For the first time in over a decade, Android has fallen behind the iPhone in the United States. The free and open-source operating system, which still powers the majority of the world’s phones, is available on Samsung, Motorola, and OnePlus devices. Even when combined with budget brands like TCL, Nokia, and Blu, Android-powered handsets cannot outsell the iPhone in the United States. Apple’s dominance is an outlier on a global scale. Only the United States, Canada, and Japan have an advantage over Android. Everywhere else, Android is far ahead, often by a wide margin.
Android lagging behind reflects the cachet Apple has built around the iPhone franchise. From celebrities photographed in cafes with iPhones to their ears to late-night hosts engaging in repartee with an Apple Watch cuffed to their wrist, Apple products serve as both function and fashion for America’s aristocratic class. And, thanks to iMessage, Apple has created a messaging divide, with the “haves” enjoying blue bubble gardens and the “have nots” relegated to green squalor. Even movie villains can’t be filmed on an iPhone.
But there are reasons to be optimistic about Android’s efforts to reclaim the US crown. Google is constructing an ecosystem around the Pixel 7, including the introduction of the Pixel Watch.The Pixel tablet will be available next year. And Android has its own cult following, even if they aren’t on a Hollywood set.
So, what can Google do to re-establish Android’s relevance in the United States?
Here are a few examples.
Increase your investment in the ecosystem.
Google took too long to release the Pixel Watch, allowing the Apple Watch to act as a Trojan Horse and keep people locked inside Apple’s garden.
“Apple has such a tangled ecosystem.
Especially the Watch, once you buy it, you’re locked into an iPhone “Avi Greengart, a Techsponential analyst stated.
Google didn’t have that until this year.
“Even so, its first watch is a 1.0 product.”
Because of Google’s slow pace in bringing the Pixel Watch to market, the Apple Watch remains far ahead. At the very least, Pixel owners now have a way to avoid feeling left behind.
The Android market in the United States is significantly less competitive than in the rest of the world. Concerns about Chinese tech companies tracking American consumers have effectively rendered brands such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo unable to operate in the United States. Outside of Samsung and Google, there are only a few brands that can sell alternatives.
Because of Google’s slow pace in bringing the Pixel Watch to market, the Apple Watch remains far ahead.
At the very least, Pixel owners now have a way to avoid feeling left behind.
Google is dealing with a number of issues, one of which is a lack of manufacturer diversity.
The iPad line continues to be a popular second-screen device, serving as a gateway to the internet for both toddlers and the elderly.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus is the only high-quality Android tablet that comes to mind, but its software is nowhere near as refined as iPad OS, often feeling like a big-screen version of Android.
Google has already announced a “premium” Pixel tablet for 2023, but it will need to wow the masses of consumers who have been trained to think of iPads as tablets.
Unfortunately, Google may not be able to compete with Apple in the laptop and home computing markets. Google Chromebooks are excellent low-cost laptops for basic tasks, but they lack the horsepower and flexibility found in macOS and Windows. It’s a market that Apple and Microsoft have already carved out, making it difficult for Google to create a viable alternative. Even if it did, the installed base would be so small that top developers would avoid it. In this case, Google’s best bet is to keep improving the integration of its products with Mac and Windows machines in order to provide a comparable experience to the iPhone and Mac.
The matter is important.
Google has an advantage over Apple in the smart home market. Cupertino is rarely quick to enter new product categories, as evidenced by years of rumors surrounding Apple’s alleged VR/AR headset and Apple car. Apple did make an attempt at home devices with HomeKit, but it was largely forgotten. Google, on the other hand, has a strong presence in the smart home with its voice assistant-powered displays, such as the Nest Hub, as well as its Nest WiFi, Doorbell, and camera products.
Unfortunately, the smart home industry has stagnated, with a dizzying array of competing products confusing consumers. A person who owns an Amazon Alexa smart speaker may be unsure whether it will work with their Google Nest doorbell.
Enter Matter, a universal smart home standard that will allow new home devices of any brand to communicate with one another. Apple has joined the Connected Standards Alliance, along with Amazon, Google, Samsung, Ikea, Lutron, Signify, and others.”That is an area where Google could benefit from building more of those controls or simply exposing them more in Android,” Greengart said. This includes creating a person’s homepage, and widgets, and connecting multiple devices. Greengart stated that it will be up to Google to inform people that smart home interoperability works best on Android.
Innovate faster than Apple.
Google’s product launches are getting better, with more production value and fanfare, but they still can’t match Apple’s magic. The Cupertino, California-based company’s ability to generate excitement about its family of products and services remains intact. Excited executive rhetoric combined with high production value can lead one to believe that Apple is bringing the latest in technology and innovation, even if this isn’t always the case. All of the features that Apple boasts about, from high refresh rates to optical image stabilization and laser autofocus, came first to Android. Consumers who look past the fancy macro shots and want to be the first to use new technology exist. Google should invest more in this area to entice enthusiasts. Already, rumors are circulating about a Pixel foldable device that could compete with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
“I believe [Samsung] is gaining traction there.
And I believe it is showing, but the issue is the price, right? “said Sag.
If Samsung can keep lowering the price of foldable, the category’s popularity will grow, bringing more competition.
“As a result, competition will almost certainly result in more sales and more competitive pricing.”
Google has also heavily promoted Pixel features like live translation in its 2022 World Cup commercial. This season, the Pixel 7 is also the NBA’s official “fan phone,” with a commercial featuring player Giannis Antetokounmpo and actor Simu Liu.Google is also said to have placed the most orders for Pixel 7 devices than any previous iteration. Regardless of sales or celebrity endorsements, Google must make Pixel feel premium and exclusive, which is almost antithetical to Android’s core vision of being a free and open-source operating system. Because, if Apple’s success is any indication, people enjoy the feeling of being part of the “in the crowd.”