Yesterday I talked about how the demand for Mobile Technology is growing at a pace that is exceeding supply. The iPhone is a huge seller but the more popular it becomes, the more strain it puts on the infrastructure. AT&T ranked dead last in customer satisfaction. And their customers are complaining about dropped calls and interrupted service.
In 2008, Google announced they were building a mobile operating system, Android. With Android, a user can enjoy many of the same features that exist on the iPhone. It is backed by the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of over 50 companies focusing on open standards in the Mobile space. With October marking the one year anniversary of the Android G1, there has been a steady increase in handset deployment and Android usage.
According to the latest AdMob reports:
Since April, Web requests coming from an Android phone have increased almost six fold. 20% of all smartphone traffic comes from an Android device. 2 Android phones, the G1 and the HTC dream, are in the top 10 of devices purchased.
These numbers are about to increase.
Most recently, the Motorola Droid, another Android phone launched and after only two weeks, it comprised 24% of all Android requests.
According to the New York Times, we should see even more phones launched with Android technology before 2010 becomes a reality.
As the dysfunctional marriage between Apple and AT&T twists and tweaks many of its users into a frustrated frenzy, Google and its Open Handset Alliance, if left unchecked, will soon become the dominant player in the Industry. It’s distributed manufacturer strategy automatically creates a distributed network strategy. The capabilities appear similar to many casual users. And the price of an Android phone, aka Google Phone, is less expensive by comparison.
What can Apple do? You’ll have my recommendations next week.
**Update: Chris Brogan’s lastest post is a real world example of my claim that AT&T’s failings become a boon for Android.
