Apple Vs Android: Planet of the Apps

For the last couple of years Apple has taken the smart phone world by storm. Their first release, the iPhone, was hyped up so much in the press that everybody expected so much from it. And when it arrived boy were we in for a treat.

For the first time ever there was a touch screen mobile phone which was fast, powerful and altogether more beautiful than its competitors. Then came the 3G < which was faster, more powerful and had a slicker UI than before – Apple replaced the dent prone metal back for a high quality plastic finish and the phone took off.

Yet it was still incomplete, lacking some basic functions which even normal phones have, including the ability to replace the battery, the ability to send multimedia messages, the ability to copy and paste and the ability to record video.

Thousands of loyal iPhone fanatics sent in their e-mails, review websites created a ‘wish list’ of features and Apple ‘haters’ dwelled in this by talking about how ‘Apple doesn’t care’ and how the iPhone 3G is ‘rubbish’.

But Apple did care, and they released the iPhone 3Gs < an upgraded version and addition to the iPhone portfolio.

Since then a lot has changed, brand new Apps have been created and Apple’s App store has grown so much that iPhone / iTouch users are simply too spoilt for choice – this in the end has resulted in Apple’s market share increasing and pressure groups have piped down.

But now there is a new kid on the block, and this kid means business. He’s dressed in the flashiest clothes and drives the fastest car. He is worth 220 billion pounds and dominates everything he touches.

Yep, thats right, Google is in town – and they have their sights firmly set on dominating the smartphone market with the latest release of their Android Software.

Since bringing out the G1, Google has been updating their OS regularly to consumer response and has adapted to consumer behaviour perfectly. In 2010 their line up includes the HTC Bravo < or as us techies like to call it ‘The Google Phone’.

And so it would seem that with so many handsets Android is sure to dominate.

But just how is Google going to tackle Apple’s App store? With over 100,000 Apps for ‘just about anything’ it would defy belief if Google could actually conquer the smart phone market.

The Google App Place currently has over 20,000 Apps (a small number compared to Apple ) and so Android users do not have the freedom Apple users share.

In fact, Android users are fairly limited to what they can do. There are less games, less utility functions, less business Apps and a lot less fitness Apps available for Android.

And so one would presume that the way Google is going to try and compete with Apple on this level is to make the App creating process simpler, with guides on how to do it and just how to optimize them efficiently.

They may even create thousands of Apps themselves and advertise them all as free – costly, but effective at both customer retainment and creating new customers for the Android world.

At the moment Apple is safe, they are dominating a market which is fresh and attracts a majority of consumers. However in 2010 I think they will lose out to Google.

In terms of Android powered phones there will be so many of them from HTC, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Samsung that sales will go through the roof.

And with those sales comes new Apps, and with those new Apps comes more ambition to create better Apps. The only way Google can conquer the almighy iPhone App store is to increase Android Powered sales.

2010 will be incredibly competitive, expect to see lots of offers, discounts, OS upgrades and viral marketing. Expect to find blood on the hands of both Google and Apple – and expect to see an ad along the lines of ‘Hey, I’m an iPhone’ and ‘hey, I’m an android’.

I wish I could see into the future I really do. But I can’t.

And so I leave you pondering, just who will dominate 2010?

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