Android Grabs Top Spot From iPad With 62% Share of the Tablet Market
techcrunch.com
techcrunch.com
I am on my third Android tablet (a Kindle Fire HDX). My first Android tablet was the first Samsung 7" tablet that came out with Gingerbread on it, back in like 2010. I got a free iPad from my job a few years ago and gave that to my daughter and have upgraded her iPad since. She has a ton of children apps for her, that she has grown up with, and learned from. There are near no apps for my Android tablet this many years in. Personally I never want an iOS device, I just don't like the operating system, but I would really like at least some apps for Android. These marketshare numbers don't seem to have helped at all.
However there's this big one that comes with them all called a browser. It does all sorts.
The only apps that have an advantage over this app are the ones that have at least partially disconnected model i.e email, offline navigation, authoring or creative stuff and to a degree games.
Then again I'd rather have a real keyboard to write emails, a smaller device for my offline navigation and a bigger screen for authoring and creative stuff.
So basically, it's a browsing, email and games machine. And a crap one at that.
For reference I own a laptop and a smartphone. The mid ground seems pointless to me. Tablets are relegated to children's entertainment and they'd rather use the Xbox for that to be fair as Minecraft is better with real controls and it doesn't spam the hell out of you by trying to install apps via adtrack.king.com every two minutes.
For you. Important distinction, just because you specifically haven't found a use doesn't mean others haven't. I know people who code on them, or do some spreadsheet twiddling, or (yes, slowly) write documents on them. For them a tablet is the right amount of compromises.
A 30 second search on YouTube reveals a plethora of digital artists, another might reveal a similar amount of digital musicians. Your use case isn't their use case.
Personally, despite you just needing to install an APK, I don't know a single Android-user running anything not installed from the Play store.
Obviously the XDA crowd is different, but they are a clear minority, and I know almost nobody IRL who goes that route.
>More apps than Android: Apple's App Store has more than 425,000 apps. The Android Market has 200,000. In May, Google (GOOG) announced its 4.5 billionth app download, compared with Apple's 15 billion as of July 7.
Where do you read that iOS users were paying more than Android users in that article?
I've had two Android tablets (Asus Transofrmer TF101 and then a Nexus 7) ... Nexus admittedly a much better experience but I use my iPad mini so much more than both of those tablets put together. Higher quality apps and better accessory/device ecosystem provide for a superior overall experience.
Overall quite disappointing
[1]: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Nexus-7-eMMC-controller-fst... [2]: https://plus.google.com/+AndrewDodd/posts/2eEd95oN1ZP
That put off developers from making tablet apps, for a long, long time. And because of that it also had the side effect of affecting Android tablet sales, which in turn gave Android developers even fewer reasons to make tablet apps for Android.
I mean, can you believe it that only late last year Google decided to show users "tablet apps" by default when using a tablet? They finally did something to encourage developers to optimize their apps for tablets.
But I don't think it's enough. Normally, I don't think Google should've done this, but they are so late in the tablet app game now, that I think they should start forcing developers to optimize their apps for tablets, too, or have their apps kicked out of the store within a year.
I think it's a very reasonable time-frame, and it's not like they have to rewrite their apps from scratch to do it. If they did that, I think within 6 months we'd see Android tablet apps for everything.
Something else that I'd like them to do: kick out apps from the "Featured" or "Editor's Choice" that don't adhere to the Android style guidelines. You'd think that Google would want at least the hand-picked apps to be "made for Android", no? Do that, and watch how the top popular apps scramble to adhere to Google's standards.
This wasn't the reason, though. The reason is and was because on Android it is really quite easy to adapt to multiple screen sizes, and show different views based on screen size.
> Something else that I'd like them to do: kick out apps from the "Featured" or "Editor's Choice" that don't adhere to the Android style guidelines.
Totally agree. Google hasn't done enough to strongly encourage companies to make quality apps. Though these days when I see an application I consider to be poor in quality on Android I tend to find a similarly poor in quality app on iOS from the same company.
Specific distributions for various sized screens is an artifact of iOS, not a design idiom on Android.
https://developer.android.com/guide/practices/tablets-and-ha...
* Web (Chrome)
* Email (Gmail)
* Movies/TV shows (YouTube & Netflix)
* Reading (Kindle & Pocket)
* Music (Spotify & YouTube)
Edit: I forgot about Mango[0], a manga reader. This is one I have to sideload, since Mango essentially provides a native frontend to websites that host fan translations (Japanese to English) of copyrighted content. I can imagine that such an app can't be obtained on iOS without jailbreaking.
There's actually a tweet from Zac Bertschy, Executive Editor of Anime News Network that complained about how many are available on iTunes:
Also, Android devices that are are not tablets are counted in the statistics: http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/11/18/android-based-tv-s...
I just checked my tablet: Pocket Casts, Flipboard,Kindle, Pocket, Cal, Timely, Expedia, Skype, Imdb, Hacker News 2, Pinterest, Flow,... All have special layouts for large screens.
What's the usage numbers like though. That seems to be the one Apple always bring out when discussing the iPhone (fewer sales but much more web browsing than Android). I know a family member who had an iPad and used it all the time. For his next tablet he got an Android tablet and he doesn't use it at all. Why? No good apps. Android still lacks massively in quality tablet apps.
- Garageband
- Amplitube
- Paper by FiftyThree
- iMovie
- Penultimate
- Sky Guide
Because it was terrible. Also there was no easy way to share videos. Look at how many videos are uploaded to YouTube everyday. A lot of people will get value form iMovie.
Weird... The browsing experience is very good on Android.
But then again, my mom uses an Android tablet all the time and my aunt doesn't use her iPad.
Whats your conclusion about that? :-)
But we have a saying in Dutch: "Wij van Wc-eend adviseren... Wc-eend"
Translation: "We from ToiletDuck advice... ToiletDuck" (it was a known commercial for a toilet cleaning product)
Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital. ~Aaron Levenstein
I'm sure i can find a statistic that says that Employees with an iPad are less productive then those with an Android tablet :)
They use whatever number is to their advantage. First it was marketshare, then it was app count, "usage" is simply the newest number they use. Suffice to say, they're going to lose that one too. But I'm sure iOS will always have some advantage so they'll always have some number that's the one true indicator of value.
In my household we have two Nexus 7s and an iPad. The iPad is absolutely loaded with apps.
My children argue over who has to take the iPad, as they all prefer the Nexus 7s. The games are identical to their iPad counterparts, YouTube is, apparently, a superior experience (not surprising given Google), Netflix is largely the same, and it has search and a web browser. That encompasses all of their computing world.
Oh and it has a couple of gaming system emulators. Those aren't even possible on iOS.
It isn't just children. To many adults, a tablet is a web, email and media device. I read the news on news websites, not by using apps for each provider. I use the web browser. etc.
The long tail isn't as big of a difference as it is so often held out to be. Paper is a neat app....but I haven't touched it in probably a year. The same for Garageband -- a week of lots of use, then forgotten. I've never made a movie on a tablet. Those all faded away.
Personally I still prefer the iPad when I grab something for browsing, and given that it has the TMNGo app that isn't available for Android yet, but it just isn't that huge of a chasm.
"I know a family member who had an iPad and used it all the time. For his next tablet he got an Android tablet and he doesn't use it at all. Why? No good apps."
Android tablets are good when cost is a major consideration but if you can afford to spend an extra $100/200 I believe you'll get more value from an iPad still.
I didn't say that at all. From my personal experience it seems they get less value from them. They are certainly useful devices but I think the extra money an iPad costs provides more value than the added expense.
>> Why doesn't your family member return the tablet if it's useless?
He's trying to sell it.
Apps that register for opening certain file types will also be available in 'Open in' dialogs of other apps (if the developers of both apps added the same file extension) so it's easy to move files between apps. Silos for app files only exist if the developer is lazy or ignorant, the platform itself has supported file sharing between apps for years.
Wait, what? Connecting to iTunes is not part of any regular file explorer workflow.
> I guess the Android advantage is you can initiate this transfer from the device instead of the computer, but that's not really "too much work" IMO.
Wow, can't disagree more. That's an enormous difference. one is a computer and one is a periphery. Peripheries are fine, some people can live with just a periphery, but if you have real file management needs like the one I pointed to above, a periphery won't cut it. It's entirely too inconvenient to have to dig out the computer that has iTunes installed (for me it's 1 of 4 laptops in my house), get the files onto that computer (probably over the network) and then transfer them onto the device.
And you've only got to physically connect to iTunes once, after that you can just upload files over local wifi. You've constructed yourself a scenario where iOS is the loser for you, but for anyone with a Windows or Mac computer (what, 97% of the world?), "finding the iTunes computer" is not a difficult task.
How about we call a molehill a molehill instead of a mountain?
Come on, the newest Apple computer costs like 3000 $ . Anyone who wants it, is willing to throw out cash.
Even a friend of mine (who is a serieus Apple fan), is going to buy a Windows pc (but he'll keep his iPhone). I suspect that he is going to get frustrated by the frustrating experience that Apple brings on other platforms.
I'm happy for Android but saying that Android is winning only because it's "more" open is just non-sense.
a) they're aiming more for phpBB et al b) they launched a year ago
And I mean that on top of network effect. And the fact that it was mismanaged. And that it was mostly vapour-ware.
It hardly had a chance.
I've never heard of Discourse.
App.net didn't beat Twitter because of network effects. And it costs more.
Windows has a very open ecosystem. It's not open source.
Arguably the parent has missed the difference between open source and open ecosystem. The iPad has a moderately open ecosystem too - though less open than Android (which in some ways is less open than Windows since it has a centralised distribution method).
Because App.net cost money ($50 per head/year iirc) and twitter despite being a closed service was free (as in beer).
App.net didn't have a chance.
Did you mean Diaspora? Also, those are not "ecosystems".
This kind of thing just shows how utterly empty and useless marketing buzzwords like 'open' are.
[1] http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/02/e-z-2-use-attack-cod...
[2] http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=andr...
I think if Google sold Android like Microsoft does Windows it still would have won (albeit somewhat more slowly). Apple always limits its bandwagon effect by limiting the availability of its platform to a rather small collection of devices. There's simply much more, and much cheaper choice of Android devices than there is with iOS. That defines what platforms wins, not the source code license or the details of their application policy.
That doesn't make much sense as the two concepts are not directly correlated. Good user experience doesn't guarantee market share nor does market share point at good experience.
Maybe it'll encourage better tablet apps for Android, which is still obviously lagging in this area.
edit already two replies providing nice examples.
I'm thinking the quote probably doen't exist.
Also, because android is open, the numbers are inflated: http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/11/18/android-based-tv-s...
As a developer I will stick with iOS until the profits flip.
I couldn't find updated numbers, but in 2012 Apple sold slightly fewer phones, but people still spent 4x as much in the iOS app store.
Why should anyone apart from Apple care about this?
Unless ofcourse you're merely interested in finding out if you're getting ripped of and by how much?
If iOS ever does end up in the same position against Android as the Mac does against the PC, Apple will be doing very nicely thank you very much.
More market share != winning.
Applications for Android tablets largely still suck. Applications for iPad, are better quality in my experience - and that by a WIDE margin.
Now, here's the bias disclaimer. I have been an avid Mac user in the past, and there are many things I prefer about that platform, in terms of development and productivity (i.e. just getting stuff DONE)
HOWEVER - I am currently all-Linux, except for the iPad Air.
I use the following devices:
iPad Air Nexus 5 (this is my primary "phone" now, having switched from an iPhone 5) Nexus 7 2013 wifi.
Yes, that's some extra info... I just wanted to convey the fact that I'm giving Android a fair shake. If you want to ask me what I think of the N5, I'd be happy to share, but that's off-topic here. :)
let's add an example of that... Microsoft.
Yes, they rule in the desktop space. So what? They haven't done anything to innovate in a LONG time.
They lost the mobile market.
They seem to be grasping for straws, and largely trying to gain revenue by strong-arm bully tactics with patent licensing agreements that are likely almost all FUD.
CAN they innovate? Perhaps. It's been a long time since they have.
For all you MS-lovers who will tout the dominant market share, and stock market profits... let me ask you this.
If MS was doing SO good... why is Ballmer out? :)
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I'd love to see this confirmed or disproved.
Why would you assume they're also excluded by tablets?
None of the sites are showing any real breakdowns to verify this, but the Apple tablet numbers are iPad numbers, not iPad + iPod Touch which it should be if small form factor, non cell tablets are considered in this.
The salaries are really low here, most sales seem to be 100-200 Euro cheap Androids.
The Androids are often used for specific applications/niches (e.g. in taxis and by poor students). If buyers had money, they'd at least get Androids with better screens.
I believe the market for paid Android apps here is more or less nil.
(I hope the cheap Androids aren't used for banking etc, considering the lack of security updates.)
In short -- these cheap Androids aren't really competing with iPads. People just can't afford better (or they are used for a specific application 20 minutes a day).
All that said, I still would consider to switch from iOS if I could get better Emacs support with external keyboard than a terminal (which work on iOS now).
This is a strength of Android - that it can be on inexpensive devices for the billions of potential users out there.
But maybe ads to people without money will be enough to finance software? I think before that happens, good cheap screens (maybe not IPS) and lowering electronic prices will push the prices for usable xPAd down anyway -- what seems to happen for phones now. Then everything in the xPad market changes (just don't ask me how).
Remember their original goal for the iPhone? Capture one percent of the market. Their products have always catered to a niche, only with the iPod did they ever start seeing mainstream popularity.
I don't think it would hurt Apple to fall back to being a niche in the current computing landscape — they are just amassing money otherwise — their company does not seem designed to actually grow with the money they earn.
iOS can be on inexpensive devices, too; Apple just chooses not to. Now, maybe that's a good decision, and maybe it's not—but it's a decision that they're making, not a corner they've been backed into.