Android activations soar, not very many are tablets
Summary: Android is definitely on a good growth curve, but even with all the buzz about the Honeycomb tablets that are appearing not very many of those activations are of the non-phone variety.
Google must be feeling downright giddy today with word that Android is seeing 500,000 device activations each day. That is a tremendous number, especially since it was only a few weeks back that the number of daily activations were "only" 400,000. Even more impressive is the revelation that activations are growing at a decent 4.4 percent week over week. At that rate daily device activations could hit 620,000 in just 6 weeks. Android is definitely on a good growth curve, but even with all the buzz about the Honeycomb tablets that are appearing it doesn't seem that very many of those activations are of the non-phone variety.
No one is sharing actual sales numbers, but it has been tossed around that the major tablet players have only seen a few hundred thousand sales of the top models. That is a mere drop in the bucket of total Android activations; it is certainly a far cry from the sales of the iPad by Apple.
Google is activating so many Android devices, phones or otherwise, that it really doesn't need the Honeycomb tablet to take off to compete with any company. The sheer number of phone activations puts Android firmly in a great position in the mobile space no matter what tablets do in the market. Where Google has to be careful at this point in the life of Android is to not let the drive for tablet development affect the smartphone side of the business.
The company intends to turn the next big version of Android, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, into the OS version that unifies the phone and tablet side of the platform. This is a nice goal, but it would be quite silly to let the OS get driven by the tablet side of things at the expense of the smartphone. Google would be wise to leave the dance with the one who brought it, and that is the smartphone, no question.
See related coverage:
- 5 Android apps that should be on every smartphone
- The failing of Android as a tablet platform
- HP TouchPad: Last stand for iPad competitors?
- Android Honeycomb 3.1: A mixed bag of meh
- Top Android apps for Honeycomb tablets
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Talkback
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RE: Android activations soar, not very many are tablets
Agree; Apple needs to radically increase sales to catch up with Android; ..
Which would I rather have?
Sell one and make a good solid profit or sell a million and make nothing? Now both examples are extremes cause I assume that the Android OEM's are making at least some money and well on the other end Apple does certainly sell more than one in fact plenty. As much as Android phones now? Not if you count all OEM's and all phone models that use Android certainly not but what about each individual OEM? Or each phone model type? On a one to one basis Apple clearly wipes the floor with the other OEM's. In fact the only way for Android to look good is to combine all sales from each and every OEM and every phone and come up with a sales/activation number that is very large but ignores the very real business driving force called profit. Apple makes huge monies on each and every iPhone, iPod and iPad sale. Apple gets money for App sales, Movie, book, and TV sales. Apple even makes money off of contracts sold to AT&T and likely now Verizon. Then there are iAd sales and such in fact I can't see where the i products ever stop making Apple money. Lets look at the classic example shall we MS vs Apple. People often refer back to this so called OS war as an indicator of what is to happen with Android vs iOS. I don't agree..... Things are different and lessons have been learned by Apple, but for arguments sake lets say yes the exact same thing will happen. In the end what did happen? MS and Apple are both still here and each is extremely profitable. Even at it's worst Apple still had Billions in reserves that's Billions with a B mind you while hundreds of OEM's who sold Windows or MS driven PC's came and went. Hundreds maybe even thousands if you count all the mom and pop shops that built their own and sold them. So is this the worst there is? If so where is the beef? Apple will remain and a host of Android OEM's will come and go in the process all the while Apple will continue to make good solid revenue from it's products weather they are number one in sales volume or not does not and has not seemed to have mattered any. If I were to have money invested in a company or be running a company I'd much rather it be Apple than any of the given Android OEM's.
Pagan jim
RE: Android activations soar, not very many are tablets
Dammit Jim! You put me to sleep half way thru your diatribe! My Android refused to show without Flash, my i4 kept shutting down mid read and my iPad just can't handle any more!!! and to top it off, I don't know where my Transformer ran off too!
aaarrrggghhhhh!
:D
RE: Android activations soar, not very many are tablets
@James Quinn Either Apple changes their policies and politics or those funds will dry up under the weight of a more popular platform. Now you can believe what you want, but the Tablets will be the next market that Apple loses and then where do they go Televisions? Yeah, that isn't likely to sustain their growth and their PC Market still hasn't crossed 10%.
Anyway, you always praise Apple and spout off on people who don't share your views but, come on man this is overwhelming evidence that Android is clearly the platform to beat!
RE: Android activations soar, not very many are tablets
RE: Android activations soar, not very many are tablets
Or we are students of history....
Pagan jim
YEAH!!! msalzberg YEAH!!!
Even more important is to highlight how many companies are going to go bankrupt trying (and failing) to compete against Apple. That is so important to stress again and again. YEAH!!!
Well facts is facts....
Apple did have Billions and has even more so now a days. Oh and the companies that will go bankrupt will not be competing against Apple but one another. As I've said before this is the very shallow end of the pool and Apple wants no part of that scene. The fact that they will go bankrupt is not Apple's fault in any fashion in fact it's the nature of the game they those companies choose to play... It has very little if anything to do with Apple at all.
Pagan jim
Great reply msalzberg!!
My point NonZ is not to gloat but
Pagan jim
Thanks for clarifying
My second reply was simply addressing your comment that this had nothing to do with Apple. I was very confused why, if you admit this has nothing to do with Apple, why you spent so much time talking about Apple. Don't get me wrong, I'm really HAPPY!!!! that you are on every Android story preaching the Apple story, I was just a little confused why you thought this had nothing to do with Apple. EVERYTHING has to do with Apple. EVERYTHING!!! YEAH!!!
You simply MUST get better meds NonZ
Pagan jim
RE: Android activations soar, not very many are tablets
Those who own APPL stock and Android devices... thank you for your purchases. ;)
RE: Android activations soar, not very many are tablets
My 401 luvs them folks! ;)
RE: Android activations soar, not very many are tablets
You may not like it but the Tablet OS versatility is building Momentum that Apple will not be able to stop without reversing some of their policies and that's reality!
RE: Android activations soar, not very many are tablets
I think, that initial iPad killers, where not so succesfull.
Cheaper tablets will give better sale numbers.
But also tablets are smaller market than smartfones, so comparing numbers from two of them is....
On the other hand, slow, painfull start of Android in Tablets is not the end of Android on tablets. As there is preatty no competition to iOS apart from Android. (Others just start).
RE: Android activations soar, not very many are tablets