SWOT analysis of Android – Android SWOT Analysis

Strengths in the SWOT analysis of Android

• Android is backed up by Google in collaboration with Open Handset Alliance. The brand equity of Google adds more credibility and attention to Android OS than any other mobile OS.
• Google being a leader in technology space is able to develop lot of Mobile Applications which can be integrated with most of the Google Application with gmail access
• Unlike Apple’s iOS Android is compatible with most of the devices like HTC, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericson, Micromax etc.
• Android is an open source Mobile OS which has better flexibility and compatibility to many devices. This makes developers to create many free Apps for Android market
• Ease in Notification: Any SMS message, email, message from chat applications, update notified in the home screen
• Android is more cost effective and the licensing agreements are transparent and has lot of relaxations. This favors Android mobile companies to price their products far cheaper compared other OS like Symbian, iphone, Windows, RIM etc

Weaknesses in the SWOT analysis of Android

• Multimedia support for Android mobiles is less unlike Apple which has a centralized repository called itunes.
• As most of the apps are free, it has ads displayed either at the bottom or at the top of apps. This annoys the user and reduces the user delight.
• Most of the Android apps requires a constant internet connection to run
• Since Android OS is used by many mobile manufacturers it has to wait for compatibility test with those manufacturers before releasing upgraded version of its OS
• Android is always prone to external threats like malwares as it is developer friendly and source code can be manipulated

Opportunities in the SWOT analysis of Android

• Many mobile networks in US support Android, this was one of the reason for the heavy boost up in their sales
• Android market share has tremendously increased to 35 percent and it is expected to grow double the times in another 3 years
• Android OS is developer friendly which can result in development of advanced apps compared to other OS
• Better handset layouts, storage, connectivity, messaging, Multiple language support, web browser, Java support, Multi touch, tethering, screen capture are some of the highlights of Android
• Growth of developing countries in Asia and Africa is on the high, and hence it has triggered up sales of smart phones

Threats in the SWOT analysis of Android

• Android faces a tough threat from Apple’s iOS and any act of making iOS compatible to other devices will result in decline of Android’s market share
• There are substitutes in Mobile OS like Symbian, RIM, iOS, Windows etc
• Android is prone to security threats like malwares and viruses which can impasse the mobile
• The biggest threat for Android is downloading of apps from un trusted sites may lead the entire system to crash or affect few applications in the mobile phone
• Android’s cheaper enables installation in low cost mobile which affects the user status quotient compared to iphones, Symbian, RIM etc
• Recent threat to Android was from Trojan virus through SMS and another threat is from its Tap Snake game.