Android software used by Samsung Galaxy S4 is not as good as iOS, says Apple’s marketing director, Phil Schiller, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, trying to minimize competition from rival iPhone.
International media considered the interview of the head of marketing at Apple as an attempt to challenge Samsung and move the focus from the South Korean group before the launch of Galaxy S4.
Schiller insisted, in an interview with Wall Street Journal, that in the fourth quarter the number of people who migrated from Android to iPhone was four times higher than those who opted for a change to Android from iOS. Android is developed by Google.
Apple has sent similar messages repeatedly in recent months, while competitors like Samsung are gaining market share. Android users use in many cases outdated operating system versions and the fragmenting of the “Android world is obvious,” said Schiller. Android is offered in many cases as a free replacement for a phone with an average price and the experience is not as good as the iPhone, he added.
Android devices suffer because many components are provided by different companies, while Apple is developing both the hardware and the operating system, said marketing director of Apple.
iPhone had a 19% market share of smartphones shipped last year, compared with 70% for phones equipped with Android, according to IDC. Schiller, however, questioned the relevance of market share estimates. “I don’t believe that the estimates and calculation model provide a fair overview,” he said.
Apple marketing chief brought as an argument the ChangeWave firm study showing that three quarters of iPhone users are “very satisfied” of their smartphones, compared to only half for those with Android phones.
Apple has faced an image problem in recent years, notes the Wall Street Journal. The growth slowed and the company’s latest financial results showed an advance of 18% of sales but only 0.1% for profit.
Apple customers and investors expect the next major innovation from the company. Apple shares fell sharply from a record above $700 last year to $428 on Wednesday. Analysts anticipated in the past that Apple shares can reach $1,000 but gradually revised down their estimates.
Samsung tries in the meantime to keep a positive evolution with the announcement Thursday in the U.S., of the new smartphone. The new Galaxy S4 has a faster processor, a better camera and longer battery life, say experts in the field.
Improvements made by Google to the Android operating system have made it a much stronger competitor for Apple, said Van Baker, an analyst at Gartner. Android looks like a fresh operating system, while Apple has kept largely unchanged the user experience over the last six years.
“It will be a huge pressure on Apple after the launch of Galaxy S4. Galaxy S3 is already a very good offer and S4 will certainly bring attractive new features for users,” he said.
Apple plans to launch new products are not very clear, says Wall Street Journal. Analysts expect Apple to be working on a cheaper iPhone, and launch at least one new smartphone this year.
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