For me the best alternative is Kumulos www.kumulos.com it may not fit everyone, but its perfect for a business like ours (we build apps for enterprise clients www.waracle.net
Interesting article... I see this also. Especially where the app is in open use.. by that I mean on general release on appstores, We are however seeing the reverse with apps focused on enterprise mobility apps.. where the business can control what devices the app will run on... the total cost (app and hardware) is actually less where the app is running on hundreds of company android devices.
http://www.kumulos.com/2015/10/28/is-apple-losing-its-shine-...
We are seeing a swing away from iOS in favor of Android (and even Windows), largely driven by the total cost argument.