It's hard to argue that when it comes to tablets, smartphones and the like, Apple and its iOS has a stranglehold on the market. But things are about to change — if it hasn't done so already — in favor of Android if Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is to be believed.
In an interview with Bloomberg (via GamesIndustry), Schmidt compares it to how Microsoft did the same thing 20 years ago back when it was Microsoft vs. Apple battling it out for PC OS supremacy.
This is a huge platform change; this is of the scale of 20 years ago — Microsoft versus Apple,” he said. “We’re winning that war pretty clearly now.
Schmidt's statement can be seen as skewed to his company — and chances are, it is, but it's not without merit. In data released by Garter Inc., it reveals that customers are activating more than 1.3 million Android devices a day and this has helped Android snatch 72% share of the market in the third quarter compared to Apple's 14%.
The Google Chairman also lets out that the "core strategy is to make a bigger pie," and added, " we will end up with a not perfectly controlled and perfectly managed bigger pie by virtue of open systems."
If Schmidt's words ring true, then this means more iOS-developed games should make their way onto Android or be developed on Google's platform first. But for now, Apple's iOS ecosystem and sheer volume of apps has the Android's beat, though I wouldn't be surprised to see Google catch up in a year or two's time.
If given the choice, which platform do you prefer for your mobile/tablet gaming needs? Is Schmidt exaggerating or is Android slowly overtaking iOS?
