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Where is the mobile market now and what does it mean for Android or iOS parking management systems? Should you upgrade to a smart parking system using Android? Or should you optimize for an iOS parking enforcement solution, like ParkMobile? The remainder of this article, to be continued from last week in Part 1 of Android or Apple for Your Ticketing Software series, looks at reviews done on current smartphone and tablet market share and the factors that drive growth to help you make an informed decision between an Android or iOS parking solution. We all know what doesn’t work, as Blackberry became a working model for what not to do; but, is there a success story to be championed in this mêlée and should we be surprised at who the winner appears to be or, is this just history repeating itself? A recent article reports with a great deal of skepticism, on suggestions that Android is in its death throes. The article’s rebuttal suggests, and quite succinctly demonstrates that this is simply not the case, that Android is, in fact, taking market share from “everyone”. The piece goes on to break down market growth into  a few defining factors including Price, Existing Market Share,  Consumer Loyalty and Financials. Price Data indicates that, unshockingly, price is the primary factor for consumers when determining what type of smart device to purchase. Clearly the value for every dollar spent must match up. From a developer’s perspective, a combination of the market share and user base are key performance indicators that dictate whether or not to develop for a mobile platform. The race to woo developers has never been more fervently pursed than in Blackberry’s campaign pushing the Z10s new QNX platform, an affirmation that apps rule the roost and figure prominently in the equation for a successful smartphone or tablet maker.   Market share The tablet market is still Apple’s to claim as victor however Google’s steady market penetration is slowly closing that gap. Apple seems to have a knack for repeating history like the 1980s and 1990s Apple vs. PC wars which eventually saw its decline. Apple’s strength in product design, clairvoyance in terms of knowing what consumers desire before they even know they desire it and trendy marketing put Apple at the top of the heap. However, Apple also holds another title that seems to have become its Achilles’ heel: pricing. Apple products eventually lose luster as steep price points drive consumers to more affordable ‘good enough’ alternatives; a pattern very similar to the 1980s and 1990s that brought momentum to a crawl, threatens to repeat itself. According to Strategy Analytics Apple’s share has shrank from 64.5% to 56.7% while Android has leaped from 29.2% to 41.3% “Shipments of Android tablets surged to a new high in the third quarter of 2012, accounting for 41% of all tablets shipped. Neil Mawston, Strategy Analytics’ executive director, says that there’s no one Android tablet responsible for the surge, which is more due to a large influx of devices from a wide variety of vendors including Asus, Samsung and Nook.” Shipments of Apple’s iPad lineup, meanwhile, shrank to 57% of the market”. Apple may still hold the lion’s share of units shipped for the time-being but, increasingly consumers are hard pressed to find a reason to buy Apple. Brand loyalty can only go so far in competing with the wildly successfully Nexus 7. Even more alluring is the Nexus’ price point at $199 versus the iPad mini’s $329 price tag. The Nexus 7 is also rumored to go down to $150 and eventually, $99. Should Apple be concerned? Probably, but what is of even greater concern is the alarming rate at which Android has gained market share in the smartphone market! Having been referred to as a “sinking ship”,  Apple’s current situation on the smartphone front is less than rosy. Five years in and five and a half iOSs later, it is safe to say that the honeymoon is over and the iPhone simply does not hold the caché it once had. According to the IDC the Android OS was found on 3 out 4 smartphones being shipped in Q3 2012. “According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, total Android smartphone shipments worldwide reached 136.0 million units, accounting for 75.0% of the 181.1 million smartphones shipped in 3Q12. The 91.5% year-over-year growth was nearly double the overall market growth rate of 46.4%. Consumer loyalty Being familiar with an OS’s ecosystem plays a key factor in a consumer’s decision to stick with an OS. Something that would seem to work in Apple’s favor. Apps are another significant deciding factor in sticking with an OS. Google Play is gaining fast on the iTunes store and will eventually overtake it but currently, Apple apps generate 4x more profit. Financials Google’s stock would seem expensive at $828 dollars but it is, in fact, at a healthy average in terms of PEG ratio according to the average S&P 500 stock. Profits are nice and healthy, but the earnings growth could use improvement. Net income however, is very good at $10.56 billion. Total cash is $44.62 billion compared to $7.90 billion in debt. This might make investing in a smart parking system using Android an idea worth exploring. Apple Vs Google: Mirrored opposites in stock fluctuations Google’s strategy of creating ‘good enough’ cheaper smartphones and tablets seems to be working as evidenced by its booming climb in market share and stock prices. What’s more, the quality and user experience of Android products, some would argue, is as good if not superior to that of the aging iOS. However until very recently, lest we forget, Apple has held the title of most valuable company in world. That being said, one thing we can be assured of is Apple’s ability to reinvent itself and the market as it has done time and again. No matter your choice, upgrading to a system that leverages smart parking using smartphones – iOS or Android – is a cost-effective, winning idea that is sure to keep everyone happy.   > Related parking enforcement articles: Adoption of Android™ signals a new mobile trend in parking enforcement business applications Android or Apple for your ticketing software | how to choose: Part 1

Mobile mêlée | The mobile OS wars, where are we now when considering your next electronic parking ticket system? When considering your next ticketing system or an upgrade to an electronic parking ticket system from your current parking ticket software or traffic ticket system, choices abound! More parking tickets and traffic citations are being doled out from Android and Apple devices. With the effect of digital tickets on smart phone sales, it is becoming more relevant than ever to stay ahead of the curve on the rapidly changing landscape of this competitive digital market in what can only be deemed: The Mobile OS Wars! The following headlines read like eulogies for the beleaguered mobile tech giants, some former, some dwindling some still wielding power, albeit diminished. ❝ Death of the Android  Blackberry: The Rise & Fall of an Empire Microsoft Dethroned…for Good iOS Retro, Brings Back Worst of the 80s Mobile OS wars seem to be entering a new era. Announced in October 2012, the number of smartphone users has surpassed 1 billion. In August 2012, the smartphone and tablet market share surpassed the 50% threshold in the U.S. with Android and Apple grabbing 92% of the global market share. The market is starting to saturate and these once white hot products are now becoming commoditized leaving little for stragglers. Although, what can only be viewed as a courageous (or foolhardy) move in this brave new world, surprisingly, Mozilla’s plans to launch an OS have gotten off to a strong start. One of the most notable casualties of late of course is Blackberry, who, despite the launch of BB10, can only hope to at best, stabilize a near vertical plummet. Regardless of corporate rebranding, ditching the RIM moniker for the more globally known product brand Blackberry, a phoenix-like rebirth into anything other than a small niche oriented player, is about the only positive spin one can put on Blackberry’s, frankly depressing, decline. Even Apple has not been immune to dreary forecasts, post-Steve Jobs, suggesting that its zenith has also come and gone. Mobile market on fire while other markets get burned: The future of parking For the first time since 2001 PCs are experiencing a decline in sales and even laptops are increasingly taking a back seat. Tablets are redefining mobile as they become more powerful and convenient for personal and professional use. Companies who have built an empire on flagship products like the PC home computer or PC laptop are now being forced to cannibalize their market share capitulating to the demand for more mobile devices. Apple for example, is looking at new markets to help regain ground in sliding sales of the Macbook Pro, looking at ‘smart watches’ that would perform many of the functions of a smartphone. A study by Gartner corroborates what is likely to be an inevitable steady decline of the PC, especially with recent news of the failure of Windows 8 and new ultra thin “utrabooks” to slow PC user-base churn: “PC makers began the year with hope that a new wave of lightweight laptops called ultrabooks would provide a sales lift. But the ultrabooks haven’t been compelling enough to overcome the growing popularity of smartphones and tablet computers. Those mobile devices are reducing the need for consumers and businesses to buy new PCs or replace older ones…This transformation was triggered by the availability of compelling low-cost tablets in 2012, and will continue until the installed base of PCs declines to accommodate tablets as the primary consumption device”. Where is the mobile market now? The remainder of this article, to be continued next week, looks at reviews done on current smartphone and tablet market share and the factors that drive growth. We all know what doesn’t work, as Blackberry became a working model for what not to do; but, is there a success story to be championed in this mêlée and should we be surprised at who the winner appears to be or, is this just history repeating itself? hbspt.cta.load(154767, 'b53991d9-29eb-4b71-83f9-9b0970e73de5', {}); > Related Parking Enforcement Articles: Adoption of Android™ Signals A New Mobile Trend in Parking Enforcement Business Applications Android or Apple for your traffic ticketing system | how to choose: Part 2

The impact of license plate recognition (LPR) Technology on eChalking “Proven performance of vehicle mounted LPR camera systems are showing statistics of 4000 vehicle plates scanned in an enforcement work shift. It would take roughly 20 on-foot officers in the same period of time to enforce time limit zones as a single LPR vehicle.” Many managers today are asked to do more with less. Mobile License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology revolutionized eChalking practices and performance improving efficiency, lowering cost and, increasing revenues. Given a conservative estimate of 400 working minutes in an enforcement day and given that a parking officer on foot does more than just chalking, it is reasonable to say that an officer spending half a day on eChalking will mark 200 vehicles in a day at 1 vehicle per minute. Combined LPR digital chalking is even more efficient. Proven performance of vehicle mounted LPR camera systems are showing statistics of 4000 vehicle plates scanned in a work shift, greatly speeding up the parking enforcement process.  It would take roughly 20 on-foot officers in the same period of time to enforce time limit zones as a single LPR vehicle. In addition to performance, there is the added value of vehicle and license plate images captured and stored as well as GPS coordinates converted to civic addresses to mark the location of the parked vehicle. Further, evidence displaying the violation is also made available to the parker on web portals deterring potential requests for a hearing. Should a parking ticket be challenged, adjudicators have web access to the LPR event data including images of each observation, and GPS coordinates with GIS mapped addresses of the location at which the citation was issued. The impact of license plate recognition on city ordinances City Administrators must consider reshaping parking ordinances created in an era prior to the advent of handheld computers and License Plate Recognition cameras.  As much as technology needs to support the law, lawmakers must also consider the efficiency of such technology as an LPR digital chalking combination. “As much as technology needs to support the law, lawmakers must also consider the efficiency of technology.” The need to prove a vehicle has not moved from the parking space goes back to the chalk mark on the tire. Time limit zones were used to encourage turnover of parking in spaces provided for a merchant’s customers.  Chalking the tire, either through a captured image or drawing a chalk mark on a tire, implies the need to prove that the vehicle might have moved and returned to the same parking space.   However, the need for chalking for these purposes has far outlived its utility. As technology evolves and populations grow, we are seeing a change in ordinance that does not allow the vehicle to park on the same city block for more than the designated time limit or re-park on the same block, the same day.  Promoting circulation helps sustain commerce and support local economy. GPS tracking and standard digital photos captured by License Plate Recognition cameras are the only evidence needed.  This type of ordinance, education of the public, and increased enforcement with LPR efficiency ensures the turnover of those short-term parking spaces and the continued growth and prosperity integral to the social and economic fabric of the city. Simultaneous enforcement processes – the added value of license plate recognition LPR technology uses span well beyond chalking. LPR is a force multiplier, creating many benefits when applied with time limits to the parking enforcement process: Hotlist        Stolen vehicle        Vehicles of interest (ex: homeland security)        Scofflaws (outstanding fines)        No registration (could be dispatched to police) White list        Permit enforcement        Pay by plate enforcement        Pay by Phone enforcement The license plate is the unique identifier for all parking enforcement processes – the barcode of parking. Using it effectively not only increases enforcement performance but also helps in the organization of all data applied to enforcement, fine collections, and adjudication. Essentially, the bar code acts as a means for keeping tight control over data inventory tied to vehicle plate numbers. Parking agencies today must think outside the box and see ways to share information with other agencies like homeland security and police such as covert alerts of wanted vehicles without putting the parking officer in danger and without distracting the parking officer from the parking beat.  There is still unexplored value in the investment of many LPR technology uses and the license plate as a barcode within the parking enforcement process, which represents to cities an opportunity for a new beginning.  

It actually started in the mid 30’s in Oklahoma. Yes, it was the creation of the parking meter. The parking meter encouraged short term parking for the customers of local store merchants. Prior to that, on-street parking spaces were being used by employees for daily parking. There was no turnover of on-street spaces for a store merchant’s paying customers. “Turnover” is the key to parking management. The term “turnover” means the number of times a parking space is used throughout the day. The more the space is turned over, the better utilization of that space. Today, turnover of on-street parking spaces is critical to the survival of merchant businesses located in a city core. The time limit zone On street parking spaces in time delimited zones are another method of encouraging turnover of parking spaces typically regulated by posted signs allowing the parker to stay within a space for a set period of time. Governmental agencies use this method as a way of controlling on-street parking. Some cities use the time limit zone in lieu of the capital expenditure of buying parking meters. Time restriction can vary from as little as a fifteen minutes for a loading zone to as high as four hours perhaps, near a movie theatre or large department store. Each agency sets up its restricted zone based on the particular need of that block in order to provide the maximum turnover for those spaces. For example, a bank will need a shorter time zone than a restaurant. Traditional chalking Overall, the effect of chalking on parking system management, and vehicle turnover, is a good one. However, many cities today still apply chalking in the same way as years past, by actually chalking the tire along the street with a piece of white chalk. The on-foot parking officer would mark a small line with white chalk on the rear tire at a particular spot. The plate number and the time of day would be recorded on paper. Once the officer completed marking his/her beat of time limit zones, that footprint is retraced to begin what is known as ‘picking up your marks’. In order to determine whether or not to issue a parking ticket, the officer would verify a list of plate numbers that were past the allocated time and check for the chalk mark to confirm that the vehicle did not leave that space. An ordinance might typically state that a car move within a given time limit. This could mean that the car only has to move an inch. A loop hole such as this means that the vehicle owner would simply have to make sure the chalk mark on the road and the tire did not match. eChalking using the handheld computer The advent of mobile computers for ticket issuance provided a new method of time limit marking. A new word appeared in the industry – eChalking or Electronic Chalking. The handheld provided an input screen to record a plate number, location (address) and possibly additional fields. The system would automatically time and user stamp the eChalk. In most cities, the need to mark a tire was eliminated. The handheld also provided a new key component – an alert! If a plate was re-entered, the handheld software would alert the officer that the vehicle was already eChalked, where, and when. The officer would make the decision based on current location if the vehicle was still within the time limit zone or whether to consider this eChalk as a new record. Some manual processes were argued to be quicker than the handheld but the benefits became evident once an digital record of electronic chalking's history was available to the parking enforcement officer and manager for reporting and, to the courts for adjudication. The officer’s word now included the availability of electronically captured information as a significant step forward in terms of adjudicative evidence and the reduction in the number of requests for adjudicative hearings.       Related articles: Parking management systems: A history of eChalking | Part 2