Why is Android popular in Asia esp in China and India

When Apple introduced the iPhone, it became an internet phenomenon not just for its touch feature or communication facilities, but very much for its handling of mobile internet. iPhone was considered to be the overall leader in the world as far as outreach was concerned, but now Android has overtaken its place. This is because, Android has far greater penetration among users in developing markets of India and China. So, why is Android so popular in these markets?

China and India – Android’s Growth Engine

Android, for starters, is an Open handset Alliance consisting of companies like Samsung, LG, HTC, Motorola and other vendors dedicated towards building a smartphone using this technology. These companies have greater reach in Asian markets where cost factors and budgets play an important role in deciding a particular type of smartphone. These companies have launched various Android based phones into the emerging markets of India and China, who have given a favorable response towards its ease of operating. As these countries have the highest population density and offer a great opportunity, many companies have launched their phones initially in these markets.

Another reason for Android’s popularity is its affordability and hence a higher acceptability among the middle class Asian market. Sensing the budgetary notions of the people in India, China and other emerging markets, these companies have launched budget friendly Android based phones to woo its consumers. Apple’s iPhone has not gained much as much penetration thanks to its inflated price and its single launch per year policy. Android’s market share is over 70% in China according to TechCruch, making it the biggest market for smartphones.

In May 2013, Android had seen 71.5% market share in China whereas Apple’s iOS had about 23.6 %. While Gartner, suggests that Android smartphones sales have crossed 4.7 million units thus, highlighting its popularity in Asia. Android has seen more than 10 Billion apps installed and the main top contributors involve mostly Asian countries like South Korea, China, India, and Japan. The number of apps installed and activations come from these regions and as a result, fuel the Android growth.

In October 2012, Google released a blog post highlighting the growth of Android in the Indian market. According to Google, Android activations have crossed over 400%, bringing more number of users to the Play Store and bringing in more number of apps downloads. This continuous and impressive display of app downloads has rocketed India to become the fourth largest market worldwide for app downloads. To attract developers into publishing apps for Indian consumers, Google has allowed Indian developers to sell paid apps with monthly payouts to their local bank accounts. This has been a huge boost to Indian Android developers since, the only way to monetize their apps was to use ads and not for their work. This step would be proving fruitful to the Indian developers in the long run.

Looking at the potential, it’s no surprise that Android has been a runaway success among Asian countries particularly India and China. Developers can make better use of their skills to develop apps considering the interest and opportunities for the users in Asia. Finally, it would be safe to assume that Asian countries are the engine that will drive Android’s growth in the coming years. If you are a company or an entrepreneur looking to develop on, Android app we are one of the top Android development shops in Florida. Our developers have published several Android apps in the store. We will be happy to share more details about our portfolio if you are interested.