Europeans not keen on Google Android
It would seem that the folks across the pond are not too keen on Google’s Android operating system. Over the past few months it’s presence has increased in the European markets but only slightly, and no where near as much as in the US.
The smartphone platform competition in Europe is vastly different, when comparing it to the US. BlackBerries and Windows Mobile phones have the lions share of enterprise users, with the iPhone and Android steadily catching up.
In Europe Nokia’s S60 platform and Windows Mobile have a much greater hold on the market, probably as Europe is Nokia’s home turf as such and it would seem that it’s strength there is quite unbreakable.
So many new models of Android are flooding the US carriers, and over the last few months Android has gained in it’s popularity in the US. However it is far from a success story in Europe. One suggestion is that that it could be a lack of awareness as to what Android is. So what will it take to increase the Android adoption. Source – informationweek.com
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2 thoughts on “Europeans not keen on Google Android”
Consumers ‘not too keen on’ Android? The platform is ‘far from a success story in Europe’? Damning conclusions, if vague & unsubstantiated. But did you even bother to read the one, meager statistic provided as evidence of these claims?
The report says Android’s share of the Western Europe smartphone market grew from 4.2% to ‘only’ 5.4%, during 3Q09, alone. Maybe your math skills are slipping, but that’s ‘only’ 28% growth…in three short months. (ie: more than 100%, annually). And that’s starting from ZERO percent, last year.
So, from this we deduce slow adoption? You must be joking. If 28% growth, quarter over quarter, were shown for any mobile platform other than Android, then I bet your headline would be diametrically different. ‘Window Mobile Shows Sharp Uptick in Europe’. ‘Maemo Adoption Spikes’.
Please, guys – when posting wire-service filler, try to avoid parroting the source’s bias. If you intend to abandon all thoughts of journalistic integrity for the sake of spreading FUD, then at least do us the favor of providing unique FUD, rather than somebody else’s.
I particularly enjoyed this bit:
“The smartphone platform competition in Europe is vastly different, when comparing it to the US. BlackBerries and Windows Mobile phones have the lions share of enterprise users, with the iPhone and Android steadily catching up.”
Riiiiight, do BB and WM not have the lion’s (apostrophe!) share of enterprise users in the US too? what’s the iPhone enterprise figure in the states, 2.5% if we’re being generous?
And then we have “So what will it take to increase the Android adoption.” (i think you need a question mark at the end there but whatevs). May I suggest the answer is at the start of the sentance! “So many new models of Android are flooding the US carriers, and over the last few months Android has gained in it’s popularity in the US.” Yes, if there’s a decent handset with Android it will sell well, the European market is, as stated, very different to the US, with free subsidised handsets the norm. Nokia is huge here bacause of its deals with carriers, as the default free phone becomes an Android one, you’ll see things take off.
Its not about awareness, its about the way the handset market works here – there’s not enough penetration of cheap, free Android handsets at the bottom, there’s not enough quality at the top end.
I have a blackberry because at the moment it’s the least bad option. I want a keyboard, something that syncs easily with my media/music and my email/calendar/social media, is reasonably priced, and has what is currently the minimum reasonable spec (3mp camera, wifi, 3g, gps, hvga etc). Android seems to be a good prospect in the future, but its not there yet. So when my contract comes up in the spring I expect to go BB for another year…