Smartphone Showdown – is it the interface design that counts? Part-1

What impact does the smartphone market have on the tech industry?

This current fiscal year has been a great one for Apple as they, for the first time, surpassed long-time frenemy Microsoft to become the second largest US company by market capitalization after Exxon Mobil. This achievement would not have been possible with a product that did not exist just over three years ago. That product, in case you were wondering, is none other than the iPhone which now accounts for 40% of Apple’s revenue. Smartphones, this goes without saying, are the hottest game in tech town! And everyone seems to want a piece of this ever-growing pie if HP’s purchase of Palm is anything to go by.

How are the two biggest players in the smartphone market seeking hegemony?

The iPhone’s biggest challenger comes in the shape of Google via their Android OS which can be found on a number of smartphones made by manufacturers such as HTC, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, LG, Samsung, and more. The Android OS, with its royalty-free license, manages to compete with a hardware item like the iPhone by going the route of Windows in the 80s of targeting volume to create a ubiquitous platform that will in turn attract developers to create apps that add to the OS’ functionality. Although the iPhone is a hardware item the real attraction is the exclusive, beloved OS. This is evident in the fact that, so far at least, the iPhone is the leading smartphone OS in terms of market share despite Android boasting phones with better hardware specs such as the HTC Desire. Both Apple and Google have announced future iterations of their respective smartphone OSes, namely iPhone OS 4 and Android 2.2. According to tech blogger John Gruber “Apple and Google are jostling to shift the comparison between the two platforms to their very different strengths. Apple’s strengths: user experience, design, consistency. Google’s strengths: the cloud, variety, permissiveness”. And just to be clear, design here also refers to interface design, of course.