NEWS ANALYSIS: Google's Android platform has skyrocketed to the top of the mobile market and has become entrenched there with little sign that another mobile OS will soon topple its dominant position. There are several reasons why that has happened.
Over the last few years,
Android has cemented itself as the dominant force in the
mobile market. And 2012 might just be its best year yet, according
to IDC. The research firm says Android will secure 61 percent of the market
this year and maintain nearly 53 percent by 2016. Meanwhile, every platform
from iOS to Windows Phone 7 will be forced to battle it out for second
place.
But how did this happen? For years,
Android has been called the second-rate version of iOS by some mobile
customers. Although devices from Samsung and HTC have proved popular, no single
Android phone has yet to match the success of Apple's iPhone. Still, with solid
branding, a high-quality experience and some help from a boatload of vendors,
Android is the top player in the mobile market. That won't change over the next
several years.
Here are the reasons why Android is
so dominant today.
1. It's a numbers game after
all
When it comes to Android dominance,
pointing to the sheer number of devices on store shelves and in users' hands is
arguably the simplest reason for its success. There are now hundreds (if not
thousands) of different mobile device models running Android in one form or
another, ranging from mobile phones to tablets and enterprise products.
Blanketing the market with product is a great way to win the market share game.
2. Apple's only offering three
devices
Meanwhile, Android's chief
competitor, iOS, while highly popular and extremely profitable for Apple, is
suffering in market share, at least, because of Apple's policy to keep it
in-house. Apple currently only offers the operating system on its iPhones,
iPads and iPod Touch. Because of that, there's simply no way for Apple to keep
up with Google's mobile operating system.
3. RIM's decline
RIM was long a thorn in the side of
Nokia's Symbian platform and Windows Mobile when that operating system had
considerable market share. In the past year, however, RIM has watched its
market share plummet to just 6 percent, according to IDC. What's worse, that
figure will drop to 5.9 percent by 2016.
RIM's decline has helped Android in a big way.
4. BYOD
The consumerization of IT is
something that a host of CIOs and IT decision-makers hear about, and as of
late, it's something many of those folks have been forced to deal with.
Although the iPhone is the most popular consumer product to be brought into the
office, Android is also gaining some ground with the bring-your-own-device (BYOD)
trend. Without BYOD, it would be impossible for Android to keep up.
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