The latest generation Apple iPhone might have flown off shelves in huge numbers – but there is no denying the fact that on the global scale, Android phones are outselling iOS devices (apart from the others) by a huge, comprehensive margin. The battle that kick started with Apple debuting the iPhone back in 2007 and subsequently Google announcing the Android platform was during the initial stages dominated by Apple. However, since then, it has been an all Android story. That said, there is no denying the fact that Apple has been able to withstand the onslaught from a host of competitors on its own.
A good four years after the “race” started, Google’s Eric Schmidt has in a recent interview with Bloomberg claimed that Google has won the “that” war. Schmidt was of the opinion that the current iOS vs Android war is quite similar to the famous Microsoft vs Apple war that the world witnessed nearly 20 years ago. He however clearly added that Google is however winning the same.
While there may be naysayers doubting this claim, there is no denying the fact that Android is HUGE now. It was just last month that research and analytics firm IDC reported that during the third quarter of 2012, Android had nearly 75 percent of the worldwide smartphones pie. Apple was at a distant second with just 14.9 percent of the market. The meteoric growth of Android can be judged by the fact that during the same period back in 2011, Android only had 57.5 percent of the market. iOS was at 13.8 percent.
Schmidt’s comparison with Microsoft too seemed apt. Just like Microsoft licensed its software to be used on hardware manufacturers, Google is doing a similar thing by licensing Android to smartphone makers. Apple then and now has stuck to the idea of keeping both – the hardware and the software from themselves.