Archives For smartphone
Despite being and iPhone user since 2008 I have decided that my next phone will be the Google Nexus 4. While I still really enjoy the iPhone and switched from Windows to Mac back in 2006 I believe the open Android platform will provide even greater opportunities for innovation. The iPhone interface is still the same as it was when it was introduced and many productivity apps that are available like app switchers provide functionality that is native to the Android OS. Unfortunately, much of the really unique functionality is only available if one jailbreaks the phone. I have repeatedly stated that I don’t care who makes the device and that I am committed to using the most innovative smartphone that is available.
Right now that phone is the Google Nexus 4 because only the Nexus 4 has, and will continue to have, the most recent version of Android. While Samsung makes great hardware, they don’t update the OS quickly enough for my liking. Furthermore, I find that Samsung’s added software features they include in their implementation of Android simply wastes battery life (at least this is the case with my Galaxy Tab 10.1) and decreases the device efficiency. Since I have been preparing to make the big switch I have been noticing more and more data that shows that I am not the only one who sees that Apple is loosing its lead in many different respects.
Source: MBAOnline
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.
