battle of the operating systems
DESCRIPTION
he latest in-depth analysis by Integrasco, a world leader in the field of social media tracking and analytics, delivers a number of critical insights into consumer favourability for the leading mobile phone operating systems and, importantly, its resultant impact on handset preference. The report, entitled "The Battle of the Mobile Operating Systems – Observations and Trends in Social Media", analyses established systems such as the iPhone OS, Blackberry OS, Symbian OS and Windows Mobile OS, as well as newer entrants such as Android OS and Maemo OS. The report will be of significant interest to: handset manufacturers, airtime operators, application developers and mobile phone retailers.TRANSCRIPT
Battle of the Mobile Operating Systems – Observations and Trends in Social Media
February 2010
Social Media Insight“People are talking about your brand and your products – do you know what they’re saying?”
> The analysis conducted by Integrasco in this report is based on data collected from Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, forums, discussion boards and major blogging sites.
> For a complete list of sources tracked, please contact Integrasco.
Outline
1. Executive summary
2. Expectations and key buzz drivers
3. Android
4. Windows Mobile
5. Apple iPhone OS
6. Symbian OS
7. Blackberry OS
8. Other operating systems
9. Integrasco
Integrasco©2009. All rights reserved. Commercial in confidence.Page 4
“The iPhone OS is the simplest and easiest to use OS on the planet.”
“I still have my 3GS and have bought every one on launch day. I haven't seen much forward
progress with the iPhone in the last couple of years though, other than adding features that
should have been there to begin with.”
“These Android based products are giving the iPhone serious competition.”
“A number of us have been saying/predicting the death of Symbian for a while now … Windows is struggling and is not getting any attention from users while Symbian has a large user base, mainly because of Nokia, but is a loser when it comes to competing with Apple's OS, Android and even Palm's.”
“Good luck to Microsoft, they are very far behind iPhone OS,
webOS and Android and will have to not only match it, but surpass it.
They have neglected to innovate
in their mobile OS for too long.”
1. Executive summary
This chart displays share of buzz over time for the seven most discussed mobile operating systems. Please note that the iPhone OS buzz is strictly related to users mentioning the OS. The overall iPhone buzz is much bigger and therefore gives a biased picture of the real buzz for this OS.
Executive summary (1 of 5)
Executive summary (1 of 5)
> A market traditionally led by Symbian devices is giving way to devices focusing on innovative ways for users to interact and communicate.
> 2009 has been the year of the application centric device, with Apple iPhone OS and Google Android paving the way. A couple of years ago, the biggest buzz driver was the “megapixel race”; today, that trend has turned into an “application race”. The Apple App Store reached more than 3 billion downloads in January 2010 and contains more than 140,000 applications. The Android Market has more than 20,000 apps and has seen massive growth in 2009.
> The Android platform has been the biggest climber in 2009, both in terms of popularity and share of buzz amongst the consumers in Social Media. The HTC Hero and the Motorola Droid set the stage for consumer expectations in 2009 and with the launch of the Google Nexus One, 2010 will be a very promising year for Android-based devices.
> The change in what drives consumer discussions online has been largely driven by user interaction, user experience and the availability of applications and games. Support for third party applications and games is increasingly the most notable differentiating factor in OS-related conversations online.
Buzz breakdown – Q4 2009
2%7% 3%
40%
33%
14%
1%
Executive summary (2 of 5)
This chart displays the global sentiment for each of the major mobile operating systems in Q4 2009. All opinions and mentions are measured to give a complete overview of online conversations.
Executive summary (2 of 5)
> Apple set the standard for all other handsets with the release of the first iPhone in 2007. The simplicity and ease of use provided by the iPhone is what people praise it for and the buzz has been enormous throughout 2009, ranking the iPhone as number one on the buzz rankings every single month, with no other handset even coming close in terms of buzz volumes. The “Apple experience” has set the standard for comparison in mobile handset discussions.
> The sentiment is definitely mixed, with the so-called “fan boys” being very forgiving whenever anyone highlights one of the shortcomings of the iPhone. Albeit with a massive crowd of fans, the general opinion is that the Apple OS has not evolved significantly over the years. Features that most users say should have been there from the start have been added, but the pressure is now building for Apple to again demonstrate its innovative reputation with the next generation iPhone – expected to see the light of day in 2010.
> Innovation also drives higher expectations from the consumer, which is apparent from the changes we have observed in consumer mindset, reflected in online mobile discussions. User interaction and ease of use is becoming more important. Support for multi-tasking, multi-touch and a great browsing experience is subject to a lot of attention.
Most discussed handsets – Q4 2009
1. Apple iPhone 3G/3GS
2. Motorola Droid
3. Nokia N97
4. Nokia N86
5. HTC Hero
6. Nokia N900
7. HTC HD2
8. Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
9. Sony Ericsson Satio
10. Blackberry Bold2
“They brought the touchscreen market into mass consumers hands? They set the standard, improved that standard twice and created an App store which also sets standards.“
Executive summary (3 of 5)
This chart displays the impact for each of the major mobile operating systems. All opinions and mentions are measured to give a complete overview of online conversations. The size of the bubbles is determined by the ratio between buzz volume and sentiment rating. A strong sentiment rating (positive or negative) and high buzz volume will result in a large bubble.
Executive summary (3 of 5)> Symbian has been the operating system that has lost most ground amongst consumers in 2009, with its share of buzz dropping almost 50%. A
number of devices with bug-prone or unstable firmware have caused a lot of negative sentiment for the Symbian OS in 2009 where the Nokia N97 and the Sony Ericsson Satio are amongst the most notable ones.
> Windows Mobile still has a large number of fans and a proven track record of delivering the OS of many high quality smart phones – for instance the Touch Pro/Touch Pro2. The OS gets praised for great Office integration and customizability, but falls short when it comes to innovation and speed. The Windows Mobile Marketplace launched in October 2009 with less than 1,000 applications, it received a lukewarm response.
> 2009 has also seen a couple of new players in the mobile OS market, with Maemo by Nokia and webOS by Palm both gaining traction amongst the online crowd. The Palm Pre and the Nokia N900 have booth received a lot of attention but, as consumers state, for these new entrants to succeed they need to build a solid application foundation and stimulate growth in third party development.
> The Blackberry has been the ubiquitous business user handset in both the UK and the US business communities for many years, but may now be threatened by other business smartphones – in particular by the iPhone, which in the past has not been considered a business smartphone but rather an ’entertainment’ device.
Bu
zz V
olu
me
Slightly Positive Very PositiveSlightly NegativeVery Negative
Executive summary (4 of 5)
Executive summary (4 of 5)
Manufacturer Share of Buzz 2009
> Handsets are obviously the biggest driver of buzz for the operating systems and Nokia and Apple are currently the most discussed mobile brands in Social Media, with respectively 27% and 26% of the buzz amongst the eight most discussed mobile brands in Q4 2009.
> Both HTC and Motorola have traditionally been very focused on Windows Mobile devices. Adopting the Android platform has led to a significant increase in buzz for both manufacturers in 2009.
> Common factors for the most popular handsets being discussed online is that they all demonstrate excellence in user/browsing experience, third party application support and revolutionary ways for users to interact with them – either through multi-touch capacitive screens or voice activation. Multi-tasking is another big buzz driver for these handsets.
> Rising trends towards the end of 2009 comprise of: voice activation, multi-touch, navigation and location-based services to name just a few. Multi-tasking and seamless workflow is becoming increasingly important to consumers, and they expect devices to offer simple and unified ways of communicating.
26%
27%
10%
9%
12%
6%
3%
7%
Manufacturer Share of Buzz – Q4 2009
iPhone 3.0 OS preview
Nokia N97 releasedMotorola Droid unveiled
iPhone 3GS & iPhone 3.0 software released
Nokia N900 released
Apple iPad leaked
Executive summary (5 of 5)
Executive summary (5 of 5)
Most discussed handsets 2009
1. Apple iPhone 3G/3GS
2. Nokia N97
3. Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
4. Nokia N86
5. Nokia N95
6. Samsung Omnia / Omnia HD
7. SE Xperia X1
8. Nokia E71
9. Blackberry Curve
10. HTC Touch Pro / Pro2
> The list of most discussed handsets in 2009 was largely dominated by Symbian-based Nokia handsets during the first two quarters of the year, but as more Android based devices came to the market, the list changed dramatically. The first two quarters of 2009 had six Symbian-based handsets on the list of the ten most discussed handsets in Social Media compared to four in Q4.
> The HTC Magic raised awareness for the Android platform, but it wasn’t until the HTC Hero came out that the buzz really started growing for the Android OS. The Motorola Droid made a major impact in buzz awareness towards the end of 2009, firmly placing Android on everyone’s radar.
> The Google Nexus One was highly anticipated towards the end of the year. After its launch in January, its buzz turned negative due to the 3G issues with T-Mobile US, and the various software bugs somewhat overshadowed the positive innovative attributes of the handset. Despite this, the Android-based devices are facing a bright future in 2010, with high expectations around the Xperia X10 by Sony Ericsson, Motorola Motoroi, Motorola Backflip, Motorola Shadow, HTC Supersonic and possibly most notably the HTC Bravo.
> The business smartphone space is an emerging and significant trend to monitor over the coming 12 months, as they are adopted by a larger segment of the total population. This space has been disrupted by the iPhone and Android-based handsets, as business users migrate to platforms offering form factor and applications that best meet both business and social requirements.
Most discussed handsets – Q1 to Q2 2009
9. Integrasco
What is 'social media'?Social media is a new group of online media that shares most of the following
characteristics:
PARTICIPATIONSocial media encourages contributions and feedback from everyone who is interested. It blurs the line between media and audience
OPENNESSMost social media services are open to feedback and participation. They encourage voting, comments and the sharing of information. There are rarely any barriers to accessing and making use of content – password-protected content is frowned upon
CONVERSATIONWhereas traditional media is about 'broadcast' (ie transmitted) content, social media is better seen as a two-way conversation
COMMUNITYSocial media allows communities to form quickly and communicate effectively. Communities share common interests, such as a love of photography, a political issue or a favourite TV show
CONNECTEDNESS
Most kinds of social media thrive on their connectedness, making use of links to other sites, resources and people
Integrasco©2009. All rights reserved. Commercial in confidence.Page 12
Why you should be tracking social media?
Two thirds of the world's internet users visit internet forums/social networking sites every day, generating millions of conversations
– it's called 'Social Media' or 'Consumer Generated Media'
Marketing, advertising and promotional activities are no longer a monologue from the company to the consumer
– they're a two-way conversation between the consumer and the company
Social media is one of the leading influencers in the consumer’s purchasing decision
– consumers trust consumer opinions and experiences over advertising
Social media increasingly impacts brands and their reputation
– lead influencers in the CGM space can quickly become 'brand evangelists' or 'brand terrorists’
Integrasco©2009. All rights reserved. Commercial in confidence.Page 13
Are you part of the conversation?
Over one in three (34%) of UK adults have researched a brand that they have seen advertised online – TGI Net, Q1 '09 (Oct '07 - Sep '08), Q2 2009
67% of the global online population visited a 'member community' site in Dec '08 – Nielsen, Mar '09
Social media use has taken off in the UK. It is estimated that 39% of UK Internet users – more than 15.4 million people – will use social networks at least once a month in 2009 – eMarketer, Apr '09
By 2013, the UK social networking population will reach 21.9 million, and represent 50% of UK Internet users – eMarketer, May '09
Social networks have a penetration of nearly 75% among European Internet users – Comscore, Feb '09
76% of UK adult Internet users find out about local services online – Ofcom, Aug '08
Integrasco©2009. All rights reserved. Commercial in confidence.Page 14
Why join in the conversation?
By monitoring what is being said about your brand and its products/services, it's possible to spot trends and find out what consumers really think about you
– Listen to the consumer conversation
Gain access to direct, unfiltered consumer interaction, readily available in real time
– Analyse what is driving the consumer conversation
Improve satisfaction, loyalty rates and revenues by listening to your customers … and letting them know that you're listening
– Act and engage in the consumer conversation
Use the insights gained to improve products, services, pricing etc to better meet customer requirements
– Achieve customer loyalty by taking action on consumer conversations and insights
Integrasco©2009. All rights reserved. Commercial in confidence.Page 15
Why Integrasco?
Integrasco is well positioned to take a leading role in the emerging Consumer Generated Media data collection and analytics business
Data qualitySocial media data is like fresh produce. Leading brands require that their analytics partner can document the data's source(s), currentness and completeness. Integrasco does its own crawling and has end-to-end data quality control.
ToolsIntegrasco has developed social media analytics tools with a sharp focus on increased automation since 2004. Source independent data structure and advanced AI-based software robots guarantee quality … even for extreme posting volumes.
AnalyticsIntegrasco has developed a methodology for the processing of unstructured data that allows us to deliver unsurpassed quality analysis and advice to leading global brands.
Selected clients
What we do for our clientsIntegrasco provides media intelligence solutions and communications insights
that help clients measure and manage:
How you're perceived by consumers
What you need to do to manage and build your reputation
Using innovative technology and a rigorous analytical methodology, our services and solutions uncover and integrate data-driven insights harvested from:
Forums and discussion boards
Blogs
Social networks
Video sharing communities
Micro-blogs
Photo-sharing communities
Social bookmarking sites
Consumer Insight Reports
Monthly/Weekly Brand Tracking
Product Launch Tracking
Campaign Tracking
Competitor Insight Analysis
Product Recall Monitoring
Lead Influencer Detection
New Product Identification / Leakage Detection
Social Media Strategy Consulting
Selected Integrasco products
Delivering One Brand
Measuring the exposure that the brand or product is receiving in online social media, through breadth and reach across platforms and audiences, looking at the share of mentions or buzz. Awareness also encapsulates brand positioning and impact.
Buzz Awareness
User engagement is evaluated by looking at conversation involvement in the different discussions, as well as influencer authority and drivers of the industry.
User Engagement
Sentiment Rating The sentiment rating covers brand popularity, customer satisfaction and perceived credibility through both automated sentiment analysis and manual qualitative analysis.
Brand tracking
“Integrasco provides Vodafone with a complete overview of online and social media. Their product as well as analyst expertise help us get detailed insight
into what is being said about our brand, products and services. This allows us to interact with our customers and key influencers real-time via the Internet."
Jakub Hrabovsky, Head of Communications
What do our clients say about us?
”“Thanks to the active work with Integrasco information, Sony Ericsson
could launch internal investigations and apply counter-measures. Call centres were equipped with information and shops arranged to swap [K800] units to
prevent brand damage."
Anders Lindquist, DirectorHead Of Launch Project Office
Launch Support and Management
”Integrasco©2009. All rights reserved. Commercial in confidence.Page 19
Social computing is not a fad.
Nor is it something that will pass you or your company by.
Gradually, social computing will impact almost every role, at every kind of company, in all parts of the world.
Forrester Research
Real-time delivery of information that matters
Filter through the noise
Analyse media trends and issues
Make informed decisions
No liability whatsoever is accepted for any direct or indirect (including consequential) loss or expense arising from the use of this report.Distribution of this research report is restricted and it may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without prior written consent by Integrasco. Please contact Integrasco for further information and inquiries regarding this report.www.integrasco.comwww.twitter.com/integrascowww.facebook.com/integrasco
ContactThis report has been prepared by Integrasco for information purposes only. The report is based on information obtained from public sources which Integrasco has not independently verified, and Integrasco makes no guarantee, representation or warranty as to its accuracy or completeness. Any opinions expressed herein by third parties do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Integrasco. Any opinions expressed herein by Integrasco reflect Integrasco’s judgement at the time the report was prepared and are subject to change without notice.
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