Is Android in danger of spectacular failure?
- September 8th, 2008
- 3 Comments
“It ain’t no iPhone.” The words of a Yankee Group analyst, words that have to worry Google a little bit.
Word on the street, echoed by the Financial Times, is that the first Android phones will, shall we say, fail to impress. A combination of developer apathy and Google’s own mismanagement seems to be dragging the whole Android project through the mud. Buggy software surely doesn’t help.
Some analysts are also worried about the business model as a whole, with a whole host of different companies developing phones rather than Google developing everything in-house à la Apple and the iPhone 3G.
Have we seen any “good” press about Android recently? Everything I’ve seen is that, heck, she’s no iPhone, and there ain’t a thing Google can do about that.
EJ (Who am I?)
2 months ago
Whatever its shortcomings, it’s often understated that the iPhone - and the underlying OS that’s been in development for nearly a decade - is an amazing feat of software engineering. It’s not a given that anyone, even Google, will be able to quickly duplicate it and match it in quality like competitors did with the Razr.
Nick (Who am I?)
2 months ago
It’s funny how people are giving their opinions about a phone and OS that have not even hit the market yet. Android will have it’s bugs. HTC’s Dream isn’t the prettiest phone ever, but they are creatign a new breed of phones, not one Google phones. If google designed the phone and sold it, it would take them years to acheive significant market share. By offering the OS for free to phone makers, Android will be available on phones from everyone’s favorit phone makers and for a price that will not shock the world.
http://htcsource.com
J Rob (Who am I?)
2 months ago
Android doesn’t have to compete with the iPhone at this stage of the game. Even if Android WERE to show some real innovation beyond the iPhone, how many iPhone users would switch from AT&T to T-mobile for the privilege of using an Android device?
Android has to show that it is competent on it’s own, winning it’s own cadre of supporters, and then rise to the task when the FCC allows Google’s “Free The Airwaves” white space broadband initiative through. Then we’ll have the potential for some real wireless competition.
What if Google finds a way to provide a combined voice and data plan for $30/month using white space radio, subsidized by Ad Sense revenue and running only on Android devices? How many developers would show up to the party at that point?
It makes me giddy just thinking about it . . .