Apple is great at developing products that capture the imagination of the consumer. RIM has dominated the mobile email space beyond any expectations. Both are gearing up to battle each other. Apple recently launching exchange support for the iPhone and RIM incorporating more media and internet friendly applications to their Blackberry devices.
Google has to be real happy right about now. Both RIM and Apple have been so busy with each other that they have all but ignored the fact that Google’s Android operating system for mobile devices will debut late this year.
Android could be the sleeping giant that will soon wake. With new open access rules in the US, the staggering pace at which Google is able to launch mobile applications, and the momentum that the Open Handset Alliance is gaining, Android is poised to be the next….well….Google.
The open access rules that Google helped write and triggered while bidding on wireless spectrum in the US recently will do alot more to pave the path for Android than most people realize right now. That’s because the Android OS will be a very open system. In fact, Google has already launched the SDK. Apple took almost a year after the launch of the iPhone to do this but restricted the way applications can be sold to users so the openness factor is in question here. Google states on the Android website that “All applications are equal” . Developer are free to create whatever applications they want. Its a familiar approach, one that has paid off big on the past for Google and I think will again.
In the past several weeks, Google has launched some interesting mobile applications. First was the announcement that Google Gears will now be available for mobile devices. This product will allow developers to create mobile web applications that work even out of coverage. They hinted that this will be available for Android devices soon. Next, they announced that they had improved the interface for gmail on the iphone so that it was faster and more intuitive. Then they unveiled new versions of Google maps for mobile that will act as “native” applications on the devices they were built for. This means a great user experience no matter what handset you’ve got. Imagine when Google can put all this development firepower into a handset where they provide the OS! I see a great device with native applications for gmail, maps, location based services and a host of others. That’s pretty powerful stuff.
The Open Handset Alliance is a group of more than 30 technology and mobile companies that have come together to “accelerate innovation in mobile and offer consumers a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience.” The group is expecting to have the first handsets deployed sometime this year and the member roster is a who’s who of the mobile industry (minus RIM and Apple of course). With Google getting so many operators and device makers on board so quickly the only way for the the Android project to fail would be if the OS just sucked. Somehow I think this is unlikely.
In my opinion Google has done everything right so far. They’ve stayed under the radar and moved the industry to where it needs to be for their product to dominate.
Note to Jim Balsillie and Steve Jobs, stop looking at each other and start paying attention to Google before its too late.
Tags: android, apple, blackberry, gmail, Google, google maps for mobile, iphone, Open Handset Alliance, RIM
March 26, 2008 at 9:44 am
Hey, what’s that? Oh, right: a phone that isn’t on the market yet. The big difference between RIM, the iPhone, and any Android phone is simply that 2 of these products exist already and one is not out yet.
And, sadly, it’s not the OS that matters on a phone. Nobody cares about the OS. Everyone cares about the interface. It’s the interface that matters. If Android comes in with a new idea (like the astounding iPhone is to RIM’s excellent UI), then competition will go well. But if the Android UI stinks, nobody will care.
And, we won’t know for a long while, will we? Until then, it’s not worth the discussion. I mean that in all respect.
March 26, 2008 at 10:18 am
Some points to ponder…
1. Android is still vaporware in terms of a real, working, product that’s affordable.
2. All applications might be equal but they still have to share the inherent limitations of memory, processing power and battery life in a mobile device. If you get a bunch of “equal” apps running on your mobile phone, then kiss your battery life and/or system responsiveness goodbye.
3. This “Open Handset Alliance” has done more to stifle innovation so far. They continually try to figure out ways to monetize your phone which make no sense—$3 ringtones for songs you already own, not allowing you to upload your own songs to your phone—and they don’t seem to understand an elegant user interface even if it slaps them in the face.
4. “The only way for the the Android project to fail would be if the OS just sucked.” Hmm. When was the last time Google or the Telcos created a world class OS? Oh yea, never. And BTW, the Telcos could still screw up everything even if the OS was world class. I can easily see the Telcos and Google becoming at odds over this. They are both trying to monetize the use of the “digital pipes.”
5. Apple, for example, is (or will be) making money off of every step in the mobile space:
A. Hardware; B. Retail, C. Recurring monthly subscription revenue: D. Software sales: E. Music Sales; F. Peripheral Sales. Now Goggle is making money off of the ad revenue and… ugh, hmm.
What other company is doing that?
6. Apple has a huge advantage by having an industrial strength OS shoehorned into a
March 26, 2008 at 10:33 am
You may be absolutely right.
However, we won’t really know until there’s any hardware produced, will we? I mean, look at all of the hardware that currently runs on Google’s software right now.’
Uh..wait a minute…
March 26, 2008 at 10:58 am
In your dreams I suppose the scenario is very real. You’ve conveniently left out the devices, software, and service that are all separate from Google. You are letting your hopes cloud your vision of the future. Apple will surpass RIM in 2009. The business market success will build into 2010 with many of the same “Mac fanatics” stories you’ve heard before. Android powered devices will sell large numbers, primarily in the lower price spectrum. Software will have the same issues of conflicts, battery life, and confusing interfaces as the revenue stream for software just doesn’t support quality products. Much is stolen, and complex software difficult to sell in quantity. Apple will be selling multiple iPhones worldwide and have over 50% of the smartphone market by 2010.
March 26, 2008 at 11:27 am
Apple is only opening the iPhone to the enterprise and I believe it is not in anyway facing up to RIM. But RIM is the one that’s feeling the heat and must meet the Apple challenge.
As for Android, it depends on its usefullness and if it has the same users’ experience as the iPhone, no matter what Apple do Android will still have its legions of fans.
BTW the SDK more or less is keeping Android at bay.
Peace.
March 26, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Well thanks for the PR, I’m sure they appreciate it. But lets get real. Apple will have around 7.5 million phones out there and an app store and a host of apps and likely the iPhone 2.0 at around the time that the first Android phones appear so it’s not game over as you imply.
‘In my opinion Google has done everything right so far.’… well if this was remotely true, they would have done it before Apple released the iPhone and not be playing catch-up.
March 26, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Speaking of actually shipping products, I examined 10 factors that put Apple in an unassailable position in the mobile platform wars and reviewed the weaknesses of iPhone competitors in:
Who can beat iPhone 2.0?
http://counternotions.com/2008/03/10/iphone2-competitors/
March 26, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Do you really want ads pushed to your phone all the time? Do you want google to know what businesses you call so they can target ads to you? Google makes money ONE way – ads. So the ONLY way Android makes sense is if they PUSH ads to your phone. YUCK!!!!!!!
March 26, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Apple and Google are partners.
March 26, 2008 at 11:06 pm
I am excited about Android, but I think only a fool would think that Apple isn’t looking very closely at Android. In fact, I don’t think Apple looks at Blackberry very much. It’s a one-trick pony.
March 27, 2008 at 4:15 am
Mokk & others: there are already Android prototypes and videos of it in use. It is AMAZING.
Normally I’d say “google is your friend” but in this case it’s “youtube is your friend”
Check it out first then judge.
I personally like it far better than the clunky iPhone and RIM OS. I will be the first on the Android train when it comes out.
@Jay: or they pay for it with the ads on the downloads page like apps on Window Mobile have for years…just sayin’