Android OS is currently winning the worldwide smartphone battle. Currently 64% of devices sold have the Android platform for Q1 of 2013. To get a comparison let’s compare Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS 6 to the Android Jelly Bean platform.
Apple iOS 6
Apple iOS 6 is a closed source code operating system available as a free wireless upgrade on your iPhone, iPad or iPod. Some of the 200 features include maps, Siri (voice automated assistance), Facebook, shared photo streams, FaceTime, phone, mail, safari and the accessibility option.
Android OS
Android 4.2 is an open source code operating system available on a multitude of smartphones and tablets from different manufacturers. Some of the features include using one tablet for multiple users and the ability to display your phone image on a larger screen. You can also beam photos and videos wireless with the Android Beam function. For photographers you can take pictures with the photo sphere camera and share on Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)+. A smart keyboard is included with gesture typing and many more Apps similar to Apple make this a versatile operating system.
As you can see both platforms have a lot in common. The pros for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is the multitude of apps and products available. The pros for Android from Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is the affordable price point of their products and the open sourced OS.
Affordability
For consumers who dislike mobile phone contracts Google offers the Nexus 4 at the retail price of $309.00 for the 8GB version no contract. The Nexus 4 is relatively inexpensive compared to the Apple iPhone 5 that retails from $699.00 – $899.00 no contract. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) have great products with consumers being loyal to their favorite brand.
SAMSUNG ELECT LTD(F) (OTCMKTS:SSNLF) utilizes the Android platform in its mobile phones and tablets. Samsung accounts for 491.4 million smartphones sold worldwide from 2011 to Q2 2012. Nielson reports 54.9% of US mobile phone owners possess a smartphone. Smartphone ownership reached 45.3% in Canada at the end of 2011. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) the premier provider of telecommunication information Samsung dominates the Western European phone market with 41% of mobile phones shipped.
The Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android OS is extremely popular due to its Linux based operating system that is open sourced. Google is definitely going after Apple’s market share in the mobile market.
Apple Stats
This news is not to discount the popularity of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The Cupertino, California company reported a net profit of $9.5 billion for Q2 that ended March 30, 2013. This year 37.4 million iPhones were sold for Q2 compared to 35.1 million last quarter in 2012. iPad sales were 19.5 million compared to 11.8 million in the same quarter.
