With reviews and comparisons about the iPhone and Android popping up, you’re probably wondering why I’m writing yet another one. Yet, yesterday’s post on Irv’s Blog, written by the Ifbyphone CEO, adds a completely different angle to the mix. Irv’s analysis relates to the general dilemmas of the marketing world. He transcends the minutia of detailed comparisons such as processor speed, memory and size, or even the broader comparison of the iPhone’s closed system vs. the Android’s open system of development. This review paints a fuller marketing picture of the comparison between the iPhone and the Android.
Here’s two paragraph’s that encapsulate the post’s argument of the main difference between the two smartphones:
The open Android ecosystem provides developers with a highly flexible, open, and easy to root (gain operating system access) development and runtime environment. Google provides very few limitations on the applications available to Android users and does not restrict application distribution. In fact on the Android Market developers web page it states “Android Market is open to all Android application developers. Once registered, developers have complete control over when and how they make their applications available to users.”
In contrast the IOS (iPhone) ecosystem is tightly controlled by Apple. All iPhones ship with a locked down application environment. If you “jailbreak” or unlock the application environment on your iPhone you invalidate your warranty. Developers are required to submit all applications to Apple for review and Apple has full authority over the applications it will allow developers to distribute via the App Store.
Irv’s conclusion actually uses the iPhone vs. Android debate as a springboard for thinking about understanding your marketplace, and especially the difference between early adopters and mainstream customers.
In conclusion, both the Android and the IOS (iPhone) ecosystems provide valuable additions to the telecommunications world. Both solutions provide customers with vastly more choices and with hundreds of thousands of applications. Early adopters that value the maximum in flexibility and that are unfazed by some inconsistency between devices and applications will find their needs well served by a wide range of Android devices. Mainstream customers that want a smart phone that just works and still offers hundreds of thousands of applications, but may not always have the very latest application, will be delighted with an iPhone. When comparing products and services in the rapidly changing technology world of the 21st century, remember to first understand the customer demographics served by the product or service and then properly qualify your comments for a specific marketplace.
In your marketing experience, how well have you distinguished between your different customer groups?
Related posts:
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- How to Advertise on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch: Whistle’s iPhone App
- Voice is Coming Back in Style with iPhone Apps and Google’s Nexus One
- iPhone 4: Marketing Questions in Real Time
