Another day, another senseless jab at Android. This time it was one Chris O’Brien of the Mercury News taking swipes at Android and Google with quite a few claims.
O’Brien believed we would all forget about Android. Tell that to the 1.5 million people who had already pre-ordered a G1 and the others waiting to get their hands on the device once it fully launched. For a phone deemed “clunky,” those were rather compelling numbers. Android plays a huge part in Google’s mobile future and it wasn’t going to just fade away.
“First, it starts off way down the list of operating systems for smart-phones. At the top of the heap are BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, the iPhone and Symbian.”
Well, of course. It was brand new. Where else should it start? Did the iPhone launch at number one? Did Windows Mobile? Android was starting at the bottom and would rise from there.
“Yes, you say, but this is Google. To which I say: Yes, but this is Google. The company has been churning out countless initiatives in every direction, but they seem to have no coordination.”
Sure, this is Google. The same Google that turned millions of people into bloggers with a free blogging platform. The same Google that created Gmail, which had grown to be nearly ubiquitous. That Google.
“Why, exactly, is Google doing this? There appears to be no revenue model around Android.”
Even a cursory look at Google’s business made the answer obvious. Ad-supported services on a platform they control. Android was never about selling the OS.
“To be competitive, Android must attract developers… On the surface, Android has an appealing pitch: It’s open-source, so anyone can develop any application for these phones. Sounds great in theory. But many of the widgets I’ve seen built for Open Social are fairly useless.”
No platform is immune to low-quality apps. The iPhone’s App Store was full of junk alongside the gems. Openness doesn’t cause that problem — it exists everywhere. The argument proved nothing.
O’Brien was writing about something he had no real knowledge of. Best to leave the Android coverage to people who actually followed it.
