While many iPhone users are reporting high satisfaction, it doesn’t matter for the long term. The Android platform will crush all other smartphones in both its sheer number of users and vendors.
Neither Apple nor RIM will give up without a fight, but the writing is on the wall for business owners who don’t want to be saddled with the 2013 version of the Sony Betamax (for those of you who can remember it).
1. Android Rules the Market by Numbers
Sure, Google CEO Eric Schmidt self-servingly told Reuters that 200,000 Android handsets were selling every day–but third-party surveys also routinely show that the platform’s momentum is steadily increasing. Thirty-three percent of all smartphones are now using Android, and the system is outstripping RIM (at 28 percent) and iPhone (22 percent), based on U.S. purchases from April to June, according to the NPD Group. In other words, the American people are voting with their wallets and choosing Android handsets.2. More Selection and Promotions
The top five Android phones–Motorola Droid, HTC Droid Incredible, HTC EVO 4G, HTC Hero, and HTC Droid Eris–have numerous carriers, including Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, according to NPD. Because of the competition among carriers, promotions like Verizon’s buy-one, get-one-free, and cut-rate prices will continue to play a significant role in the Android market. For a company having to buy a dozen or more smartphones, this means some serious savings.
While many iPhone users are reporting high satisfaction, it doesn’t matter for the long term. The Android platform will crush all other smartphones in both its sheer number of users and vendors.
There is a growing debate among security experts about whether or not the future of data security will reside in the mobile marketplace. Some believe that desktop operating systems, like Windows or Mac OS X, will continue to be hotbeds for malware that attempts to steal sensitive data.
Another suspected suicide has occurred at a factory in China, the latest in a string of deaths at the plant this year, state media reports.

We’re only hours away from