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Paranoid of the Droid?

The Android gives its users freedom, Apple has a sleek look and popular appeal and Windows has not yet figured out what it has

by Ilaria Mazzocco

In the sea of smartphones and tablets, tech blogs are plucking out a clear favourite and surprisingly it is not the iPhone. It is still maintaining a strong presence on the market, but according to a report published in January by ComScore, a marketing research company, the number of American phone subscribers using the Android OS was higher than figures for the iPhone. The shift is favourable for the Android, though it still has a long road ahead to beat Blackberries hold, even in light of its recent 4% share drop. Yet even as Windows operating systems are gaining steam, this phenomena is largely attributable to their minimal presence at the start of the trend and even as forecasters predict a positive change with the introduction of Windows7, it is unlikely to change the likelihood of an imminent battle between Android and Apple OS.

To a degree, the Android is a revolution. It uses a linux-based operating system under an open source license by Google and the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of companies involved in hardware and software production. Google, which has become a driving force and an inadvertent spokesperson for the phone, has spared itself the fate of Apple, often critiqued for a lack of transparency. The content monitoring of applications and quality surveillance of Apple is not nearly as prominent as with an open source script, making the Android a more flexible product.

The freedom of the Android store, which does not check an application’s quality until a user files a complaint, exposes a problem that is not apparent with Apple products. By only providing the operating system, Android does not guarantee that programming will be compatible with a phone or a tablet or that it will be user-friendly. This stands in stark contrast to the notoriously symbiotic relationship between Mac products that has been consciously perfected to create Apple maniacs who only purchase software and hardware from the company, thereby ensuring a superior experience across the board. Convenience and quality are highly valued, but Android’s larger range of user control still puts it at an advantage, particularly among the more tech savvy. The introduction of an Android app store on the Amazon.com website may even expand the market as the easy access could attract a larger audience of online shoppers.

Google’s venture into linux-based operating system has thus sidelined the eternal struggle between Microsoft and Apple computers, introducing a tri-pole system that may prove to produce some power shifts, at least when it comes to the realm of the smartphone. Microsoft retains its status as a giant in an already huge empire, but it appears that it has let the handheld market slip away. Of course, there is still time for Windows phones to make a comeback, but at the moment they seem set to cater to the less tech-savvy clientele looking for a good deal rather than those willing to splurge on quality. The real danger for Microsoft may emerge if Google decides to expand into the PC market. Considering the constantly changing computer technology and the increasingly prominent role of tablets big and small, it may not be a far-fetched tale of worry for Microsoft. Even as the Google - Apple rivalry is already growing on the mobile market, it is likely to overflow into other related sectors, leaving Microsoft in their dust. Android powered tablets, like Samsung Galaxy, challenge the iPad, Windows7 remains a less enticing option for consumers. Like the changing world of politics, if Microsoft is not more careful it may crumble more suddenly than a government during a coup d’etat.