What Google needs to do for Android to overtake Apple and iPhone by 2023

Google has slipped to second place behind Apple in the battle between Android and iPhone for the first time in more than a decade. The free and open-source operating system, which still runs on most of the world's phones, can be found on devices from Samsung, OnePlus and Motorola. Even when combined with budget brands like Nokia, TCL and Blu, Android phones can't outsell the iPhone in the US.

From a global perspective, Apple's dominance is uncharacteristic.

US The US, Canada and Japan are the only countries where Apple has an advantage over Android. In all other countries, Android usually leads by a large margin.

Android's lag speaks for the prestige Apple has built around the iPhone franchise. From celebrities being photographed in cafes with iPhones on their ears to late-night hosts chatting with an Apple Watch on their wrist, Apple products are both function and fashion for America's aristocratic class. And thanks to
iMessage, Apple has created a messaging partition where the "haves" enjoy blue bubble gardens and the "have-nots" are relegated to green misery.

Damn it, not even bad guys in movies can be shot on an iPhone.

But there are reasons to be optimistic about Android's attempts to reclaim the US crown. Google is building an ecosystem to surround the Pixel 7, even with the launch of the Pixel Watch. A Pixel tablet is coming next year. And Android has its own fanatic fanbase, even if they're not on a Hollywood set.

So what can Google do to make Android relevant again in the US? Here are some possibilities.

Doubling the Ecosystem

Google took too long to release the Pixel Watch, which allowed the Apple Watch to act as a Trojan horse and trap people in Apple's backyard.

"Apple has such a complicated ecosystem. The watch in particular, once you buy that watch you are locked into an iPhone," said Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart. Google didn't have that until this year. "And even then, your first watch really is a 1.

0 products".

Google's slow progress in bringing the Pixel Watch to market means the Apple Watch is still way ahead. At least there's now an option for Pixel owners to remember feel.

The US market differs from the rest of the world in that there is much less competition in the Android space. Concerns about Chinese tech companies pursuing American consumers have essentially made it impossible for brands like Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo to operate in the US, leaving a handful of brands that can sell alternatives outside of Samsung and Google.

"Having more devices on the market also gives operators a greater choice of devices to give away for free or run
more promotions," said Anshel Sag, analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.

Lack of manufacturer diversity is just one of the problems Google faces.

The iPad range continues to be a popular second screen device, serving as a gateway to the Internet for both young children and the elderly. The only high-end Android tablet I can think of is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus, but its software isn't quite as sophisticated as the iPad's operating system and often feels like a big-screen version of Android. Google has already announced a "premium" Pixel tablet for 2023, but it really needs to impress to appeal to the mass of consumers trained to see the iPad
as a tablet.

Unfortunately, in one area, Google may not be able to offer Apple a viable competitor in laptops and home computing. Google Chromebooks are great, affordable laptops for basic tasks, but they lack the power and flexibility to provide the capabilities of macOS and Windows.

It's a market that Apple and Microsoft have already divided up, making it difficult for Google to create a viable alternative. Even if this were the case, the installed base would be so small that it would not attract the best developers. In this case, the best way for Google is to continue to better integrate its products with Mac and Windows computers to provide an experience comparable to iPhone and Mac.

Matter Matters

An area where Google dominates Apple in the smart home space. Cupertino
rarely jumps into new product categories quickly, as evidenced by years of rumors surrounding Apple's alleged VR/AR headset and Apple's car.

Apple tried to push home devices with HomeKit, but it was largely forgotten. Google, on the other hand, is strong in the smart home space with its voice-assistant-powered displays like the Nest Hub and its Nest WiFi, doorbell, and camera products.

Unfortunately, the smart home industry is bogged down with a dizzying array of competing products that are confusing consumers. Someone who owns an Amazon Alexa smart speaker might be unsure if it will work with their Google Nest doorbell.

Enter Matter, a universal smart home standard enabling new home devices , regardless of the brand to communicate with each other. Even Apple, the company that loves to create walled gardens, has joined the Connected Standards Alliance, along with
Amazon, Google, Samsung, Ikea, Lutron, Signify, and others.

"That's an area that Google could capitalize on by making more of these controls or just making them more available in Android," Greengart said.

This includes creating a person's home page, widgets, and making connections between different devices. Greengart said it's up to Google to let people know that smart home interoperability can be made better on Android.

Beating Apple on innovation

Google's product events will be getting better and better and bringing more production value and fanfare, but still not the same magic as Apple. Based in Cupertino, California, the company still has the ability to generate excitement for its
family of products and services. Enthusiastic rhetoric from executives combined with high production value can lead a person to believe that Apple brings the latest technologies and innovations, although this is not always the case.

Google Pixel Fold renders with different fold angles

Front Page Technology

From high-refresh displays to optical image stabilization and laser autofocus, all the features Apple breathlessly boasts about came to Android first.

But there are consumers who see more than fancy macro shots and are the first want to be new technology. This is an area where Google should redouble its efforts to appeal to enthusiasts.

Rumours of a foldable Pixel
device are already beginning to appear that could compete with the Samsung Galaxy ZFold 4.

"I think [Samsung] is really gaining momentum there.

And I think it's showing, but the problem is price, isn't it?" Sag said. If Samsung can further lower the price of foldable devices, it will help increase the category's popularity and attract more competition "As a result, competition is likely to result in more sales and more competitive prices."

Google has also promoted Pixel features a lot, such as

The Pixel 7 is also the NBA's official "fan phone" this season, with a commercial featuring player Giannis Antetokounmpo and actor Simu Liu. Google has also reportedly placed the largest order for Pixel 7 devices, more than any previous iteration. Regardless of sales and celebrity endorsements, Google needs to make the Pixel feel premium and exclusive, almost anathema to Android's core vision as a free and open-source operating system. Because if Apple's success is any indication,
people like to feel like they're in a crowd.

First released December

20, 2022 at 5:00 a.m. PT.

AT&T Offers Up To $1,000 Off New iPhone And Galaxy Upgrades Ahead Of The Holidays

AT&T has brought back its "Up To $1,000 Off" offer for the holiday shopping season

If you are on AT&T and had been debating getting a brand new iPhone or Samsung Galaxy telecellsmartphone this vacation season, you could locate your self with a higher deal now despite the fact that we are nicely beyond Black Friday. The service has upped its advertising for brand new and upgrading customers from $800 off a brand new Apple or Samsung tool to up to $1,000 off, as long as you are buying and selling in a telecellsmartphone. 

You'll additionally want to have a limiteless plan to be eligible for the bargain, in an effort to be dished out as invoice credit over the path of a 36-month installment plan. 

AT&T has dabbled with supplying up to $1,000 off iPhones earlier than. Most recently, it dangled the bargain across the release of Apple's new iPhone 14 line earlier than scaling it backpedal in latest weeks to up to $800 off. For the Galaxy S22 release in February, AT&T presented up to $800 off the brand new fashions as long as you had been buying and selling in any older Galaxy S, Galaxy Note or Galaxy Z telecellsmartphone, which includes those who had been broken. 

To get $1,000 off a brand new iPhone, the tool you're buying and selling into AT&T might want to be valued via way of means of the service at a minimal of $230. This consists of the iPhone eleven Pro Max, iPhone 12 line (besides the 12 Mini) or iPhone thirteen line; Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, S22 line, Z Fold 2 or Fold 3; Google's Pixel 6 Pro and OnePlus' 10 Pro. 

If you own an iPhone XS Max, 11, 11 Pro or 12 Mini, you can save up to $800. And if you have one of a variety of Android devices from Samsung (Galaxy S20 and S21 lines, Note 20 line, Original Galaxy Fold or Fold 2 and Z Flip 3 5G), Google (Pixel 5, 5A and 6) or You can also get up to $800 off a new phone from other Android manufacturers like OnePlus and Microsoft, as long as AT&T estimates device trade-ins between $130 and $229.

Other devices including iPhone 8, SE (2nd or 3rd generation), X, XR and XS ranges, as well as a much wider range of Samsung, LG, Google, Motorola and OnePlus phones are available up to $350 off a new phone as long as AT&T rates these trade-ins between $35 and $129.

This offer is for the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, although the phone you are trading in must be in "good working condition". (Read full terms here.)

With Galaxy phones like the
S22line, Z Flip 4, and Z Fold 4, the carrier is much more forgiving. Any device the carrier rates at $35 or more could qualify you for up to $1,000 off one of the latest Samsung smartphones.

The carrier terms for the S22 and the Z-Flip and Z-Fold offers do not specify that the phone you are trading in must be in "working condition"

In either case, if you leave AT&T before your 36-month term is up, or if you want to unlock your phone for international use, you must pay the amount owed and lose any outstanding balances.

All in all, post-Black Friday
, it's still an amazing deal from the wireless carrier as the broader wireless industry looks to lure in upgraders and switches this holiday season.

Verizon has moved its recent vacation offer of up to $1,000 to a new trade-in phone, although the offer requires you to switch carriers. If you're already with Verizon, the company is offering up to $800 off with a trade-in, although this offer also requires you to have one of the pricier Play More, Do More, Get More, or One Unlimited plans.

Similarly, Verizon requires you to keep it for 36 months, although it even accepts broken or damaged phones as long as they don't have battery damage.

If you have T-Mobile, the carrier is offering up to $800 off Samsung Galaxy trade-in phones, but only if you have or are willing to upgrade to the more expensive MagentaMax plan to perform. Those on other plans could save up to $400 with a trade-in, which isn't as generous as AT&T or Verizon's offerings. In fact, most of T-Mobile's
offerings right now seem to require adding a new line, switching to another carrier, or upgrading to Magenta Max.

On the plus side, T-Mobile credits typically have a 24-month term instead of 36 months like AT&T and Verizon, so you're not locked into a three-year carrier or device lock-in.

First posted on December 1st, 2022 at 9:36pm. m.PT.