With the WWDC and I/O 2014 conferences behind us, I wanted to reflect on where Google and Apple are in terms of current market share of existing products and where each company is heading in terms of product development.

While Microsoft still owns the majority of the OS market on the desktop, and Apple owns the majority of market share for the OS and browser on the tablet, Google is leading in the smartphone OS, browser (on mobile and desktop), and search engine (on mobile, tablet, and desktop) markets. According to IDC, Google’s reach in the smartphone OS market is expected to climb to 80% this year!

Global Market Share – OS, Browser, and Search

Product                             Google          Apple        Microsoft

OS (mobile)                          50.2%             23.4%              2.3%
OS (tablet)                            24.7%              72%                <1%
OS (desktop)                        < 1%                  9%                72.3%
Browser (mobile)               41.4%               21.3%            < 1%
Browser (tablet)                 26.7%              67.1%             < 1%
Browser (desktop)             47.7%              23.4%               5%
Search Engine (mobile)    94.4%             <1%                   1%
Search Engine (tablet)      89.3%             <1%                   5%
Search Engine (desktop)  88%                <1%                   4%

Next, I would like to review key strategic investments planned on both companies’ product roadmaps  (as announced at the WWDC 2014 and I/O 2014 conferences) and take a look at high-level product capabilities.

2014 Product Announcement Highlights

• Health and Fitness Apps and Consumer Wearables

Both Google and Apple are bringing health apps to consumer wearable devices, via Google’s Google Fit and Apple’s Health Kit.  The apps will enable tracking and measuring of health and fitness-related statistics (such as glucose levels, fitness goals, calories burned, etc) as well as aggregation of one’s health data across multiple devices.

• Auto Infotainment

While Apple is bringing iOS into the car via CarPlay, Google recently showcased their solution, Android Auto, at the I/O 2014 conference. Both CarPlay and Android Auto are powered by a (connected) smartphone. Both feature voice capabilities which enable consumers to use voice to interact with the system, reducing driver distraction. Both systems will support similar functionality including getting directions, making phone calls, sending and receiving messages, and playing music.

• Home Automation

Both companies are moving into the home automation market, via Apple’s HomeKit and Google’s Nest solutions. Both enable consumers to control a variety of connected, smart devices in their home, remotely. This will enable scenarios in which devices (such as lights) may be turned on automatically as a user returns home or the thermostat may be adjusted automatically to a user’s desired temperature settings, based upon ‘learned’ user preferences.

• TV

Both Apple and Google are competing for dominance in the home, via the Apple TV and Android TV, respectively. Both support streaming of media from popular third party providers such as Netflix and Hulu.  While Android TV is integrated with Google Play TV & Movies, Apple TV is integrated with iTunes; in both cases, consumers have the ability to access purchased content.   Both also support mirroring of content from a supported smartphone or tablet onto the TV. Unlike Apple TV,  Android TV also features voice search capabilities, thanks to integration with Google voice, enabling searching for content by name or keyword using voice.

Google vs. Apple

In summary, both Google and Apple are diversifying their product offerings, broadening their product portfolios and expanding their reach in the consumer market.  It’s clear that in the months and years ahead, the competition between these two market leaders will intensify, particularly as both set out to capture market share in home automation, TV, auto infotainment, and health and fitness applications.