It’s no secret that the iPad is the king of the tablet world. It’s a relatively new market, and as most of the people buying tablets look for something simple, intuitive and fast, the iPad has gained a reputation as the best one out there – even though some Android-based tablets are faster and more powerful.
If Android tablet manufacturers ever want to really compete with Apple, there are a few things that they’ll need to do differently.
Better App Selection. It’s no secret that Android tablets have far fewer apps than iPads, despite the fact that there are more app stores and fewer restrictions on manufacturers. It’s going to be tough to get some of the smaller app developers to spend their time and money developing Android-only versions of their most popular apps, but some of the bigger developers definitely need to step up if the Android platform is going to be a real competitor.
For instance, many Android tablets can’t even run Netflix’s streaming app. Popular tablets like the Asus Eee Transformer are actually capable of running the app–in fact, an unsupported version worked for about a week in July before Netflix squashed the app’s functionality. Major apps like Netflix need to work on all Android tablets, not just one or two, and Android tablet manufacturers need to work closely with app developers to make the process easier.
More Compatibility. Android tablets aren’t able to access many non-mobile versions of websites and often have trouble running video or web apps.
Why? Tablets are completely capable of running these types of processes, especially with the new line of processors in tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Apple’s excuse is that they want to control the iPad’s app and Internet use for better usability and fewer bugs, but Android tablet manufacturers should take advantage of this by offering better compatibility and support. If Android tablets can get as good at handling Internet browsing as a standard netbook, they could gain a lot more converts.
Embracing Smaller Developers. Google’s Market is already much better at allowing app developers to sell their products than Apple’s App Store. The Market has emulators, video streaming programs and other quasi-legal stuff that Apple would never allow, and honestly, that’s a smart business move. Many tech-heads are buying Android tablets to get more control and freedom; the iPad is extremely restrictive in comparison.
Google should embrace smaller developers as much as possible, and other app stores like Amazon’s app marketplace should follow suit. Small developers have the ability to make the killer apps that Apple could never offer, and as tablets are ultimately about ease of use and the elusive “wow” factor, making it easier for small developers to peddle their wares could lead to major success for Android tablets in the war against Apple.