Android is doomed to fail unless...

Android, Google’s Linux-based mobile phone operating system, seems to be faltering.

It is not getting to where it is supposed to be, and it is also facing severe competition from Apple’s iOS on one front, and (this is rather surprising) the struggling Research In Motion on the other.

RIM, the company behind the BlackBerry, declared that their app world was more profitable than Android.

There has been a general assumption that all’s going well at Android, but now it’s beginning to look like there are problems that beg the question: Is Android doomed to fail?

Apple is making the largest amount of money in apps in comparison to other device makers.

With its well-built intuitive App Store, the company seems to have mastered the art of making the owners of their devices buy apps time and again.

In fact, if it wasn’t for Apple, the phrase, “there is an app for that”, would not exist.

The company has made it appear as though any possible application idea you may have has been invented.

In 2010, Apple generated a profit of $189 million (Sh15.5 billion), which accounted for one per cent of the income then.

In 2011, the number grew to around $2 billion (Sh166 billion). Then there is the second most profitable app store — the BlackBerry App World.

It is 40 per cent more profitable to build a BlackBerry app than an Android App.

As a mobile developer, it is also more likely that you would make money as a BlackBerry developer than as an Android developer; people prefer paying for Apple and BlackBerry apps but not for Android apps. And there is a reason.

Android doesn’t have a killer app. There isn’t that one app that makes you recognise Android, other than the green robot mascot. This suffocates its prospects of inching forward technologically.

Yes, they have a well done Gmail app, and Google Navigation was its best app. But neither of them really stuck out.

The Gmail app could not compete with the default mail clients available on iOS or BlackBerry.

Secondly, Android still needed to keep developing for other mobile operating systems. This meant that whatever functionality was in the Android version of the app, it had to be on the iOS and BlackBerry version.

Enter Angry Birds, and you instantly know that you are on an iPhone or iPad. Enter BlackBerry Messenger.

Android is always playing second fiddle — it is more likely for an iOS app to be developed than it is for an Android app.

Thus, Android will seemingly have to rely heavily on its other advantages. Early Android adopters have failed in other aspects too; Motorola Mobility has failed to make financial headway and now Google is on the acquisition path.

HTC, once lauded as a mobile monster, now seems to be shrinking. It isn’t making as much money as expected. Initially, early adopters received a big boost with Android and quickly gained a significant share of the market.

But it hasn’t always been gloomy for Android. It was initially successful. It actually unseated Symbian (for Nokia) and BlackBerry, but then, it did not seem to have clear-cut objectives and was taken as just another mobile operating system.

With the diversity of Android devices, early users are now struggling to sell their handsets.

It’s a case of musical chairs, where mobile handset makers simply rotate, on an annual basis, between who is the most profitable and who isn’t.

If Google successfully acquires Motorola Mobility, other mobile handset manufacturers will lose confidence in Android as a mobile operating system, as financially, it would make more sense for Google to focus more on designing Android specifically for Motorola.

Therefore, without assurances on guaranteed full technology development support, handset manufacturers will be forced to consider alternatives. 

In short, other mobile handset manufacturers are about to suffer a lot more and will have to work much harder to remain competitive. It should be noted that in this case, price no longer matters.

While many people may elect to buy an Android based on price, they will ultimately forego that reason in their next purchase.

That’s because Android has not given much reason to users to stay. In comparison, Apple has a development curve that makes you want to get the next iPhone when it comes out.

The launch queues in America and other countries show that.

When new BlackBerry phones come out, people will be looking for new features, and there will be significant development in their operating system.

With Android, it’s the same mundane operating system. Yes, it looks nice, works well, and has good graphics, but it does not give you a reason to look forward to buying another Android phone.