Google Finally Addressing Android Fragmentation

[chronicbint]

Freedom of Android basically means piracy.

 

[everygamer]

Wow, the hate mongering is really rolling in this thread. I have written mobile apps for both Android and iOS, they both have their strengths and weaknesses. At the core, they both do the same thing. When it comes to development, Android is easier to build for as it uses standard Java as its base development language. Objective-C has been limited in the market place for years due to the low adoption of Apple hardware (still under 8% desktop market share). The fragmentation issue is fairly limited as the further back you select your development platform the more devices it supports. The screen size issue is really not a big deal, nor is it any different that what iOS has to deal with between the phone/pad. Apps in iOS don't magically resize and look clean on the iPad. High quality graphics have to be re-done for the larger screen size and in most cases have to be re-written to take full advantage of the larger screen just like Android.

The reality is that they are not really even competing against each other. Apple is targeting the 200-300+ phone range and Android is targeting the 0 to 300 range. There is a little overlap but the reality is that at the end of the day they are both going to be as Charlie likes to say "Winners!".

If Apple tries to compete vs Android in the low to mid range market it will not be able to complete vs the multiple vendor model Android has because more than one vendor can turn around phones with increasingly better hardware and options faster than just 1 vendor. That is why Apple sticks to the higher price market, in that range there are fewer phones released and less competition.

All of this talk is just that, talk. Android and iOS are both here to stay, and the market is most likely going to be divided with Android having the larger market share just because it is targeting the low-mid cost segment.

* Last note, "Freedom of Android basically means piracy" .. piracy of what? The OS is free, iOS apps can't be copied to Android so those can't be stolen. You can load ripped/downloaded music and video to an iOS device so that does not stop that form of piracy. Maybe you could be more clear with your statement otherwise your just using words you do not understand.

 

[Djhg2000]

[citation][nom]getreal[/nom]As for tablets, Android is a complete joke and utter failure.[/citation]

Only because greedy manufacturers didn't listen too Google when they told them to wait for Android 3.0, thanks to Samsung we now have lots of tablets running 2.2 just to compete with the Galaxy Tab.

I blame Samsung for making the Android tablet market this messed up.

 

[WyomingKnott]

[citation][nom]AMW1011[/nom]I just wish the dislike button worked... this deserves to be hidden.[/citation]
Curious thing: It does work. Not when you look here, but if I come at the comments stream for an article through the Forums, I see what looks like the old scores.

 

[eddieroolz]

Oh, I was under impression that many of the Android fanatics and Google alike were in a state of denial about fragmentation. That's all you see ever in posts about fragmentation.

 

[chunkymonster]

[citation][nom]djhg2000[/nom]Only because greedy manufacturers didn't listen too Google when they told them to wait for Android 3.0, thanks to Samsung we now have lots of tablets running 2.2 just to compete with the Galaxy Tab.I blame Samsung for making the Android tablet market this messed up.[/citation]Blame Samsung? If you are going use the warped logic, then better also blame Huwaei, Archos, Cowon, Yang-Hua, RIM, CMS Computer, Shenzen, and Olivetti to name a few...hate to tell you there, but there were MANY different android tablets available LONG BEFORE the Galaxy Tab.

The way I see it, Google is slow to address the fragmentation issue (which is really a NON-ISSUE) as even a blind man could have seen potential problems coming with all the different devices and screen sizes.

 

[o0RaidR0o]

[citation][nom]chronicbint[/nom]Freedom of Android basically means piracy.[/citation]
What a clueless statement, made me laugh!

 

[o0RaidR0o]

[citation][nom]Silmarunya[/nom]While Andyrules worded it too strongly, he does have a point. From a purely technological point of view, Android is superior. It offers more functionalities, is more flexible and has many features iOS lacks. It's also more secure (although that's more than negated by the lack of quality control in the Android Market).iOS is simple, looks good and is reliable. That's what most people want a mobile OS to do, so iOS' simplicity is probably a good thing. However, when it comes to features that a tech pro needs/wants, iOS is lacking.[/citation]
I agree totally, however Android also serves as the graduating platform for Apple users that have become more sophisticated while learning on the iDevice, and have come to want more. There is section of former Apple users that aren't calculated into the marketing scheme, that have jumped shipped once they've figured out how to use a smart phone.