Android Seeing 700,000 Device Activations Daily

[Michael Essany]

It's going to be tough for iOS to match this statistic. On Tuesday, Google‘s senior VP of mobile devices Andy Rubin revealed that the Internet search giant presently activates close to three-quarters of one-million Android mobile phones each and every day.

As Forbes pointed out, when put into perspective, the rate of Android activations is simply staggering. At 700,000 activations a day, Google is turning on 255 million devices a year. Every four years, that amounts to one billion devices. Of course, it's a massive assumption to think that this accelerated pace of activation will continue. But it could.

"And for those wondering," Rubin adds, "we count each device only once (ie, we don't count re-sold devices), and "activations" means you go into a store, buy a device, put it on the network by subscribing to a wireless service."

The most recent data from Gartner largely concurs with Rubin's claim. Gartner says Android now powers roughly 52 percent of all smartphones sold during the third quarter of 2011, which is more than twice Android's global market share this time last year.

Source: Andy Rubin (via Google +)

[lkailburn]

Wowzers!

[DampDesigns]

This is like rating apples to oranges. -_- But seriously, how many android phones are there? Compared to 3 iPhones to choose from. The fact that apple is even competing is unbelievable.

[janhei77]

android sucks

[Stryker1]

Actually the iPhone sucks now with the "junior" screen. I can't even stand looking at it anymore and let my little 3 year old play with it. Too many iPhone hard cores don't want to see the light. Too much crap having to JB your phone and unlocking is easy after 3 months. Seriously, too many have screwed up their phones having to battle Apple with the JB's, unlocks etc. Yeah and you can be sure that ATT is losing customers by the bucketfull. There was some BS that ATT signed up a record number of subscribers but the question also needs to be asked how many are they losing. I switched to the Samsung Galaxy S2 a month ago and went to Tmobile and have NOT been happier than I am now not having crappy ATT service. iPhone has fallen behind with their disappointing 4s model in my opinion but I am sure they will catch up (not surpass) the Android phone with the iPhone 5.

[vantheman169]

dang, thats a lot of phones. Thats also a lot of Carrier IQ keystrokes that are recorded........BURN!

[The6uest]

Also there are many different manufacturers that make Android phones while only Apple makes the iPhone..

[kuhndsn]

hmmm so in roughly one year every person in the US will have bought a phone with Android (to put that in perspective). What is equally amazing is if you look at the production base for all the phones and claimed sales percentages from the top 10 manufacturer's the number circles the population of the world ten times over in one year.

Aside from the 700K claim per day, I would love to see what the % would equal if it was just one or two types of phones offered....

11 million HTC EVO's FY-2011
>4 million iPhone 4's in first three days... (roughly the same with the 4S though I believe it was in two days).

[alperdude]

Actually the iPhone sucks now with the "junior" screen. I can't even stand looking at it anymore and let my little 3 year old play with it. Too many iPhone hard cores don't want to see the light. Too much crap having to JB your phone and unlocking is easy after 3 months. Seriously, too many have screwed up their phones having to battle Apple with the JB's, unlocks etc. Yeah and you can be sure that ATT is losing customers by the bucketfull. There was some BS that ATT signed up a record number of subscribers but the question also needs to be asked how many are they losing. I switched to the Samsung Galaxy S2 a month ago and went to Tmobile and have NOT been happier than I am now not having crappy ATT service. iPhone has fallen behind with their disappointing 4s model in my opinion but I am sure they will catch up (not surpass) the Android phone with the iPhone 5.

This age old argument...I'm trying to remember the last time I looked at an android news site...I think it was...never?

by the way, I believe I read before that these numbers always include upgrades, etc...

[GmAz]

dang, thats a lot of phones. Thats also a lot of Carrier IQ keystrokes that are recorded........BURN!

Dude, Apple used Carrier IQ for ages and apparently is still on some iOS devices. Since they won't say which devices those are, it could be on the 4 and 4S. Also, Verizon doesn't use Carrier IQ neither does Motorola. At least on Android phones, the carrier or manufacturer put it on there, not Google. Apple is the only one that could put it on their phones which makes Apple worse than the rest.

[NegativeBeef]

So how many devices are being activated on iOS daily?

[quidam_brujah]

This is like rating apples to oranges. -_- But seriously, how many android phones are there? Compared to 3 iPhones to choose from. The fact that apple is even competing is unbelievable.

+1 on that

if Apple licensed iOS to 3 or 4 different manufacturers, they could have bigger numbers too.

[*T*]

i work for a company that deals with smartphone repairs and for every Android sold 3 are being returned as faulty.

That is actually impossible.

[ClerkDante]

This seems like a pretty vague claim. 700,000 a day over what period?

For 2011 they averaged 700,000 a day for the year?
or over a 3 day weekend after a major launch they averaged 700,000 a day (while every other day of the calendar year was in the 50,000 a day neighborhood)?

The time span over which that number is based is the difference between mind-blowing and meh.

[Nickaroni22]

Just another fictional fact, this argument gets old fast. Maybe 700,000 models of android phones. You'll definitely have a lot of activations if you flood the market the cheap phones. You can get the iPhone 3GS for free, but that model is what 2-3 years old. On the other hand you have android giving away new phones. With the job market the way it is of course more people will flock to what's cheap.

[jOnGarrett]

This is like rating apples to oranges. -_- But seriously, how many android phones are there? Compared to 3 iPhones to choose from. The fact that apple is even competing is unbelievable.

why is it that every time the subject of iOS vs Android comes up, someone's favorite rebuttal is "apple only makes X devices and their are upmpteen Android devices"

Q. why is it a fault that there is more than one style of Android phone to choose from? not everybody likes the same kind of phone so why should companies ignore that important fact?

Q. Why does apple ONLY make one style of phone?

Q. Why wont apple let other manufacturers put iOS on their devices (Nexus Prime w/ iOS 5 anybody !!!)

Q. Samsung is only one company and by themselves they sell almost twice as many phones as apple.

Also., apples numbers are NOT just from 3 phones. apple has put out 5 phones.

hmmm so in roughly one year every person in the US will have bought a phone with Android (to put that in perspective). What is equally amazing is if you look at the production base for all the phones and claimed sales percentages from the top 10 manufacturer's the number circles the population of the world ten times over in one year.

Aside from the 700K claim per day, I would love to see what the % would equal if it was just one or two types of phones offered....

11 million HTC EVO's FY-2011
>4 million iPhone 4's in first three days... (roughly the same with the 4S though I believe it was in two days).

why would any manufacturer (besides apple) want to limit their customer base to just one phone? there are many people who love slide out keyboards--Me, I cant stand them. most people like phones with screens larger than 3" but some think 4.7" is too big., some people want/need USB ports, HDMI ports and expandable memory--apple customers don't have these kind of choices.

To say that other Manufacturers should only make one phone to compete with apple's one phone is like telling a heavy weight boxer to throw only 1 punch because that's what his opponent does.....it just sounds real stupid.

[Atari800]

700000 activations a day is impressive
But is it 690000 a day with the junk phones that are sold at convenience stores and drug stores and 10000 a day with a phone that is something to show off?

Seriously who cares? There is a lot more hamburger in the meat department than there is filet mignon as well. Same argument.

[jOnGarrett]

Just another fictional fact, this argument gets old fast. Maybe 700,000 models of android phones. You'll definitely have a lot of activations if you flood the market the cheap phones. You can get the iPhone 3GS for free, but that model is what 2-3 years old. On the other hand you have android giving away new phones. With the job market the way it is of course more people will flock to what's cheap.

you're trying to equate inexpensive with poor quality. my Galaxy SII cost the same as my iPhone 4 and there's NOTHING cheap about it. my Galaxy S II also contains ZERO percent parts made by apple whereas my iPhone 4 contains about 30% parts made by Samsung. that percentage goes up if I include the parts made by LG.

stop being a child, these are just phones and these companies don't care one bit about you.

[kuhndsn]

why is it that every time the subject of iOS vs Android comes up, someone's favorite rebuttal is "apple only makes X devices and their are upmpteen Android devices"

Q. why is it a fault that there is more than one style of Android phone to choose from? not everybody likes the same kind of phone so why should companies ignore that important fact?

Q. Why does apple ONLY make one style of phone?

Q. Why wont apple let other manufacturers put iOS on their devices (Nexus Prime w/ iOS 5 anybody !!!)

Q. Samsung is only one company and by themselves they sell almost twice as many phones as apple.

Also., apples numbers are NOT just from 3 phones. apple has put out 5 phones.



why would any manufacturer (besides apple) want to limit their customer base to just one phone? there are many people who love slide out keyboards--Me, I cant stand them. most people like phones with screens larger than 3" but some think 4.7" is too big., some people want/need USB ports, HDMI ports and expandable memory--apple customers don't have these kind of choices.

To say that other Manufacturers should only make one phone to compete with apple's one phone is like telling a heavy weight boxer to throw only 1 punch because that's what his opponent does.....it just sounds real stupid.

I am wondering why you would quote my text and then spin it to something I didn't state. wow.... seems like more and more people want to claim their stake in business 101 on this board.

[CCNPJediHacker]

you're trying to equate inexpensive with poor quality. my Galaxy SII cost the same as my iPhone 4 and there's NOTHING cheap about it. my Galaxy S II also contains ZERO percent parts made by apple whereas my iPhone 4 contains about 30% parts made by Samsung. that percentage goes up if I include the parts made by LG.

stop being a child, these are just phones and these companies don't care one bit about you.

I think your being the child here, your trying to disguise your Android fanboy-ism. I have had Android phones for the past two years with neatly every flagship model gracing my palm. Nothing and I mean NOTHING competes with a 4s and an A5 chip. The A5 chip @800mhz is more efficient than an exynos SOC overclocked to 1.5ghz. I can't think of one area Android is better in now. Android and the SGS2 was better than iPhone 4 and iOS 4, but iPhone 4s and iOS 5 frankly is a cut above anything at the moment. The only thing Android has in its locker of any use is google maps navigation.