Apple? Google? Nokia? Which Phone is the best?

10 years ago Nokia ruled the mobile phone industry with a large market share in many countries. While companies including Motorola, Samsung and Sony tried to take away consumers, the mobile giant was still the favourite. Everybody knew that a Nokia phone would offer them all of the features of their rivals and the product would be seen as cool. Fast forward to 2011 and the phone market has been torn apart. What was the main reason for this change? Apple’s Iphone.

In 2007 Apple released the first iphone, it offered a touch screen interface, a great operating system and access to the full web on a mobile device. During this same time the blackberry was picking up consumer attention and the business device became the phone of choice for many PR girls and celebrities. Consumers were leaving Nokia and their traditional phones and were moving towards one of these two new devices.

However while the devices offered great advanced features they also came with large price tags. This allowed Google to come into the market and offer a cheaper alternative to the iphone. The Android Google phones were as advanced as the iphone but consumers could get them free on contract or pay smaller fees for just the handset. The smartphone revolution was finally upon us and normal cheaper handsets were no longer the phone of choice for many.

Which phone is right for you?

Depending on your needs and tastes different phones will appeal to you. If you don’t mind how much you pay and want a phone that has apps, games and great web surfing the iphone is probably your best bet. If you want your phone to receive your emails as soon as their sent and a great free messaging service, the Blackberry is likely to suit you the most. If you want a touchscreen phone with most of the features of the iphone at a lower cost we recommend an Android handset.

What about Nokia?

While Nokia has been hit hard by the new phone entrees don’t expect them to be down for too long. The company have now teamed up with Microsoft to create Windows 7 mobile phones. Microsoft and Nokia have been in the mobile industry for over 15 years and have held a very large market share. They have the ability to create a handset with the features of an iphone at a cheaper cost, whether they can attract a leading market share together is something we will have to find out.

Will Tablets Rule the Computer World?

The tablet market is growing and people want to be able to move freely around with their computers. Apple released the ground breaking iPad tablet on March 2010 and since then many companies have created competing devices. At first it seemed as if the tablet would take market share from mobile devices such as mobile phones. While the tablets have large screens, they are still able to fit in most bags and could persuade frequent mobile users to upgrade. Samsung, Motorola and LG all created tablet computers to try to keep their place in the mobile market. However up to now Apple has still managed to hold a large section of the market and aims to expand it with their recent iPad 2.

Mobile phones aren’t the only devices that may feel their market share shrink from the introduction of tablets. Netbooks, the small laptops first introduced by Asus, are also fighting tablets for market share. Both devices are portable computers that can access the internet and emails on the go. While the netbooks are generally cheaper and contain keyboards, the tablets have touch screens and are generally smaller and lighter. Which device somebody chooses will be down to what the users wants from the machine. The fashion conscious are likely to choose the iPad as it has become a status symbol. Netbooks are generally bought by older and lower income families or people that want a computer to carry around.

As tablets start to take market share away from netbooks, it seems laptops and computers will be next. Microsoft currently has over 92% of the computer o.s. market and can see that tablets have the possibility to topple their empire. While at the moment tablets are usually used for entertainment purposes, Apple could turn these devices into a key way for businesses to interact. With built in webcams, email and internet the tablet only needs a keyboard and office software to challenge Microsoft. To counter this Microsoft has shown off Windows 8, their new touch screen operating system. The O.S. has been made for tablets, laptops, netbooks and desktop computers. It combines the complexity of windows with a touch screen menu that is reminiscent of their mobile software. Whether the computer, tablet and mobile can become one device is a complex question but looking at the recent movements of Microsoft maybe it’s possible.