Time for a new assignment for our advisory board! Today I want to hear what you have to say about Android. Let me start by laying out the pros and cons as I see them.
PROS
- It’s Google. Google = Success in the technology market right now which bodes well for the device.
- It’s a pretty nice OS from a user perspective. Nice UI. Decent look.
- It might be the “other phone” along with the iPhone.
CONS
- Every OEM can tweak the UI meaning an potentially nightmarish (and expensive) development environment.
- They aren’t as big of a market as the media makes them out to be. (http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10366193-94.html)
- Questionable support of applications: (http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/08/31/android.app.sales.low/) which may stem from the fact that Google is a app developer making everyone else a competitor.
- It isn’t clear that Android Users are Application Purchasers (http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/08/27/admob.july.2009/ ) (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/31/top-developer-reveals-android-markets-meager-sales/)
So – can you support or contradict the pros and cons? Do you have other pros and cons you’d want to add? How about personal experience with folks who have switched to or abandoned Android? As I’ve said, this is a platform we have not ruled out but I’d love to hear your opinion!
And as a extra motivation, if you post a response with your opinions TODAY you’ll be entered into a drawing for a special prize!