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11/05/09
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"Jabba the Hut like competition"
what does that even mean? #android20
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Rule number 1 in movie quotes: You absolutely do not EVER mention the movie they're from directly. If your audience won't get it, just let it be your own joke to yourself, or don't bother at all. Gah! Philistines, I swear. #android20
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Both of these approaches have distinct advantages, and both will appeal to different markets. Google will continue to push Android onto every phone, netbook, photo frame, and toaster that it can, and Apple will continue will continue to stubbornly maintain a closed hardware and development ecosystem, just as they always have with Mac. At the end of the day, Apple shouldn't be worried about Android, but virtually everyone else most certainly should. #android20
11/06/09
Google doesn't have to push, it just provides. How Google spent anything advertising Android? Some photo frame maker chooses Android, makes it work on their devices, and sells them. It contributes any source code changes it makes so that when Android 2.x comes out it has less work to do. The base software becomes a shared common level playing field that permits (but doesn't guarantee) more innovation than Apple's and Microsoft's controlled gardens. That's the magic of open source, when it works. #android20
11/05/09
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Of course, while my fellow cell phone nerds and I are enraptured by the Apple v Android battle, Google will have completed their quest for global domination.
Great article John. Thanks for explaining the nuances of Google's proprietary apps using multitouch as an example. That would have driven me crazy. #android20
11/05/09
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Stay classy Cincinnati, stay classy.
Hopefully she runs Android. #android20
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...Here's hoping you've got a womb, anyways. Otherwise this is gonna get...err....messy. #android20
11/05/09
However, just the first few paragraphs of the article explain why multitouch is here but not there, and why Nav is in one country but not another, Why third party builds can't include apps, etc. Show exactly that Adroid is starting to splinter and lead to confusion.
People want to know what they are getting and know what experience to expect. They don't want to worry about whether this is the android with Turn by Turn navigation or not.
This is a significant part of the reason that Linux is not being adopted in large numbers. To the outside world they call it Linux, but to a Linux geek, it is all about which build is better, and which one has what they need.
This, besides the slick UI, is why the iPhone is dominating. I just can't see that cohesive environment from Android. Even Winmo has a better chance of that if 7 is more usable.
This all reminds me of when Sun was touting Java as the miracle language. Everything will run Java, it will be universally compatible and wonderful. Unicorns and rainbows. Instead we ended up with 20 different bloated, slow, Java versions that don't play nice together on the same platform let alone cross platform.
Call me an Android skeptic for now...
The geek in me still wants one though
11/05/09
Fritter? #android20
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Apple knows Android will not sit still and will of course launch a much better phone next year that blows 3GS out of the water.
Because honestly if they don't, Android will leave them in the dust. #android20
11/05/09
iPods are a different matter entirely. Anyone can buy an iPod. Phones, however, are tied to networks and some people are locked into contracts or can't stand the network that the iPhone is on. Unless the iPhone can match Android phones offers (And it never will) Android is going to beat it's marketshare, but this does not mean it's going to destroy the iPhone just like Mac's not being the top PC OS does not mean they don't matter. Apple's strategy has never been marketshare, Google and Microsoft on the other hand focus on it almost specifically.
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You sir, are no Apple fanboy. #android20
11/05/09
If you notice...many people have left their carriers or chosen ATT just for that phone. It's just like normal Apple products. It has huge spikes...everyone buys ones. But that's it...when everyone gets one...there's normally not anymore who wants to buy none. It's just now happening with the iPod line. Saturation is being reached.
I believe Apple will become a big'ger' player in the phone game. Probably overtaking BB in awhile (maybe). But this won't be a repeat of their iPod monopolization of the MP3 market. I give them and Android a 2nd or 3rd place after all is said and done with the marketshares. #android20
11/05/09
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And when you have more developers on the Android platform, that's when Apple starts having it's floor clocked. Apple is showcasing its phone as a "premium" phone. It's going to repeat the mistake that it had against Microsoft in the 90s. High profits for sure, but it won't be everywhere like Windows is. #android20
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Product placement on every crime drama and sitcom =/= everywhere. In the hands of every 20-something with a job (or parents) =/= everywhere. Being a popular handset on only one of the many major carriers in the US =/= everywhere.
When your OS is the core running behind integrated gadgets at every level, then you're getting somewhere. As an example: you ever been to Wal-Mart and seen those devices they use to scan your cart when something in your cart sets off an alarm? That runs Windows. The machines controlling the displays in Times Square? Those run Windows. ATM machines, airline kiosks, those fancy new coke machines that let you mix flavors, sorta. Those devices make up "everywhere".
And as this article points out, Android is set to start invading "everywhere". Netbooks, MP3 players, photo frames, desktop phone sets. Wouldn't be surprised to see it in medical monitoring devices, or even finding some military applications.
When it comes to software, ubiquity is king. And as much ground as the iPhone covers, it is a major player in only one arena with a few peripheral pet projects. Android is a major player in many arenas. #android20
11/05/09
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Sorry one phone, 3 carriers, still != everywhere. #android20
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But *sigh* I wasnt meaning to suggest *sorry Mr Android* that Android isn't going to be everywhere. It just isnt going to eat Apple IMO. #android20
11/05/09
Honestly, the issue probably wouldn't have been brought up except....well....that's kinda what this article is about. :-P
You're right that Android won't eat the iPhone. For starters, it would taste disgusting. But it's also incredibly powerful, and moreover, prettier. And as long as there are people who want Apple's style and function, they'll continue to live on. Much like how, as long as there's people who still want physical keyboards, there's a portion of the market that the iPhone will never get. #android20
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