The Apple vs Google debate is, in retrospect, one I knew little about. Yes, I knew Google had acquired Motorolla, however I was not aware this was because they had the patents from the first ever mobile device. The histories of both companies are dynamic, interesting, and quite different, each choosing different key philosophies and core business models. Apple, a considerably longer running business, has a walled-garden philosophy built around ‘closed appliances tethered to a closed system’ (Mitew, 2011). With a disregard for cross-platform development tools such as flash, Apple have created a system where you use only Apple products for a complete technological experience. With progression from the iMac (with many applications still used today such as Safari, iTunes etc) to the iPod, iPhone, iPad etc, the Apple family has expanded hugely. However, its much younger competitor Google, although not a manufacturer, has now obtained a huge market share of various online platforms. From the introduction of the Google Search engine, to maps, Chrome, Google Plus, ownership of YouTube, Blogger etc, and the introduction of Android, the Google brand has spread prolifically far. With a core business model of connectivity as a product and a philosophy that emphasises that information flow is the key, Google have come to dominate a much broader market.
A quick summary of the information given by Ted regarding Apple vs Android here, for a better understanding.
Information Appliance
|
VS
|
Computing Device
|
Apple
|
VS
|
Android
|
Closed devices
Walled garden of apps (App Store)
Complete control over platform, device and operation system
2007 iPhone
Proprietary island
Platform
|
Vendor Control
|
Open and free platform
Open garden of apps (Android Market)
No control over platform, content and user
à300 000 activations/day
861% growth YOY
615% yearly growth in global market share
Generative Net
Content
|
As can be seen through the table, the Google philosophy seems to be working out quite a bit better for them. Within the lecture, the question was raised however, do you choose comfort or freedom? Being an iPhone owner myself, and with many if not most of my friends also owners, the news that Australia is one of the last markets where the iPhone is the market leader was surprising to me. However, I am still a PC user, which appears to generally be behind the times. So, my answer to the question was, I choose comfort, and by that I mean, sticking to what I know. I am very comfortable in using both my current devices, and being fairly technologically illiterate, will probably re-purchase them.
Having said that, after the clear comparison between Apple and Android as platforms, maybe I will have to rethink. Stay posted.
Note: I find it interesting that to find any information on Apple, I first 'Google it'. Coicidence? I think not.
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