iOS or Android? This is currently a problem that involves mobile and even desktop.
From the perspective of global market share, 7 of the 10 mobile phones run on the Android system, while two of the remaining three are most likely to be equipped with iOS systems, and the other will have a certain probability of being equipped with niche operating systems classified as "Others".
There is no doubt that Android is a giant in the entire operating system space, but this does not mean that this position is impregnable. Judging by market data, Android's dominance is under increasing pressure from other competitors.
According to the latest data StockApps.com data research institute, ANdroid's global dominance in the operating system field is gradually weakening. In January 2022, the global market share of Android system was 69.74%.
In contrast, the operating system captured 77.32% of the market share in July 2018, which also hit a record high at that time.
Five years later, nearly 8% of the global market share slipped away from Android, which is a thought-provoking phenomenon. Behind The loosening of Android's overwhelming advantage over the operating system market, what are the hidden secrets?
Edith Reads, a financial expert at the StockApps.com, believes that the loss of Android's global market share stems from increased competition in the field. Faced with competitive pressure with Apple's iOS as its main rival, Android's dominance has been challenged.
The data shows that iOS grew by 6% between July 2018 and January 2022. Apple's operating system market share grew to 25.49% from 19.4% in 2018, in addition, other niche operating system developers accounted for 1.58% of the total except for Google Android.
Objectively speaking, Android's dominance in the operating system market is still unshakable, and even if it loses 8% of the market share, it is difficult to completely erase the advantage in a few years - in other words, Android's appeal and dominance still exist.
Compared with the main competitor iOS, the Android system has a higher degree of freedom, open source features and affordability and is loved by developers and users around the world.
If iOS is a standardized pool, then Android is more like an open water, in the iOS system needs to comply with various rules and regulations, while on the Android side, the degree of freedom is higher but there are also potential security threats.
In some ways, Edith Reads said, "Google has built an unassailable gap, and Apple and other companies need something extraordinary to overturn it." ”
Of course, in addition to focusing on the share of global operating systems, different regions and different regions have different tendencies towards operating systems.
The data shows that the dominance of smartphone operating systems shows regional characteristics. For example, 84% of smartphones in Africa are based on Android, iOS only accounts for about 14% of the continent's smartphone devices, while Samsung, Nokia and KaiOS account for about 2% of the remaining 2%.
The same trend is also happening in Europe, which is in contrast to the African economy, where the market share based on the Android operating system is also as high as 69.32%, but the iOS system does perform better here than in Africa, with about 30% of mobile phones using the system; Samsung, Nokia and other developers carved up the remaining 1% of the market share.
Android's market share in Asia and South America reached 81% and 90%, respectively. iOS's share is 18% in Asia and 10% in South America. Other operating system developers have less than 1 percent of the phone market share on both continents, and South America appears to be the continent with the fewest iOS users.
The most fiercely contested market share is in North America and Oceania, where iOS has taken the lead in both continents with a market share of iOS – 54% of the market share was won by iOS, while Android lost slightly, but also occupied nearly 45% of the share. Other developers can divide the market share by only the remaining 1%.
In fact, in Asia, Africa, South America, these continents, iOS is not dominant is reasonable. Because the price of Apple products is obviously much more expensive compared to competitors.
But Apple has been working hard to expand its lineup, especially by attracting more consumers with products like the iPhone SE and entry-level iPad. While iOS is only available for Apple devices, the Android system doesn't just run on smartphones and tablet devices.
In addition, the most important factor is still the price – the lower price allows Android devices to attract a wider range of entry-level and mid-range users, staying ahead of the competition for market share.
Of course, Apple's price reduction increment and the strategy of launching cheaper devices have shown good results, and the growth of market share proves that Apple's decision-making level has made the right choice, and in the future, Apple may continue to launch some entry-level devices in its product lineup, competing with the Android camp in the entry-level and mid-tier markets.
Whether it's iOS or Android, they currently have a huge user base and enough moats, whether it's on mobile phones, tablets or other devices in the future, we will also see other OS built by the ecosystem of the two companies.
In the final analysis, when the device becomes diverse and complex, the integrity of the ecology and the advantages of the detailed experience will determine which OS people are on.