Android’s Nearly Impossible Obstacles
I’m so tired of hearing everyone refer to Android as an ‘iPhone Killer’ - I sincerely doubt I would ever leave my iPhones behind for a linux-based phone OS. Here are the reasons why I, as an end-user, see no appeal in an Android phone:
1 - Head start - the iPhone was two years old by the time the first Android phones hit the market. Android will be playing catch-up for a long time. I don’t want to go backwards in time.
2 - App Store - I love the App Store concept so much, I wish I had one for my Mac and for my work PC’s -who will set up and maintain dominance in an open-source environment?
3 - iTunes - apps, music, video - it’s all right there, accessible from desktop or mobile device - dead-simple, fast, mature
4 - iPad - all my apps, music, video are shared with my phone - one purchase, multiple platforms -
5 - Design and Usability - mature and professionally designed UI and hardware - many patented features that will never be duplicated in other platforms - Version 4 rolling out while Android is barely out of beta
Now those are *my* reasons, but many of them apply to the big picture as well. Android is competing with a worldwide user base approaching 100,000,000 — all using one-click features to purchase items with their credit cards. There is no single ‘Android’ entity behind the platform, although Google is spearheading efforts. They have an app store, there are at least two others. They seem to be available only through the phones.
But the app stores have bigger problems. Developers that are making big money with iPhone apps make almost nothing when porting a version to Android. Without well-paid developers, Android will be a flash-in-the-pan.
And the truly big issue is this: Android is open source software, and must be customized for each hardware handset it runs on. The hardware manufacturers are often the ones doing the customization, but this fractures the market. Apple controls both OS and hardware in the iPod/iPhone/iPad universe. Android can, by design, *never* achieve that level of integration. On top of that, each hardware manufacturer is free to use whatever technology they desire for their touchscreen material, further fracturing the user experience.
So sure, if you live in NY or San Francisco and have horrible AT&T reception, or if you are unable or unwilling to leave Verizon, or if you are an open-source loving Apple hater — sure, get an Android phone, enjoy it. But don’t be surprised if Android ends up going the way of Windows Mobile…