This weekend, I visited a friend who replaced his Blackberry Playbook with an Android HTC Sense tablet. I enjoyed playing around with the device and with an open mind. I have to say that I was blown away by how it felt to complete HTC Sense (Android 4.0). It is simply amazing. As I browsed through the options, one thing dawned on me: it is only a matter of time before we start seeing Android on Desktop PCs.
Such was the natural feel. The key question is: how will other tablet operating systems (OS) compete with Google Android? I think it will be tough, especially for Blackberry maker RIM. As RIM keeps begging for more time to release a credible finished operating system for both their phone and tablet devices, it seems Android is moving at light speed in viral mode. While this article is based on the Tablet market, I will use smartphones and Tablets interchangeably because they flow directly into one another.
Android vs. Blackberry
This is no context. As much as I loved Blackberry devices, they are out of touch with today’s demands. As I stated earlier, RIM is pushing the next major revamp on their smartphones to Q2. That doesn’t look good for a company that is already struggling. RIM’s business model is the first killer. The fact that they control the full hardware and software ecosystem has resulted in expectation overload. In contrast, Google can focus on getting Android ready while manufacturers determine how best to present it on their hardware. Let’s move on fast to the real challengers… iOS and Windows 8 tablets.
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Android vs. iOS
Today, Apple’s iPad, which runs iOS, is the biggest competitor to Google’s Android. iOS became the benchmark when released but faced intense competition from Android regarding raw feature capacity and customization. To further complicate Apple, they seem to be walking along the same path as RIM’s old business model of tightly controlling the hardware and software.
I don’t think this will hold up well in the hot tablet market. It would be tough for Apple to be as innovative as Google in that department, and history confirms this if we look at the impact Android has had in the smartphone space. To further quantify the point that I’m trying to make, Apple dropped from 65% to 54% between September and December 2011. The main beneficiary was Samsun, whicht rose from 5% to 13% during the same period.
Android offers so much technology and a flexible ecosystemmecosysteminteraction, making Apple’s iPad a less attractive option. While Apple tries to entrap consumers in its ecosystem, Google’s Android liberates them from being tied into one. This was apparent when my friend’s brother purchased an iPad2 because he believed it was the only way to use his other iOS-related files seamlessly.
I was given HTC Sense to play with. His reaction? He was left in complete awe. I think his response indicates what we will start seeing this year. If Apple fails to fully revamp iOS on iPad3, which is due later this year, I predict it will become the beginning of the end of the strong market share that Apple currently enjoys. Price margin is now also coming under intense pressure.
Oh yeah, to really understand the power of innovation based on Android, check out the video below of Asus Transformer Prime. It was made last year and further shows why Apple’s business model on its hardware will not hold up in the innovation department against Android-based devices. There are too many of them, making it an unfair battle.
Asus Transformer Prime running Android 3.0
So, onto Windows 8 Tablet. Given the lack of media attention on Windows tablets compared to iPad and Android-based counterparts, it is ironic that these Windows 8-based tablets would eventually become the only Tablet that could compete with Android. My rationale for this prediction is that, unlike Apple, Microsoft’s business model in the tablet space is similar to Google’s.
They make the operating system and leave hardware manufacturers to go to war with it. This translates to more and more options for consumers. Also, what would power Windows 8 tablet is that it runs a complete Windows desktop operating system. Imagine that on the Asus Transformer Prime in the video above. It would be AMAZING! A quad-core thin Tablet that’s thinner than iPad2 and runs full Windows 8 with Metro UI effects. Thinking about it blows my mind.
