Business Insider Intelligence recently released a report that said Android was the world’s largest mobile platform — but it had to “overcome massive hurdles” to keep the lead.
The new report sized up the current Android platform & examined its greatest opportunities & challenges in key markets.
Some of the key takeaways were:
Android is the most widely adopted mobile platform in the world. In Q2 2015, about 83% of all smartphones shipped globally — roughly 282.5 million smartphones — were running a version of Android. By comparison, only 47.3 million smartphones running iOS shipped during the quarter.
Fragmentation is the platform’s greatest challenge. One-third of consumers with Android devices are still using versions of the platform released in 2012 or earlier. The lack of a cohesive platform complicates app and security development.
Fragmentation is also Android’s biggest opportunity. Consumers have more choice than ever as Android manufacturers proliferate. As of August 2015, there were more than 24,000 distinct Android devices from nearly 1,300 brands, many running on “forked” versions of the platform — operating systems built from the Android open-source kernel but which fall outside of Google’s control.
The Google Play app store is outpacing the competition, but the influx of apps & developers to the platform is making app discovery — both paid & organic — problematic for marketers. Google Play surged past the iOS App Store in terms of app volume in 2014, but the premium on getting an app in front of consumers is driving app marketing costs on Android to record highs.
The disparity between the volume of traffic Android drives & the volume of revenue it generates is “troubling” for the platform. iOS consumers tend to drive less traffic due to a smaller overall user base, but iOS exceeds Android in terms of total revenue, making iOS consumers more valuable to marketers & retailers.
You may click here for the entire report.
Image Credit: Google Android
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