the android train

[µT6]

unstoppable?

"Google's Android and Apple's iOS mobile platforms together accounted for a record 92 percent share of all smartphones shipped worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to new data from Strategy Analytics.

Android, the undisputed leader of the industry, captured an impressive 70 percent share of the global smartphone market in Q4 2012, up from 51 percent a year earlier, the research firm said. Apple's iOS took 22 percent during the period, and all other smartphone platforms combined accounted for the remaining 7.9 percent.

"The worldwide smartphone industry has effectively become a duopoly as consumer demand has polarized around mass-market Android models and premium Apple designs," Scott Bicheno, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics, said in a statement."

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414764,00.asp

while it is true, it is a duopoly looking like a monopoly, this particular one seems to be the most unstable one i have seen, a decent competitor can take it down in a year, just like android did with ios

[AndrzejL]

I am hoping for FirefoxOS to hit them pretty hard... Finally a nice fully open sourced mobile OS without google's and apple's prying eyes pre-configured in it... IF I will have the money I will definitely buy a FirefoxOS phone...

Regards.

Andrzej

[Crow]

Now smartphones and tablets, next desktops.

Android has the potential to compete against Windows in the desktop market and in the process devour the Linux share just as Linux did with UNIX.

[kjpetrie]

I don't agree. It might devour shares from Windows or Mac, but it lacks the freedom ethos to dent Linux much. In Android one is limited to the app store and everything is locked down. That's not why we use Linux.

[AndrzejL]

In Android one is limited to the app store and everything is locked down. That's not why we use Linux.

That's a big +1...

I am not sure why Linux users are so excited about Android... The only truly free thing about Android is kernel with modifications... and I cannot understand why people love the fact that Google puts their prying eyes into their phone / tablet as long as it's giving them something that they call free but in the same time earns a lot of money in process and gathers a scriptload info about them... FirefoxOS should be much better privacy-wise... They are giving us great products for A LONG LONG time and want nothing in return? Google is evil guys... It's very evil... and we keep praising it because of Android? That's wrong... Just wrong...

Anyway... I would not use a phone with Windows / iOS / Android on it - I am gonna wait for FirefoxOS devices to be released and will buy one if I can save up cash for it... I always liked Nokia phones maybe this company will wake up and release a phone with FirefoxOS...

Regards.

Andrzej

[parnote]

AndrzejL,

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a Nokia Firefox phone. Nokia and Elop are way, way deep in the bed together. Once Nokia's stock falls far enough, look for Microsoft to buy them up and use them as their Windows Phone hardware division ... all completely owned and ran by Microsoft ... sub-par hardware + sub-par software will equal a huge win for Microsoft among the idiot masses.

[AndrzejL]

AndrzejL,

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a Nokia Firefox phone. Nokia and Elop are way, way deep in the bed together. Once Nokia's stock falls far enough, look for Microsoft to buy them up and use them as their Windows Phone hardware division ... all completely owned and ran by Microsoft ... sub-par hardware + sub-par software will equal a huge win for Microsoft among the idiot masses.

I am afraid You are right Paul... But I like to be prepared for the worst and keep hoping for the best... Naive I know.

Regards.

Andrzej

[µT6]

"sub-par hardware + sub-par software will equal a huge win for Microsoft among the idiot masses."

yes, sad situation, probably what will happen in some months or next year

[Crow]

I don't agree. It might devour shares from Windows or Mac, but it lacks the freedom ethos to dent Linux much. In Android one is limited to the app store and everything is locked down. That's not why we use Linux.

Time will resolve this 

[µT6]

"In Android one is limited to the app store and everything is locked down."

you can download apk files, the equivalent to rpm and install them as you wish

there is extra repositories to install stuff

to be closed, i find whatever i want, free or mostly free, enough workarounds to do whatever you want on that os, i find pclinux more closed, only one repo 

[Crow]

"In Android one is limited to the app store and everything is locked down."

you can download apk files, the equivalent to rpm and install them as you wish

there is extra repositories to install stuff

to be closed, i find whatever i want, free or mostly free, enough workarounds to do whatever you want on that os, i find pclinux more closed, only one repo 

Android have several things Linux lacks, a business model for starters; the name of a big company (Google) behind, no matter what people say about it's practices; other companies building gadgets for Android; and an explosion of apps.

Android will jump to the Desktop sooner or later just because there is a big market for apps there, it will find a lot of Linux fans but will also bring many users and a very fast grow. The question is: will it be just another distro? or will cannibalize it's cousins? 

[AndrzejL]

"In Android one is limited to the app store and everything is locked down."

you can download apk files, the equivalent to rpm and install them as you wish

there is extra repositories to install stuff

to be closed, i find whatever i want, free or mostly free, enough workarounds to do whatever you want on that os, i find pclinux more closed, only one repo  

The question is: will it be just another distro? or will cannibalize it's cousins?  

I find it to be a bigger threat then the whole UEFI and Secure BOOT thing... We are growing snake in the penguins "nest"... That cannot be good...

Regards.

Andrzej

[ruel24]

I'd really like to see something along the lines of Plasma Active winning out. It would be hard to get a foothold in this space without a big name behind it. Money talks...

Interesting is the fact that Android actually lost market share in the US, and now iOS holds the majority of the market share. Android dropped from 63.3% to 46.7% and Apple holds 48.1% in the 12 weeks leading up to October 31st. iOS also leads in revenue by a long shot, and most developers prefer the iOS platform due to less piracy, more potential purchases, and far less fragmented platform. Android continues to dominate in the European market with 61% vs. Apple's 21%.

[µT6]

yes, adroid makes the manufacturer earn more cash but the developers earn less, that is true

ios is doing fine but not that fine for the moment, us is a big market but europe and asia is bigger and more important for the moment

apple wants to release a cheap version of the iphone in those markets to see if they can recover market there

new android releases offer more and more so the competition will be more incredible every year until a new os comes and makes changes again

[Crow]

Apple you said?  a long but interesting article:

http://swapnil360.tumblr.com/post/41599332746/why-all-the-hatred-about-apple-is-completely-valid