Archives For iPhone
Andy Ihnatko, a technology journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times, and author provides the following four major reasons for switching from the iPhone to the Android:
- Better keyboards
- Larger screen
- Collaboration between apps
- Customization
While a larger screen has never been a factor for my planned move to the Nexus 4, I couldn’t agree more with Ihnatko on why a better keyboard, collaboration between apps and customization are so important to a person who really uses a mobile device for more than than just simple phone calls, texting and facebook updates. I have large hands and fingers so the little keyboard on my iPhone is and always has been lacking. Accidentally activating Siri is also one of the most frustrating and all too often repeated annoyances.
The keyboard issues on the iPhone are annoying but the lack of collaboration between apps is unacceptable. I have been an Evernote user ever since it was in beta and I use it more than any other app on my mobile devices and computer so not being able to send content, a link or web page directly to my Evernote todo list is a major productivity drain. Getting information and content from one app to another in IOS is horrible and is reason enough to switch.
When you factor in customization options that Android offers and the fact that for just a little more than $310 CDN I can have an unlocked phone that I can use anywhere on any network the decision to move the Nexus 4 makes sense. I also agree with Ihnatko that this move isn’t for everyone. I still would recommend the iPhone for new users or those folks who don’t really do much more than phone calls, texting and facebook. If you aren’t a poweruser who can really take advantage of all the Android offers I still think that IOS offers the simplest solution that just works.
I am looking forward to reading Ihnatko final post.
Mary Meeker Gives Mid-Year Internet Trends Report: Android Adoption Ramping Up 6X Faster Than iPhone | TechCrunch via kwout
Mary Meeker of KPCB who is best known for her Internet Trends Report provided a mid year update to a select group of industry leaders and confirmed that mobile adoption is growing even more rapidly than she or anyone else has predicted. Meeker points to the following increased growth:
… iPad adoption is now ramping up five times faster than iPhone adoption, up from 3X in her May report…Android adoption is increasing six times faster than iPhone adoption, up from 4X.
Perhaps the most significant number and Meeker points to is:
…by the end of Q2 2013, Meeker believes the global smartphone plus tablet install base will surpass the install base of the PC.
In less than 5 years smartphones and tablets have surpassed the installed base of PCs. The notion of accessing the world’s information all the time and from everywhere is no longer a futuristic prediction. We are living this. We have been living this for several years and industries like Education are being disrupted in the same way that music, newspapers and video/dvd distribution have been disrupted.
Is Higher Education doing enough to respond to this disruption? Are faculty and administrator and schools at all levels preparing our students for a world that is changing so rapidly?
It is currently a two horse race between the IOS and Android. Samsung must be mentioned as a major player in this space considering it is the developer of the Galaxy S2, S3 and Google’s own Nexus device not to mention all the other models of smartphones is has offered. Apple and Android own the smartphone and it will be interesting to see how much of an impact Windows 8, Microsoft Surface and the Nokia phones will make on these numbers. There is also the long shot that RIM may revive some interest in its platform in 2013 but most people believe RIM will be a niche play at best.
It is always fascinating to see just how much an impact the smartphone has had in such a short period.
When you combine the smartphone growth With the explosive growth of the iPad, mobile access to the web is now the new norm. Perhaps the most exciting part about this for learners is that access to the world’s information is truly available all the time and from everywhere. Even more exiting is the fact that we has just started to see development in this space. One can only imagine where we will be in the next 3-5 years.
