Android and Apple roundup: Motorola drops patent lawsuit, SIII display outdoes iPhone 5′s, and more

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Image via: laihiu with Creative Commons

There’s no denying the relationship Android and Apple have together. They’re each other’s biggest competition. Constantly at each other’s throats, the target of lawsuits and ad campaigns. As such, there’s bound to be news stories that directly involve the two going head-to-head. We don’t want to fill the entire front page of Android and Me with these kinds of stories, so every now and again you’ll find a post like this that features a collection of what’s been going on between mobile’s two biggest companies, and how it affects you.

Is the Galaxy S III display better than the iPhone 5? It depends on your definition of better. According to a study from IHS, the display found on the SIII is superior to the display found on the iPhone 5. IHS used display thickness, where the SIII beat out the iPhone 5 by 0.4mm, and color gamut. ISH says the iPhone 5′s display only reaches 72% of the NTSC color gamut, while the SIII sits at 100%.

DisplayMate was quick to jump into the argument to say that they found the iPhone 5 display to be superior to the SIII, because it featured better color accuracy.

So what should you take away from this? In the past, the display on the iPhone was quickly touted as one of the main quality differentiators over competing Android devices. That’s simply not true anymore. It’s not a question of technological superiority, but a matter of opinion. Some people may prefer the real-world accuracy of LCD and the iPhone 5, while others prefer the vivid colors and deep blacks of AMOLED. But if you want to brag about your SIII or Galaxy Nexus display to your iPhone 5-using neighbor, now you know how. “If you need me, I’ll be enjoying 100% of the color gamut.” ^[1]

In other Samsung-Apple related news, a report out of Localytics released today says that Galaxy S III sales may be fueled by news related to Apple and Apple product releases. According to their research, when measuring weekly growth from July 3 to October 1, Samsung saw the biggest growth spurts when the Apple v Samsung verdict was handed out in late August, and when the iPhone 5 launched some two weeks ago in September. Samsung saw a 16% increase in growth after the verdict, and a 15% growth increase when the iPhone 5 launched.

There’s several different reasons why this could have happened, but at least part of it has to do with the amount of exposure Samsung got out of both events. In the eyes of the general public, Samsung being found guilty of making their devices too similar to the iPhone put Samsung in the same league as Apple. Anecdotes poured in online after the verdict was made public detailing people who had a new awareness of Samsung thanks to the trial. I was a member of at least one conversation like that personally.

The same goes for the release of the iPhone 5. I can recall one news report in particular that detailed the larger display on the iPhone 5, but also mentioned how the SIII’s display was still bigger. Thanks to Apple’s moves in court, they’re having trouble making news without Samsung making an appearance. How’s that for free advertising? ^[2]

Another report that details Android and Apple’s ongoing market share war was made available today by Pew that details the huge strides Android has made in tablet market share over the past year. Pew says that in 2011, Android held just 15% of the tablet market in the US, with the iPad alone holding 81%. It’s a totally different story in 2012 though, with Android (combined with the Kindle Fire) holding 48% of the market, and the iPad at 52%.

If these numbers are accurate, this is fantastic news for Android. Even though 21% of Android’s market share is made up by the Kindle Fire, it still gives developers a reason to look to Android and take care of consumers who use the OS.

Tablet apps, or apps that scale properly and work well with tablets, are still lacking on Android compared to the iPad. If Android’s rise in market share continues, developer interest will rise. It worked with phone; there’s no reason to believe it won’t with tablets. ^[3]

Last but not least in today’s Android and Apple roundup, Motorola has dropped a high profile patent infringement suit against Apple for no apparent reason.

Just over a month ago, Motorola filed a handful of patent infringement claims against Apple with the ITC, looking to get an import ban on the iPhone and iPad. Today, those claims have been pulled, with little to no reasoning provided. One might come to the conclusion that perhaps Motorola and Apple were able to settle their differences, but Motorola has said that, “there are no agreements between Motorola and Apple, written or oral, express or implied, concerning the subject matter of this investigation.”