iPhone Vs. Android
Oct 19th, 2008 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Innovation, New Product Management, Strategy, Technology StrategyThank you to Mike for this question as well…..
The article Apple’s iPhone And Google’s Android: Mac Vs Windows All Over Again asks: is this PC vs. Mac all over again?
It may be MAC vs. PC all over again from a tech point of view, but I would like to look at it if from the consumer point of view. Apple products are dominant in term of hardware attractiveness, search is search and Google will always be a search engine in a competitive handset market with no ability to create hardware that will attract early adopters. Just look at the new device, no one is waiting in line or sleeping outside the store to get one. The strategy of Google’s is to put as many Irons in the fire as possible and hope one catches on. Most mobile products are able to do that same thing make calls, listen to music, search the net, etc. Sales today are driven by new hardware introduction and innovation other than software, that’s where Google is at a disadvantage. The I-phone and blackberry are examples of hardware dominating software. Soon TV and Radio and almost anything imaginable will be available on mobile devices, so by Apple controlling what come into there hardware device will not produce the same old result, it’s a different company and a different time. In conclusion, Apple computer is known today as “Apple Inc”…
I can definitely see the parallels between the two situations. I would expect that Apple would have learned from their strategic missteps with the Mac platform and Apple’s philosophy on open versus closed systems. But, from everything one hears and reads, they are hell-bent on repeating history. One can only hope that Apple realizes the strategic import of Android and takes appropriate steps to modify their strategic stance.
I think they could find a way to provide a more open system that still employs moderated introduction of applications. To me, Apple should invest/ support/ provide a stand-alone third-party validation service to “give the seal of approval” for iPhone applications. If the “seal” provides a need that customers need, software that bears the “seal” will succeed and other applications will wither.
The constraints of Apple’s closed systems are particularly irritating to those who enjoy the flexibility of open systems such as promoted by Google.
If I want a graphics software that is more powerful than Excel, I have nearly unlimited options in Microsoft compatible software. Not so with Apple.
Apple may “make the whole widget” but heaven help you if you want a slightly different widget.
Given Google’s track record for innovation, my money is on Android for the majority of users who value functional flexibility and innovation over safety from viruses and predictability of menus. Though they have not hit yet with slick hardware, betting against the Google machine is as risky as the Dow Jones in the last month.
Mac vs. PC could be compared ot Android vs. Iphone in that they are two companies fighting for a wide open market at the time. The results will be different however. Apple will trying to maintain its exclusiveness in the touch phone market, while Android will try to plaster as many phones as it can with its OS. The problem with both these systems is that they are too company specific and will only be for hardcore users of their service and/or products. Phones that are not so specific to everybody will be the winner. Android has the possibilitiy of adapting to what people want over what google thinks they should have. People will not want to be limited to a specific carrier, email address, applications, or search engine. The winner of this battle will be the company that suits the customers’ needs and sees that adding their programs as the only option is not the smartest thing to do.
I don’t believe that this is Mac vs PC all over again. This is a much different market. Mac vs. PC was a market driven by the professional at work. Open source made the PC and its software cheaper. The LISA was first introduced at nearly $10,000 in 1983. It priced itself right out of a market, a market that was focused on creating value and controlling cost. The iPhone / Android market is not so utilitarian. This is more of a consumer market where having the latest cool thing is extremely important. The key to the iPhone’s continued dominance in this market is its customer perception. Basically the iPhone has to stay cooler than the Android and it will win. Open vs. closed source isn’t an issue if the market doesn’t change. Think about it, its amazing what some people will put up with in order to be the cool kid on the block.
This IS PC versus Mac all over again…this is the necessary balance that the future of pocket computers needs to be successful. I personally think the iPhone is a great innovation and am interested to see what develops when Google releases their “phone”. These devices are the future of humanity because we identify ourselves through our communcations with others and being able to call, email and who knows what other levels we’d be able to discover with newer technologies we can hold in our hands.
Without competition the iPhone stood the risk of just plodding along and not challenging itself to become more. With a healthy competitor a product like this will grow more rapidly then had it just been out in the market by itself. Hopefully this will usher in a new era of mobile functionality… something that will increase our efficiency.
Based on a story I read today it might be all over for both parties. As far as music is concerned it seems that consumers want to access their music when ever they want it withour maintaining a hugh data of potential songs. Which neither company currently supports. As far a standard platforms go, I think it is only a matter of time before consumers get feed up with the lack of compatability between the varioius standards. I know I am.
I think that Google, or Windows, whatever, could have come up with something way cooler…. but I guess that makes it seem more Apple v Windows because the iphone looks sleeker than the android, same as with the respective computers. I think the competition is a good thing because it makes both companies constantly try to one up each other, and the consumer ultimately benefits. I feel that both companies are making deals with other big companies, or buying them out, which would be different than the past Window V Mac. I would agree with the author in the article about going with Apple, the investment is worth it, BUT I will stay tuned into what the Android (or the next up and coming phone OS) add or change about their product.
I did think that it was funny there was actually an advertisement for a protective case for your apple iphone in the margin to the right of the article.
Mac vs. PC with a twist. . . I don’t believe that this battle will be the same as the Mac vs. PC simply because of the complexity involving carriers and contracts. I do believe that Apple is going to hurt with the Android being more open though. I know I would have purchased an iphone had it been offered with my carrier. More importantly from a corporate implementation stand point it is my understanding that the iphone is far more difficult to integrate and if Android can meet the needs of corporate America’s integration we may see apple sliding just as far behind in the polls as it once did. All in all I think that competition will push both companies to the brink of innovation and that is great for all parties and consumers!
I can see this turning into MAC vs PC all over again, but this time I can see MAC winning the battle. I think that Apple has such a jump on Google in this situation that it will be very difficult for Google to come back and take over. While yes, people do like the PC and the free for all installing apps and such on them, more and more these days you hear of people switching to MAC’s because of the security blanket they provide and the stability. I’m sure there are a number of people out there that will want the PC device so they can have the freedom back, but Apple has a corner on this market and I don’t see anything changing anytime soon with that.
The iphone and android situation could very easily be viewed as “Mac vs. PC” all over again, but I don’t agree with the “all over again” part. The two are competitors that develop new and exciting products, so the two competing is really nothing new. Because Mac has been at it a bit longer, they are ahead, but it isn’t necessarily about who delivers first. I think in the long term Android will prevail because of the success of Google, and those in the market who want something besides a Mac product.
In terms of an OS, I think that Iphone Vs. Android is correct. At the momment, these are the two most talked about cell phone Operating Systems. However. I feel that there are to many other players in the cell phone game for the cell phone OS game to get as big as the computer OS battle. With other companies such as RIM and Windows having their own Operating Systems, I think that not one OS will have more than 50% of the market. I think it will end up playing out by the type of consumer that is purchasing the cell phone: Iphone for people that won’t mind paying a premium price for ease of use and convenience, Android for “power users” that like the open source factor and don’t want to be as limited as the iphone OS, RIM or “blackberry” for the business setting and Windows mobile will always be their to those that are loyal to microsoft and prefer that operating system.
I think Iphone vs. Android would result in Apple coming out to be the victor in this battle. I am a PC guy but am on the verge of becoming an apple user. My experience with Ipods and using peoples mac books has been excellent. The thing that makes people appeal to the Iphone is the use of Itunes. It is basically what makes apple in this area. It is very user friendly is based on the just plug in and update method. I think googles Android would have some issues in stepping up here as Apple has left very big shoes to fill. An example could be Apples partnership with AT&T which is another huge company.
This is a difficult article to read for me as I am a large proponent of Apple and Google. In the grand scheme of these devices I think that the competition is a good thing. Apple’s Iphone is truly a remarkable device and conforms to the strategic thinking of Apple by making an intuitively usable device that is composed of beautiful hardware as well as beautiful software. The control issue for Apple is not surprising at all. Image is how Apple competes in the electronics marketplace. Conforming to the Apple way of doing things is the primary way that Apple attempts to distance itself from the competition. As the author of the article says, the benefits of user interface and intuitive operation have typically outweighed the control aspects that Apple imposes. Google is a different type of strategic thinking, but not altogether so. There is a certain amount of control imposed by Google as well. Android is a open license program that allows for a lot of creativity by independent developers, however with all that freedom quality will eventually become a concern. I can see this leading back to the PC v MAC debate as quality of project produced by Microsoft has always been a gripe for PC users dealing with the occansional “blue screen of death”. Apple’s control has afforded it a higher impression of software quality with less exposure to viruses and attacks. I think the marketing of Apple will continue to drive them to be a sales leader of “out-of-the-box” technology that appeals to people that want a functional product that doesn’t required a steep learning curve, where Android will appear to the other market sector that thrives on tweaking their devices to be specifically optimized for them.
I think this could go two ways. It either be the PC. VS. MAC brawl that some people think will occur or the iphone will just dominate. Speaking from a knowing nothing background on cell phones i haven’t heard anything about Andriod, all I hear on tv is the iphone. Thats what makes me think that apple might just beat the andriod. If it does come to a brawl than i think that the andriod will eventually win out just like the PC. There might be more malware or other issues that come from having a more open architecture but i think that might acually lead to a better product becuase the manufactures will get feedback from the users and could tailor the product more specifiacly. This seems to be something that apple lacks, like perdue said heaven help you if you want a slightly diffrent widget.
If this is Mac vs. Windows all over again, my money’s on Apple this time around. I have never been enamored of a piece of equipment as I have of the iPhone -and the fact I did not have to read a product manual in order to be able to use it makes it even more fantastic. I don’t want to contemplate operating systems, but want a product with plenty of functionality that is reliably intuitive and enjoyable. With each update, my iPhone has improved. My husband, after much research, purchased a Windows device that boasted broader functionality but he has had to spend hours getting the thing to do what he needs it to do. Who has that kind of time?
One thing Apple has and others not is brand recognition. Once you start using an Apple product you stick with this brand. Neither Google nor Microsoft have created this feature for their products, so far.
Apple is not only much better (yes, my opinion) it has also this “coolness” which is promoted with commercials like the ones with PC vs. Mac.
Even after the month or so that the android has been out I have yet to see one and it seems to have disappeared from conversations. When the Iphone came out within a month more than 5 people I knew had one, the hype was much larger. With the stability of the Iphone and the daily need for a working cell phone, I think the Iphone will continue to dominate the market.
I see some similarities between the mac/windows and i-phone/android cases. It will be interesting to see how the i-phone/android situation plays out. Apple does have some advantages over android, such as i-tunes, but i’m sure andorid will form some other partnership similar to verizon/rhapsody. android also has google’s backing which could come with a lot of useful apps.
I also can see some similarities between the cases, but based on the way the Google phone sold, I don’t really see any comparison. I don’t have problems running any applications on my i-Phone, so unless Android came up with something crazy and new, I don’t see any reason why it would be “better”. I look at both Apple and Google as household names today, I’d probably give them around the same credibility. I just don’t think the Google phone did anything special to set themselves apart from the i-Phone. Maybe the Blackberry Storm could be another story!
I don’t see the iphone/android as much of a competition at all, which has been mentioned here already. I too have yet to see an android and the buzz for the product seems non-existent.
It could be a new “war”, but I think it`s a good thing, because only the best will survive. Apple sure learned a lot from PC-Mac confrontation. Well, now it will learn even more from being in competition with Google.
The open source concept and application customization is appealing to the programmers, but I think most people do no want to mess around with having to deal with it. As one person said about the i Phone- I could use it without ever having to reference the user manual – I think that sums it up for most users of technology. Make it simple and make it work and you will satisfy most people, even the techy ones. If the Android can make itself as user friendly and “cool” as the i-Phone, I think there will be good competition, but it needs to be careful not to make itself enduring to only those who are enabled to utilize its “openness”.
Apple is rapidly entering in the smartphone industry with their iPhone along with Blackberry, LG, Treo, and Samsung. Since Apple dominated the mp3 sector, people have stuck with apple becuase of it’s user-friendliness and stylish features. I think it’s another competition that is waiting to happen in the near future. Google android will compete with apple and may surpass them and other companies as well.
It could be PC vs. Mac all over again, but probably in reverse order. Because Apple has such a strong market share in the portable music player market, customers who are likely to buy a smartphone will be likely to look at an iPhone. They already have experience with Apple products, and some of the functionality is the same or similar between the products. Google/Android will have to create a name for themselves as being better than Apple somehow in the smartphone world.
The thing that is the same as the PC vs. Mac war is that Apple is producing the whole product, while Microsoft created the OS, Intel created the processor, Dell put everything together, etc. Apple has to watch out that they don’t get undercut in price by a product that has the same functionality. That would be the only way I see them losing this one…..
If you’re going to compare phone OS’s to the PC/Mac rivalry, why wouldn’t you start with iPhones versus, say, Windows Mobile phones??? Even 9 months after this article was written, Android just doesn’t have the market penetration. It doesn’t come pre-installed on many phones, leaving individual users to modify their phones, along the lines of what many Linux users are left to do. The Linux vs Mac comparison is probably a more accurate one.
That said, I think its a bit premature to make this comparison. Phones are significantly cheaper than computers and therefore almost considered a throwaway device. I think loyalty in the cell phone game is more related to the services provided than the OS or hardware brand. The iPhone got a lot of its customers from people that already had large iTunes-based music collections. The Blackberry keeps its customers because of the constant connectivity it provides. If Android is going to jump into the game and build a strong customer base, it must come up with a loyalty-builder like iPhone & Blackberry have.
I think there are some similarities to the age old mac vs pc battle. Only time will tell if Apple learned from its previous mistakes and will adapt to maintain its lead. Currently, the iPhone works well and has a large amount of applications for anything one would want to do. Android is in its infancy still, and has a much more limited application base. The iPhone also has a very refined interface and user experience when compared with any of the current android based phones. The Motorola Droid is (in my opinion) the first Android phone to come out that is somewhat competent. I think we are in for some exciting new Google based phones in the near future. It’s going to take some serious work for an Android based phone to lure away any current iPhone users, however.