

Android Becomes Top Mobile OS In The US - RandallDownes
http://www.linux-magazine.com/Online/News/Android-Becomes-Most-Popular-Commercial-Mobile-OS-in-US

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andrewljohnson
All of these articles are similarly flawed, and equally worthless. For all
practical intents and purposes, iOS is the biggest mobile market. If you want
to start a company, you just can't make an Android app and expect to make half
or even a quarter of the money you will make on iOS.

Here are the facts working against Android:

1) Over 230,000 iDevices sold per day, compared to less than 100K Androids

2) Huge buyer loyalty and repeat/multi device sales among Apple consumers

4) On an Android, the first app you buy will likely require entering a credit
card - there goes tons of sales

5) Multiple studies say people buy way more iPhone apps than Android apps.

6) Apple owners are on average wealthier

Don't get me wrong... I like Android, I make an Android app, and I even make a
few bucks doing it. But my iPhone sales are way better, and it has everything
to do with the quality of the market. I really did like getting paid fast by
Google, getting my app posted same day with no review... but end of the day,
Android revenues sucks.

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ergo98
>I like Android, I make an Android app

What app?

>Over 230,000 iDevices sold per day, compared to less than 100K Androids

Groan. Android was past 160K per day many months ago. It has only accelerated
since.

>Multiple studies say people buy way more iPhone apps than Android apps.

Why does this matter?

>Apple owners are on average wealthier.

This one gives me a chuckle every time. Every burger flipper owns an iPhone --
It is not the status symbol it keeps getting ridiculously paraded as.

All smartphones have a net cost in the $2500 range, adding in requisite data
plans. The iPhone is no big expense.

>but end of the day, Android revenues sucks.

Again, what is your angle? You seem to be saying "for people who make gimpy
little micro apps and hope it's going to be their payday, distort all metrics
to validate your worldview."

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andrewljohnson
We make the "Topo Maps" app for the Android, which is similar to our outdoorsy
iPhone apps.

I Googled around and concede that Android sales are at 160K per day, but that
is still not close to the 230K Apple is putting out.

And I did not say iPhone owners are wealthier, I said Apple owners are, which
is certainly true. People who own iPads, iPods, iPhones, Macs, and other
expensive gear are wealthy. If you don't believe me:
[http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/07/ipad-owner-are-
selfis...](http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/07/ipad-owner-are-selfish-
elites-critics-are-independent-geeks-says-study/)

I am happy to have a successful mobile app business, and the pay day is from
iOS, not Android. I think I am in a good position to council people to do iOS
first if they want to bootstrap.

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onedognight
> The research did not factor in enterprise/corporate purchases.

So Android beat RIM's OS when not factoring in most of RIM's market.

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elblanco
"Breaking news! Android Becomes Top Mobile OS in the US!"

Apple Fan's Hasty Rebuttal, "caveat caveat caveat only if you don't consider
caveat caveat caveat and you have to consider caveat caveat caveat in which
case I don't even know why news about Android shows up on HN at all".

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melling
"The Year of Linux on the Desktop" may never arrive but it looks like "The
Year of Linux" might be this year, or next. Mobile phones could soon make
Linux the most popular OS in the world.

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theandym
It's not the overall 'Top Mobile OS', it just happened to be the 'Top Selling
Mobile OS Last Quarter'. Big difference.

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JunkDNA
Is there no end to the linkbait on this "story"?

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paul9290
This cool to see yet I am very interested per recent debate here who buys more
apps. Android or iPhone users?

I created a poll if you too are interested please vote on this poll
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1571592> or heck create your own and get
it to the front page. Im very interested in this data as a iPhone and a
possible Android developer.

~~~
paul9290
Thanks for voting. Just by the small sample thus far. We have 5 voted as
frequent iPhone app buyers vs. 0 frequent Android app buyers, while 5 Android
never bought an app before.

Overall this maybe way too small of a sampling, but maybe not? Appreciate the
votes and continued votes. Would be great to get a huge sampling. thnx

~~~
elblanco
The analogy of iPhone:Android::Mac:PC really holds on this front. Everytime I
use my MBP I can't help but feel I get nickle and dimed for little necessary
utility apps just to get things done (want to change the acceleration curve on
your mouse? That's $20!) -- things that would normally be free in Windows land
are $5-$20 in Mac land.

On my Windows XP and 7 PCs I can usually get 95% of what I need at $0. The
open ecosystem simply fosters a cheaper price point, which is good in some
ways for consumers (but bad in other ways) -- but not so great for
entrepreneurs.

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Terretta
"Top Mobile OS"?

Is the iPod Touch not "mobile"? Consumers think it is. And both versions of
the iPad certainly are mobile.

If you're comparing platforms, compare platforms. If OS, compare OS. If you're
comparing smartphone models, compare model to model.

Don't compare a platform to a model and pretend you wrote anything to be taken
seriously.

Here's a more interesting pair of apples and oranges:

1\. Verizon Wireless maintained its lead in the carrier market with 33
percent. Followed by _AT &T with 25 percent_.

2\. RIM accounted for 28 percent of commercial smartphones activated in Q2
2010. _iOS accounted for 22 percent._

That makes it seem 92% of commercial smartphones activated on AT&T are iOS,
leaving 8% for the RIM, Android, PalmOS, Symbian, Windows Mobile, etc. (You
can make stats say almost anything...)

These stats make it seem as though people walk into an AT&T store with choice
and walk out with an iPhone. What might happen if they could walk into other
carriers with choice?

~~~
rio517
This isn't quite accurate. Verzion vs. AT&T is total market share, including
all subscribers on all phones. The smartphone market is smaller, and
smartphones activated in any quarter is a small fraction of that.

Total market share != smartphone market share != smartphone activation share.

~~~
Terretta
Agreed. It's why I said my example was comparing apples and oranges and one
can make stats say anything.

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kloncks
Best comment on this was said by MG:

"Wait, So 20 Phones On 4 Carriers Outsold 1 Phone On 1 Carrier? Shocking."

Indeed. Full article: <http://tcrn.ch/ccmuFj>

~~~
00joe
So you think Apple would outsell Android if they licensed their OS, not a
chance. If Apple customer's compared features and not style they would be out
of business

~~~
Terretta
Unless the customer is comparing the feature rarely listed: usability.

Check why Consumer Reports rated iPhone 4 highest among all the phones tested
(despite the supposed antenna problems).

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gte910h
Android _still_ doesn't have the app sales volume iOS does, no where close,
both from the fragmented platform (os versions mainly), and the fact that only
13 countries participate in Google checkout at all (the primary payment
vendor), only 9 as sellers.

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sticktechvideos
i am thinking to buy one android

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6khBlUZ-Dp4>

