What Do 900M Android Device Activations Mean For Ecosystem Loyalty?
At its I/O Conference this week, Google announced there have been 900 million Android activations since the platform’s inception more than four years ago. Is there a relationship between activations and loyalty the Google ecosystem?
Not much of one, according to Forrester data and a new study by Charles Golvin. Only 15% of global information workers can be defined as devotees or loyalists to a particular platform — and only 12% of US consumers fall into one of those categories.
What does this lack of ecosystem loyalty mean for Apple, as it preps for WWDC next month, and Microsoft? The mobile ecosystem landscape remains in a state of flux, and, while these players are the dominant ecosystem players today, each is actively adapting its strategy to effect stronger attraction in its customers, while other companies — such as Samsung — are simultaneously vying to increase their own influence.
Forrester predicts that over the next three years, Samsung will look to control its own ecosystem; while it will continue to produce Android tablets and phones, it will also leverage its partnership with Intel to use the jointly developed Tizen to aggressively reach out to developers and continue its investment in new branded apps and services.
Forrester clients can access the report here.