Apple and Android accounted for 99.6% of smartphone sales in the fourth quarter of 2016. That’s a pretty significant duopoly of the smartphone market! What makes these two maestros of multitouch screens the standouts? Evolution. Over the last 10 years, both Android and Apple have come a long way, consistently outpacing their competitors. For a more in-depth look at the latest generation of the iPhone check out our blog, What’s New With the iPhone 7?
Humble Beginnings
The first iteration of Apple’s iPhone was announced and released in 2007 and was thought to be too expensive to succeed in the smartphone market. In 2008, Android and Google banded together to release their first smartphone to the world, the T-Mobile G1. A month later, Android released the Android 1.0 source code, making it available to developers everywhere. While this means infinite possibilities in terms of personalization, closed platforms such as Apple’s iOS and Windows’ OS are less susceptible to malware.
While Apple’s iOS exists solely on the iPhone even today, Android’s OS lives on multiple phones from HTC to LG to Pixel. If you’re fond of Android’s OS but don’t love a particular smartphone, you can switch to another phone and still have Android’s OS. If you don’t like the iPhone but love their iOS, you’re stuck with the iPhone.
OS Battle
Apple has always focused on the simplicity of its OS, with Apple executive Jony Ive even stating, “I think there is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity; in clarity, in efficiency. True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation. It’s about bringing order to complexity.” Apple’s goal is to make the iPhone easy for people of every age and technological expertise.
Android has actually strived for the opposite, with a focus on raw power and performance. With their focal point being processing power, UI seemed to fall a bit by the wayside. While Android tried to make their design more user friendly, it couldn’t compete with the simplicity of Apple’s iOS.
Today’s Competition
Both Apple’s OS and Android’s OS have continued to evolve and morph over the years. Whereas Apple’s newest iteration of iOS took on a minimalistic design, Android’s OS took the prize with intricate details and animations, pushing Android ahead on the category that they’ve fallen behind on the most.
Even though Apple got a head start on Android, Android has come out on top in terms of market share. Over the last 10 years, Android’s market share has grown from just 4% in 2009 to a whopping 81% in 2015. Apple’s share of the smartphone market has inched from 14% to 16% in that same time.
We’re excited to see where these two tech goliaths will go in the future. To stay up to date on tech and communication news, follow along with our [BetterBlog]). If you’re looking to stay in touch with your business partners in the most efficient way, BetterWorld has your solution.
Which camp do you fall into? Are you on Team Android or Team Apple? Let us know in the comments!
Posted in: TechSoup
