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Android purists will tell you there’s no finer sight than Google’s mobile OS free of pesky manufacturer tweaks — and that there’s no better phone than a Google Nexus.
But are they right? Well, that’s up for debate. One thing the Android hardcore certainly are not is in the majority though.
Proof, if proof were needed, that pure, unskinned Android is an acquired taste has emerged from court filings in the legal battle between Samsung and Apple currently ongoing in a Californian district court.
AllThingsD reports that documents filed by Samsung’s lawyers this week reveal the South Korean giant sold 21.25 million phones and 1.4m Galaxy Tab and Tab 10.1 devices in the US between June 2010 and June 2012.
Out of that total of 21.25 million phones, Samsung flogged around 512,000 Nexus S 4G phones. This compares to about 4.1m units of the various US carrier iterations of just one of Samsung’s TouchWiz-clad devices — specifically the Galaxy S2.
So that’s quite a big vote of confidence in Samsung’s Android wrapper, and not so much love for naked Android.
The court filings also shine a light on how much revenue Samsung’s US device sales are raking into its coffers — with phone sales generating $7.5bn, and tablet sales earning it a rather paltry $644m.
The legal battle between the two tech titans also shines a light onto Apple’s US sales figures. AllThingsD reports that court filings reveal the fruit-flavoured one sold a total of 85m iPhones in the US since its 2007 launch, along with 34m iPads.
Despite only selling one model of smart phone that’s updated yearly, Apple’s US phone sales have seen it rake in a whopping $50bn in revenue since 2007 — well over five times Samsung’s phone-related takings over this period — while US iPad sales have earned Apple a cool $19bn.
Are you an Android connoisseur who likes your ‘droid fix straight up, sans rocks, sans anything? Or do you like Android blended to perfection with a tasty mixer — such as TouchWiz or HTC’s Sense topper? Let me know by posting a comment below or shake your way over to our Facebook page.
