Android vs. Symbian open source or Android vs. iPhone 3G
Filed under: Cell Phones | By: Daniel
Posted on: June 26, 2008 | 4 Comments
We posted an article yesterday about the new Open Source Symbian OS and how it will be a direct competitor to the Open Handset Alliance and Google’s Android, that news is kind of obvious but what’s not clear is where the iPhone and their 3G version stands in all this.
We keep seeing news of Android vs. iPhone 3G and how Apple have a very good position thanks to being in control of the whole process, they control the user interface, the operating system, the chipsets and how the case looks. Yes Android is going to be an open source OS and it will get the power of many developers, but with their efforts to get the biggest cell phone carriers finding hardship, it looks a difficult road ahead.
There are pros and cons to not being in control of the phones creation, the iPhone may be in Apple’s total control but then its just one product. At first we all thought Google Android was going to be a Google Phone, but it turned out that it will be the Android OS on many phones, and the OS is more important than ever in expanding a phones features and applications.
Android may have a lot to deal with against the iPhone but this is nothing compared to the latest news about the Open Source Symbian OS and the newly formed Symbian Foundation. If we were talking about the biggest players in the future and in the cell phone business, we got to be looking at just two names and it does not include Apple.
It’s my view that the future phone market share will be Android vs. Symbian and more importantly the people behind those systems that are the Open Handset Alliance and the Symbian Foundation.
Open Source is great for all the consumers, but whom do you see as the biggest players in the business? Nokia has the most handsets in people’s hands. Is there only room for one like with HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray, will it be Symbian Foundation vs. Open Handset Alliance?
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With Nokia acquiring the rest of the stake of the symbian,the company will likely use the royalty-free software to drive growth in its handsets and services in 2009. I find it a logical step by Nokia,transformation from hardware to software services.Apple on the same lines have already proved its mettle.Nokia is set to go head-to-head with Google and Apple in the battle for control of the fast-growing mobile internet market after the acquisition.
You said: ‘If we were talking about the biggest players in the future and in the cell phone business, we got to be looking at just two names and it does not include Apple.’
Reminds me, a lot, of the pundits who prognosticated back in 2001 that Apple had an ice cube’s chance in Hell of being successful in the mp3 player business (against Sony, SanDisk, and of course Microsoft).
Check this space in 5 years or so. We’ll see who was correct.
How did you arrive at the conclusion that “If we were talking about the biggest players in the future and in the cell phone business, we got to be looking at just two names and it does not include Apple”?
Some points from the top of my head
1. Most popular smart phone today by volume of sales is RIM Blackberry
2. Fastest growing smart phone today by volume of sales in the last 2 quarters is Apple iPhone.
3. Largest Cell Phone Manufacturer by volume of sales (not just Smart phones) - Nokia
4. Largest Mobile Phone OS by volume of sales - MS Windows Mobile
5. Symbian Foundation - As yet only an announcement. Will take time to operationalize. But does have a OS which is already on many smartphones.
6. Android & The Open Handset Alliance - No phone in the market as yet and none expected till end of Q4 2008 in the US. So as yet they are not a competitor to anyone and there is no “data” that indicates that they will be a serious competitor in this space at any time.
Now how does this make Android & Symbian the biggest players?
Without a doubt Nokia will be a key competitor but so will RIM & Apple (atleast as far as Smartphones are concerned). In fact there are quite a few other players who build excellent smartphones on the Windows Mobile platform who too will be key competitors.
The only thing certain is that Android is not a “Today’s” platform and predicting the future is something man has not yet learnt
Regards,
Open source is OVER-rated.
Give me a break. Open source has benefits in a free business model.
However obviously as with recent events with Android, we can see how it’s commercial agenda completely contradicts it’s core purpose.