In an interview with a Dutch paper, Steve Wozniak says Android will dominate the industry.
Anyone looking at smartphone trends sees the Android market exploding like nothing has in the past. Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak is no exception. He told Dutch language De Telegraaf that he thought Android would win the smartphone race in the same way that Microsoft (MSFT) Windows eventually came to dominate PCs. Roughly Google (GOOG) translated:
According to the American who developed the first Apple computer and is still with the company from Cupertino on the payroll, Android is struggling with the same problems as Windows in the early days. The quality and user satisfaction can be better. Android is also not always consistent. Wozniak expects Android will eventually be as good as Apple’s operating system (iOS). “The Apple phone has very few weaknesses without many true complaints and problems. When it comes to quality, iPhone is in the lead,” he says firmly. “But Android phones have more features.” According to Wozniak, the iPhone is not for everyone. Android offers a much wider range under the motto for everyone.
Woz also relayed the fact that Apple (AAPL) had a previous smartphone design in 2004 in which it collaborated with a major Japanese manufacturer. (Sony (GOOG) is my guess, Apple and Sony were closer at the time). It never was brought to market because it wasn’t revolutionary.
Finally, he took a shot at Nokia (NOK) saying the Finnish giant had a major image problem, especially with the youth who see it as an older generation of phones.
Update: Woz clarified some statements to Engadget While he still sees Android gaining more marketshare, he doesn’t think the OS itself is any better than iOS.
He’d “never” say that Android was better than iOS, and that “Almost every app I have is better on the iPhone.” Woz did say he lightly prognosticated that Android would become more popular “based on what I’ve read,” but that he expects Android “to be a lot like Windows… I’m not trying to put Android down, but I’m not suggesting it’s better than iOS by any stretch of the imagination. But it can get greater marketshare and still be crappy.”
It is refreshing to hear someone high in the tech world talk who doesn’t have an ulterior motive.
Via Engadget