Google’s Android operating system it has taken the world by storm given the power of the system and its ability (arguably) to work with most hardware configurations. Due to its hardware choices, the Android system has propelled Samsung to the number one cell phone brand in the world, ousting Nokia from its reign as the number one cell phone brand in the world that lasted from 1998 to 2012.

So what did Android do right to get here? The most important thing Android designers did was see the opportunity. Before Android, the cell phone market had major operating systems consisting of Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry and then came the iPhone.

Windows Mobile never worked as well as it did. Symbian never got the support it needed and never realized it. BlackBerry never progressed. The iPhone captured the market fresh. The iPhone was built on the concept of an iPod with a cell phone and quickly took over the mobile world as THE hot device.

Nobody cared that they were locked into a single cell operator, couldn’t replace battery, 2G data service when 3G was well established, had to use iTunes for everything, couldn’t work with multimedia messages, no physical keyboard , couldn’t add sd card memory, had to choose between 8gb or 16gb, liquid damage indicators were placed on the outside and not in a protected area like the battery compartment, price tag from $599, no LED notifies, etc. Some of these issues are still in use on the iPhone today, but none of it mattered if you wanted the latest and greatest entertainment device. The iPhone was not really functional for work and was labeled the most insecure device made at the time. Of course, this has changed and IT technicians now include the iPhone in the server services of most companies.

Android creators, The Open Handset Alliance led by Google, he saw this and took the opportunity to fill the void. An open source software system that would be the most versatile ever built and could be improved upon by the cell phone user community. The Android system can be used by any developer. Most hardware will work. Google gives the system away for free and pays for it with advertising. Any phone manufacturer or cell phone operator can use the Android system. This is in stark contrast to the locked and controlled system of iPhones. These ideas laid the foundation for a fierce competition between Apple and Google. Competition is good for creativity, business, and the end user.

The reasons for the failure of Windows Mobile (not Windows Phone), Symbian and now Blackberry have been a complete lack of support, creativity and rest on one’s laurels. All of these systems had a decent share of the market until the iPhone began its decline and Android made them obsolete.

Android is in a fierce battle with iPhone to reign and both do so with their perspective audiences. If Android wants to dominate, they need to look at the very slow improvement process that Apple has put in place since 2007 and take a bold leap into rapid and constant improvements to improve. Android shouldn’t focus for long on adding processor cores to an operating system that doesn’t have the ability to read them, as Intel discovered, but only putting multiple cores on updated systems that will actually see improvements. Make less of a distinction between mobile phone and tablet operating systems to make the app store more functional for tablet users. Apple hasn’t done this, but Microsoft says it has for Windows 8. Google shouldn’t be catching up. Reduce fragmentation. Developers are currently striving for an 80% compatibility rate with apps. iPhone apps work on all iPhones. Android can have almost as many apps as iPhone, but you can’t use all of them. For all its flaws, Android is the most powerful system with capabilities far beyond the iPhone, but Google needs to get to work to keep it that way and improve the operations of current systems. The ongoing work with the US government to create an ultra-secure Android phone is a great start.

Google do what it did in 2009. See the void and fill it with real quality.