The smartphone platform wars are over, according to tech trends expert Benedict Evans.
In a blog post published last year, the Andreessen Horowitz partner speaks about how Apple and Google have won the smartphone wars.
One of the renowned VC firm’s most popular articles from 2016, Evans lays out what cut of the 5bn smartphone market Google and Apple are estimated to have.
He also tackles the perception of this market share, referring to a Twitter poll where 43% of respondents estimated there were 5x more Android smartphones than iPhones in global use today, when the correct figure is closer to 2.5x.
As Evans says: “The war is over. Yes, we’ll go from 2.5bn smartphones to 5bn, but the dynamics of the two ecosystems will not change much with that growth. Apple will get some more uses, perhaps, while Android will convert most of that next 2.5bn, but most of those people are in emerging markets and most will be buying phones for under $50 and certainly under $100.
“Rather, the changes, and the things to think about, come from other directions – VR and AR on one hand, AI and machine learning on the other.”
Read the article here.