Since its launch, the Android smartphone operating system has quickly eaten up marketshare once thought to be the exclusive property of Steve Jobs and Mark Lazaridis.
According to the Nielsen Company, Android now owns 29% of marketshare, having just surpassed RIM Blackberry (27%) and the Apple iOS (27%) and it’s not just young people jumping on the Android bandwagon. Below are Nielsen’s results compiled visually:
What real estate must know about Android
Real estate agents, marketers and companies must stop ignoring Android. When we get word that a brokerage has launched a brand new revolutionary magical awesome iPhone app, we look at our watches and see that it’s 2011 and sigh for them- the word should be that their three year old iPhone app is doing well and they’re launching an Android app which should have been released in 2010.
Android developers versus iPhone developers
Apple has an air of proprietary technologies which is reflected in the developer community. What I mean by that is that a person who develops applications much jump through many many hoops and get Saint Jobs’ approval (not literally, calm down Mac fans) on their creation.
Android has an air of open source development which means the person creating applications for use on Android has very few hoops to jump through and barring that it is malware, it will be admitted into the Android Market.
Some argue that the quality of apps are higher on Apple because of their approach toward the developer community and while that may be true, the talent pool is slowly shrinking up as the creative developers are focusing their talent on the development of Android apps and turning away from hoop jumping for Apple.
Available apps on Android
Despite its youth, the Android market has endless applications that are free and creative giving real estate seekers tools not just for search but for planning, calculating and the like. There are endless free apps for real estate professionals and business professionals as well, and it’s still in its infancy.
The consumer experience
Consumers are showing a growing preference for Android on their phone not just because they don’t have to jailbreak their phone and void their warranty for a variety of uses, but because of the actual devices available running Android not to mention the option to use all network carriers.
Your own broker’s Android app
If your company just released an iphone app, congrats, but you’ve already left out the biggest segment of the industry and I can tell you from a personal standpoint as an Android user, there is a growing disgust for companies who are all in on iPhone apps that have ignored Android users.
Consumers are searching for real estate more frequently from their smartphone today and development of applications to supplement this process are on the rise and brokerages and search companies using creative measures to creatively aide consumers will win the race.
Ralph Bell
March 3, 2011 at 10:29 pm
I’m 43 and use an Android Droid X. Considering very hard about a tablet and trying to decide between Android and iPad. Unfortunately neither currently work with my MLS. That is the only reason I have not jumped on either.
Lani Rosales
March 3, 2011 at 10:30 pm
Well Android works with most MLS systems because you can run dang near anything you want, even Linux without the ol’ jailbreak. #biasedtowardAndroid
Matt Thomson
March 4, 2011 at 12:27 am
DROID. Love it. I use MyRedTools as my CRM, and was a bit disappointed they had an iPhone and Blackberry App but no Droid app. They gave me the best explanation. “Just log on to MRT on your Droid. It’s seamless. You don’t need an app and you get full functionality.”
So nice.
Lani Rosales
March 4, 2011 at 1:05 am
That’s one of the things I love about my Android- most sites and tools that I’ve tried on my phone render and function well without needing an app, hooray!
Dave Kinkade
March 4, 2011 at 1:14 pm
I love my android OS phone! I’m glad to see that the momentum is swinging towards the open-source developers. Why let Apple decide what is best for me?
Lani Rosales
March 4, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Exactly!
Eric Johnson
March 4, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Great post. iPhone only has two cell companies vs everyone supporting some type of Android phone. Then you have many phones to choose from vs the line of iPhones.
I see Android hitting 50% market share within 12-18 months.
Tanya Troska
March 4, 2011 at 6:36 pm
I don’t know about 50% in the next 12-18 months, but I agree with you that at this rate, and with a wider net cast, Android technology will supersede iPhone applications and usability sooner than later. And, real estate agents who jumped on the bandwagon early to grab the iPhone (or iPad), because it was the cool new thing, are maybe second guessing that decision. I speaking specifically about those agents who didn not first research how this technology might impact their business either positively or negatively. And, let’s be fair, there are some limitations with iPhones/iPads as far as the business world goes. They may be wishing that they would have waited just a bit longer to see if their current real estate services and systems were developing (or had developed) compatible applications for those fun machines before they bought into the hype; especially those who maybe got locked into an expensive AT&T contract.
Dan Sullivan
March 5, 2011 at 7:16 pm
So frustrating. I have patiently waited for the iPhone to come to Verizon, and when it finally does, I can’t decide between an iPhone and a Droid.