I have an iPhone, iPad, and 13" MacBook Air. Each device fits a very specific use profile and has a place in my particular lifestyle. This is by design.
Android phone and tablet manufacturers are busy destroying the ecosystem by having a wide array of sizes and capabilities.
Android phones are increasingly cannibalizing the Android tablet market.
And Android tablets are, for some unknown reason, trying to shrink down to phone size (see the rise of ~7 inch tablets).
Leading to a confusing mess of 3.5-5.3 inch phones and 7-12 inch tablets. Eventually there's going to be a blend of devices straight thru 3.5 - 10".
And since we as developers know the android fragmentation problem is very real (I used to develop android apps for two years), it's going to produce a downward spiral of app quality as developers focus on certain form factors to the detriment of others.
Say what you will about Apple's "openness", but Apple's insistance on maintaining distinct product positions has absolutely proven itself in the market. Android's ecosystem is a disaster.
Sure, fragmentation is bad, when you compare it to a monoculture like iOS. However, PCs managed to thrive just fine for decades, and I'm sure Android will do just fine as well.
TVs and washing machines and refrigerators and watches are starting to run their own operating systems. Which OS do you see your TV running? Because I'm pretty sure they'll all be running Android soon.
Did Microsoft allow hardware companies to customize the OS interface? Did Microsoft assign hardware companies the responsibility of delivering OS updates to users? Did Microsoft let hardware companies ship 2-3-4 year old versions of Windows with new hardware?
Why a disaster? It's in fact thriving, for example I've backed 'Pocket tv' project and that's a device for 40+ inches screens. I think that this diversity is good, not bad. I've also developed one android app for a period of time and fiddled with some other concepts/demos. And for me at least, the experience was quite nice. I like many concepts (intents, services/activites, application hooks for common actions, ...) -> hadn't found it tedious at all.
Android phone and tablet manufacturers are busy destroying the ecosystem by having a wide array of sizes and capabilities.
Android phones are increasingly cannibalizing the Android tablet market.
And Android tablets are, for some unknown reason, trying to shrink down to phone size (see the rise of ~7 inch tablets).
Leading to a confusing mess of 3.5-5.3 inch phones and 7-12 inch tablets. Eventually there's going to be a blend of devices straight thru 3.5 - 10".
And since we as developers know the android fragmentation problem is very real (I used to develop android apps for two years), it's going to produce a downward spiral of app quality as developers focus on certain form factors to the detriment of others.
Say what you will about Apple's "openness", but Apple's insistance on maintaining distinct product positions has absolutely proven itself in the market. Android's ecosystem is a disaster.