CNN Money is spreading a little FUD about Motorola's Droid phone. Sure wish they'd read this article. They quote some guy as saying "The problem with Android phones is this: How do you gain a competitive advantage when you rely on somebody else for a key piece of the system? (...) Every successful smartphone vendor controls the hardware and software." #android20
@ninjagin: Oh mother of crap....I am through the first paragraph of that article and my stomach is already churning.
Rule number 1 in movie quotes: You absolutely do not EVER mention the movie they're from directly. If your audience won't get it, just let it be your own joke to yourself, or don't bother at all. Gah! Philistines, I swear. #android20
Android vs Symbian vs iPhone OS vs Windows Mobile vs Blackberry OS vs DangerOS vs Web OS... then the boring ones: LiMo, etc. Gonna be a fun 10 years. #android20
Google seems to have adopted the complete opposite of Apple's strategy for iPhone OS, where features like video recording and MMS are held back until the experience is refined. Google is just as Beta-happy as always, letting features and functionality out to debug and evolve in the hands of the public.
Both of these approaches have distinct advantages, and both will appeal to different markets. Google will continue to push Android onto every phone, netbook, photo frame, and toaster that it can, and Apple will continue will continue to stubbornly maintain a closed hardware and development ecosystem, just as they always have with Mac. At the end of the day, Apple shouldn't be worried about Android, but virtually everyone else most certainly should. #android20
@lolbrbnvm: Google will continue to push Android onto every phone, netbook, photo frame, and toaster that it can,
Google doesn't have to push, it just provides. How Google spent anything advertising Android? Some photo frame maker chooses Android, makes it work on their devices, and sells them. It contributes any source code changes it makes so that when Android 2.x comes out it has less work to do. The base software becomes a shared common level playing field that permits (but doesn't guarantee) more innovation than Apple's and Microsoft's controlled gardens. That's the magic of open source, when it works. #android20
you sure put lots of hope in the android, predicting the future like this. Sure, it has the potential to be huge, but it (as all those shiny things hapening tomorrow) is not certain what WILL happen. Who knows what other companies are cooking, outside US specially? #android20
@Davi Viana: The fact that Android is already on dozens of devices now (not just phones) is why John is confident making his assessment. Android has proven itself to be cheap, easy to implement, powerful, versatile, and hardware independent. No other current phone OS can make the same claims. Android isn't just a new phone OS, it's a sea-change in the way devices are implementing OS features for broad compatibility. #android20
@met2art: Yes, sure, i agree with you. but when you deal with tomorrow-ish issues, a few "may happen" in your claims wont hurt. Its just a matter of tendency vs. prophecy - or, some might say, scientific writing. #android20
With handsets being developed by multiple manufacturers, Android will find itself in all different kinds of form factors (flip, slider, so-durable-you-can-run-it-over-in-a-jeep... candybar). This gives Android a mass appeal that I doubt Apple will be able to match. The iPhone may get smaller over time, but methinks that form factor is here to stay.
Of course, while my fellow cell phone nerds and I are enraptured by the Apple v Android battle, Google will have completed their quest for global domination.
Great article John. Thanks for explaining the nuances of Google's proprietary apps using multitouch as an example. That would have driven me crazy. #android20
why couldn't u drop this article yesterday to back me comments on the 2.0 review. oh well, better late than never. (consequently, still waiting for this craigslist ho who said she was coming over 3 hours ago(been up all night), so im hoping "better late than never" truly applies (until noon or i fall asleep) that is)... Rant - rant- rant... #android20
Lots of words, but not the most important ones. Those would be, "Android is merely a set of tools that can be randomly applied to many different hardware devices," which is both the power and doom of Android. With no consistent hardware target, Android will never attract the degree of mainstream commercial developer support to create a truly ubiquitous new platform. Period. Everything else said here to the contrary is just fantasy-inspired nonsense.
@jack006: Exactly. Just look at the PC, with its heterogenous hardware and lack of central control and standardization. What a complete flop that was. #android20
Hell of an article, John. Thanks for enlightening this previously Android-ignorant soul. I got this tingling sensation all over when I finished reading. I think it may be the initial infection, beginning the incubation period... #android20
I can see Android dominating as long as it remains simple and consistent and doesn't splinter into a hundred different builds, like happens to so many Open Source products.
However, just the first few paragraphs of the article explain why multitouch is here but not there, and why Nav is in one country but not another, Why third party builds can't include apps, etc. Show exactly that Adroid is starting to splinter and lead to confusion.
People want to know what they are getting and know what experience to expect. They don't want to worry about whether this is the android with Turn by Turn navigation or not.
This is a significant part of the reason that Linux is not being adopted in large numbers. To the outside world they call it Linux, but to a Linux geek, it is all about which build is better, and which one has what they need.
This, besides the slick UI, is why the iPhone is dominating. I just can't see that cohesive environment from Android. Even Winmo has a better chance of that if 7 is more usable.
This all reminds me of when Sun was touting Java as the miracle language. Everything will run Java, it will be universally compatible and wonderful. Unicorns and rainbows. Instead we ended up with 20 different bloated, slow, Java versions that don't play nice together on the same platform let alone cross platform.
It's funny how much I agree with this article, even though I'm an Apple fanboy....Apple is soooooooo fucked. I see this as a chess game, and Apple truly has no way to get its king out of the check its about to be put into. #android20
@TheSonOfKrypton: Apple in the phone market will be like Apple in on personal computers. It will never dominate but it will continue to exist because of it's polished experiences based on their closed products. When the hardware is only going to be seen on a limited amount of configurations you can afford to take risks with the software others can not because you only have to develop for a small amount of hardware versus how Microsoft and Google have to develop.
@Maori_Yelir: I totally see your point Maori, but because of the iPod's popularity I think the iPhone will constantly be a top contender in the smartphone realm.
Apple knows Android will not sit still and will of course launch a much better phone next year that blows 3GS out of the water.
Because honestly if they don't, Android will leave them in the dust. #android20
@NaeemTHM: It's just like Windows though. Hardware diversity will force Apple out of the top spot. The iPhone is on one carrier. Android is on all of them. It's a bigger market that's open to all who wish to join in unlike the iPhone OS. I am not discounting the iPhone's importance by any means but they will not be the top spot.
iPods are a different matter entirely. Anyone can buy an iPod. Phones, however, are tied to networks and some people are locked into contracts or can't stand the network that the iPhone is on. Unless the iPhone can match Android phones offers (And it never will) Android is going to beat it's marketshare, but this does not mean it's going to destroy the iPhone just like Mac's not being the top PC OS does not mean they don't matter. Apple's strategy has never been marketshare, Google and Microsoft on the other hand focus on it almost specifically.
@TheSonOfKrypton: If Apple can get out of it's contract with AT&T, you can bet that its market share will likely double. That being said I love that Apple and Google are in competition for the best phone OS, this can only mean good things for consumers. #android20
@NiftyPixel: Not necessarily ALL consumers. I've sunk alot of money into my iPhone apps, with the most expensive being Navigon and Netter's Anatomy. At this point, it is in my best interest that the iPhone becomes the prevalent phone and doesn't disappear in the next few years. #android20
@TheSonOfKrypton: Apple isn't trying to compete with Android. Android is like Windows, in that it works with multiple hardware vendors, is highly customizable, and runs open-source apps. Apple is actually pretty comfortable having a closed-ecosystem device, with user experience put above all else. Just like Mac has never been exinguished by Windows (however close it may have come), the iPhone and iPod will continue to be a dominant force, and most likely a leading innovator.
@NiftyPixel: I don't really have too much power in believing non-exclusivity will bolster marketshare.
If you notice...many people have left their carriers or chosen ATT just for that phone. It's just like normal Apple products. It has huge spikes...everyone buys ones. But that's it...when everyone gets one...there's normally not anymore who wants to buy none. It's just now happening with the iPod line. Saturation is being reached.
I believe Apple will become a big'ger' player in the phone game. Probably overtaking BB in awhile (maybe). But this won't be a repeat of their iPod monopolization of the MP3 market. I give them and Android a 2nd or 3rd place after all is said and done with the marketshares. #android20
@TheSonOfKrypton: By good for consumers I meant that the competition will drive more innovation.. When Apple released the original iPhone it was way ahead of everything else, all the other manufacturers had to step up their game. I don't think Apple really needs competition to innovate, but it will certainly keep them on their toes. #android20
Apple will be crushed my Android simply because of the fact that it will be everywhere. And it becomes game over if "featurephones" start using it as a base OS with a few widgets here and there (no real apps).
And when you have more developers on the Android platform, that's when Apple starts having it's floor clocked. Apple is showcasing its phone as a "premium" phone. It's going to repeat the mistake that it had against Microsoft in the 90s. High profits for sure, but it won't be everywhere like Windows is. #android20
@thatsmrpotatohead2U: You have a puzzlingly small definition of "everywhere".
Product placement on every crime drama and sitcom =/= everywhere. In the hands of every 20-something with a job (or parents) =/= everywhere. Being a popular handset on only one of the many major carriers in the US =/= everywhere.
When your OS is the core running behind integrated gadgets at every level, then you're getting somewhere. As an example: you ever been to Wal-Mart and seen those devices they use to scan your cart when something in your cart sets off an alarm? That runs Windows. The machines controlling the displays in Times Square? Those run Windows. ATM machines, airline kiosks, those fancy new coke machines that let you mix flavors, sorta. Those devices make up "everywhere".
And as this article points out, Android is set to start invading "everywhere". Netbooks, MP3 players, photo frames, desktop phone sets. Wouldn't be surprised to see it in medical monitoring devices, or even finding some military applications.
When it comes to software, ubiquity is king. And as much ground as the iPhone covers, it is a major player in only one arena with a few peripheral pet projects. Android is a major player in many arenas. #android20
@OCEntertainment: In a sense you're right, I do have a small definition of everywhere, I mean on mobile devices. but if you think that iPhone OS is after all a stripped down version of OS X, its reach isn't bad for an OS that only exists on one (brand of) hardware platform.
But *sigh* I wasnt meaning to suggest *sorry Mr Android* that Android isn't going to be everywhere. It just isnt going to eat Apple IMO. #android20
Honestly, the issue probably wouldn't have been brought up except....well....that's kinda what this article is about. :-P
You're right that Android won't eat the iPhone. For starters, it would taste disgusting. But it's also incredibly powerful, and moreover, prettier. And as long as there are people who want Apple's style and function, they'll continue to live on. Much like how, as long as there's people who still want physical keyboards, there's a portion of the market that the iPhone will never get. #android20
@tande04: I do agree with it all, im not debating that iPhone is everywhere, just stating that the platform growth of the iphone/ipod touch OS has been masive and in those 2 markets is huge. For the record i have a G1 :) #android20
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"Jabba the Hut like competition"
what does that even mean? #android20
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Rule number 1 in movie quotes: You absolutely do not EVER mention the movie they're from directly. If your audience won't get it, just let it be your own joke to yourself, or don't bother at all. Gah! Philistines, I swear. #android20
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Both of these approaches have distinct advantages, and both will appeal to different markets. Google will continue to push Android onto every phone, netbook, photo frame, and toaster that it can, and Apple will continue will continue to stubbornly maintain a closed hardware and development ecosystem, just as they always have with Mac. At the end of the day, Apple shouldn't be worried about Android, but virtually everyone else most certainly should. #android20
11/06/09
Google doesn't have to push, it just provides. How Google spent anything advertising Android? Some photo frame maker chooses Android, makes it work on their devices, and sells them. It contributes any source code changes it makes so that when Android 2.x comes out it has less work to do. The base software becomes a shared common level playing field that permits (but doesn't guarantee) more innovation than Apple's and Microsoft's controlled gardens. That's the magic of open source, when it works. #android20
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Of course, while my fellow cell phone nerds and I are enraptured by the Apple v Android battle, Google will have completed their quest for global domination.
Great article John. Thanks for explaining the nuances of Google's proprietary apps using multitouch as an example. That would have driven me crazy. #android20
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Stay classy Cincinnati, stay classy.
Hopefully she runs Android. #android20
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...Here's hoping you've got a womb, anyways. Otherwise this is gonna get...err....messy. #android20
11/05/09
However, just the first few paragraphs of the article explain why multitouch is here but not there, and why Nav is in one country but not another, Why third party builds can't include apps, etc. Show exactly that Adroid is starting to splinter and lead to confusion.
People want to know what they are getting and know what experience to expect. They don't want to worry about whether this is the android with Turn by Turn navigation or not.
This is a significant part of the reason that Linux is not being adopted in large numbers. To the outside world they call it Linux, but to a Linux geek, it is all about which build is better, and which one has what they need.
This, besides the slick UI, is why the iPhone is dominating. I just can't see that cohesive environment from Android. Even Winmo has a better chance of that if 7 is more usable.
This all reminds me of when Sun was touting Java as the miracle language. Everything will run Java, it will be universally compatible and wonderful. Unicorns and rainbows. Instead we ended up with 20 different bloated, slow, Java versions that don't play nice together on the same platform let alone cross platform.
Call me an Android skeptic for now...
The geek in me still wants one though
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Fritter? #android20
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Apple knows Android will not sit still and will of course launch a much better phone next year that blows 3GS out of the water.
Because honestly if they don't, Android will leave them in the dust. #android20
11/05/09
iPods are a different matter entirely. Anyone can buy an iPod. Phones, however, are tied to networks and some people are locked into contracts or can't stand the network that the iPhone is on. Unless the iPhone can match Android phones offers (And it never will) Android is going to beat it's marketshare, but this does not mean it's going to destroy the iPhone just like Mac's not being the top PC OS does not mean they don't matter. Apple's strategy has never been marketshare, Google and Microsoft on the other hand focus on it almost specifically.
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You sir, are no Apple fanboy. #android20
11/05/09
If you notice...many people have left their carriers or chosen ATT just for that phone. It's just like normal Apple products. It has huge spikes...everyone buys ones. But that's it...when everyone gets one...there's normally not anymore who wants to buy none. It's just now happening with the iPod line. Saturation is being reached.
I believe Apple will become a big'ger' player in the phone game. Probably overtaking BB in awhile (maybe). But this won't be a repeat of their iPod monopolization of the MP3 market. I give them and Android a 2nd or 3rd place after all is said and done with the marketshares. #android20
11/05/09
11/05/09
And when you have more developers on the Android platform, that's when Apple starts having it's floor clocked. Apple is showcasing its phone as a "premium" phone. It's going to repeat the mistake that it had against Microsoft in the 90s. High profits for sure, but it won't be everywhere like Windows is. #android20
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
Product placement on every crime drama and sitcom =/= everywhere. In the hands of every 20-something with a job (or parents) =/= everywhere. Being a popular handset on only one of the many major carriers in the US =/= everywhere.
When your OS is the core running behind integrated gadgets at every level, then you're getting somewhere. As an example: you ever been to Wal-Mart and seen those devices they use to scan your cart when something in your cart sets off an alarm? That runs Windows. The machines controlling the displays in Times Square? Those run Windows. ATM machines, airline kiosks, those fancy new coke machines that let you mix flavors, sorta. Those devices make up "everywhere".
And as this article points out, Android is set to start invading "everywhere". Netbooks, MP3 players, photo frames, desktop phone sets. Wouldn't be surprised to see it in medical monitoring devices, or even finding some military applications.
When it comes to software, ubiquity is king. And as much ground as the iPhone covers, it is a major player in only one arena with a few peripheral pet projects. Android is a major player in many arenas. #android20
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Sorry one phone, 3 carriers, still != everywhere. #android20
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But *sigh* I wasnt meaning to suggest *sorry Mr Android* that Android isn't going to be everywhere. It just isnt going to eat Apple IMO. #android20
11/05/09
Honestly, the issue probably wouldn't have been brought up except....well....that's kinda what this article is about. :-P
You're right that Android won't eat the iPhone. For starters, it would taste disgusting. But it's also incredibly powerful, and moreover, prettier. And as long as there are people who want Apple's style and function, they'll continue to live on. Much like how, as long as there's people who still want physical keyboards, there's a portion of the market that the iPhone will never get. #android20
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