The mobile market today is dominated by Android and Apple's iOS, each with distinct approaches. While Apple cultivates a tightly controlled ecosystem and aspirational product image, Android offers individuality and customization, with different hardware partners having their own take on the system. Android has also been a pioneer in many features that later found their way onto the iPhone. Google continues to differentiate its Pixel line of devices through the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), hoping the conveniences offered will retain users and prevent them from switching to Apple.
Key takeaways:
- Google's decision to make Android free and open source has led to its dominance in the global mobile phone market, with 3.3 billion users worldwide, representing about 41% of the global population.
- Android's open source nature has allowed for a diverse range of devices and manufacturers, each with their own take on the operating system, contrasting with Apple's tightly controlled ecosystem.
- Many features that are now common on smartphones, such as pull-down notifications, home screen widgets, and computational photography, were first introduced on Android.
- Google is heavily investing in artificial intelligence (AI) to further differentiate its Pixel line of devices and to continue to innovate within the Android operating system.