Google Chairman Eric Schmidt Insists Android Is Way Ahead Of iOS

Killian Bell (5:49 am PDT, Dec 8th 2011)

During an interview at the Le Web expo in Paris this week, Google chairman Eric Schmidt took a stab at Apple and insisted his company’s Android operating system is way ahead of iOS in a number of ways, including affordability and choice. What’s more, Schmidt claims that in six months, Ice Cream Sandwich will offer better functionality.

“I actually say that Android is ahead of the iPhone now,” Schmidt declared. ”In terms of unit volume, with ICS features, prices are lower, more vendors, lower price-points - do I need to continue the list? It’s free.”

A member of the audience probed Schmidt about iOS’s popularity among app developers, and asked whether Google needed to change something in order to attract big developers.

“Apple has done an excellent job with iOS in delivering functionality,” Schmidt said. “But in six months from now, you’ll say the opposite. Because ultimately applications vendors are driven by volume. The the volume is favored by the open approach that Google is taking.”

When asked whether Android was inspired by the iPhone, Schmidt insisted Google’s mobile operating system was founded before Apple’s iPhone. “Use your favorite search engine — do the history,” Schmidt said. “I’m sure Bing will tell you this answer.”

While I certainly agree that Google is improving Android, and that Ice Cream Sandwich is a fantastic operating system for smartphones and tablets, I would argue that application developers will not favor Android in six months time.

Sure, the Android Market may steadily catch up with the App Store in terms of apps on offer, but I think it’s unlikely developers will turn away from the hugely successful App Store in favor of the Android Market.

Do you think Android can overtake iOS in terms of usability and third-party apps?

Via Pocket-lint

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http://www.facebook.com/yourwrist Robert Norris Hills
I think it already has.
Anonymous
I laugh!
http://twitter.com/bhorozal Barbaros Horozal
Ahead? Where? User Experience? I will never touch any android device again after iOS…
- Anonymous
  I’ve made the mistake of helping people set up their Android devices. The UI was so bad, and even laggy. It made me want to tell them to just return it and get an iPhone -_-
http://twitter.com/zubei Zubeir Soeker
Dear God,
Please give us back Steve Jobs and you can have Eric Schmidt.
http://twitter.com/Thaboz Thabo Zijlstra
I think Mr. Schmidt, now Mr. Jobs has passed away is playing the reality distortion field card. Google has much to make up for, unless Google rewrites the whole OS for android they will loose the game. And the assertion that Android is free (so is iOS since it’s included with the hardware and upgrades are free), Handset makers have to pay royalties to Microsoft and others. And last but not least the whole OS is not secure, looking at Carrier IQ, Spyware, iOS is much more favourable by all it’s users, iPhones have always topped the customers satisfaction surveys. There will be more applications for Android, mostly ports from the iOS platform, I doubt that a whole industry would ever back away from iOS, they will just double up with Andriod and triple up when Windows comes round. The real “winner” will be the consumer whom can buy any device with the services they need, I’ll always buy iPhones since they do what I want from it.
http://marketing.comboapp.com/ ComboApp- Mobile App Marketing
Sure, Android was before iOS – no doubts, but now do Google search more and specifically for images of the Android – how did it look before and after iOS was launched. Now before the iOS was developed the only target for Android to kill was Microsoft Mobile OS but than iOS came along and…here we go…
- Anonymous
  Exactly. Before Schmidt saw the iPhone, Android looked more like a Blackberry clone. Then, they set out to make an iPhone clone. It took a while to catch up in (patent infringing) functionality, but because the iPhone was only available on AT&T, it was given room to grow.
  Now, with the iPhone on every major carrier, and iOS still the top OS, I don’t think Android has much of a chance.
Anonymous
Not really.
The iPhone is still the most popular smartphone. I think that by this time next year, we will have seen substantial iOS growth in the smartphone arena due to the next iPhone, the availability on the top 3 US carriers, the low price of the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, the more user-friendly UI, the customization ability of jail breaking, and the benefits of a non-fragmented OS. Those benefits include apps like Infinity Blade or Real Racing, which Android developers dare not make due to the low volume of sales when compared to costs.
Plus, with the lawsuits surrounding many of the features of Android, including multitouch gestures and inertial scrolling, which Apple has patents on, and you’ve got bad news for the Android camp.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002015558632 Giuseppe DiDodo
Yeah… sure… of the 200Million Android handset on the market at the moment (iOS are 250Mio) I wonder how many are actually able to upgrade to Android 4.. maybe 10% ? And Android users don’t pay for they’re apps, so why should a developer switch to Android, not making any money and on top of that go trough the hassle of keeping up 50 versions of his app if he can have it with 2 or 3 versions on iOS and acutally make money ?
http://twitter.com/hurtle24 Hari Seldon
This guy seems more like Balmer everyday, denial of everything that doesn’t suit his purposes. Yes maybe Android was “founded” before the iPhone (shouldn’t that be iOS?) but it looked like a blackberry, the only thing impressive is how quickly after the iPhone launch they dumped it and started aping Apple, the other phone OSes have taken much longer to react, but then, Schmitt was on Apple’s board which allowed Google time to hit the ground running. . .
http://www.facebook.com/warren.tabolt Warren Tabolt
“Android is ahead of the iPhone now” Is that why my Droid crashes daily and corrupts 90% of the files that I transfer to it? I used to love my Droid but with each OS upgrade it gets worse and worse.
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QCP4WHWLUQHFIOP66SLEA7E5CA Hampus
  Still ahead of the iPhone in units though (but not iOS as a whole) … But you’re right, it isnt better than iOS
- Anonymous
  guess you forgot to read the manual. You aren’t supposed to upgrade the OS.
  While you are if by upgrading you mean buying a brand new phone
Anonymous
Well of course Schmidt says that. That’s what these top level buffoons are paid to say. RIMs coCEO’s make all sorts of bold predictions about RIM’s future too. Doesn’t make them real.
Android has been outselling iOS for quite a while now. They have almost double the number of devices out there. Yet in spite of these numbers iOS is still stomping them in terms of web browsing and App store purchases. Maybe its fragmentation, maybe its the fact that mainstream customers buying inexpensive phones aren’t as engaged with them, maybe its that Android buyers are just less likely to hand over their wallet. But whatever it is it does matter to developers. This is not merely about “volume”. 100 paying customers with the same hardware and the same OS are more attractive than 1000 customers multiple kinds of hardware and multiple versions of the OS who want something for free.
Anonymous
Schmidt has been smoking something, if you take for example 500 million Android mobile phones, you will find that 50% of those are running an ultra out dated version, 30% won’t be upgraded to a new version and the other 18% will be updating to ICS in not less than 5 or 6 months (ask Sony Ericsson or Motorola), the other 2% will be coming with ICS. But reality is even worse for Google, from those 500 million phones, a vast majority will be running a version of Android not supported by Google, I mean, it won’t have access to Google’s Applications (Nook, Kindle Fire) and millions of chinese ripoff tablets and smartphones. So, Schmidt can say whatever he wants, Android app quality is far behind and getting real profit on the Android Market has turned into a miracle, of course, you can have your app free and get a tiny profit from Google ads, but spending months learning and programming for a platform, recoding your app from iOS to Android to end up getting a misery from Google Adsense or Admob, sorry Schmidt, I won’t be porting my apps to Android, I would prefer the Windows Phone market.
http://www.somian.net Ari Romano Pfefferkorn
so android is better because there are more android phones and because it’s cheaper?
By this logic, a brick is better than an iPhone!
Anonymous
Puhleeze Eric. Step away from the bong. You’re (or your manufacturers) going be knee-deep in IP litigation soon. You’ve ripped off the work of others.
http://twitter.com/_HROH HA RO
Android is way ahead of iOS in terms of functions and features. We know that.
But the thing is, iOS user experience is far better than any Android device.
iOS is smooth as silk, Android lags even with powerful hardware runs it.
http://www.facebook.com/J.Wheelon Justin Wheelon
”In terms of unit volume, with ICS features, prices are lower, more
vendors, lower price-points - do I need to continue the list?
That’s like telling someone why you should get all your clothes from Walmart…”uhhh well they have a lot more, the prices are lower, their is a lot of walmarts around, uhhh the prices are lower…”
HAHAHAHA
Anonymous
Android is already ahead of iOS 5. iOS5 brings iOS closer to Android, but Android is still ahead. I would even argue that Windows (Phone) is ahead of iOS as well. iOS 5 is really where it happened because iOS 5 took a huge amount of things that Android and Windows Phone already head.
The advantage that the iPhone has is the name. It’s an “iPhone”. Like that totally justifies buying one. Other phones don’t have that advantage. I would even argue that anything Apple wise has the name. And essentially everything else dosen’t.
I have observed people going off how iPhone (or iOS) has this feature or that feature to other peoples and they essentially are drooling. ”Wow, that is so amazing!” The underlying problem here is, Windows and Android have had these features for year(s), and iOS just got it recently, and an numerous cases the Windows/Android version is better.
The underlying problem here is, how can Microsoft and Google present/market these features or things they come off before Apple, because once Apple shows it off, everybody thinks the Microsoft and Google copied off Apple. What makes matters worse is the fixation the media has on Apple. If Microsoft and Google make/show this new feature, the Media essentially blows over it. But, if Apple comes out with a feature, the media goes on and on and on about it. And on and on and on about it. That’s why people drool over these features. Because the media goes on and on about it while the same feature on Microsoft and Google, they completely blew over it.
Windows Phone and Android ahead of iOS? Yes. If the media wasn’t fixated on iOS (or anything Apple related) everybody else would know that too. The fixation the media of the media is essentially making the average joe (who hardly does any research, comparison) to think that iOS is far better, when in reality it could be far behind the rest.
- http://twitter.com/nicoschneider Nico Schneider
  “Like that totally justifies buying one” – stopped thinking you actually had some good arguments there. Didn’t read any further, you sound like a teen girl. Like, totally.
- The God of Thunder
  You absolutely dont know what you r talking about…..
- Anonymous
  If you prefer to let Google continue to harvest your personal information and sell it to their real customers, more power to you. As far as Android itself goes, at the end of the day, the ONLY reason you even have that nice Android phone that you do, is because Google ripped off Apple’s ideas in the very beginning and built on them.
  I don’t disagree that some good ideas have come from the Android developer community or WP7 community. There are some very talented developers doing great work. It’s funny how people totally ignore the awesome work that that originated in the iPhone jailbreak community.
http://twitter.com/infin1023 infin1023
How come he talks like Steve Ballmer ? I got it, they copy Job’s reality distortion field ! Which is more advance than the original one !!
Anonymous
Affordable? Well no guff… Google gives it away for free! Furthermore the whole OS was born as a rip-off of the work of others. I do not trust this weasel.
Google don’t give their software and services away for free to be nice, to be “open” or to offer choice. Google gives stuff away for free for one reason and one reason only…so they can sell your personal data to their REAL customers… Keep gorging yourself at the “free” Google food trough.
I’d rather support any company who makes ME their customer (it doesn’t HAVE to be Apple). A company who’s core business isn’t harvesting my personal information and selling it to others. I’m shocked at the number of people who just don’t see what Google’s real motive is. Then again, maybe they do and they just don’t care.
http://twitter.com/STRIPBLUNTS ANDRE SALAZAR
I find it ironic that Google is the #1 search tool on the web, yet they ignore the fact that anyone could “Google” that actual facts of Android’s ascendency. I really don’t understand why people in “high” positions insist on lying, when you can EASILY verify the facts. FAIL!! 2011, is the year of the iPad, well 2012, will be the year the FRAUD’S got exposed to consumers, once & for all!!
- Anonymous
  His comment is a semantic game. He’s defining the idea of ‘inspired by’ as ‘you saw it and you started something brand new that you had no been working on before’. which is incorrect.
  Personally I think half the reason why Apple isn’t settling on any of their current cases is for the press so that folks mention over and over that Android went 180 after the iPhone was announced. Even if the legal courts say that Samsung etc didn’t legally copy anything Apple fulfilled their requirement to defend AND brought the issue to the public court which often goes differently than the legals. The ‘public’ court might feel the copying is obvious and rather have the original than the cheater. Thus Apple wins
http://www.facebook.com/people/Len-Williams/100000105785737 Len Williams
Phfft! Yes, Android was in development before iOS–BUT it looked COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, more similar to the old Blackberry OS, physical keyboard and all, that it was competing with at the time. It was only after the iPhone came out that Google made a dramatic about face and came up with the the look and feel nearly identical to iOS. Who’s kidding who Eric? As for who is “ahead”, this means little to me. The iPhone has been monstrously successful for Apple, even as a premium cost item (necessitating that it be copied as closely as possible and then given away for free). Sure, tons of people who would normally buy a flip phone are opting for one of the many free or very low-cost smartphones running Android. If iOS wasn’t there, I’d do the same thing. Trouble is, I love the iOS universe, app store, iTunes integrated experience, and Apple’s consistent and wonderful tech support and service when required. I’m also a Mac user since 1989 and Apple has amazed and impressed me for all those years with its products and service. I don’t know any other company I can say that about.
- Anonymous
  What I find makes this guy so weasel-like is he didn’t have the balls to publicly comment about Android being a rip-off of iOS until AFTER Steve passed away. Steve would have eat him up and spit him out.
  Yes, Android was around prior to iOS, but as you pointed out, it looked nothing like iOS. They were planning to rip off RIM, until they saw what Apple was doing while they were “partnering” (cough-cough) with Apple for the Maps and You Tube apps.
  I get why the Android fans like their devices, they are good phones. I prefer my iPhone, but the Android devices are good. I think that Android customers fall into two camps. They choose Android based on price or they choose Android because they essentially get an iPhone but it’s NOT from Apple. A lot of Android users choose it because they simply hate Apple and do not want anything from Apple.
  When people are willing to sell their souls to Google rather than carry an Apple device, what’s that tell you? The reality (in my opinion) is that Apple needs to do better in the public perception area. Everything does not have to be done with a sledgehammer. I’m an Apple guy, but they to be careful not to drive people away.
  - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002417923311 Max Sandholm
    Android fans hate Apple? You’re implying that being a fan of Android and being a fan of Apple are mutually exclusive, and that shows how close-minded you are, which makes me not take your comment seriously.
    I’m saving for a MacBook Air, but couldn’t think of having an iPhone as primary phone. I have a Galaxy S (Android phone), by the way.
    - Anonymous
      No not all Android fans hate Apple. Furthermore, I’m not saying that there are not “any” Apple users that also carry an Android device. Of the many Android people that I have spoken with, they overwhelmingly fall into the “price” group or the “don’t want anything Apple” group. Of those two groups, the largest is the “I’d like an iPhone, but don’t want anything Apple, so I’ll take an Android”.
      I’m also not saying that the Android devices are crap. You seem to like yours and that’s great. I have some issues with Google ripping off other people’s tech and giving it away for free… Now THAT is being anti-competitive in my opinion. It’s pretty hard for anyone to compete with free – especially when it’s your own R&D that is being given away!
Anonymous
That’s just a bald faced lie to say that Android wasn’t ‘inspired’ by iPhone. Pre-iPhone Android prototypes were Blackberry clones, it’s all documented in all sorts of websites. Then when the iPhone came out, the BB clones were yanked and replaced by iPhone clones.
I don’t know, but I get nervous when the chairman and past CEO of the world’s largest privately run info gathering operation (i.e. busybody) lies so shamelessly. Especially when the truth doesn’t really hurt him.
Anonymous
So Android is better than the iPhone because Android is installed on cheap Chinese crapphones?
- Anonymous
  Yes, u r right… Ofcoz Android OS is ahead iOS because of many crapphone from China use Android to Fake iPhone.
Anonymous
So, by Schmidt’s measure, Symbian is the best OS on the planet?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1352883135 Tyler Averell
i would hope they ship more phones than apple, there’s about 10 different companies that ship android phones, only one ships iPhones
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=572393098 Travis Willhoite
Google is the Microsoft of smart phones, in my opinion. Since Microsoft, itself, got such a late start in the smartphone game, I believe that they won’t have a chance at beating either Apple or Google. I think that Apple and Google will be at each other’s throats for years to come just like they were with Microsoft on computers but, in the end, Apple will come out on top. They just have a better quality product.
$390AShareIsTrulyExciting!}:-D
Both Schmidt and Wall Street claim that success is only measured by sheer unit numbers although recently it’s been proven enough that premise is false. iOS sets the smartphone and tablet industry trend and iOS makes the most money for developers and Apple.
Anonymous
Not to come off like a hater but I think that Eric is dead wrong about so many things. Yes Android is on more phones than iOS because there’s only something like 50 iPhone models in all history and they release a new model of every OEM phone when Android gets an update. But what’s selling more. The iPhone might lose against the vast mass of all the available units but if you go Vendor to Vendor Apple meets or even beats every one of them.
Also, while developers do look at volume they also look at pricing and the costs to support. And overall, iOS is the one they are going to first and sometimes only. They can get $4.99 off the Apple system because of that whole built in QA system of having been vetted by Apple (so apps with issues are the rare less than 1%). ANd there’s only one iOS to support. Unlike all the variants of Android, no built in QA, no good rep, and a ‘free or I don’t want it’ attitude among users.
Oh and that comment about the Google TV which wasn’t mentioned in this article. Yeah you might be right that more TV will have it than not by the end of 2012, but will folks be buying those tvs in droves over the dumb ones. Time will tell.
In fact time will tell about all of this. But Eric just doesn’t give me faith that time will prove him correct. Right now it just comes off as deluded spin to avoid stock price drops.
Greg
The main reason Apple is safe in terms of developers making apps for it is twofold: 1) there is a LOT of iOS users (sheer volume), and 2) Apple users like to spend money on apps. Not sure where I hard this now, but iOS users spend a lot more on apps than Android users on average. Developers would be dumb to leave all that money on the table.
- Anonymous
  You people have comprehension issues, where did he say people would LEAVE iOS to go to Android, he said those who don’t develop for android would in the future, and those who develop for iOS first and android later would now decrease the time between platform releases or even develop for Android first….
Anonymous
Hey, Eric. There are152,000 iPAD apps. How many Android tablet apps are there?
Better yet, how many Android tablet makers are going to still be in business or making tablets come 2012?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=605725345 Pradyot Ghate
“In terms of unit volume, with ICS features, prices are lower, more vendors, lower price-points - do I need to continue the list? It’s free!”
Isn’t iOS free as well?
- Anonymous
  Did you hear how much Sprint paid to get the iPhone, I don’t think that’s called free….
Anonymous
This interview tells you more about what makes Google tick vs Apple – Apple is always about delivering the best user experience, Google just wants to deliver numbers at any cost.
http://twitter.com/ProfHarmy Kate
Andoid *may* have been around longer, but I assure you it not looks nothing like it did way back when. Therefore, his claims don’t mean shit. They could turn around today and make it look like Windows Phone 7, and keeps saying it’s been around ‘way longer.’ Maybe it has, but it’s been copying others to get where it is now.
Regardless, if he thinks ‘choice’ means a multitude of fragmented mobile OSes, then no thanks.
- http://profiles.google.com/mkleinpaste Michael Kleinpaste
  Besides improving Android, the elimination of fragmentation is one of the goals of ICS.
Anonymous
One word….. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
http://twitter.com/frjohnwaiss Fr. John R. Waiss
I did what Erick Schmidt said and found that the Android before the iPhone looks more like a Blackberry than a smart phone… One year after the iPhone, Android is a clone.
Schmidt admits by this that he and Google are copy-cats.
John
- http://profiles.google.com/mkleinpaste Michael Kleinpaste
  Sources? RIght above he says just the opposite.
http://twitter.com/casfian BB Caspian
If volume but no quality…so how? Customers are not blind…
http://twitter.com/charliejedwards charlie edwards
Sad story. It’s always hard to read about Americans with diminished mental health. Lets hope that Schmidt can get some help real soon.
The Common Man
I guess when Mr. Schmidt was on the board at Apple he missed those meetings when Apple was creating a tablet device but decided to halt that development project and use all that technology to fill the hole in the smartphone market, then go back to the tablet. We all know he had to dismiss himself from the iPhone meetings after Google started plans on making a phone device but I’m sure he “learned” a lot from Steve and the gang while the iPad was in it’s earlier stages. He’s talking out of his ass just to please shareholders. Cause unlike Apple, Google is all about the money. Something Steve keeps reiterating in his bio about companies that fail just for that reason.
- Andrew Snow
  steve jobs stopped all charitable donations for apple and you talk about google being all about the money?
Anonymous
No, keep Eric, my Microsoft stock is rising as he speaks. Keep up the good work Eric.
http://twitter.com/BasilGM Basil Al Dossary
Why is he saying this after Steve Jobs is dead?!

About the author

Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the UK. He has an interest in all things tech and also writes for TechnoBuffalo. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell, or through his website.

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Posted in Android, News, Top stories | Tagged: Android, Android Market, App Store, apps, developers, Eric Schmidt, Google, Ice Cream Sandwich, ios, iPhone, Le Web |