Before you read
If you have a smartphone, what do you know or like about its operating system?
What do you know about the competition between Android and iOS?
That figure lags a little behind the number of iOS apps in the App Store — which, according to Apple, currently rests at about 500,000. Google also said that the Android Market sees 1 billion downloads every month and that 850,000 Android devices that are activated every day, this makes a current total to 300 million worldwide.
So, how impressive are those numbers? At three times growth over the course of one year it is no small feat. However, Android dominates iOS when it comes to smartphone market share, with Android making up 46.9% of the market compared to Apple’s 28.7%.
Even though Android has an advantage in market share, developers still find Apple’s App Store more appealing than Google’s Android Market. Why is that? It has a lot to do with money.
Simply put, iOS users are more willing to spend money on apps than Android users. The Android Market shows a much higher percentage of free apps than the App Store, and in order to make a profit in a market where users expect things for free, developers end up having to charge more for their paid apps.
A survey by Canalys; a market research firm, showed that the top 100 paid apps for Android cost, on average, 2.5 times the amount of the top 100 paid apps for iOS. A full 82% of iOS paid apps cost only 99 cents, compared to only 22% of Android paid apps. Yes, reaching 450,000 apps is a great milestone, but actually making money off them would be even more impressive.
Guessing meaning from context
Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. The answers are below the table.
|
boast |
A |
1 |
Behind, slow, coming behind or 2nd in a race |
|
accrued |
B |
2 |
Something difficult to achieve, not a small achievement |
|
lags |
C |
3 |
Has more power than something else, much stronger and more control |
|
activated |
D |
4 |
To begin, start up |
|
over the course of |
E |
5 |
To say proudly, something that is obviously much bigger |
|
no small feat |
F |
6 |
An achievement |
|
dominates |
G |
7 |
During a period of time |
|
milestone |
H |
8 |
To collect together, to save |
A=5, B=8, C=1, D=4, E=7, F=2, G=3, H=6,
Some example sentences using the new words to help you to better understand their meaning.
1. Jeju Island boasts the best scenery in Korea.
2. Over the course of 3 years the bank has accrued a lot of new customers
3. LG lags behind Samsung in the development of new smartphones.
4. After you get a new credit card, you need to call the card company to activate it so you can use it.
5. Korea’s development since the 1950s is no small feat.
6. Samsung dominates the electronics market in Korea.
7. Our company has reached a milestone this year by getting one million customers.
Some discussion questions using the new words to help you better understand the word meaning and how to use them correctly. Try to use the words in your answer.
1. What could Android boast about this year?
2. Why is Android’s accruing of this many new users no small feat?
3. Why do you think other operating systems like Microsoft lag behind iOS and Android?
4. Why are so many new Android users activating every day?
5. Over the course of the next 5 years, what do you think will happen in this market? Do you think Android and iOS will continue to dominate? Why?
6. Describe a milestone in your life.
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