The Rise and Further Rise of iOS

If the court battles between Apple and some of the big names in the mobile phone sector are anything to go by, then competition is heating up in the mobile device market. Apple, who almost single-handedly created the current smartphone and tablet markets, is trying to defend its leading position not only by releasing new and better products (which is how it traditionally fought its enemies) but by also using litigation.

But should Apple be worried? Until recently, Apple's position in the smartphone and tablet markets was dominant. Since the release of the original iPhone almost 5 years ago, Apple has seen meteoric growth. At the beginning of this year Apple became one the largest companies in the world, its iPhone business alone is bigger than the whole of Microsoft.

With the launch of the iPhone 4S, Apple sold 4 million devices in the first weekend alone. Its success in the tablet market, which it created, is the same. By the end of the first quarter of 2012 Apple had sold over 67 million iPads.

All of Apple's smart mobile devices (the iPhone, the iPad and the iPod Touch) all use the same base operating system – iOS. The growth of iOS has also spawned secondary industries in app development and advertising.

With the launch of the iPhone 3G and iOS 2.0, Apple started selling apps from its iTunes store. By mid-2012, Apple's iTunes store had over 400 million registered users (with credit cards) and over 650,000 available apps for download. These apps come in four categories: paid, free, premium and ad supported. Paid and freemium apps have generated over 4 billion dollars of revenue for app developers.

However, Apple doesn't have everything its own way. Android, the mobile operating system from Google, and handsets made by the likes of Samsung, HTC, LG and Motorola are eating into Apple's market share.
To counter the rise of Android, Apple has released a new version of iOS with a better version of Siri (Apple's voice recognition software), Facebook integration and new mapping software.

The Cupertino giant is also releasing a new iteration of its iPhone this year and a smaller “iPad Mini” as well. However, one thing is guaranteed - iOS has established itself as the platform by which others are measured and Apple as the company to beat.

What are your thoughts? Will Apple continue to lead the way with iOS and its latest devices?

     Gary Sims

About the Guest Author:

 Gary Sims is a mobile app developer, technical writer and contributor to http://www.mobileadvertisingcomparison.com