The highly competitive battle between Apple and Android has recently been taking a turn for the worse in Android’s case. Apple has just recently won an injunction that will ban the sale of the Android powered Galaxy Nexus in the United States. This could have quite a serious effect on the plight of the Android smartphone, if the case holds up. The world of smartphones could change completely if Apple continues to attack Android, essentially winning their ongoing battle for the spot as King of the mobile kingdom.
Sure, the Galaxy Nexus wasn’t exactly a best selling phone, but it isn’t the only time that Android has had legal troubles recently. Apple has been putting Android under the knife for a while, with their past injunctions against Motorola and HTC. Now, what makes this a clever attack is that the blows have never been directly on Android itself. However, by raking some its best selling hardware manufacturers over the coals, Apple is just as effectively hurting Android. Essentially what Apple is doing is causing wireless carriers to think about taking another look at their options which is in turn making Android’s presence in the smartphone market significantly weaker.
At ABI Research, analysts are saying they are sure that Apple is trying to target Android. Michael Morgan, an ABI Research analyst writes, “While the injunction is directed against Samsung, all of these different patent cases are being brought against Android devices,” and, “In the end, it seems it is really Android that is being hit by this.”
Apparently, Apple’s reason for the lawsuit is simply that the Nexus runs on Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich, and supposedly goes against patents belonging to Apple. The chances are, Apple won’t stop at Samsung’s Nexus, and with their new Galaxy 5 series doing well in markets, there’s a good chance it will be the next target.
For the world of marketing, when a company is going through hard times, it’s often wise to back out while they’re still up. Well, this conflict of law between Apple and Android is no reason for such measures as giving up on Android all together. Apple may have the ability to accuse Android of infringing on patents, but it’s obvious that Android has quite a bit to offer to advertisers. It’s hard to believe that Apple would be capable of ruining Android with a few accusations and lawsuits, for in many cases Android is doing much better than Apple in the mobile market. Sure, Apple may have gained a significant upper hand for the time being, but both companies are very successful, meaning that Android will always find a way to stay neck and neck with Apple. In sum, advertising with Android is not going to crumble anytime soon, and the company will retain its standing in the mobile world regardless of lawsuits. This news should not strike fear into the hearts of advertisers that spend quite a bit on Android advertising, because the company will continue to be reliable and the competition with Apple will live on.
