Can Android Compete with BlackBerry, Windows Mobile in the Enterprise?
Can Android Compete with BlackBerry, Windows Mobile in the Enterprise?
In an announcement that has put Microsoft, Research In Motion, Apple and the many other smartphone makers on notice,
the follow-up to the T-Mobile G1, the first Android-based device, is coming to
store shelves this summer.
Dubbed the myTouch 3G, the device will feature an improved Android operating
system, an affordable $199 price tag, and most importantly, it won't have the
slide-out keyboard found in the T-Mobile G1. That should help the device
fit more easily into pockets and compete on the same level as major players in
the market.
Although the T-Mobile G1 is one of the forgotten competitors in the touch-screen smartphone space, it sold well. As of this writing, T-Mobile has sold 1.5 million G1 units. It's not a stellar number that would make Apple worry, but it's a fine showing from a device that's on one of the least-popular carriers' networks. Given the success of the G1, it's not beyond the realm of possibility to expect the myTouch 3G to beat out its predecessor both on features and sales.
If that happens, should RIM and Microsoft be worried? Unlike Palm and Apple, which only sell one smartphone to customers, RIM and Microsoft use their software to sell multiple devices on multiple carriers. It's a strategy that has helped the BlackBerry and Windows Mobile attract a respectable following in the enterprise. Google, through the Open Handset Alliance and its open-source Android platform, is taking aim at both RIM and Microsoft. It doesn't expect Android-based phones to sell as well as the iPhone and it doesn't really care if they don't. Instead, Google is trying to create an operating system that can be on multiple devices from multiple carriers to help solidify itself as the "go-to" platform in the smartphone market.
It could happen. Recent reports have suggested Dell, Nokia, Motorola, Acer, and a slew of other vendors are seriously considering releasing an Android-based phone. Those companies see Android as an appealing alternative to Windows Mobile devices that simply can't compete on any level with highly coveted products in the space. For its part, Google contends that more than 20 Android-based smartphones will be offered to customers by the end of 2009. It's a lofty claim, given it only has one smartphone on store shelves now. But if we consider its software, it's not such an outlandish hope. If companies are trying to get into the smartphone market to compete with Apple in the consumer side or RIM on the enterprise side, Android is simply the best platform to go with.
In Touch with Users Expectations
Touch-screen
The most obvious difference between Android OS and Windows Mobile is
touch-screen support. And it's a big difference. In today's market,
users covet a touch-screen. In fact, they expect it. Right now,
that's not even featured in a Windows Mobile device. And although you can
get a touch-screen BlackBerry, the problem is, the BlackBerry Storm just isn't
all that great. In my experience, it's the worst touch-screen smartphone
I've used from any of the big four -- Apple, RIM, Google and Palm.
Although Microsoft is promising big things with Windows Mobile, it might be too
little, too late. If Android can attract vendors with its touch-screen
support, Windows Mobile could be in trouble. The platform will look like
an also-ran. And most companies simply won't find any reason to use
it. It's already trailing RIM and now, Windows Mobile could be trailing
Android soon.
Ubiquity
The biggest issue facing RIM is that its software is only available on a
finite number of smartphones. Right now, each major carrier has no more
than a handful of BlackBerry devices available to consumers. And although
many of those are extremely popular in the enterprise, it could be a problem
going forward.
Windows Mobile doesn't have that problem. Because Microsoft sells its
software to a variety of vendors, it can capture more market share out of sheer
quantity. It helps keep the platform afloat.
But Google's Android platform is using that same strategy. It plans to
use its software to attract more companies. And so far, as mentioned
above, it's working. Does that mean Google can match Windows Mobile's
ubiquity right away? Of course not. But as more vendors see the benefits
Android provides over Windows Mobile, it might only be a matter of time before
Microsoft loses significant ground to Google.
Apps
Apps matter in the smartphone space. Just a few years ago, most
companies didn't even consider mobile apps an integral part of their
strategy. Today, they could mean the life and death of a platform. And once again, Android wins out.
Although RIM offers some apps in its BlackBerry App World, it doesn't compare
on any level with the Android Market. At last count, the BlackBerry App
World had a little more than 1,000 apps in its store. Today, the Android
Market has more than twice that. And considering some of those apps are
designed specifically for business customers, it quickly becomes apparent that
if company employees are looking for more out of their phones, they will choose
an Android-based device.
The same can be said for Windows Mobile. Although Microsoft is promising
an app store, it has yet to deliver. So far, the company is far behind in
the app space and it's starting to hurt its platform.
Bottom Line
In the end, it's tough to say what will happen in the mobile
market. Maybe RIM will beat out the competition in the enterprise space
or perhaps
Windows Mobile will stage a comeback. But if we judge devices by the
features they offer and what most users are looking for in a smartphone
today,
it might be difficult to call any other OS besides Android the eventual
winner. It has all the tools necessary to make it big. Now, we just
need to wait and see what happens.
