Posted on 01/15/2011 6:00:18 AM PST by Erik Latranyi
We've been writing a lot this week about Apple's iPhone -- and its availability next month through Verizon Wireless.
Without the iPhone, Verizon's lineup has been dominated by smart new phones -- such as Motorola Mobility's Droid X and Droid 2 -- that run Mountain View Internet juggernaut Google's Android operating system.
Even with a Verizon iPhone, Palo Alto industry analyst Canalys predicted this week, Google's Android army will grow more than twice as quickly as its major smartphone rivals. "With Android's momentum expected to stay strong, the installed base of Android-based smartphones and pads will rapidly increase," Canalys senior analyst Daryl Chiam said in an e-mail.
As of the third quarter of 2010, Android had an estimated 25.1 percent share of the global smartphone market, according to Canalys, compared with 17.4 percent for Apple's iPhone.
Smartphone and computer makers including Motorola, HTC, Samsung and Acer are planning numerous Android devices in 2011, Canalys noted.
"Vendors are trying to differentiate further on the hardware front, with faster and more powerful processors, as well as larger screen sizes," Chiam wrote. "Last week, LG announced the first smartphone to support a dual-core processor, while Acer and Samsung showcased smartphones with screen sizes of 4.8 inches and 4.5 inches, respectively."
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Can Apple stage a comeback?
What will the iPhone mean for Verizon's network?
Google and Apple are enemies of any free people.
I don’t and won’t support them.
Verizon has quietly stopped some of their price breaks on phones. Their rebates and the new every 2 program where they offer discounts.
So expect to pay more at verizon.
I don’t know, my husband and I have a droid and we love it though. Even tho it’s 3g it’s fast and we have great coverage...hope them adding the iphone won’t cause the problem for Verizon that it did for “that other company.” :)
Apple’s problem is the one size fits all strategy of their hardware.
Pushing the idea that a lack of features and options is a brilliant design decision only works with a limited sector of the market.
iPhone 5 will be coming out later this year. If they can work out their issues with the iPhone 4, then it should do well.
iPad 2 comes out in a few weeks. You know they will be selling that too at the AT&T and Verizon stores.
Oh and Apple is close to selling 10 Billion Apps. Open up the Safari Browser if you have it. Right at the top you can see how many apps they are selling world wide. It’s kind of like the National debt web page where you see the numbers moving really fast.
I wonder if anyone else even close to Apple on the number of Apps sold?
Yeah, they're called Microsoft, they've sold far more "apps" and they don't count them as an ego boost.
For the non-technical, an "app" is simply a program. Therefore, think about how many Windows "apps" have been created and sold over the years.
I’m talking about Apps for phones and not just software Apps.
The difference between Microsoft and Apple regarding Apps is that Apple owns all the rights to the Apps vs. Microsoft that does not. For instance, there are companies like Lucas Arts and EA Games that sell Microsoft compatible software, but it’s not exclusively to Microsoft.
Smart phones and iPads seem , at the moment, to be the way of the future vs. desktop computers. Think laptops will be around for a while too. Keep in mind that Microsoft sells the software and not really the PC. You have companies like Dell and HP that sell the computer vs. Apple that actually sells you the computer.
Apple’s iPods are still hot too and I don’t see them going away any time soon. Have you seen the price of Apple stock compared to the price of Microsoft in the last 3 years>
Oh ya... Well my MOPAR is faster than your Ford.... :) unless you have a shelby mustang
I think that with the 4G phones coming, there is going to be a split between the usage of data. A lot will remain on 3G and a lot will move to 4G, basically Verison will be running 2 networks for data, which hopefully will keep them from having the same degraded network capacity. It seems to be a smart play by them knowing what all the data devices are going to require. I am just thinking out loud and trying to look at the bigger picture. I can only hope that verison learned from what ATT did over the last 4 years.
.....unless your MOPAR is a Hennesey Viper!
Yes, you are talking about apps for devices that cannot stand alone, but need a real computer to function. The iPhone and iPad require a PC, a significant weakness of the design.
I foresee the direction will be towards devices that are far more integrated, like what Microsoft is trying to do with WP7, but not very well.
If Windows 8 can cover mobile devices, slates, PCs and gaming systems, it could seriously give Apple and Google a run for the money.
In the meantime, phones and slates are in their infancy and Apple's lead is a blip...for now.
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