How Android Can Overcome iPhone Dominance In 2023? For the first time in more than a decade, Android is now second only to the iPhone in the US. On handsets like Samsung, Motorola, and OnePlus, you can find the free and open-source operating system that continues to run the majority of phones in use today.
Android-powered phones can’t outsell the iPhone in the United States, not even when coupled with inexpensive brands like TCL, Nokia, and Blu.
From a worldwide standpoint, Apple’s hegemony is unusual. The only nations where Apple outperforms Android are the US, Canada, and Japan. Android typically takes the lead by a considerable margin everywhere else.
The fact that Android is lagging behind shows how highly regarded the iPhone brand has become thanks to Apple. Apple products serve as both the function and the fashion of America’s aristocratic class, from celebrities shot in cafes with iPhones to their ears to late-night hosts conversing while wearing an Apple Watch strapped to their wrist.
Apple has also established a texting divide with iMessage, where the “haves” enjoy blue bubble gardens and the “have nots” are confined to green filth. Heck, not even movie villains can be captured on camera with an iPhone.
However, there is cause for optimism regarding Android’s efforts to reclaim the top spot in the US. With the launch of the Pixel Watch, Google is creating an ecosystem to support the Pixel 7. A Pixel tablet will be available in 2019. Even if they aren’t on a Hollywood set, Android does have its own base of devoted supporters.
What then can Google do to restore Android’s relevance in the US? Here are some examples.
Double Down On Ecosystem
The Apple Watch was able to operate as a Trojan Horse and keep people confined within Apple’s garden because Google took too long to unveil the Pixel Watch.
“Apple’s ecosystem is extremely tangled. Particularly the Watch, which locks you into an iPhone once purchased “said Avi Greengart, an analyst for Techsponential. That wasn’t available on Google until this year. And even then, the company’s initial watch is truly a version 1.0 offering.
The Apple Watch continues to lead due to Google’s laborious release of the Pixel Watch. Pixel owners now have a choice, which should help them avoid feeling left behind.
In contrast to the rest of the world, the US market has far less competition in the Android market. For businesses like Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo, operating in the US has virtually been difficult due to worries about Chinese tech corporations tracking American consumers. That only leaves a small number of companies that can market rival products to Samsung and Google.
According to Anshel Sag, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, “having more handsets on the market also provides the carriers more choices on devices they can give away for free or do more promotions on.”
The lack of diverse manufacturers is only one issue Google is dealing with. With its ability to serve as an internet gateway for both young children and senior citizens, the iPad line continues to be a popular second-screen gadget.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus is the only high-quality Android tablet that comes to mind, but its software is far from as sophisticated as the iPad OS and frequently feels like a big-screen version of Android. Google has already previewed a “luxury” Pixel tablet for 2023, but it will need to wow the masses of customers who have been conditioned to think of tablets as iPads.
Unfortunately, Google might not be able to provide a strong alternative to Apple in the laptop and home computing markets. Although Google’s Chromebooks are great, inexpensive computers for simple activities, they lack the power and adaptability of Mac and Windows systems.
It’s a market that Apple and Microsoft have already cornered, making it challenging for Google to provide a competitive alternative. Even then, the installed base wouldn’t be large enough to draw top programmers.
In order to provide a similar experience to iPhone and Mac, Google’s best course of action in this situation is to continue improving product integration with Windows and Mac computers.
Matter Matters
Google currently outperforms Apple in the smart home market. Apple’s purported VR/AR headset and the Apple automobile have been the subject of years of speculation, which is evidence that Cupertino is rarely eager to enter new product categories.
HomeKit was an attempt by Apple to address the home gadget market, however, it has largely been forgotten. Contrarily, Google is heavily involved in the smart home market thanks to its voice assistant-enabled displays like the Nest Hub and its Nest WiFi, Doorbell, and camera products.
Unfortunately, a bewildering assortment of competing goods has caused customers to lose interest in the smart home market. Owners of Amazon Alexa smart speakers may be unsure of how well they will work with Google Nest doorbells.
We now have Matter, a global smart home standard that enables cross-brand communication amongst modern home appliances. Amazon, Google, Samsung, Ikea, Lutron, Signify, and other companies have all joined the Connected Standards Alliance, including Apple, the firm that loves to build walled gardens.
Google might profit from that by adding more of those features or simply making them more visible in Android, according to Greengart. This includes creating widgets, a person’s homepage, and links between various gadgets. Greengart said it will be up to Google to inform consumers that Android is the greatest platform for smart home interoperability.
Invent Better Than Apple
Google’s product launches are becoming better, with more production value and hype, but they still can’t match Apple’s charm. The Cupertino, California-based business may still generate interest in its family of goods and services. Even though it’s not always the case, CEOs’ enthusiastic speeches combined with high-quality production values can lead someone to believe that Apple is offering the newest in technology and innovation.
Android was the first to introduce high refresh displays, optical image stabilization, and laser autofocus—all capabilities Apple frantically crows about.
However, there are those people who want to be the first to use new technology and look past the gorgeous macro images. In order to attract enthusiasts, Google should focus more on this area.
There are also reports of a foldable Pixel device that might compete with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
“I believe [Samsung] is really starting to pick up steam in that area. I believe it is displaying, but the price is the issue, correct? “said Sag. Samsung will be able to attract more competitors to the foldable market by keeping the price of these devices low. Because of this, there will likely be more sales and more aggressive pricing.
In their 2022 World Cup commercial, Google strongly promoted Pixel capabilities like live translation. Additionally, the NBA has designated the Pixel 7 as its official “fan phone” for the current campaign, which stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Simu Liu.
More than any previous edition, Google is said to have ordered the most Pixel 7 smartphones. Google needs to make Pixel feel upscale and exclusive, which is nearly antithetical to Android’s primary mission as a free and open-source operating system, regardless of sales or celebrity endorsements. Because, as Apple’s success shows, people prefer to feel like they’re part of the “in crowd.”
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