Article Blog #9: Bring on the Droids

Big Cellphone Makers Shifting to Android System

In recent years, the iPhone has been the most popular smartphone for general consumers. While Blackberry and Palm retained the corporate market, average consumers were swept away by Apple's iPhone. Ever since the iPhone was released exclusively on AT&T, other networks and cell companies have struggled to capture the market. Windows Mobile, which held a large portion of the market before the advent of the iPhone, has faded in comparison to Apple's phone. But now, phones running the Android operating system, developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance, are growing in popularity, and many people are predicting that it could rival the iPhone. Many cellphone manufacturers have started producing phones running on Android, and all four major US carriers have agreed to carry Android phones. Verizon has even started taking shots directly at the iPhone in a new series of advertisements for the Motorola Droid. Using a format similar to Apple's attack ads against Microsoft, the Verizon ads target places where the iPhone falls short compared to the Droid.
Why is Android suddenly so popular? The association with Google certainly can't hurt, but it doesn't explain its status as a possible iPhone killer. A lot of it probably has to do with it being so similar to the iPhone. Specifically, it's easy to use and easy to customize, the things that helped make the iPhone so popular. Users can easily add apps to add functionality to their phone. But it isn't only easy for users to customize, it's also a great operating system for the manufacturers. Android is an open source OS, meaning the source code of the OS is available to phone manufacturers to change as required for their hardware. Android still controls a very small percentage of the market, but that percentage is rising. At the same time, iPhone customers have been expressing recently over AT&T's contracts and Apple's rejection of apps from their store without much explanation. Android is in a position to take a large portion of the market, as long as a manufacturer can create a handset to rival the iPhone's design.

Additional sources:
Android phones give carrier services more muscle

Verizon Droid Takes on iPhone