July 21, 2021

ANDROID & IOS – THE MOBILE OS DUOPOLY

Android and iOS have revolutionized the way we live, let alone use a mobile phone. The two leading mobile operating systems have made sweeping advancements in the past decade when they actually propelled into worldwide glory.

Photo by Creative Christians on Unsplash

The humble beginnings of each of the two operating systems is marked just 453 days apart from one another – with Apple winning the race, but eventually falling to its free and open-source rival Android, developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance. Apple’s exclusivity remains its greatest strength, and although the diversity of apps in Android’s portfolio takes the cake, the bitten fruit’s unique brand image is what makes it one of the two most valued organizations in the world.

THE NUMBERS

According to the latest results released in the first week of July 2021 by Statista, Android users have the possibility of scrolling through approximately 3.5 million apps on the Google Play Store. As unlikely as that is, one can imagine the diversity of applications that it holds.

Apple, on the other hand, offers just about a million lesser apps than its counterpart. The Apple App Store is the second largest store in the world with roughly 2.2 million applications.

Applications on the stores of both mobile operating systems are regularly refreshed with new content, removing apps that do not fare well and thus maintaining high quality of content output. That means different app categories are regularly added and updated.

The main types of application categories across both the operating platforms are Games, Education, Business, Lifestyle, and Utilities. Gaming apps are the most popular app category – accounting for an average of 17.6% of the overall available apps on the two operating systems.

LEADING CATEGORY

A huge ecosystem of diverse gamers, who do not have the luxury of owning high-end PCs and consoles, use these respective app stores to make peace with their gaming life. From action-packed titles and strategy-based games to interactive multiplayer experiences and arcade games, a little of everything is offered in store.

One can also browse through a huge range of sports betting and casino apps, each with its own perks. Some of the best betting apps even allow you to place a wager from the comfort of your surroundings as long as you have a decent internet connection. Sbo.net is one such resource that makes it fairly simple to browse through some of the best applications on both Android and iOS devices. Many bookmakers even offer free bets and bonuses for first-timers and regular users.

It is estimated that the gaming apps will make up 75% of the total mobile app revenues in the Google Play Store by 2025. The leading revenue numbers for Apple’s Store are also piloted by gaming apps.

REVENUE MODELS

Applications, whether Android or iOS, no matter what category, have multi-faceted routes to earn their revenue. Google Play Store and the Apple App Store allow developers to monetize their applications in different ways – charging users for downloading the application i.e making it a paid app, promoting in-app purchases, selling ad space, pricing up premium features, donations, etc.

Advertising makes up a sizable chunk of revenues for most developers, with the infamous video ads being the most popular monetization model. Recent years have witnessed user app experience take a huge hit due to intrusive ads that affect the overall experience.

Android applications are available on other platforms such as the Amazon App Store and Tencent App Store, unlike iOS applications that are exclusive to Apple devices. Although iOS leads the way in-app monetization, Android has been the best-selling OS worldwide since 2011 with over two billion monthly active users.

RESPECTIVE USPs

Another fact that attracts users to Android is its open-source and decentralized software (although it is largely maintained by Google) that allows developers to utilize its freely available source code – making it extremely versatile to build something of your own and add new and unique features.

Apple, on the other hand, holds the upper hand in innovation, durability, and security. The company is known to have a mass total of 200 patents for the iPhone alone. The 2007 Invention of the Year revolutionized the future of smartphones with its smooth iOS system.

Both operating systems have delivered the comfort of convenience and taken the smartphone experience to a whole different level with their respective stores that account for a combined approximate figure of 5.7 billion applications.

SPACE FOR GROWTH

Upcoming years will only witness a boost in the above-mentioned numbers as more people have access to smartphones. As accessibility to devices increases and an ever-increasing populace become technologically literate, these operating systems will keep producing content at a hasty pace.

Categories will witness an increase in developer interest and user numbers. Lower tier categories in a variety of sectors such as Beauty, Automobiles, Lifestyle, Medical, and Design, among others, are bound to see an upward trend as the world progresses towards automation.

The variety of choices at hand is of serious concern, as demands are met with excessive supply. Nevertheless, applications have restructured the way we function – establishing a fine line between leisure and need.

About the author 

Peter Hatch


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