It has been a long climb for Android. When the operating system debuted in late 2008, with the G1, it seemed to have little hope of overtaking the iPhone. In the previous year and change Apple had changed how we defined smartphones, and it appeared that Android was just trying to play catch up. Combine that with a strong BlackBerry market, and it became difficult to see where Android fit.
Three and a half years later, the picture has become much clearer. Android has spread far and wide, and in many periods it has, with its growing arsenal, outsold the iPhone. Yet the best is probably left to come. It’s not hard to imagine 2012 being the year of Android. Here are a few things we can look forward to this year.
Features turn into benefits
When it comes to specs, Android is at the top of the game. The hardware from its best handsets tops even the iPhone 4S. There’s a good chance that Apple won’t even match Android’s power with the iPhone 5.
There’s just one problem: People don’t buy a phone for its specs.
People buy phones for all sorts of reasons, but only a small percentage do so based on processing power and other under-the-hood features. Yet those features are what power the phone. With more powerful phones in 2012 — we could have half a dozen quad-core phones on the market by the time the iPhone 5 drops — Android stands to do more.
More coherent software design
Android has been, for the most part, pretty lenient in its developer guidelines. Those freedoms have led to some pretty innovative software design, but it hasn’t been kind to a consistent user experience. That’s apparently important to people, so Android has released a developer style guide that will in a way homogenize the platform.
This goes hand-in-hand with the development of Ice Cream Sandwich. The latest iteration of the Android OS is meant to bring together as many devices as possible, shedding the “fragmented” tag and making life easier for developers. It should also make life easier for end users, since they get consistency from device to device. It will make upgrading Android devices a bit more appealing.
Replacing physical media
While more powerful specs (and the resulting benefits) along with the consistent software design might sound more important, this one has all of my interest. Essentially, replacing physical media is one area in which Android and Apple are in fierce competition. The more functions they can have their phones perform, the more customers they’ll get.
For example: Android might not be big with business right now, but what if Android were able to offload a lot of paperwork? What if businesses could buy airline tickets online and send them to employees via phone — and the employees could just show their phones to the gate attendant? That would save time and effort, two things all businesses wish to save.
It extends far further, too. A phone becomes much more powerful if it can replace anything physical. It means fewer things to carry, and it means fitting more into a pocket-sized device. That’s inspiring on a number of levels.
The half is done because it has some awesome features and I am using it.
I beleive that android and windows will together dominate the market next year. But iOS for sure is gonna die, because of the royal price and loss of Jobs will surely decrease the fan base or so called honest brand buyers
yes, thats right. so, i build my own android blog .
With this fierce competition, the consumers win as they get what they really want. To choose which one of the two devices really depends on our preferences, albeit, we have to realize that Android at this time has far developed and has been used on multiple device brands. Apple, on the other hand, has few devices but most of them, if not all, have been getting good responses of the consumers and it will apply the same, I think, in the near future..
2012 is definitely the year of android. I used to be an Iphone person before I purchased an android in late 2011, then I realized how wrong I had been about the Iphone. Now in all truth apple does have some things over android still, but from my experience with both I will never buy an Iphone over an android again. With that said I am excited to see what new things android will do and interested in how Iphone will try to stay on top, some nice healthy competition between the two should bring out the best in both.
2012 will be a very important year for Android. I agree with you, Android has a lot going for it, especially with Ice Cream Sandwich. However it has at least two big hurdles to overcome. First is fragmentation. Many current Android devices aren't eligible for upgrades. Second, the Android market is a magnet for malware. This needs to be addressed or growth will be stunted.
I hope Android's issues can be resolved so that the operating system will continue to advance.
I think both of those issues will be taken care of this year. Google is already working on the malware problem. Fragmentation is an issue that will hopefully work itself out. While not all current devices won't get ICS, those devices will eventually have to be replaced. If all devices going forward run the same OS, then they're on the right track.
I'm an android fanboy – I love my "old and busted" Captivate 🙂 So I agree that Android is going in the right direction. But the competition is still right on the heels of Android.
Apple is still loved by the sheeple, and Windows is trying to make it's mark in the business sector to replace RIM/Blackberry devices.
When I read your article I didn't see a mention of Android's integration NFC technology to allow user's to use their phone as a credit card. Also Android has provided developers with a page on how to follow some basic design guidelines to try and create a better experience for end users.
Overall I enjoyed the article – thank for the write-up!
I really hope NFC does become a thing in 2012, Jason, but for some reason I doubt it. It takes a while for people to build up trust in new technologies that affect their money. I'm also doubtful of Windows Phone. It seems as if the next model is always the one that will save the platform, but that never ends up being the case.