Android eclipses iOS: MS-DOS of our time
According to analysts from IDC, for the last quarter, Apple sold a record number of its devices running on iOS. But the real news is the absolute dominance of Android, which has grabbed off such market share that Apple may soon fall below 10%.
The share of the Android mobile market has reached 80% of the devices sold, the research firm reported in its performance report for the last quarter of this year. And Apple was able to take less than 13% of the market.
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Android’s triumph seems to confirm Google’s choice — not to fight on equal terms with Apple, its proprietary mobile OS and mobile devices. If you look back, you can see that this was an elementary decision, especially if you take into account one obvious precedent.
In the mid-1980s, several competing PC platforms occupied comparable OS market shares. These were Apple, Commodore, Atari and IBM, each with an undeniable chance of winning. But by the end of the decade, IBM and its clones created the largest monopoly in the history of the industry. And the real winner was Microsoft, on whose software platform all these machines worked.
As every first-year student knows, Microsoft grabbed Apple's market share by licensing its MS-DOS OS for many different hardware manufacturers. The real value was not in the machines, but in the code by which they worked, which made Bill Gates the richest person on the planet. Steve Jobs fought hard to ensure that Apple remained a closed system, which led to his ten-year exile, after which he returned and spearheaded the beginning of the mobile era.
However, as the mobile market matures, the situation repeats. Only this time both sides can win.
Google’s business is based on providing services and advertising. The more and more people use their services, the more the company makes money. By creating an open source operating system that, among other things, helps hardware manufacturers set lower prices, Google ensures the maximum credit limit for most mobile users. Android binds the user to Google, which allows Google to show them more advertising. So, to a certain extent, Google remains the winner.
Meanwhile, Apple’s business is based on hardware and design. Carefully mastering the desired premium devices, Apple every year forces people to line up in advance so that they can buy up a record number of new iPhones, only slightly different from last year’s models. However, this approach will work only if Apple leaves its system closed. By compromising its design principles, allowing third-party developers to create products on their platform, Apple will lose all its advantages. This time, remaining closed, Apple remains the winner.
Strangely enough, but the same company that won the PC at the end of the 20th century turned out to be a major loser in the mobile sphere. Microsoft didn’t have any special design skills, nor was it smart enough to enter the mobile market before it was too late.
But now they have Nokia. The market share of Windows Phone, compared with the same period last year, has risen by 156%, this is the fastest jump in popularity among all operating systems tracked by IDC. Its total market share is still only 3.6% with 9.5 million units sold, almost all of which are Nokia phones. But by avoiding Apple's premium market segment, Microsoft’s mobile strategy is finally starting to move in the right direction, side by side with Android.
“Despite various market shares, they owe their success to one and the same important factor: price,” said Ramon Llamas, an IDC mobile analyst, in a press release. "Both platforms have a set of devices whose low price makes them affordable for the mainstream market, which leads the rest of the market forward."
The share of the Android mobile market has reached 80% of the devices sold, the research firm reported in its performance report for the last quarter of this year. And Apple was able to take less than 13% of the market.
')
Android’s triumph seems to confirm Google’s choice — not to fight on equal terms with Apple, its proprietary mobile OS and mobile devices. If you look back, you can see that this was an elementary decision, especially if you take into account one obvious precedent.
In the mid-1980s, several competing PC platforms occupied comparable OS market shares. These were Apple, Commodore, Atari and IBM, each with an undeniable chance of winning. But by the end of the decade, IBM and its clones created the largest monopoly in the history of the industry. And the real winner was Microsoft, on whose software platform all these machines worked.
As every first-year student knows, Microsoft grabbed Apple's market share by licensing its MS-DOS OS for many different hardware manufacturers. The real value was not in the machines, but in the code by which they worked, which made Bill Gates the richest person on the planet. Steve Jobs fought hard to ensure that Apple remained a closed system, which led to his ten-year exile, after which he returned and spearheaded the beginning of the mobile era.
However, as the mobile market matures, the situation repeats. Only this time both sides can win.
Google’s business is based on providing services and advertising. The more and more people use their services, the more the company makes money. By creating an open source operating system that, among other things, helps hardware manufacturers set lower prices, Google ensures the maximum credit limit for most mobile users. Android binds the user to Google, which allows Google to show them more advertising. So, to a certain extent, Google remains the winner.
Meanwhile, Apple’s business is based on hardware and design. Carefully mastering the desired premium devices, Apple every year forces people to line up in advance so that they can buy up a record number of new iPhones, only slightly different from last year’s models. However, this approach will work only if Apple leaves its system closed. By compromising its design principles, allowing third-party developers to create products on their platform, Apple will lose all its advantages. This time, remaining closed, Apple remains the winner.
Strangely enough, but the same company that won the PC at the end of the 20th century turned out to be a major loser in the mobile sphere. Microsoft didn’t have any special design skills, nor was it smart enough to enter the mobile market before it was too late.
But now they have Nokia. The market share of Windows Phone, compared with the same period last year, has risen by 156%, this is the fastest jump in popularity among all operating systems tracked by IDC. Its total market share is still only 3.6% with 9.5 million units sold, almost all of which are Nokia phones. But by avoiding Apple's premium market segment, Microsoft’s mobile strategy is finally starting to move in the right direction, side by side with Android.
“Despite various market shares, they owe their success to one and the same important factor: price,” said Ramon Llamas, an IDC mobile analyst, in a press release. "Both platforms have a set of devices whose low price makes them affordable for the mainstream market, which leads the rest of the market forward."
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/202222/
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