Why Building In Android Is Safer With The US-China Trade War
02/11/2020
If you are thinking of using Android development for developing a mobile application for your business, here are the reasons on why you should choose Android development especially if you are operating in Asia.
Trade is the oldest and most important economic
nexus among nations. Indeed, trade along with war
ha been central to the evolution of international relations.
Robert Gilpin
US-China relations have always been in the interest of the international arena. Sometimes complicated, sometimes prosperous but the tension is visible. And especially after 2018 tensions got worse when President Donald Trump set tariffs on China because of claimed unfair trade practices; China has consistently taken advantage of the American economy with practices that undermine fair and reciprocal trade.
Through months, the interdependence of these two countries has resulted in taking some steps to loosen the tensions and to create constructive relations. Anyway, the process is already ongoing and the countries are sure in their prospect to decrease the dependence from foreign countries in many fields. Technology is not an exception. Let us see what happened; in May 2019, the US banned its companies from working with Chinese Huawei Company.
Later, it restricted more companies – Chengdu Haiguang Integrated Circuit, Chengdu Haiguang Microelectronics Technology, Higon, Sugon, and the Wuxi Jiangnan Institute of Computing Technology. US justifications for these actions are to be laid on claims that China illegally tries to acquire intellectual property from the US. Some analysts suggest that this is not a mere trade war but a war for technological dominance. As we know, China in recent years is becoming a game player in the sphere, a superpower who is challenging for top spot. It is clear that both sides may suffer from this “war” but on contrary, the other players or markets have an opportunity to gain and suggest solutions in the case. One may be in the smartphone industry.
Android vs iOS ongoing battle has surely its place in this conflict. As it is clear that iOS is only used by Apple devices while Android is used by many different mobile manufacturers. According to global statistics, Android’s worldwide share is 72.93% and iOS’ is 26.53%. Let us look at the following table.
Country/Continent |
Android |
iOS |
|---|---|---|
| USA | 60.22% | 39.6% |
| China | 80.23% | 18.71% |
| Asia | 83.26% | 16.15% |
| World | 72.93% | 26.53% |
As seen from the chart, Android usage is dominant both in emerging Asian countries and worldwide as well. For Asia, it is the biggest consumer of Android phones and has the highest population density. With smartphone manufacturers like Xiaomi, and Huawei incorporating Android operating systems into their phones rather than iOS, many consumers attracted by the lower prices offered by Chinese tech giants have gradually shifted to using Android phones.
Why Do People Choose Android?
Apple launching in 2007 made a revolutionary step in the tech world creating a touchscreen phone with internet reach operated by iOS. After a year, Android first phone was released. Through years, Android phones became popular improving its phone features and strengthening its place in the market. As we mentioned, it is quite popular in Asia and the main reason for choosing Android is the price. It is several times cheaper than an iPhone and has all the features needed for full usage of the smartphone. The new trade war has its impacts too.
Apple imports many parts of the iPhone from China, and the phones are manufactured there too. However, as there are high tariffs on goods from China, it is quite likely that Apple has to raise its already high prices. High prices of these phones are already a reason for people to choose Android and the extra high price will decrease the purchase of the phone in the US. Besides this, let us find out why people use Androids more and why the Asian market can benefit from this war.
Larger Customer Base
Android apps, due to large-scale worldwide usage, has a larger user base. This means that there is a bigger market with a more diverse demographic for you to test your app.
Ease Of Publishing
You can publish an Android app easily into the Google Play Store with a few days of approval (with fewer restrictions), rather than publishing an iOS app to App Store which will take one to two weeks of approval (with stricter rules to abide to). In addition, whenever you tried to update your app, it will take longer time for App Store to approve than for Google Play Store.
Cheaper Fees
The release of the Android App to Google Play Store costs USD25 for one-time registration while the release of the iOS App to App Store costs USD 99 per year. Generally, Android apps are also cheaper than iOS apps.
Ease of Development
It is easier to develop an Android app as it uses common programming languages like Java, Android and Kotlin. While iOS developers will have to use programming languages like Objective-C and Swift that most developers might not have experience in. The entry level for people to become an Android developer is much easier than being an iOS developer as most people are familiar with Java, which is a starter language for most beginners.
Price of Smartphone
Price places a huge role while choosing a smartphone. It is quite clear that people will save a large amount of money if they choose an android phone. In Asia, people specifically tend to economise more and not to spend on “luxuries” considering the fact that android phone mainly does the same as iOS phone. In India, 96.01% of people use Android, while in Europe countries the share is roughly 60 to 40. So Asian countries having lower living standards are more beneficial markets for Android.
The US-China trade war creates uncertainty in the markets about the future of technological development. Users may feel the impacts of the trade war through increased prices, more localised products and services and tech innovation will slow down compared to pre-COVID levels. The Android development in Asian markets will help stabilise businesses that are building mobile technology.
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