Android Owns the Smartphone Market, But Are Lawyers Buying In?

Seven out of ten smartphones sold today are Android-based. It's strength in numbers: Google, Samsung, LG, Motorola, HTC, and probably a few dozen other companies all make Android phones, versus iPhones, which are made by, well, Apple.

Apple may have taken smartphones from boring BlackBerries to full-blown computer substitutes, but it's Android that is dominating the market by flooding the high-end, middle range, low-end, big-screen, little-screen, and everything-in-between ranges with devices.

With such dominance in the wider market, you might be wondering: are lawyers (besides The Droid Lawyer) following the trend?

MyCase Makes a Pretty Infographic

Seriously, because everyone likes a well done infographic, go on, check it out. We'll wait.

Here are a few of the more interesting findings:

• Apple has 62 percent of the lawyer-smartphone market, versus 22 percent for Android, and 16 percent for everyone else;
• Only 9 percent of lawyers use an Android tablet. (Android has 62 percent of the tablet market, versus 36 percent for Apple.)
• Fourteen percent of lawyers are still clinging to their BlackBerries.

The numbers look good for Apple, and represent a bump from MyCase's report from last year, when iPhones had 49 percent of the market, Android had 17 percent, and 31 percent were still QWERTYing away on their CrackBerries.

The findings from a Clio report from earlier this year were even more pro-Apple, with Apple taking 74 percent of the market in that survey.

Android is Second Fiddle -- Why?

A few years ago, I was talking tech toys with coworkers at our firm, and proudly proclaimed that my three-year-old iPhone was awesome because the Fastcase app was available for iPhone, but not Android. (It's on both now, thankfully.) Of course, a few years ago, Apple had a much larger share of the overall market.

How about now? Though many major apps are ecosystem-agnostic (WestLaw, Fastcase, and now MyCase), Apple still gets the best stuff first. If any of my lawyer friends ask about whether to go Android or Apple, my first suggestion is to check the apps they'll need for work, then go Apple if they use a Mac. Otherwise, go Android, since it's cheaper and I can provide tech support.

It's chicken and egg. While the wider app market isn't as Apple-first as it used to be (mostly because, as noted above, Android has flooded the market), when it comes to law-related apps, lawyers go iPhone for the apps, and the apps go iPhone because of the lawyers. There is an opportunity, however, for companies that pay attention to the larger trends (Android is gaining) and push law-related apps to fill the gap.

Droid or iPhone? Did something sway you besides app selection? Tweet your thoughts to @FindLawLP.

Related Resources:

• Three Viable Alternatives to iOS and Android (FindLaw's Technologist Blog)
• Let's Reinvent the Court Opinion: 4 Ideas (FindLaw's Technologist Blog)
• What Are the Most Important Features for Smartphone Buyers? (FindLaw's Technologist Blog)