In the big picture of mobile marketing the iPhone platform has 10 times the number of mobile applications of its nearest competitor, and, according to Nielsen, iPhone users are five times more likely than the average mobile subscriber to download an application. And the device's user experience and built-in goodies such as GPS and a motion-detecting accelerometer make it a great canvas for creativity and utility.
Marketers be weary, the iPhone may not be the holy grail of mobile-marketing, Weigh your options.
Some experts suggest it's time to warm up to Android, as the Google-backed, open-source mobile-operating system is set to power a growing numbers of handsets, making it an equally vital, if not bigger, long-term play. We all need to keep watchful eye on all Google actions! And though there are only two Android-based phones available in the U.S. (the second one was only introduced last week), Google said 19 Android-based handsets will launch by year-end worldwide, from the likes of LG, Samsung and Motorola, and folks in the app-development space predict about half a dozen of these will be unveiled stateside. Android's platform is also open source, meaning that unlike the iPhone, anyone can build a device or create apps for it.
The following quote was taken from the AdAge.com article by Rita Chang, Aug. 10 2009.
"Android's open platform will invite innovation from multiple participants across the ecosystem, ultimately leading to new benefits for marketers," said Ken Willner, CEO of Zumobi, which has developed iPhone apps for Pepsi, Adidas, REI and others.
But if you are considering making an application for your business keep this in mind: Only 20% of U.S. mobile users carry a smartphone. In analyzing 30 million iPhone app downloads, analytics firm Pinch Media found only about 20% of consumers return to use a free app after the initial download; 30 days later, less than 5% are using it.
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