Android is crushing Nokia not because of the cheap phones - but because it can scale from cheap to expensive, from featured to luxury. A cheap Android phone, like LG Optimus One gives you partly the look and feel of an expensive smartphone.
In contrast, Nokia's featured phones with Symbian on them are great for their cost, but they do feel cheap. And an expensive smartphone with Symbian on it still feels cheap.
I don't think that Android's success is
relative to the iPhone
I disagree. The iPhone is probably the biggest reason for Android's success. It first started when Apple decided that an AT&T monopoly was worth it. And it happened in Europe too - in my country only Orange was originally selling iPhones, until iPhone 4 came out.
Like in a bad movie when an old dude sitting on its porch says "a storm is coming" ... carriers and phone makers began freaking out and saw in Android THE alternative. It is a good alternative. And while Apple may have a huge network of stores, it cannot compete with the distribution network of multiple vendors.
>It first started when Apple decided that an AT&T monopoly was worth it.
I think that's an astute point. I wanted an iPhone but was on Verizon. So I eagerly snatched up the Droid, a phone that was actually better in many ways than the iPhone of the time. There must have been hundreds of thousands like me.
In contrast, Nokia's featured phones with Symbian on them are great for their cost, but they do feel cheap. And an expensive smartphone with Symbian on it still feels cheap.
I disagree. The iPhone is probably the biggest reason for Android's success. It first started when Apple decided that an AT&T monopoly was worth it. And it happened in Europe too - in my country only Orange was originally selling iPhones, until iPhone 4 came out.Like in a bad movie when an old dude sitting on its porch says "a storm is coming" ... carriers and phone makers began freaking out and saw in Android THE alternative. It is a good alternative. And while Apple may have a huge network of stores, it cannot compete with the distribution network of multiple vendors.
(EDIT: rephrased the last paragraph)