The battle between Apple and Android is an ongoing one, and a dispute that’s led many to question the validity of numerous patents that some would argue shouldn’t be patented in the first place. While it’s easy to argue back and forth over who’s right and wrong, the lawsuits affect both sides.
Well, sort of. You see, even though Apple has filed multiple lawsuits and even chalked up a large victory against Samsung which resulted in over a $1 billion pay day, Android has remained unaffected. In just the past year alone, Android’s market share has increased by nearly 20% from 52.5% to 72.4%.
That’s all of Android devices combined, but what about Samsung, the number one Android manufacturer? They sold 55 million devices in the third quarter alone, besting Apple who had sold 23.6 million.
Clearly, the lawsuits aren’t working. Consumers are continuing to buy Android phones and tablets left and right. Speaking of tablets, Apple still remains King with their iPad, there’s no denying that. They’ve done a great job marketing it. However, at the rate things are currently going, it may not last too much longer.
At the end of the day, the reality is this: Most consumers could care less about these lawsuits. The great thing about the current mobile marketplace is choice. Whether it’s iOS or Android, people have their favorite and will continue to buy their favorite. There are quite a few great Android devices and there are great iOS devices.
Average consumers, the majority, simply care about what’s in it for them and the ecosystem, not if Company X is using a very mundane feature that So and So has patented.