A Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) executive said that 3.7 million Android devices were activated on December 24 and 25, a sign the sales of smartphones which use the OS were brisk
Andy Rubin tweeted
UPDATE: There were 3.7M Android devices activated on 12/24 and 12/25.
The news adds more tension to the battle between the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) mobile OS and Android. Apple’s OS runs only on Apple products. Android runs on a large number of hardware devices made by consumer electronics firms such as HTC, Samsung, and Motorola.
The battle between Apple and Android is not just over market share. Apple has accused Android of patent violations. Android has also come under fire from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) for IP issues. Some hardware companies have already elected to pay a licence to Microsoft rather than face legal action from the world’s largest software firm. Android, an open source OS, was supposed to be free to device manufacturers. That has turned out not to be true.
Douglas A. McIntyre