iPhone apps bad for business

App is Crap (why Apple is bad for your health)

by MARK SUSTER on FEBRUARY 17, 2010

So I greeted Apple’s entry into the market with great excitement.  ”Finally the hegemony is broken!  Ding dong, the wicked witch is dead!”  Apple would be the first major device sold where the carrier’s crappy software wasn’t on the phone.  We would herald in a new era of innovation.  Google would soon follow with their own phones, it was rumored.  The mobile web would finally be open!  Or would it?

 

So Apple has encouraged application developers to set loose building apps.  We now have a couple of hundred thousand applications developed.  The web browsers are as immature as the Internet browsers were in the late 90’s.  And “native” (those installed on the device) applications can take advantage of features that the browser can’t like the acceleramator (which detects motion), the GPS (to get your location) and the camera.

 

• But here are the major problems if this model holds:
• Every developer now has to have an iPhone development team.
• Every application has to be submitted to Apple for approval.  They are now a bottleneck.  When you change an application it has to be resubmitted – however minor the change.
• Apple is the new “gateway” that can extract a toll from you (sound familiar?).  Apple wants to take a major share of the revenue.
• Data within the applications is locked into the device
• Flash is not supported, which means that all assets you’ve developed for the Internet that work in Flash are worthless for this device
• Apple has sent out signals such as that they might like to own location-based mobile advertising.  If you encroach on this territory they may stop you or blow you out.  They may do this / they may not.  They may encroach in other “interesting” areas.  They may not.
• Approvals are a black box.

 

And this is just the start.  Now the real problems.....

60,000 Android Phones a Day?

Google now shipping 60,000 Android handsets per day

from TechCrunch by Greg Kumparak

We're in Barcelona keeping an eye on Eric Schmidt's Mobile World Congress keynote, where the Google CEO just disclosed an interesting fact: Google and their hardware partners are now shipping 60,000 Android handsetseach day. Whether "shipped" here means "sold to end users" or "ordered by retailers" is unclear - but regardless, it's quite the feat either way. If that's a true average rate and it holds true for the next year, that works out to about 5.4 million handsets per quarter, or 21.9 million per year. 

Google Brings Earth To Android

Google Brings Earth To Android

from Phone Scoop - Latest News by Rich Brome

At the MWC event in Barcelona, Google CEO Eric Schmidt demoed Google Earth running on a Nexus One. Google Earth Mobile was previously only available for iPhone.

Google Brings Earth To Android

Google Brings Earth To Android

from Phone Scoop - Latest News by Rich Brome

At the MWC event in Barcelona, Google CEO Eric Schmidt demoed Google Earth running on a Nexus One. Google Earth Mobile was previously only available for iPhone.

Smartphone? Is the OS Stupid?

Nokia, who had been touting the Symbian operating system until late, has decided to put its eggs in the Linux basket. Nokia is set to switch over to a version of the Linux operating system called Maemo in their high-end smart phones. 

Apple is sticking with their own operating platform with the iPhone and iPod models as its steady success calls to mind the old adage, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

Though sales were still going strong, Research in Motion Ltd. of Canada couldn't keep up with Apple's incredible growth last year. Even still RIM is going to stick with its own software for its BlackBerrys and will not license it to others. 

Windows Mobile, the once pioneer in smart phones, is struggling to keep up with the new kids. Manufacturers like Motorola and HTC have been shifting away from Windows Mobile toward Google's Android. Last year, fewer Windows Mobile phones were sold than the year prior, a sad fact in a market that grew 35 percent! Microsoft is scheduled to show off a new version of its mobile software platform in the hopes of gaining back the market share it lost. 

Google's Android software has been the biggest mover and shaker of the lot, racking up some serious manufacturer support. Consider this: There was just one Android phone in 2008. At the end of 2009, there were more than a dozen, with more company's joining in daily. 

Palm Inc., like Microsoft, was a pioneer in smart phone development. To many, Palm may as well be credited with inventing the entire concept! Last year, Palm made a clean break with their new webOS (running on two phones, the Pre and Pixi). Despite very favorable reviews, sales have been less than stellar. Palm is expected to continue developing this OS. 
Filed in archive Mobile Technologies by Jason Giacchino on February 15, 2010

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"Mobile operating systems have become the key ingredient in the highly competitive mobile device market. Although the overall look and feel of the device will still play an important role in the buying process, the wrong choice of operating system coupled with an awkward user interface can mean the difference between success and failure," says Stephen D. Drake, vice president, Mobility and Telecom.

Key findings from a new IDC market outlook include the following:

• Symbian will retain its leadership position worldwide throughout the forecast period. Due primarily to the strength of Nokia in markets outside of the United States, Symbian continues to lead all other mobile operating systems.

• Android will experience the fastest growth of any mobile operating system. Starting from a very small base of just 690,000 units in 2008, total Android-powered shipments will reach 68.0 million units by 2013, making for a CAGR of 150.4%. Android will benefit from having a growing footprint of handset vendors supporting it and will finish second to Symbian in shipments by 2013.

• Linux and webOS shipments will struggle throughout the forecast period. Shipments of Linux-powered devices will trend down due to greater emphasis on the Android platform but will not disappear entirely as some vendors will continue to support it. Palm's webOS, despite growing steadily, will capture limited market share due to limited deployment and availability of devices across multiple carriers.

The recently published IDC study, Worldwide Mobile OS 2009-2013 Forecast and Analysis (IDC #220733), reviews each of the major mobile operating systems, including drivers, opportunities, and potential challenges. The report also profiles the principal high-level operating systems (HLOS) platforms and features an updated market share forecast through 2013.

Read more: FierceDeveloper

Google doing the Nexus with Moto

Expect Google to make waves that extend far beyond its own App Planet event. Google CEO Eric Schmidt is keynoting Mobile World Congress, and the rumor mill indicates his appearance will coincide with the release of the Nexus Two, a follow-up to the digital services giant's first branded Android smartphone--this one is said to boast a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, with Motorola on board as manufacturing partner. Android should cast a large shadow throughout next week--analysts anticipate a host of device announcements from companies including Sony Ericsson, LG, Samsung, HTC, Dell and Alcatel.

Read more: FierceDeveloper

Smartphone Use and Accellerators

Why the sudden explosion of smartphone users? Barriers to mass-market smartphone adoption are being eliminated left and right by mobile network operators, smartphone OEMs and mobile developers:

• Plummeting prices and generous operator subsidies make smartphones affordable to more consumers. Witness the Motorola Droid Eris, an Android smartphone available online and on-contract from Verizon Wireless for under $100.
• Flat-rate data plans provide consumers with predictable and budget-able monthly smartphone usage costs. T-Mobile USA's Even More Plus plans provide unlimited voice, data and messaging with no contract for $80 per month.
• Easy-to-learn user interfaces of modern smartphone operating systems make smartphones less daunting to newbie consumers. The Apple iPhone is an iconic example of a smartphone whose skyrocketing adoption is due to an extraordinarily consumer-friendly user interface. Palm webOS and Google Android are also well-suited for mass-market consumers.
• Touchscreens and Qwerty keyboards (and other must-have hardware features) are persuading users to upgrade to smartphones. A Gartner study of second quarter 2009 handset sales reported smartphone sales growth of 27 percent, while total handset sales fell 6 percent.
• Smartphones provide access to catalogs of useful, cool and fun mobile apps that are aren't available on feature phones.

 

Read more: http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/story/targeting-smartphone-apps-mass-market-users/2010-02-05#ixzz0fKnCG9cb