built brand loyalty over the years-so the high retention rate has as much to do with the name as it does any of the products from Apple. Problem is, they're not getting as many new customers. From Dec '10 to Mar 31 '11, they only grew by 0.5%, Android grew by 6% while Rim, WP7 and Palm all went down. (statistics were taken from comscore) At some point Apple and the others will have to start opening up a just a bit in order to keep competitive. The first Android phones were lackluster to be polite, but it has grown by leaps and bounds in a relatively short time. While that's great for Android, hopefully it will be great for the iPhone and other handsets so it keeps everyone innovating and not resting on their legacy and name alone.
My guess would be that android is gobbling up the people switching from the others (not apple/android) and getting their first smartphone. It seems that people would be more hesitant to switch to apple due to its one phone and generally higher price point. But I think that once people make they switch to apple, they are more satisfied than those going to android (unless the pricing becomes an issue). This is all speculation, but I thought the mac kept people due to its brand, and the iphone due to the product itself. There are many people, like me, who prefer the simplicity and unison. I hope this only pushes them both further.
I've definitely never been more tempted to switch - it makes me really hope for some really groundbreaking features in iOS 5. I mean Google is giving tablets USB support for Xbox and PS3 controllers (and loads of other things like cameras) and I just think it's such a good idea, and it's something we all know Apple will never implement. I just hope for something more than Cloud based storage and voice control. I can use that kind of thing already, and I don't really want to,
