Brands like Google and Apple have all become household names. These brands are dominating the mobile computing platform and creating waves time and again. Up to around 2007, the world was only highly familiar with Nokia phones, which were the in-thing then. At that time, there was hardly any competition from others in that industry. With the emergence of strong contenders like Apple and Google, Nokia has taken a backseat and trying to fight back.
The move taken by Apple into the mobile industry at a time when it was only creating MacBooks and iMacs was regarded as a courageous one. This courageous move was met with more than sufficient success. The iPhone showcase was a stupendous moment for the mobile industry. There was immense excitement among the public about this new product. It was almost like hype, which was so powerful that you could see almost everyone getting hold of an iPhone. Even before the phones hit the stores, Apple stores were overwhelmed with pre-orders. There was almost a frenzy and devices picked up as soon as they reached the shelves.
Then along came competition for Apple, which had largely dominated the mobile phone industry. Google released Android as the operating system for mobile platforms. With the introduction of Android, Samsung jumped at the opportunity and found business potential in this. Google could have made a decision to remain focused on search, which was its primary strength. Nonetheless, Google saw potential in moving beyond the certainty and explore new opportunities. Google came up with Android OS and phones, while finding advantage in other companies like Samsung creating phones operating on Android. Android became so popular that it almost became an overnight celebrity. Phones operating on Android hit the shelves and, because they ranged from cheap handsets to high end ones, the total sales of Android phones bypassed that of iPhones.
The development and success of Android were too much for Apple to handle. The company had to look for ways to salvage the situation. What the company then did was to file patent suits against mobile manufacturers claiming that designs were copied. Through these mitigations and lawsuits, Apple was successful with some cases with a settlement of $1.04 million from a charge placed against Samsung.
Google is working hard at capturing a large market base with the company trying to acquire Motorola and keenly looking into the hardware aspects of mobile phones. Apple is also constantly trying to create new features with regard to its latest release – the iPhone 5.
At this grand stage where Apple battles it out with Google, there is much for consumers to benefit from. Meanwhile, they have more than enough task cut out for them.