“HTC’s first phone based on Google’s Android mobile OS has not only been set back but may be part of a greater shift away from the Linux-based platform, says Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry,” MacNN reports.
“The Taiwan-area cellphone maker is not only described as encountering ‘structural problems’ adding features Google wants in the phone as a showcase for Android but is allegedly holding up the launch with demands for a minimum payout that Chowdhry interprets as a lack of confidence in Android’s success,” MacNN reports.
“More concerning may be a shift in developer support, the researcher says. Despite Android’s open-source foundation, Google is reportedly struggling to encourage development of apps and is losing potential candidates to Apple’s recently launched iPhone software development kit as well as [other mobile] offerings,” MacNN reports.
More in the full article here.
In an interview early this year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was said to be “skeptical about Google’s decision to develop smartphone software… ‘Having created a phone its a lot harder than it looks,’ he said. ‘We’ll see how good their software is and we’ll see how consumers like it and how quickly it is adopted.’ In seeking not to get locked out of the mobile phone world, ‘I actually think Google has achieved their goal without Android, and I now think Android hurts them more than it helps them. It’s just going to divide them and people who want to be their partners.'” – The New York Times, January 15, 2008
So Google is trying to be an Open-Source version of Microsoft Mobile and nobody gives a crap. Good.
Macintosh,
Actually, Google’s Android is trying to be an “open source” iPhone OS, but they’re failing miserably and Apple hasn’t even filed their patent infringement lawsuits, yet.
I guess what I meant by that was how they plan to have the software on any number of different phones from different manufacturers…
NOOOOO! I’ve been looking forward to the Google Android based phones being released.
When the phones are out, I’m sure they will get more attention from developers.
The iPhone was out for a full year before it had the App store. Makes you wonder if the app store was released when the first iPhone came out, if the App store would have been as popular with developers as it is now.
It will take time with Android to get a foot into the market, but it will eventually become one of the main platforms out there
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I think Google made a huge mistake by screwing their developers. Google publicly released a very buggy alpha to get developers on board, then ran/is running a secret beta program for only a few developers selected by Google. When one of Google’s developers accidentally sent a message about a newer version to a public list instead of just to a private list, Google’s response to question about the new version was “we’re sorry you found out about it. you can’t have it. we have nothing to say about when you might get a newer version.”
And people are complaining about Apple still covering their SDK with an NDA… I would say Google is acting significantly worse in the developer relations department!
If google wants their open source android to succeed they need to invest in a company or invent themselves a truly revolutionary hardware component for a cell phone/mobile device. Perhaps a foldable screen or whatever. And license that technology to different manufacturers in a way that Apple won’t have access to. So the android software would work hand in hand with this new hardware component.
That would make it attractive for handset makers I think
Apple might have killed Android with the iPhone SDK.
I’ve never understood how Android is going to work. All the people who will develop the software have completely different goals than the people sell the hardware and the people who run the telcos.
Is ATT going to let HTC sell a phone that can be tethered to the internet without ATT’s permission, for example?
Is Verizon going to allow users to latch onto a different service than V-cast?
If Linux still can’t compete in the PC space after a decade where there are no constraints on power, battery life, screen size, video processing, weight, memory, harddrive space, etc. how the heck is Android ever going to cut it unless someone like Sony adopts it and pumps a few billion dollars into the development?
Personally, I think Google should stick to hosting a search engine – unless it starts to make its own hardware. I also think Google is more than a little deluded if it imagines its name will give it some automatic ‘cool’ cachet. The company’s overall attitude is beginning to wear a bit thin, and I believe Steve nailed the whole issue on the head in his comments.
People who try too hard are usually the opposite of anything remotely cool, remember.
Both companies (Apple and Google) are still relatively new to the market, I hope that BOTH do well. I’m sure the innovations that occur from the developers working on Android will cross pollenate the iPhone platform. It’s a totally new age and these are the first platforms of the new convergence mobile devices. Of course, Google is taking the road the Microsoft took and will have a harder time dealing with the multitude of devices that may take advantage of their OS. For general purpose devices, time has shown that it is better to have the OS and the hardware made by the same company so that the user experience is the highest concern and developers can help each other so that the whole community is happy.
I’ve seen the video demos of Android that Google did recently, and all I can say is that at least it’s better than the absolutely terrible Palm, Symbian, and Winblows OS’s.
Steve Jobs appears so prescient. I guess it’s a lot easier to read the future when you know what you’ve got hiding behind the curtain. Specifically iPhone 2.0 and SDK tools. Game, match.
You guys dictating what Google should and shouldn’t do sound like all those people who thought Apple didn’t belong in the phone industry. Or those in 2001 who thought Apple had no business making music players. Think there’s an infamous MacRumors thread documenting the foolish skepticism of Apple fans after Steve Jobs pulled out that little white box.
Google, like any other company, shouldn’t hesitate to venture outside their comfort zone when they see an opportunity to grow.
@R2
But Google isn’t a hardware company like Apple. Have you seen MS’s efforts on both the computer and phone platforms, right? I’m not a great fan of Google myself, so that probably plays part of it.
Apple has an inherent advantage basically anywhere it wants, whereas Google is essentially a one trick pony. And anyway, you can already access Google on any phone with a net connection and screen – what more do they think people need?
people are right. Google bet on a free OS to spread but just like on the desktop it has no dedicated hardware support or payoff against the already established big players. And unlike Apple there is also no polish. It willbe a hard sell as a commercial difference maker.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Google can and will succeed with Android, but right now Steve is looking prophetic.
Android is dead…..period. Won´t ever see the light of day, trust me.
@MrMcLargeHuge
Steve is always looking prophetic. He can alter the entire tech industry through sheer force of will, afterall.
Just like the crew joke about the director James Cameron’s legendary perfectionism,
“I’m not opinionated – I’m just always right.”
So what about the OpenMoko project? Is that looking equally doomed?
@OpenMoko
If Steve says so – you betcha’!
“… is losing potential candidates to Apple’s recently launched iPhone software development kit as well as [other mobile] offerings”
Apple did have a really good strategy there. First, they introduced a high profile phone. It didn’t promise much as a first generation phone, just enough to get people to buy it. Then, they concentrated on fixing the bugs and other issues. When the foundation started to firm up and people started getting uncomfortable with only Web 2.0 apps, bam! they introduced the SDK. Then they unveiled the second gen iPhone with a new OS.
Apple kept people’s and developers’ attention on iPhone for so long that they didn’t focus much on the competitors’ smartphones. The strategy also makes competitors chase the puck as Apple keeps hitting on it. And before they realized it, iPhone has become a platform.
Seriously, you guys are all missing the point. I’m sure Google has the technical skills to make a good phone, but they won’t. Anybody can tell that Google isn’t committed to this project. Their whole attitude is “hey, let’s screw around in this market too, it looks like a good business opportunity or something, whatever, we’re Google, I’m sure we’ll bring the world revolution without trying.” As if their business plan is to cook up a phone OS on 20% time and see what happens.
No. That’s not how Google succeeded with search, it’s not how Google succeeded with mail. It’s how they failed with chat, how they failed with Froogle, etc. They are a great company but when they don’t really push to make great products, they don’t make great products.
what support ?
this is very vague, lost in the iPhone, i’m to busy to make the effort to read about it, to bad, i’m a decent programmer.
obviously the quality of the platform matters, a lot, but/and the message is important as well.
and i never heard anything that attracted my attention to the Android platform.
i’m ashamed, i just don’t know any reason to work on that, maybe it’s great, but i will never know, becoming something i don’t like, an uninformed idiot with a meaning.
but that’s what they did, it should not take more than two lines to tell me why android is worth the attention to read THOUSANDS of lines of docs,.h.c etc.
Apple made it really simple, 30+ million apps sold in no time, 70 % (historical) given to the programmer.
i was getting a huge 12% of the 30% of the 40% of what the user was paying, and now i can get 70%, with no other effort than doing my job ?
that’s AWESOME, Nobody and Nothing has ever done more than the iPhone for small scale software development.
a part time programmer is currently making more than 1800 bucks with a very well executed crossword puzzle program, PER DAY !
fabulous !, initiated by Apple, good for them, and life changing for many others.
For programmers this could be more important than the mac or the iPhone itself, more important than the iPod for music, we are completely free now !
Open source just doesn’t work. Yeah it’s free. Yeah its open. But nobody can agree and because its free there’s no support because there is no incentive! If Google had just developed its own platform (like Apple) this wouldn’t be an issue.
Google’s potential is to offer a replacement for Symbian which clearly has limited.
If they develop and maintain the mobile OS then maybe it will get adopted. But it certainly won’t happen overnight.
People forget that Apple spent the last 3-4 years getting the iPhone to where it is now. It’s good but there’s still a lot work needed.