[PCWorld]

Post your comments for iOS: More Profitable for Google Than Android here

[carlosteran]

That explains actually a lot. I've never understood Google's business plan with Android, where the revenue comes from.

[Skylarwdxn]

Unfortunately, iPods, iPhones, etc, all SUCK compared to Android. With non-removable memory (mostly), the ability to fry itself in your pocket, and software that absolutely HATES Windows, i-products just don't add up. Macs are incompatible with almost all outside software, so why even use Apple products?

[Skylarwdxn]

As a side note, some of the smaller ones can be cheaper than androids, but you still cant do anything more than they can.

[vincentclark2k2q]

The main source of this article is Horace Dediu, who specializes in recruiting iOS developers. Knowing this you can see the skew in the numbers, it is apples and oranges. His goal is to discourage Android development to encourage iOS development because it is more profitable to him. He isn't a good sources, you should not cite people like that.

[AndrewEvans7yc9]

Sigh...I dont know how many times this same "news" has to be posted. When Google developed its mobile strategy with Android, its fear was being locked out of the mobile market by Microsoft, not Apple. Its Oracle filings show that it feared that if it didnt have a platform out there that Microsoft would have licensing deals with all the non-Apple OEMs within 5 years and that it would essentially be locked out of the mobile market, which obviously was on the cusp of exploding with growth. If Google hadn't developed Android, Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG, and the rest of the phone manufacturers would be using Windows Mobile or a variant and would be locked in to Bing search and Microsoft's web services, something that Google couldn't let happen. It doesn't matter that iOS earns more for Google than Android, its goal was to make sure that it had a strong foothold in the mobile space and that it wouldn't be locked out by Microsoft and if you look at it from that perspective it has succeeded. The Android unit is profitable for Google, and just because it doesn't make as much from Android as it does from iOS doesn't mean its not successful in its strategy.

I know the title and this report are meant to draw a lot of page views (because practically anything Apple vs Android spurs a lot of fanboy flame wars), but Google never saw Apple as its main threat, it saw Microsoft as its main threat, and it couldn't let Microsoft threaten its business model with mobile by shutting Google out of mobile search and mobile web services.

iOS and Android are two very strong players in the mobile space and we have great competition and the market is growing rapidly. This is good for the consumer. I wish that we could put the fanboy arguing aside and just enjoy the great devices that we have as a result of competition and innovation.

[SamJester]

Oh wow, another mac-world blog post on PC world. WHO WOULD'VE GUESSED??

:|

[AsdfJkl1vri]

SamJester, on 08 April 2012 - 09:44 PM, said:

Oh wow, another mac-world blog post on PC world. WHO WOULD'VE GUESSED??

:|

Yeah, seems like FUD/gloating from the Mac crowd.

[karthiq]

google earns more money from ios than android, MS earns more money from android than windows....what is going on?

[karthiq]

Also the weakest link in the android ecosystem is the android tablet. With apple,amazon and the coming windows 8, if google doesnt take a look at its existing strategy, its tablets and the related tablet ecosystem will fall furthur behind.

[imaginarynumber]

karthiq, on 08 April 2012 - 11:08 PM, said:

Also the weakest link in the android ecosystem is the android tablet. With apple,amazon and the coming windows 8, if google doesnt take a look at its existing strategy, its tablets and the related tablet ecosystem will fall furthur behind.

Having seen a couple of (intel) tablets running the latest incarnation of w8, I would have to agree with you.

I have dismissed tablets as a gimmick for a long time but having used "proper" programs on one recently, even I am tempted. W8 will totally change the landscape and possibly lead to improved Win Phone sales, hitting both Android and iOS. Why buy an iPad when you can have an intel w8 with grown up functions?

[JimH443]

That iOS generates more revenue comes as no surprise. It's known that Apple owners have more disposable income, and that Android owners are more frugal. They are two products with different markets.

[imaginarynumber]

JimH443, on 10 April 2012 - 02:02 AM, said:

That iOS generates more revenue comes as no surprise. It's known that Apple owners have more disposable income, and that Android owners are more frugal. They are two products with different markets.

perhaps true wrt the niche computers but the iPhone is a mass market product, as are the ipods.

your statement is as silly as the oft quoted fanboi suggestion that apple owners are more attractive.

It might be the case that a higher degree of android owners have the savvy to be able to install pirated software or to be able to find free versions of apps.

[JimH443]

imaginarynumber, on 10 April 2012 - 02:15 AM, said:

JimH443, on 10 April 2012 - 02:02 AM, said:

That iOS generates more revenue comes as no surprise. It's known that Apple owners have more disposable income, and that Android owners are more frugal. They are two products with different markets.

perhaps true wrt the niche computers but the iPhone is a mass market product, as are the ipods.

your statement is as silly as the oft quoted fanboi suggestion that apple owners are more attractive.

It might be the case that a higher degree of android owners have the savvy to be able to install pirated software or to be able to find free versions of apps.

There's no need to install pirated software. As you mention, there are plenty of free versions available.
There are plenty of "mass market products" that target those who have more money available to spend. Large screen TV's are just one example.