[snowmutt]

Android, pure and simple, is improving and innovating at a rate no other OS can match. Throw in the pure availability of those handsets, and you have a monolith sitting on top of a mountain daring someone to come knock him off.

In 2-3 years, the mobile market will look different, but how and who remains to be seen. But I am not going out on a limb when I say it will take that long before anyone is in position to take #1 from Android. Right now, the only OS that can hurt Android is Android. If Google does something dumb to hurt their own product, other OS's will pounce. But so far every version of the Green Robot bar none has improved on the last, and I expect that to continue.

The only thing that annoys me- and I like Android- is how less then a quarter of the actual handsets get updated more then once, yet it is WP eating crap for the updates.

[tekhna]

If anything, Nexus 4 and 7 demand is showing that Android is just taking off. The sooner Android moves from the OEM skin garbage, the better. It'll never truly go away, but the situation is improving. And Android is slowly taking over the tablet market. See all the reports on the Nexus 7 outselling the iPad in Japan, for example.

People who insist that Android is sluggish have not used Android in a long time. I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. My GS3 screams. No lock ups, no lag, no app incompatibility, no forces closes, no battery problems (all problems I see on the front page of the 920 forum right this minute).
Android's not going anywhere. It's at 70% global marketshare. It'll slip, obviously, no one can maintain that kind of dominance, but as long as Android is provided free to OEMs, it's not going anywhere.
WP's biggest problem might actually be BB10. I was pretty sure WP8 would have put a stake through the heart of BB10 by now, but the tech world is pretty excited about it. That's on the folks over at Microsoft for not taking advantage of a holiday window with no BB competitor to kick it while it's down.

[fatclue_98]

Android, pure and simple, is improving and innovating at a rate no other OS can match. Throw in the pure availability of those handsets, and you have a monolith sitting on top of a mountain daring someone to come knock him off.

In 2-3 years, the mobile market will look different, but how and who remains to be seen. But I am not going out on a limb when I say it will take that long before anyone is in position to take #1 from Android. Right now, the only OS that can hurt Android is Android. If Google does something dumb to hurt their own product, other OS's will pounce. But so far every version of the Green Robot bar none has improved on the last, and I expect that to continue.

The only thing that annoys me- and I like Android- is how less then a quarter of the actual handsets get updated more then once, yet it is WP eating crap for the updates.

Gots to agree. ICS has impressed me with its improved UI. It may not be as fluid as WP7/8 but it's 10 times better than FroYo or Gingerbread. As for the OP's query, Android is by design already broken apart because of the fragmentation caused by AOSP. Because Apple is a one trick pony, that'll never happen and the same with RIM. WP8 can't afford to have OEMs ruling the roost because they're not in the same league (market-wise) as Android. MS has invested a mountain of cash into its ecosystem and I just can't see Bill Gates sit idly by and let his creation swirl down the crapper.

[tekhna]

Gots to agree. ICS has impressed me with its improved UI. It may not be as fluid as WP7/8 but it's 10 times better than FroYo or Gingerbread. As for the OP's query, Android is by design already broken apart because of the fragmentation caused by AOSP. Because Apple is a one trick pony, that'll never happen and the same with RIM. WP8 can't afford to have OEMs ruling the roost because they're not in the same league (market-wise) as Android. MS has invested a mountain of cash into its ecosystem and I just can't see Bill Gates sit idly by and let his creation swirl down the crapper.

It's not just Android though. The software Google is building into Android now is awesome. Google Now is changing the way I use my phone, and I love it. It's so context-aware, it's a bit frightening! There's nothing even conceptually close on WP. All those crazy-*** experimental things Google does are starting to work it's way into the OS, and it's producing some pretty remarkable stuff. The voice recognition absolutely smokes Siri now.
It's also worth noting that the newest Kantar market reports have WP8 losing ground in December in the US. Yikes. Improving in Europe though. Smartphone market share, US: December 2012: Windows Phone, BlackBerry | BGR

[tgp]

I would say Android is quite safe at the moment. Starting with Jelly Bean, Android caught up with WP & iOS in speed and smoothness, which was a big problem prior to its release. The behavior of prior versions is where the slow, laggy stigma comes from. That has now been taken care of for the most part.

Jelly Bean alone has about half the worldwide numbers of iOS, and 3 times those of WP, and it seems to be growing rapidly. Android is sitting pretty at the moment. Of course, the market can be quite volatile and that can change overnight. This is no time for any player in the smartphone market to become complacent!

[irvin792]

I hear jellybean makes android silky smooth, but does it stay that way for days/weeks of use without having to reboot?

Just curious

[irvin792]

Falling apart? No, I think it is actually hitting it's stride. The Nexus 4 is a hot selling device, Jelly Bean is a huge improvement over prior versions, and the Samsung Galaxy line is giving Apple a serious run for it's money.

With forks, laggy updates, and skins galore Android proper may be a fuzzy concept to many people but what grows from it is healthier than ever.

I hear the nexus 4 glass has more breaks being reported than that of the iphone4/4s.

I see so many broken glass iPhones in the wild it shocks me how people still blindly say apple products are so "premium"

Hopefully the nexus 4 does not break so easily, that would suck for their owners.

[irvin792]

Also Android may be free to OEMs but then again its not free, most Android OEMs pay Microsoft :P

[ClixT]

As a previous Android user (and possibly again for I might get the Nexus 4), I don't think so.
Heck, Nexus line is just simply amazing. However, let's see how BB10 performs. It looks like a very promising OS.
Not to mention, Jolla's Sailfish OS, Firefox OS, etc.

Like the other guy said, enjoy the competition! :D

BTW, I currently own a Lumia 920, and I'm loving it.

[arrowrand]

I hear jellybean makes android silky smooth, but does it stay that way for days/weeks of use without having to reboot?

Just curious

Yes, it does.

[arrowrand]

Also Android may be free to OEMs but then again its not free, most Android OEMs pay Microsoft :P

Microsoft pays royalties for patents as well. Patent royalties make the technology world go.

[irvin792]

Microsoft pays royalties for patents as well. Patent royalties make the technology world go.

true that

[lorax1284]

They still lag a lot though, not when they're brand new. But after some time they get slow. At least the galaxy does.

Yes, I'm astounded how laggy even Tegra 3 devices are. How much of that lag is down to the OS, or to the individual app, but it's pretty bad.

My Dell Venue Pro is smooth as silk all the time, but it'll never see the light of WP7.8... or will it?

[WasteSomeTime]

I've had android around 3 month and the experience was terrible, everyday i wanted to throw it against the wall. I couldn't understand why people were going crazy for it. All of the commercials were shoving apps down peoples throats. The market place was amusing for a little while, well more amusing than what my previous black berry had to offer. I guess people liked it because you could steal apps. Then one day I just couldn't take it anymore and to took the leap to get a windows phone. Now almost all of my friends left android. They better pull their head out of their *** soon or people will move on.
Sent from my SGH-i677 using Board Express

[halimaw96]

I think this whole preference of OS's really comes down to the user. I've read tons of threads like this bashing and defending any one OS and all it came down to was the person. You want a hassle free device that just plain works? Go for iOS. Want a little more customization? Get WP8. Android, especially with JB, is pretty much up to par with these other OS's in terms of fluidity and stability but having that level of customization does come with some drawbacks. I don't suspect that Android is really for anyone who doesn't want to tinker around with their phone every now and then to make it run a little smoother. This sounds pretty bad, but considering that you can install new roms and kernels and basically change every part of the OS, it's a small tradeoff. However, it's not everyone's cup of tea, to each his own.

Going back to the topic, no. Android will not die, at least until other open source OS's (I'm lookin at you, Sailfish.) can eventually chip away at its user base. You always gotta have an open source alternative for the techy ones out there.

[koolkid09]

I hear jellybean makes android silky smooth, but does it stay that way for days/weeks of use without having to reboot?

Just curious

Well I wouldn't know because I always run my phone until it dies. But I haven't had to do a factory reset. My phone is still smooth as the day I received 4.2.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

[FinancialP]

Therefore, I think Android will have more market share than Windows Phone for at least another 10 years. Since it is open source, it is too wild too.

Not even Google themselves would make a statement like this.

You never know what Microsoft might do. They may loosen the restrictions and let HTC, Samsung, and Nokia have their way with the OS. After all HTC home/sense, and Touchwiz did make their first appearances on Windows Mobile.

[freestaterocker]

If anything, Nexus 4 and 7 demand is showing that Android is just taking off. The sooner Android moves from the OEM skin garbage, the better. It'll never truly go away, but the situation is improving. And Android is slowly taking over the tablet market. See all the reports on the Nexus 7 outselling the iPad in Japan, for example.

People who insist that Android is sluggish have not used Android in a long time. I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. My GS3 screams. No lock ups, no lag, no app incompatibility, no forces closes, no battery problems (all problems I see on the front page of the 920 forum right this minute).
Android's not going anywhere. It's at 70% global marketshare. It'll slip, obviously, no one can maintain that kind of dominance, but as long as Android is provided free to OEMs, it's not going anywhere.
WP's biggest problem might actually be BB10. I was pretty sure WP8 would have put a stake through the heart of BB10 by now, but the tech world is pretty excited about it. That's on the folks over at Microsoft for not taking advantage of a holiday window with no BB competitor to kick it while it's down.

But you gotta buy a flagship to get a good experience on android. Try telling someone who can only afford a low-end device how smooth and stable android is, and I'll SHOW them a Lumia 620 that swims circles around an ICS device in the same price range.

[lesd777]

Android isn't going anywhere, as you have a large fan base that likes the customization capabilities. I think apple will eventually fade within the next 6 or 7 years, but they have solid apps so they will not be going anywhere anytime soon.
Sent from my Lumia 920 using Board Express

[FinancialP]

But you gotta buy a flagship to get a good experience on android. Try telling someone who can only afford a low-end device how smooth and stable android is, and I'll SHOW them a Lumia 620 that swims circles around an ICS device in the same price range.

Not really Samsung is such a savvy company they have low end dual core phones. Others have followed because the materials are cheaper.

[freestaterocker]

It's the WP OSs small footprint and efficiency-prioritized coding that makes the smooth performance on low-end hardware possible. The 620 will outperform any of those "cheap dual-core" Android devices because of the design philosophy of the OS. The open philosophy of Android ends up being its downfall on the end-user side. The only solution OEMs have to enhance the experience is to "throw more power at it". You can do anything you want to your Android--including break it. You can't break WP with too many apps or the wrong app, or by putting the wrong live tiles on it. Now that devs have native access with WP8 this has the potential to become less true, but for the time being it stands, due to the approval process. MS, at least in theory, is making sure the app doesn't break the OS before it becomes available to the public.

[crazeee]

The 620 will outperform any of those "cheap dual-core" Android devices because of the design philosophy of the OS.

And this statement is based on fact is it.

[cgk]

Interesting discussion but there is nothing in the sales figures that suggests android is failing out dying off.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

[freestaterocker]

And this statement is based on fact is it.

Yes it is. You can take a low end android and load it up with widgets and watch its performance grind to a halt. Even with JB. I have a friend who has the single-core, 256mb RAM Lumia 610, and she has close to 20 live tiles on her start screen with no ill effect on performance.

[crazeee]

Yes it is. You can take a low end android and load it up with widgets and watch its performance grind to a halt. Even with JB. I have a friend who has the single-core, 256mb RAM Lumia 610, and the has close to 20 live tiles on her start screen with no ill effect on performance.

That's your opinion, it's not fact.