Sharing Economy, Platforms and Crowds
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Paper Type
Complete
Paper Number
1433
Description
Mobile platforms such as iOS and Android connect device manufacturers, mobile apps, and users with operating systems (OS). To provide better services to users, the platforms continuously introduce new OS versions. However, the adoption of OS updates is slow on the Android platform due to its nature of openness, resulting in a problem of Android fragmentation. In this work, we construct an analytical model to examine the challenges of app developers under the fragmentation problem. We find a reason why not all apps are updated to a new OS version; although more users and lower cost bring more profit, they do not always make mobile apps better off in the addressing of the fragmentation issue because of higher competitive pressures. We also discuss strategies that the platform can use to alleviate this issue. Our results provide practical insights to both app developers and the platform on how to deal with OS fragmentation.
Recommended Citation
Wu, Xi; Kumar, Subodha; and Pang, Min-Seok, "Tackling Android Fragmentation: Mobile Apps’ Dilemma and the Platform’s Strategies" (2020). ICIS 2020 Proceedings. 4.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2020/sharing_economy/sharing_economy/4
Tackling Android Fragmentation: Mobile Apps’ Dilemma and the Platform’s Strategies
Mobile platforms such as iOS and Android connect device manufacturers, mobile apps, and users with operating systems (OS). To provide better services to users, the platforms continuously introduce new OS versions. However, the adoption of OS updates is slow on the Android platform due to its nature of openness, resulting in a problem of Android fragmentation. In this work, we construct an analytical model to examine the challenges of app developers under the fragmentation problem. We find a reason why not all apps are updated to a new OS version; although more users and lower cost bring more profit, they do not always make mobile apps better off in the addressing of the fragmentation issue because of higher competitive pressures. We also discuss strategies that the platform can use to alleviate this issue. Our results provide practical insights to both app developers and the platform on how to deal with OS fragmentation.
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