Will iOS & WP7 Kill Android?

[Martimus]

I think Palm's WebOS will fade into obscurity. They may release a device or two every year or two, but it will be dead for all practical purposes.

If Palm were still running the show over there I'd agree with ya... But now that Palm is owned by Hewlett Packard I'm thinking that WebOS is gonna get a serious kickstart and infusion of capital. In the long term it'll likely fade into obscurity but then again I think I said the same about the HP Ipaq years ago...

I also think that either WP7 or RIM's Blackberry will also fade to become "also ran". It may not disappear entirely, but won't be an individual player.

I agree that RIM will likely be taking a back seat in the industry as they've become something of a niche player. Microsoft, on the other hand, is another tenacious company so it's possible that Ballmer might figure out how to pull a proverbial rabbit out of the hat.

 

[JQwerty91]

I'm thinking WP7 will fizzle. It's a neat idea I just don't see it taking off. I'm hoping Android and iOS will find a happy balance in the market. It's good to have competition

FLAME ON! I agree on what he said. Competition is good and any Fanboy should know better. WP7 also mediates between iOS and Android.. Finally!!

I feel bad for WebOS though. The underdog and soon-to-be dead like Symbian^3

 

[Reap]

If WP7 want's to stand a chance against android, they have to at least get off AT&T and get on a better wireless company.

As for will android be killed, I don't know. I do know that I will never buy a Motorola again because of their stupid bloatware and their lack of updates for when I bought a phone from them (Cliq). Saying that, android users are being pushed away from android because companies making Android phones that do not give the consumers the updates they want. The last thing you want to do is make the consumers feel like their being left behind.

 

[Markerton]

What a load of tosh.

WP7 will not be strong enough to kill Android.

iOS is already proving to not be strong enough to kill Android.


IMHO, WP7 will only kill off one thing: RIM. The Blackberry is only surviving ATM due to their applicability with businesses. Where I work, every manager up to the VP has a Blackberry for the convenience of checking e-mails when they're away from the office. I can only see WP7 jumping into this market. With an easier integration of Outlook, Word, Excel, etc., WP7 will appeal to more businesses. However, I can't see it taking over the market that Android and iOS hold.

I won't lie ... I like to look of WP7, and if someone offered me one I wouldn't turn it down, but I love my Android more.

I got rid of my iPhone 3GS in favour of my HTC Wildfire. I've not checked the spec's completely, but I much prefer the HTC, even though I can't get all the games at as good'a graphics as my iPhone. And I miss playing Angry Birds. A lot.

But the recent boom in Android devices is showing the world that iOS can't be that great. It's only a matter of time (especially with Chrome OS on the way) before Apple fan boys jump ship and get on the Android band wagon.

At this point: may I just add that I didn't "join the bandwagon". I work in IT so Android appealed to me a lot more at the end of my mobile phone contract


I love my 'droid more than any other phone OS I've used. However, as others have said, it still has problems that could be/need to be fixed.

Firstly, versions. To name two; Wildfire's run 2.1. Desire's run 2.2. Is it really that tricky to get the update out for all 'droid devices? I know there's a lot of issues as far as hardware goes, but seriously. ON THE OTHER HAND, versions is great. Not having to wait 6-12 months for the latest version of a broken iOS is superb. Updates are often quicker and fix problems immediately.

Now, as for iTunes ... I personally liked it. Having one on-phone piece of software where I can download any piece of music was wonderful. Amazon MP3 just doesn't cut it for me, I'm afraid.


SO, in answer to the OP question: No. No I do not think iOS and WP7 will kill Android. Neither are strong enough to overtake the raging snowball of Google, and at the end of the day, all three companies (Apple, Google, Microsoft) will just keep pumping money into their developers to make it better. It's not like either of the companies are on a tight budget.


More competition = Better phones.

Nuff said.



And if Android does crash, then put a dress on me, slap my arse and call me Sally.

 

[takeshi]

Will iOS & WP7 Kill Android?

The whole notion that the market doesn't have room for more than one platform is ridiculous to begin with and the meme is only really kept alive by fanboys (of whatever camp thinks that they have a "-killer" device). I mean how many "Blackberry killers" have come and gone over the years? RIM's still around last I checked even though their devices are losing popularity and they've been slow to keep up.

The market is fickle and what succeeds isn't always driven by the preferences of the enthusiasts and power users. Those of use who frequent forum sites tend to think of ourselves as a bigger share of the overall market than we really are. There's no telling what will happen. The biggest share will go to the one that can sway the masses.

 

[nitsuj17]

i think the market can withstand wp7's entrance without killing any other platform. There will be a few android, ios, and bb users that will jump on it because its shiny, new and different; some will love and some won't and go back or do soemthing else.

I tend to think that after an initial 6 month-1 year of hype wp7 might jump to approaching 20% of us marketshare but then will start to retreat back to its current levels. Microsoft needed a partner to fully jump behind it to make this really work well, not that someone else can't come on later like Verizon did with android; late to the party but then went all in on it. At&t is still the only iphone carrier (maybe not for long) and i can't see iphone users jumping enmasse to it. Tmobiles hd7 will get a few hd2 users and pirate some android users for sure, but to me its still telling that microsofts previous best phone, the hd2, is better as an android phone then its original os.

anyway, more competition is good in that i dont think an ios v android market would be the best scenario for the consumer as it would be too easy for both to grow complacement with huge market shares. If windows phone 7 makes the others up their game, then good.

 

[Kabob]

First of all, to you above me ^, nice hat!

Thanks matey! (Yaaarrrrrrrndroid!)

Agree with ya justin, I think when it first enters the market curiousity will drive a few people to WP7 but I don't think it has the staying power of Android or iOS and will be a "one and out" for alot of folks.

 

[mikedt]

Honestly, Symbian is already dead in the US. They're running strong everywhere else in the world though.

I don't think Symbian ever really got going in the US. Non of the major carriers where really pushing it. Didn't one have to go independent just to get a Symbian phone in the US?

Here in China, Nokia with Symbian has always been strong. But recently I'm starting to see a hell of a lot of Android phones, many from Chinese manufacturers such as ZTE.

I think Blackberry has always been a big name in North America, not so popular anywhere else.

 

[ekyle]

Saw this about Symbian this morning. Probably not to be taken to heart.

Symbian imploding after CEO leaves