The long battle between Apple and Android phone makers, most notably Samsung and HTC, rages on. Filed initially in 2010, as of July this year there were 48 Android lawsuits floating around in nine different countries. It is a big, sordid mess and no end appears to be in sight and consumers that own HTC or Samsung phones (I must confess that love my HTC!) wonder what will become of us when tech giant Apple shuts us all down.
No doubt, Samsung and HTC phones are immensely popular, and one way to slow down the growth of those companies is a big, expensive lawsuit. Apple is certainly aware how many Androids are flying off the shelves, and now there is real competition. IN fact, about 15 million Android Smartphones sell every month.
HTC phones with Android have similar capabilities to iPhones, and they are continually evolving at a more rapid pace than Apple has set for its phones. For instance, despite the fact that it sold four million new iPhones last week, there really was not a whole lot of innovation in this latest version, even though it was a long time coming and highly anticipated.
HTC came under attack after it released its first series of Smartphones in January of 2010. We now know, thanks to a biography of Steve Jobs that is due in bookstores on Monday that Jobs was furious when these phones were unveiled and vowed to destroy Android. In fact, he promised to spend all $40 billion of Apple’s money to fight the spread of this technology. For its part, HTC is fighting back with lawsuits of its own after buying another company and additional patent rights.
Certainly, settlements of most lawsuits of this type occur soon after filing, but Steve Jobs himself vehemently opposed any type of settlement. In a meeting with ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, a man who had also been on the Board of Directors for years, Jobs told him that money would not fix this, and the only thing that would is for Android to cease and desist using any of Apple’s ideas. The opposition, of course, says they have not copied anything from anybody.
Consumers should be concerned about these proceedings because of the impact they can have on the cell phone market, and new technology. Apple has not really introduced any earth-shattering advances in years, but they want to stop companies that are more progressive from doing just that. HTC created the 4G buzz, and every new phone they introduce has something new and intriguing built-in. I am glad that they are pushing back against a company that is trying desperately to hold on to whatever market share it has by any means necessary. I think there is room in the marketplace for both types of phones. After all, iPhone’s pricing is still much too high for many people’s comfort zones.
We can only hope that these lawsuits are amicably settled, and that no company can create a monopoly. Competition is good for everyone…except maybe Apple at this point. What do you think? Do you prefer iPhone or Android, and why? What do you think of these lawsuits?
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reeha
October 26, 2011 at 11:04 am
nice information about these rivals in mobile technology. i think Apple is going ahead however android is also working hard to cash their abilities in cell phones.
DeniseGabbard
November 5, 2011 at 2:38 pm
All in all, the competition is great for consumers, and I hope it continues:)
anandyadav
October 26, 2011 at 11:57 am
android is the best smartphone ever go for android fellas
DeniseGabbard
November 5, 2011 at 2:45 pm
I love Android as well, but iPhone is very cool, too. Honestly, I bought my HTC phone because I was familiar with the Android OS after purchasing an Android tablet— which was purely for financial reasons…. given an unlimited bank account, I might opt for the Apple versions…
Danny
October 26, 2011 at 12:41 pm
I think Apple will still sell many phones even if they don’t create the best phones anymore.
An Iphone is a status symbol for many people. But Apple is starting to act like a little b*tch now Samsung is so succesful. And behavior like that is not good for their image.
Just imagine if Apple wouldn’t have this status/image, but had to compete in a purely physical way. They would not have such a big market share I’m sure.
DeniseGabbard
November 5, 2011 at 2:59 pm
You are right… a lot of it is status. But the newest Android phones are pretty slick… my HTC is dark red, and aluminum instead of cheap plastic… I like the way it looks better than my son’s iPhone.
Apple earned its reputation and its image with innovative products, but other companies are definitely catching up… and offering similar technology for less.
Tracy-Ann
October 26, 2011 at 2:58 pm
I think i must prefer to use apple as well. the quality of Apple can never been as good as the other phones. Apple can still be one of the best Phones.However, Android phones has lots of features when competing on Apple.
Maja
October 27, 2011 at 2:27 am
It has observed that the battle among the different companies of the same product give benefit to the customer. My experience about Apple is appreciable and recommended.
Melony
October 27, 2011 at 8:08 am
Hey Denise,
Wow, 15 million Android Smartphones being sold every month is remarkable to me. Apple definitely has some real competition with sales like that. I think Apple has every right to be mad and pursue a lawsuit against HTC if they are truly using Apple’s ideas to make their smartphones. As far as which I smartphone I prefer, I would have to say the iPhone just because it’s the original smartphone that started it all.
DeniseGabbard
November 5, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Only time will tell on the lawsuits. Hopefully they can streamline things and get back to the business of building great new technology.
briant
October 27, 2011 at 3:44 pm
I dont want to enter their war and will go for both of them rather than not choosing one of them. Monopolies should not be a possibility and I hope the lawsuits will just end.
ドリーマー
October 28, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Until their ecosystems matures, I’m staying away from Android.
Have a look at this mess, concerning updates compared to rival iOS devices :S
http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visualizing-a-sad-history-of-support
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Mario
October 31, 2011 at 3:07 am
well I recommend you read this before believing in any chart
http://www.androidcentral.com/editorial-fun-%E2%80%98fragmentation%E2%80%99-charts-or-why-you-shouldn%E2%80%99t-be-distracted-shiny-objects
ドリーマー
November 3, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Can’t say I followed the whole chart to the last detail of it.
My comment was more about what’s going on with android and it’s devices. It’s almost random what they choose to update and what they don’t while with the iOS devices whenever apple releases a new OS people can just go and install it directly from apple, no need to wait for the manufacturer and/or the carrier to decide when to release and what to include.
From what we’ve seen so far it is true that at least for the iOS devices (fewer of them, easier to track) it seems the upgrade roadmaps are way smoother compared to the android ecosystem. For starters, they shouldn’t sell devices with anything lesser of the current major Android version.
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ドリーマー
November 3, 2011 at 9:48 pm
Also, when there’s an argument between 2 sides (android, iOS) I think it’s better practice to cite independent/neutral sources, not biased ones.(androidcentral? :p naturally their opinion will be biased just like apple blogs would do the same for OS X/iOS). The article still doesn’t debunk the fact that android updates are still a terrible mess and nowhere near as a streamlined process. Just adds more ‘opinion’ on the table in line with silly remarks like ‘iPhone4 has no Siri’ which apple markets it as an iPhone4S feature not an iOS5 one anyways..
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DeniseGabbard
November 8, 2011 at 4:06 am
Android is still the “new kid on the block” and is constantly evolving…I own both an Android tablet and an HTC Android phone, and love them both. I have not seen any support issues, and really have not had any problems with either product in more than a year. I chose them based on functions and mostly, price…and have been thoroughly pleased with the the value of both.
Thomas
October 31, 2011 at 9:05 am
I think that the lawsuits are pointless. Competition is normal and Apple should focus on continuing being innovative. It is because of these competitions that consumers enjoy discounts, low prices and better features from these products.
joe
October 31, 2011 at 12:53 pm
I think that’s why there are lawsuits.. because of the competition. tsk.. they are a little overboard.
Anne
November 1, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Don’t listen to any people who say Apple is better; they’re all just jealous because they didn’t chose and android phone instead of their iphones. The iphone is still a cool phone and everything, but since you said yourself that you’re starting to get bored of your 3g, then for sure you will only like the iPhone 4 for a week at most because it is EXACTLY the same as the 3g.
ドリーマー
November 3, 2011 at 6:17 pm
Anne, I have no idea what your age is but I’ll address you as an adult anyways.
3G is EXACTLY the same as he iPhone4? They really look the same to you when you put them side by side? If yes then I suggest you have your eyes examined.
If all you want a mobile phone is to make phone calls then fair enough, they both can make and receive calls etc. If that’s not the case then please, do yourself a favour and try to understand technology better before making such foolish statements. I wonder if I should bother pointing out the all the differences…
I ‘ll only mention 2:
– The A4 processor (same as original iPad, faster in multiples compared to 3G) It also has 4x times the system memory in comparison.
– The retina display. Now this is HUGE and industry changing. It has an IPS panel (best LCD technology in industry to date, graphics professionals use this kind of tech for colour accuracy) with Fringe Field Switching and LED backlight. It has the highest DPI on any display I’ve seen out there, I wish I could have larger screen like that for my main computer even if it had to be a tiny 17″ one… To put it in terms for less technology proficient people, how large is your flat panel TV? 40 inches? 50? 60? Resolution wise, the horizontal pixels it contains are only as many as 2x iPhone4 put together side by side, yes even if your TV panel is a huge 100″ one… Full HD resolution is 1920×1080, iPhone’s resolution in landscape form is 960×640 so yeah.. having 2x tiny 3.5″ iPhone4 devices side by side (960×2 = 1920) has the same resolution as a full HDTV panel. Pretty much shows how HD is what we call FullHD… Also, most magazines use 300dpi in their printing process. iPhone4’s resolution is 324dpi. How on earth can you miss that when comparing 3G to iPhone is beyond me. I can only presume you never actually compared those hands-on.
I attach a link with a neuroscientist examining Apple’s claims regarding the ‘Retina’ display in relation to how much resolution can the eye perceive.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/25/retina_display_claims_upheld/
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DeniseGabbard
December 22, 2011 at 6:18 am
Sounds like lots of new and great technology in the iPhone….I have to admit, being an Android lover, I have not even read up on the newest versions. I’m going to make a point to check it out the next time I am at the AT&T store.
Jarod
November 18, 2011 at 8:51 pm
The iPhone 4gs is by far the most useful iPhone yet! the siri voice command is my favorite.
Matt Rogen
December 8, 2011 at 2:44 pm
I used an iphone for about 3 years and have recently switched to a galaxy s2 with android. I’m finding so Android much more flexible and easy to use compared to ios.
Laura Roberts
December 19, 2011 at 11:28 am
@Jarod Do you really use the siri voice stuff? It looks cool on the advert but I get the feeling it’s just a gimmick. I reckon it’ll be a few more years before voice recognition becomes really useful.
DeniseGabbard
December 22, 2011 at 6:26 am
Lots of new and great technology in iPhone, but it seems that Android is catching up. I have use of voice commands on my HTC Inspire 4G already, and it is kinda cool. I think the Android version of voice recognition is actually pretty useful right now… I love that people can leave me a voice mail, and my phone transcribes it and sends it to my email. Great if you are somewhere you can’t check voicemail but can get a peek at your phone.
DeniseGabbard
December 22, 2011 at 6:29 am
Now that HTC has passed up iPhone, I wonder what is next in terms of technology? Selling all those phones should have given them a huge shot of capital with which to work on some new toys:)
Monika
December 23, 2011 at 8:17 pm
I personally love my motorola droid x it is my second droid and when I bought it I went in to get the iphone cause verizon had just come out with it but I’m glad the salesman talked me into another droid. For the droids to have enough in common with the iphone to bring up a lawsuit I can’t tell cause I like my droid way beyer than my friends iphone!
Olamidotun
November 21, 2012 at 12:26 pm
I just wonder what the problem is, with Apple… they certainly can’t meet the technology needs of the whole world. So they should be receptive of some competition.
Well, I prefer Android to Apple. though I haven’t used either too well, the high prices that come with Apple, is enough discouragement.
Android, it is for me, all the way.