There is no doubt that Android is the dominant mobile operating system in the world, with a market share of 71.72%. It doesn’t look like iOS can ever overtake Google’s operating system. However, when considering certain markets, iOS dominates.
So why ? Well, Android’s global dominance is made possible by countries like India, whose massive populations cannot afford the more expensive iOS devices. Since Android devices can be manufactured and sold at low prices, these populations really have no choice but to opt for Google’s mobile operating system.
But why does iOS dominate in certain countries, such as Japan and the United States? (In France, Android’s market share is 73.3%) Looking at the numbers, one would think that the desktop operating system plays an important role in this situation. However, MacOS only has a market share of 14.66% worldwide and 26.92% in the United States.
It is therefore clear that the use of the desktop operating system does not determine the use of the mobile operating system.
So what’s going on? Why can’t Android impose itself more in rich countries? I have a few thoughts on this topic that I would like to share.
It starts with the ecosystem
One thing Apple does better than anyone else is its ecosystem. Of course, Google wants you to believe that it has the best ecosystem on the planet, with Android’s tight integration into Google Workspace. But that’s not what I’m talking about. Because everyone has a “cloud” option. So Google can’t really claim that Android is special thanks to Google Drive, Photos, Docs, Gmail, etc.
The ecosystem I’m referring to is more about interconnecting devices. When you use an iOS device, it seamlessly integrates with your macOS and WatchOS devices. This integration is much more important than Google thinks.
Consider this: Not only is simply syncing an Android device with a desktop computer more of a hassle than the average user wants to deal with, but the integration is also minimal at best. And as for the integration of the Android smartphone and the watch… you better have an app installed on your smartphone, otherwise it won’t happen.
Here is an example. Before buying a Pixel Watch, I had a Samsung smartwatch. To get some level of integration with my phone, I had to install two different apps: Samsung Health and Galaxy Wearable. Once these apps were installed, I could track my fitness, accept phone calls, receive notifications, and more. Without these apps? Nothing.
The same is true with the Pixel Watch. To get a similar level of integration, I had to install the Fitbit app. Even then, the integration was far from what you’d find between an iPhone and an Apple Watch. What’s even more infuriating is that my Pixel Watch is paired with a Pixel smartphone. You would think that the integration would be good… but no.
To get any sort of integration with my desktop, I have to go through the convolutions of installing third-party software. And the fact that Linux is my operating system of choice doesn’t matter. It’s the same whether you’re using Windows or MacOS.
Android just isn’t built to integrate well with desktop operating systems and is barely able to integrate with wearables without installing more apps. Even integrating an Android smartphone with a Chromebook is clunky at best. Google must remedy this situation by offering the following solutions:
- Create an official desktop application that installs easily on all operating systems.
- Make the integration of Pixel watch and smartphone seamless and complete.
- Integrate support for other popular wearable devices (such as Samsung watches) into Android.
- Ensure that Android tablets integrate seamlessly with Android smartphones and wearables.
- Improve integration with IoT devices.
That’s a sizable to-do list. But it’s also a list that should have been supported a long, long time ago. Due to this hesitation, Android is far behind iOS in the ecosystem area.
Innovate better and faster
Here’s the thing: the Pixel 7 smartphone is brilliant, but it took seven iterations to get there. Google’s first Pixel should have looked more like the seventh. Unfortunately, Google doesn’t seem to understand that consumers in wealthier countries like the US and (especially Japan) view innovation as the key to success. Where Apple is making incredible strides and doing so with very obvious innovations, most of Google’s biggest advances are under the hood.
Take, for example, the Pixel 6 Pro. This device introduced the Tensor chip. Although this is a significant step forward, do you really think the average customer cares about such a thing? On the other side of the coin, Apple announces Airtags, and fanboys go crazy.
Google is introducing a new camera with the Pixel 7 that takes amazing photos. But it can’t seem to gain the traction that Apple has thanks to the number of filmmakers creating with iPhones. That, my friends, says a lot. The credit iPhones receive from well-established filmmakers creating on Apple devices not only makes the general public believe they can do the same, but it’s also a brilliant marketing ploy.
Another innovation that Apple will likely use to crush Google is the foldable device. Personally, I see very little interest in a device of this type, but customers want this type of innovation. It looks like Google is about to announce the Pixel Fold and Apple is about to follow suit.
You can bet Apple is going to win this folding race. And given its hardware track record, the iPhone Flip (or whatever it’s called) will most likely be superior to the Pixel Fold. And don’t forget that Google isn’t that great with early iterations. The first Pixel smartphone was far from what it should have been. And while the Pixel Watch is a pretty decent early version, it’s still light years ahead of the Apple Watch.
Marketing
I will end with this. Few companies on the planet are better at marketing than Apple. And few global companies are as bad at marketing as Google. If you’re in any doubt about that, watch the latest iPhone ad and compare it to the latest Pixel ad. One works well, the other falls flat.
Google is just not good at marketing. The only time Google had proper advertising for the Pixel Phone was for the Pixel 2. All of a sudden Google looked cool. It didn’t last long. All the while, every iPhone ad seems like it was created by a brilliant and creative Hollywood director with a massive budget.
If Android ever wants to catch up with the iPhone in richer markets, it’s going to have to improve its marketing to keep pace with Apple. I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon.
Source: “ZDNet.com”