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AdMob: iPhone OS devices lead Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1

By | May 26, 2010, 6:37am PDT

Summary: AdMob recently took on the task of examining the growth and highest concentrations of devices based on the iPhone OS versus that of Android-based gadgets. While Android OS devices have some high concentration levels across North America, Asia and Western Europe, the iPhone has it beat with a larger distribution worldwide.

AdMob recently took on the task of examining the growth and highest concentrations of devices based on the iPhone OS versus that of Android-based gadgets. While Android OS devices have some high concentration levels across three continents, the iPhone has it beat with a larger distribution worldwide.

According to the findings in AdMob’s April 2010 Mobile Metrics Report, there were 8.7 million Android OS devices and 18.3 million iPhone OS devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) in the US last month. The April release of the iPad in the US surely gave Apple a boost there, and that factors down to a 2 to 1 ratio of iPhone OS to Android devices.

Worldwide, AdMob found that there were 11.6 million Android OS devices versus 40.8 million iPhone OS devices, producing a 3.5 to 1 ratio.

As for where each OS seems to be more prominent, the greatest concentration of Android OS devices were in North America (75%), Asia (12%) and Western Europe (11%). Numbers for the iPhone OS devices reveal that distribution is spread wider across the world, although the biggest concentration is also in North America with 44% in the US and 5% in Canada.

The popularity of iPhone OS devices is developing fastest in Asia at staggering growth rate of 474%. But there are more Android-powered gadgets in China than iPhones, leading the way with a trio of HTC mobile phones (the Hero, Magic and Dream).

While it may seem from all of this that iPhone OS-based gadgets are outselling Android OS devices, the growth of Android products is pretty impressive. Yet the stats could become further lopsided if the iPhone really does become available with Verizon in the US and if/when the next-gen iPhone is released. However, even though ventures like the Nexus One didn’t go well, Android’s numbers and the success of handsets like the HTC Droid Incredible should serve as warnings to Apple not to get too relaxed. It isn’t completely unlikely that Android could outstrip Apple’s sales within two years.

[Graph via AdMob]

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Rachel King

Rachel King is a staff writer for ZDNet based in San Francisco.

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Biography

Rachel King

Rachel King is a staff writer for CBS Interactive in San Francisco. Before serving as a contributing editor at ZDNet in New York City for two years, she previously worked for The Business Insider, FastCompany.com, CNN's San Francisco bureau and the U.S. Department of State. Rachel has also written for MainStreet.com, Irish America Magazine and the New York Daily News, among others. Rachel has a B.A. in Mass Communications and History from the University of California, Berkeley and a M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, where she served as art director for the student magazine, Plated.

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apples to oranges
endersjane@... 30th May 2010
If you look at the graph they have to ADD the iPad and iPod touch into the numbers to be double the Android devices. If thats the cast take into account all the NEW devices that will run Android like the other home appliances that are looking to go smart or the E-book. So again the author of an article is doing an apples to oranges comparison.
View in thread
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It sounds like Android is currently outselling iPhone, but, of course the
DonnieBoy 26th May 2010
talking total numbers in the hands of consumers, iPhone is still way ahead, as it has been on the market longer, and, until recently was of course outselling Android.
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Just tried Flash on Android
LBiege 26th May 2010
Despite all Flash trivial problems it is feels just right to be able to use it on a phone. Apple is nuts to ban Flash from iLand and will lose market share over this decision.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
IowaTVMan 26th May 2010
Oh, goody. Adobe's buggy, useless Flush --er, Flash-- software on a phone. I guess I'll go right out and buy one. Not.
  • Flagged
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
tikigawd 26th May 2010
@IowaTVMan

Oh, goody. Adobe's buggy, useless Flush --er, Flash-- software on a phone. I guess I'll go right out and buy one. Not.

You don't want Flash. That's fine.
But why does someone who DOES want it have to be unilaterally deprived of it? Why is it OK with you for someone to TELL you you don't need or want flash?

Bow down to Big Brother Jobs. It's 1984
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
Snooki_smoosh_smoosh 26th May 2010
@tikigawd: Did IowaTVMan say he was going to buy and iPhone and let Jobs choose for him? He simply stated that Flash isn't going to be his deciding factor.

You are letting your absolute hatred for anything apple get the better of you.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
oscardetoy@... 26th May 2010
@IowaTVMan
You seem not to have done your maths here! Rachel's talking about total sales here and if in less than half the lifetime of the 'iPhone iPad iPod touch combo' the Android can have a 1:2 ratio, I think Apple will be looking over their shoulders and Google will be mighty pleased. looks like d 'Flash' OS is winning this one!
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Apple is Making Their Own Flash!
i2fun@... Updated - 26th May 2010
@LBiege That's why they're against FLASH. The project has been in the works for many months, when like IBM and Intel, Adobe ignored their requests to jump in and help get things running right on Apple products. With IBM it was them refusing to move on processors needed to compete with x86 in a timely manner.

Now with Intel, it's the fact that Intel forced them to use their cheap integrated GPU's in their mother boards and tried to lock them out of Nvidia's Integrated CPU/GPU products. So now Apple is busy planning to bring ATI's integrated CPU/GPU's into future products.

They also had problems with i7 iMacs that involves Security firmware compatibility problems with OS-X boot mechanisms for secure vault or process authentications. A very similar problem with some Seagate drives that lock, don't boot or slow down the booting process on them. Gateway and Apple have been hit the hardest by these rotten drives. Still no factory recall on these drives as yet!

I've got one right now and I'm going to have to physically install an soldered in interface so I can rescue this new drive, that was only 2 months old!

Now will Apple be successful at making an alternative player to FLASH? Well they already have one in Quicktime. But's it's hardly a contender to either Flash or Silverlight. Unless they open the containerized player up to the World, it's doubtful that it can make a dent in the FLASH Market with developers entrenched in such an easy way of coding content cross platforms and devices in FLASH. Developers need and want to make money and just as Game developers on PC's and Consoles are finding out, it's costing more and more to make games for just one system. That's why the biggest selling games are running on many different platforms and operating systems.

Lastly, Google is turning into Adobe's best customer. Google will not need to pay for a FLASH license ever again anyway. Their YouTube license deal with Adobe is already paid for in advance. Adobe has even already incorporated VP8 and Google is working 24/7 to convert all existing 720p and 1080p videos to the new format. At the same time all new HD video content is being converted on the fly to VP8. What happens when that's completed and Google decides put to work, the reason they bought VP8 in the first place? Which was to save on Bandwidth costs with a codec that is better optimized for web streaming with less space and bandwidth used!

You'll have the largest video content server on the web by far, completely off H.264 and using VP8 with FLASH only (remember Adobe's promise, we will deliver VP8 to 1 Billion people before the end of the year. It will be the dominant codec on the web, merely by being on YouTube alone! ...and don't tell me Google can't decide to save their own money or that Apple can require them to keep H.264 files just for Apple. Because it ain't going to happen that way and you all know it! NO doubt it's Apple's users that will suffer for the company's pig headedness!
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
masterurmind 27th May 2010
@LBiege R u a shill for Adobe/Flash ? Shame on u for making an ass of yourself.......shame shame shame.....
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You are a Shill and don't know it! lol
i2fun@... 27th May 2010
@masterurmind Don't have to be a shill for Adobe FLASH to be against the nuts that run Apple! ....or the few shills for Steve Jobs like you around here!
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Why Kid Yourselves!
i2fun@... 26th May 2010
@DonnieBoy Apple is locked into a very lucrative deal with AT&T for 5yrs (it's been confirmed). Of course they could break it, but it would take a fantastic deal offered by Verizon without too high a penalty from AT&T. Why would Verizon bite the hand that feeds them by going against their present phone suppliers to offer iPhones at a loss. Against their fiercest competitor, AT&T. Which doesn't make anything off the sale of the phones themselves and AT&T is still paying Apple for the honor of selling iPhones, making Apple richer and not them.

Here's the major problem with these numbers reported here. iPhones have been offered since 2007. As has the entire new lines of iPod products ever since iPhone was introduced. So in the USA market that's just double the amount of devices in double the amount of time as Android. How great is that? NOT that great.... and these numbers include all the iPhone OS devices. Including Apple TV sold and even third generation iPod Nanos that also have iPhone OS installed too!

"What's interesting, however, is that Apple has also been working on Mac OS-based iPod software for models that will retain their click-wheels -- such as third-generation iPod nanos. Interface concept videos recently published and then pulled from MacRumors consisted of genuine Apple material to this effect, AppleInsider can confirm." 2007- August

Apple has indeed announced they will further market iPhone OS platform on other devices, not yet announced. But the momentum has taken a turn in Android's favor with venders signing on to Google TV built right into Televisions using Intel chips. So apparently Intel is out to settle a score with Apple by way of proxy in Google Android TV!

BTW... Android as an OS was incorporated in 2003 over a year before Apple even had a hardware mockup to port OS-X to. Andy Rubin had already been a part of the WebTV browsing appliance development, among other things. He felt that phones needed to be more personal preference and location aware. So he started writing Android from scratch on a base Linux kernel with these concepts in mind. Stripped of all legacy driver modules, etc. That's why it's taken so much longer than Apple merely porting OS-X (some legacy code and all) to their then, upcoming iPod combo phone with the only ground up design going to the Touch Screen interface!


Apple didn't put the first call out for Touch Screen engineers until they'd applied for patents in late 2004 as part of their 30month development initiative for iPhone. Google bought Android in August 2005, just two years after it began and was incorporated by Andy Rubin. Naturally the OS in a ground up design is going to take longer than a ported OS. But there are benefits to that. It's design came from the very start in being able to run on many devices (as did iPhone OS). The difference is that Android took this much further and from the start has supported far more hardware components. Including Nvidia, Intel, ATI/AMD, Arm, and now they are also working on MIPS port... and Android is just starting to get rolling. Their Future is Wide OPEN! wink

BTW.... iPhone on Verizon? Ain't going to happen if AT&T has anything to say about it! ....and there's at least two years to go on that signed 5 year exclusive!
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Market share not the same as growth rate
Benjie Dog Updated - 26th May 2010
Saying that iPhone has a bigger market share than Android is like saying Vista has a bigger market share than Windows 7 (the latter statement is, by the way, factually correct at this point in time). Any product that is on the market longer will have the legacy numbers to support it. What is important is the current growth rate, and here both the iPhone and especially the Android are winners. In any case, most consumers will not do the technical research in choosing a smartphone. They will gravitate towards a nice-looking smartphone that they can try in a store and get a good discount on. With Android gaining brand recognition, as well as wide support by carriers, apps developers, and hardware manufacturers, Android is poised to make a real strong market presence by this Christmas. Apple and Steve Jobs are sensitive about this, judging from Apple's official public rejection of the rise of Android, and Jobs' private angry comments about Google.
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And Apple suing HTC Android
NonZealot 26th May 2010
@Benjie Dog
Apple and Steve Jobs are sensitive about this, judging from Apple's official public rejection of the rise of Android, and Jobs' private comments about Google.

And Apple's not so private lawsuit against HTC Android. Apple is terrified by Android, hence the incredible amount of astro-turfing being performed by the Apple zealots.
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By Feb 2011 Android will be ahead in all respects
Uralbas 26th May 2010
More phones, More Apps, More options
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of
RealNonZealot 26th May 2010
@NonZealot

And the blindly anti-Apple (Not-So-Non)Zealots.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
Pete "athynz" Athens 26th May 2010
@NonZealot So any lawsuit filed by Apple is due to fear but the lawsuits filed against Apple by Nokia and Elan are not? I guess the lawsuit Microsoft filed against Salesforce (http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-sues-salesforcecom-for-alleged-patent-infringement/6259?tag=mantle_skin;content) was also not driven by fear?

I see the double standards have already been queued
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Your an idiot.
Snooki_smoosh_smoosh 26th May 2010
@NonZealot: If Apple believes a company has infringed on the patents that Apple owns, then they have a legal obligation to bring about litigation, same as MSFT, Same as Nokia, same as any other IP holder.

Has very little to do with fear. Besides if Apple wanted to, they probably could buyout Qualcomm with very little issue, HTC parent company. So I am so sure Apple is SOOO afraid.
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@JM1981: LOL, that hurts!!
NonZealot 26th May 2010
Your an idiot.

LOL, oh, the irony! All I can say in return is:
Nu uh, you're an idiot!

LOL!
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
oscardetoy@... 26th May 2010
@athynz
You have a valid point against NonZealot but then, NZ's just mirroring what I've been noticing from Apple fanboys and the anti-Microsoft (or should that be M$) crowd. If MS had taken some of the steps Apple has taken in recent times (like restricting app developers to C based languages) they'd be up to their necks in anti-trust cases by now!
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@oscardetoy
NonZealot 26th May 2010
It doesn't even have anything at all to do with MS. When Nokia first sued Apple, all the Apple fanboys immediately started blathering about how Nokia was only doing this because they were terrified. I'm making fun of those Apple fanboys by playing the "What if it were Apple?" game. This time, it actually is Apple so it makes my game very easy to play. It is so easy to expose their double standards. happy
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of
Jkirk3279 27th May 2010
@NonZealot

Actually, "annoyed" by Android would be more accurate.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of
vulpine@... 26th May 2010
@Benjie Dog It's interesting that you point this out when Apple's computer growth rates have been roughly double that of their highest-selling competitor and almost 4x that of the general computing market for the last year. I admit that I expect the general market to rise significantly now that we're coming out of the recession, but I do remember many anti-Apple zealots claiming that growth rate meant nothing compared to market share.

I'm glad to see someone on the other side of the fence agrees with me.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
Tom-Tech 27th May 2010
@Benjie Dog "Apple and Steve Jobs are sensitive about this, judging from Apple's official public rejection of the rise of Android, and Jobs' private angry comments about Google."

Sounds interesting, do you have a link? As much as I like Apple products I do love to see Jobs getting worked up about stuff happy
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
Benjie Dog Updated - 27th May 2010
@Tom-Tech
The irony is that one would Google for the information! In any case, I think Steve Jobs said approximately the following at a private gathering of Apple faithfuls:

1. He said Google's "Do no evil" is just a hypocritical mantra.
2. He said that Google is out to kill Apple.
3. I think he shouted a mild expletive against Google.
4. He said that Apple never tried to step into the search business. (I think he is implying that Google should have the courtesy not to enter into the phone business, like a mutual hands-off understanding.)

This is quintessential Steve Jobs, and it is not necessarily a bad thing. The legendary Andy Grove of Intel once said that only the paranoid survive. In the case of Steve Jobs, not just survive (literally, over pancreatic cancer) but succeed. Look, I may prefer an Android over an iPhone (if only for the reason of an open system), but I have to give credit to the man.
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Android has a good future
Benjie Dog Updated - 26th May 2010
But having said what I have said in my earlier post, I still think it will take Android at least one or two more years to reach worldwide parity with iPhone. We consumers will be the winners because there is now true competition. By the way, the biggest high tech company in the world, Samsung, is going big on Android in Asia and Europe. See, for example, Rachel King's other article about the Samsung Galaxy.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
chas_2 26th May 2010
@Benjie Dog : True, but consider that iPhone has had a 2-year headstart on its worldwide domination. Were it possible to line up the developmental timelines side by side, I think you'd see a slightly faster development cycle with Android.

By the way...Apple is now claiming it has "200,000 apps and counting" in its iPhone App Store. While I'm sure that's literally true, I have to wonder what percentage of those apps are in use. There was a story I read months back that said that something like one third of iPhone apps downloaded were no longer in use after, like, three months. App selection is a good thing, of course, but what percentage of those 200,000 apps are really worthwhile? It's like having 200 channels on a cable system and only 4 of the channels being watchable.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
Pete "athynz" Athens 26th May 2010
@chas_2 While I'm sure that's literally true, I have to wonder what percentage of those apps are in use. There was a story I read months back that said that something like one third of iPhone apps downloaded were no longer in use after, like, three months. App selection is a good thing, of course, but what percentage of those 200,000 apps are really worthwhile?

The same questions and concerns can be raised about apps built for Android, WM, and BB... Not that I'm disagreeing with you when it comes to Apple's app store but then to what some people see as "crap apps" other see as very useful apps - no matter what platform they run on.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
rengek 26th May 2010
@chas_2
And iphone had close to a 3 year head start in the u.s. Considering android didn't put out a full featured os until less than a year ago, these numbers are telling quite a different story. There is only a current difference of 2 million units between android phones and iphones. That can be made up within 2 quarters. Considering android phones are currently outselling iphones, that catch up should happen quick. Also note that unless apple opens up the iphone, their sales are flat. And the longer they wait the more verizon users will adopt android instead of iphone.
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A 2-to-1 ratio is something Android should be proud of...
chas_2 26th May 2010
So a marketing study shows 2 out of 3 smartphone users have iPhones. Sure, Apple can be happy about that, but so can Google.

Google's Android has made itself a major player in less time than the iPhone did. With Android 2.2's release imminent (in the next week or so, I hear) with Flash support, the ratio will tip ever more in Android's favor. Motorola has done its share for Android, too, with the highly successful - and desirable - Droid phone. The iPhone platform has, essentially, only three models of the iPhone and three models of the iPod Touch while the Android platform has phones with every major carrier now except AT&T.

I'm an Android app developer and I see things only getting better for the Android platform. There's more freedom in the platform and application developers don't have to deal with an opaque application approval process (which I understand can take weeks to complete).
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of
Jkirk3279 27th May 2010
@chas_2

Since you're an Android developer, perhaps you can answer a question for me.

Is there an antivirus app yet?

With a free and easy environment like Android, there will be virus attacks.

How's the market for writing A/V apps yet? Any big names ?
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
Mythos7 26th May 2010
It is stunning how Android is closing in on iPhone in the US already. It will take longer outside of the US because of the dearth of Android 2.x phones in most the markets elsewhere.
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Misleading title
brobbins@... 26th May 2010
The issue is that the title is missing a key qualifier. That this is just in browser ad hits from the various devices.
So, the only real thing this tells us is that the iPhone users are spending more time on the web.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
Pete "athynz" Athens 26th May 2010
@brobbins@... True but the recent rash of "Android displaces iPhone as #2" blogs are based on a report which in turn is based on a set of online surveys - I personally want to see cold hard sales figures reported by the carriers and manufacturers.
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Once flash on Android and WM come out Apple will feel it
Jimster480 26th May 2010
The truth is that no matter how much Apple bashes flash, people still want it. So many websites and online games use it, that not having it basically cripples the internet. There is already support for it on older WM devices (I have it on a CE Machine) and a stand alone Flash player on my MotoQ9c. So until they add flash support they will feel the pain, especially when it goes mainstream on other platforms. Just like they are feeling the burn from not having multitasking.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
Pete "athynz" Athens 26th May 2010
@Jimster480 As a happy iPhone owner I can tell you I do not miss Flash at all - and even on WM it was buggy but that could also be due to the fact that WM itself is buggy. Nor do I really notice the lack of multitasking... but in that I must be in a minority because Apple is putting that functionality in iPhone OS 4x.
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Looks like the Apple zealots react to the news
PhilDuf 26th May 2010
that they are losing the market lead to Android
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
Pete "athynz" Athens 26th May 2010
@PhilDuf Honestly I could care less - sure market share gives some bragging rights but I'm happy with my iPhone, it does what I need it to when I need it to and really that is what matters. But then again I'm not an Apple Zealot - I just like my iPhone.
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I feel the same way about WM and Zune
NonZealot 26th May 2010
@athynz
Sure, they might not have the market share to brag about but both my WM phone and Zune are the better devices when compared to iPhone and iPod and that's all that really matters.

Cue apologies about share price, market cap, # of apps, etc. etc. etc.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of
TristanThomas 26th May 2010
Please don't be misleading. If you take a look at how close android is to the iphone in us usage you have to take into concideration the android formed only 18 months ago. Www.getyourgadgetsgoing.com has a good article that talks about all that android has accomkplished in just 18 months. Go check it out
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How were these numbers determined?
Timpraetor 26th May 2010
The methods used are seriously questionable. From the report:

" Despite these figures, it is difficult to determine the number of active devices in various markets. Devices shipped can be very different from the installed user base on a platform. For example, Apple does not break out how many of the 85 million iPhone OS units are no longer in use, what the overlap is between iPhone and iPod touch users, or the geographic distribution of the devices.
In the April Mobile Metrics report we take a look at unique Android and iPhone devices in our network. The numbers represent the unique devices that requested at least one ad from the AdMob network in April 2010. Please note these are not market estimates, rather data from our network that could be used to inform relative comparisons between the platforms."

I know three people in my office who have dumped their iPhones and picked up Droids because of the crappy AT&T coverage in many parts of Phoenix. And, forgive me if I don't consider ad delivery a good metric for counting devices.
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NON-Sense
Gradius2 26th May 2010
Keep in mind Android just take off couple months ago, while iPhone OS is there for years!
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The iPhone's new 4.0 software will push sales higher
MacNewton Updated - 26th May 2010
With some of the features that will be available with the release of 4.0 will push more people over to the iPhone. If the front camera on the new G4 model is used for video chatting then the under 25 age group will really be interested
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Comment seems mistaken...
solinear 26th May 2010
"It isn?t completely unlikely that Android could outstrip Apple?s sales within two years."

This is the last statement in the article. Since the article is talking about implemented devices, Android (out for 18 months) had 8.7M devices, which means 8.7M sales in the last 18 months. I don't think that Apple has sold 8.8M (or more) of their 10.7M iPhones in the last 18 months. Not to mention that a lot of the Android phones have probably been sold in the last 3-4 months with the heavy advertising that Google has engaged in on TV lately. I'd say that iPhone vs. Android alone, it's likely that Android has overtaken Apple already.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
BigRonW 26th May 2010
As usual, the majority of comments are from the USA, which (realty not being a major influence) sees itself as "leading the world". Leading, for example, by initially releasing the iPhone crippled by its lack of 3G support, because one thing in which the USA does NOT lead the world is...network coverage. Here in the (geographically much smaller) UK, "not being able to get a signal" is something of a rare event - almost regardless of WHICH carrier you use, or where in the country you are. The USA buys phones that work with the coverage available... and I wouldn't swap for all the tea in China!
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
gbohrn 26th May 2010
The issue with the new iPhone coming out is not necessarily going to get more iPhone users. Getting on Verizon will as AT&T service is less than desirable. I work on both and am happy for them both to compete. Keeps me in business. Though I think in the long run Android will overcome iPhone OS in several key areas as it is not locked to a specific hardware area, where iPhone OS is on Apple products, Android is growing everywhere (to include the Dell Streak coming out soon as well as an Archos iPad like device, etc). This article is a little misleading as iPhone has been capturing the market longer and riding on the coat tales if the ipod surge over the years. It is good though to finally be getting real phones with real capacity. Something my clients (like Qualcomm) have been driving for for some time. The days of the desktop PC and even the laptop PC for the average user are numbered. For people like me, I'll always have both, but the average user doesn't necessarily need a whole lot more than a Mobile Internet Device (MID) of some sort. The big tech are banking on this.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
PrepaidWirelessGuy 26th May 2010
I think including non-phone devices (i.e. ipod and ipad) in the calculation is not a valid comparison. That notwithstanding, Android will become the Windows OS of the mobile world, while Apple will retain its smaller, more niche, foothold as they have with PCs. Though I think they'll be stronger than they ever were with PCs. Apple will never be able to keep up with Android. Ironically, WebOS is FAR more capable than Apple and even Android. However, where Palm failed at marketing and brand awareness, Google will do well, and eventually Android will surpass the usability of WebOS; Apple isn't even close, and until OS4 when they add multitasking, in my opinion Apple's OS is painful and pathetic wink. Anyway, Apple paved the way, and Google will take over. Apple cannot compete with devices on every carrier and dozens of handsets; consumers like choice.

www.prepaid-wireless-guide.com/smartphone-comparison.html
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of 2 to 1
Pete "athynz" Athens 26th May 2010
@PrepaidWirelessGuy I agree with not adding in the figures from the iPod and iPad lines - though according to the graph above even with those subtracted the iPhone still has a slight lead... which doesn't mean a thing considering the methodology used. Give me cold hard sales figures and we'll go from there to determine who is top... well next to top dog.

Ironically, WebOS is FAR more capable than Apple and even Android. And I'd like to see what direction HP will be taking it... the evolution of WebOS will be interesting to see.
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pointless
The Management consultant 26th May 2010
clearly Android is a new entrant to the market...the best comparison is to compare both products over a three year contract cycle........please discuss more interesting things such as new apps on both phones?
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of
kpbpsw 26th May 2010
The only reason Android is selling in the US is Verizon customers can't get an iPhone. If and when Apple sells iPhones on Verizon, Android will be a dead issues.

It has been and still is a copy cat product. With 2.2 they added speed (that Apple will probably crush with next gen iPhones in weeks) they still have not addressed the UI issues.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of
Graham Ellison Updated - 26th May 2010
What we need to consider here is that Android is a free OS developed by an open source community. But the important word [for the manufacturers - who have all failed to develop their own credible OS], is 'free'. And that's the only reason so many have taken up the Android option and put it on so many devices.

But having a discussion about Android v iPhone OS is really irrelevant, because all these different manufacturers are in competition with each other. They therefore have to constantly vie with their competitors on price, specifications and functionality.

This means that the user experience will always vary. An intelligent buyer trying to choose between an Android device or an iPhone OS device will always opt for what suits them, based on price, user experience and what they think they want the thing to do. But a greater choice does not mean a better choice.

The risk for the buyer is lack of functionality and inevitable early obsolescence as different manufacturers use shorter product revision periods to gain market advantage.

Android as an ecosystem is like a shark pool. But a shark pool in which there's also another competing organism that's totally self contained. In the Android ecosystem big shark will always eat little shark, and no one manufacturer can ever gain a clear advantage [without killing other Android device manufacturers], therefore disincetivising the entire enterprise and leaving little to plough back into R&D.

In the iPhone camp, there is a very small amount of cannibalization between devices: iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad Wi-Fi, iPad Wi-Fi 3G, but Apple is the winner every time, meaning every $ earned is available for future development and advantageous component purchasing.

Your first profit is always made at the buying stage. And if you're buying ten times as many components as your competitor, you will always pay less than them. And make no mistake about it, this is the stuff that makes a business, any business successful.

Ultimately, Android as a business concept is only notional. It has no real future other than as a homogenous refuge for portable device manufacturers who lack the ability to design operating systems, or credible business models.

We can discuss Android v iPhone OS all we like, but eventually we will be talking about one very clear financial winner [the only real measure] and some very churned up water, several dead manufacturers, millions of unsupported devices and a lot of disappointed customers.

So, my heart says Android is a great idea. My brain tells me to back the eventual winner.
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RE: AdMob: iPhone OS devices leads Android OS products in US with ratio of
vulpine@... 26th May 2010
@solinear: You need to do some research. Apple sold some 8.7 million iPhones just over the Christmas quarter, that's three months, not 18 months. Apple has also sold somewhere in the vicinity of 100 million iPhones all told over the last 3 years, not a mere 10 million. And that's just talking about phones.

Yes, Android devices outsold iPhones this past quarter--with a minimum of 4 different service channels and almost 20 different devices vs 1 channel and essentially 2 devices (iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G(S)). This alone essentially puts the iPhone series on a 2-lane highway while Android is running on the freeway.

If you really want to compare 'apples to androids,' how about comparing iPhone sales to Android sales on AT&T alone in both growth figures and total sales over a given period--say, 1 year. Maybe the Android will still show higher numbers, but I find it unlikely.
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apples to oranges
endersjane@... 30th May 2010
If you look at the graph they have to ADD the iPad and iPod touch into the numbers to be double the Android devices. If thats the cast take into account all the NEW devices that will run Android like the other home appliances that are looking to go smart or the E-book. So again the author of an article is doing an apples to oranges comparison.

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