Google and Android's success comes at a cost to consumers
The smartphone industry is slowly but surely preparing for the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This where all active in the industry gather. Yet, there is no way around one name: Android, Google's operating system, which simply keeps growing. The cost? Prices are rising too.
Winner of the week: Google and Android
Android can take them all. The market share of the Google operating system is still increasing. Google once again set a record this week and broke the 75 % hurdle: more than three out of four smartphones in Europe have the OS on board. As the only "rival", if you can even call it that, Google still tolerates Apple and iOS.
In retrospect, it seems almost inconceivable that some devices and systems were still romping about on the smartphone market just a few years ago. Symbian mobile phones from Nokia, the Lumias, business devices from Canada with physical keyboards, Palm smartphones - Google has either pushed all of them out or swallowed them one by one with Android. An impressive success story for the Internet giant from Mountain View - and it is still nowhere near its end. Kudos, Android!
Loser of the week: our wallets
The dark side of Android's endless success story? We, the customers are paying for it. We have to spend more and more money on our Android smartphones. Flagships in particular are becoming more and more expensive. And yet, although the market is declining slightly expensive smartphones are selling better and better. Android's triumphal march is at the expense of our wallets.
The problem is, there's no way out. The only actual alternative to Android is the Apple ecosystem, but iPhones are anything but cheap. Maybe we should have bought a few more Windows Phones or Blackberries back in the day, if we wanted more choice.
What do you think about Android's success and current smartphone prices? Let us know in the comments.
Android Go and Android One are both inexpensive options. There's no need to aim at flagships.
If you're buying flagships, thats your choice. Not Google or
Amazon. I've been happier with my midline phones than I ever was with a flagship when I bought them.
The phone I'm most excited for this year so far is a $149 Linux phone. There are plenty of exciting options out there at much lower prices than flagship hype and silliness.
The last phone I bought was my flagship Pixel 2 but I paid a mid ranger price for it which took the sting out of getting it. I've begun playing around with Linux mint on my laptop and now I to am excited to see the Linux phone offerings. This reminds me of the old Nokia phones like the e71.
I am also very excited about it. I love Open source softwares.