Arguably the most important topic that anyone was talking about near the end of last week was the lawsuit between Apple and Samsung regarding product patents. It appears that Apple had a problem with how similar the innovative technologies of Samsung’s Android devices were to the technologies that make Apple’s iPad and iPhone what they are. Who wouldn’t though? Apple has always been known for its breakthrough technology, and for somebody to start imitating it is almost unthinkable. A main concern for marketers is how this will affect the ongoing battle between Android and Apple. Many people think that this big win for Apple will give the company the lead it needs to be on top of the smartphone market, leaving Android in the dust.
Samsung made some of the most popular Android devices on the market, and now there are rumors that their devices will all be taken off the shelves. In an article by Michael, a writer for Mobile Marketing Watch, he reports this statement,
This is clearly a major setback for Samsung and perhaps the Android platform. Samsung makes a huge share of devices – both tablets and smartphones – that deliver the Android operating system to the masses. If these products get pulled from shelves – and that could happen – the implications will be huge for both companies. Apple wlll gain in ways it never could without this outcome, and Samsung and Apple may perhaps never recover current levels of momentum.
In Mike’s statement, it is pretty clear that there is reason for Google to be worried. The same goes for those who market on the Android platform. When Android goes down, so do all of your mobile advertising dollars. With Android being the top platform for so long, nobody could have foreseen a serious problem with it. There should be no doubt, however, that this lawsuit will affect Android’s performance in the smartphone market, ultimately affecting the performance of Android advertising.
When you consider that Samsung, the company that accounted for a major share of Android devices, just paid its number one competitor $1 billion in damages as a result of the jury in the trial finding Samsung guilty, you can see that there is bound to be some sort of shift.
Mobile marketing is the best place to get the performance that everybody looks for in marketing. Since the beginning of the smartphone, the world of mobile marketing has grown tremendously and steadily. Mobile marketers have always put a lot of trust in Android, as it has been the top selling platform and the top performing platform for a while now. Now that the platform is in some serious trouble, it will be interesting to see what moves marketers will make next. There are really only two options; stay with Android and hope for this lawsuit to blow over smoothly or switch over to Apple and see just what they will be spending those billion dollars on.
