“The openness rhetoric and the Google aura has attracted thousands of developers on the platform, at a time when the money equation is sub-par; consider that – compared to the Apple devices – Android handsets are around 9x less in volume and paid-for apps are available in 6x fewer countries,” Constantinou writes. “What’s even more fascinating is how closed Android is, despite Google’s do-no-evil mantra and the permissive Apache 2 license which Android SDK is under. Paraphrasing a famous line from Henry Ford’s book on the Model-T, anyone can have Android in their own colour as long as it’s black. Android is the best example of how a company can use open source to build up interest and community participation, while running a very tight commercial model.”
Google uses 8 control points to manage the make-up of Android handsets:
1. Private branches
2. Closed review process
3. Speed of evolution
4. Incomplete software
5. Gated developer community
6. Anti-fragmentation agreement
7. Private roadmap
8. Android trademark
Constantinou writes, “The Open Handset Alliance is another myth; since Google managed to attract sufficient industry interest in 2008, the OHA is simply a set of signatures with membership serving only as a VIP Club badge… With Android, Google aims to deliver a consistent platform to its own revenue-generating services. For now, this is the ad business. But in the future, Google is aiming at voice (reaching the billions who don’t have a data connection) and Checkout (i.e. becoming the Visa of mobile). Yet whatever the endgame, it’s worth realising that Android is no more open – and no less closed – than Windows Mobile, Apple OSX or PalmOS; it’s the smartest implementation of open source aimed at driving commercial agendas. Android is much less about the do-no-evil rhetoric that the PR spinners in Mountain View would like us to think.”
Much more in the full article, including the 8 point above explained, here.
Google has no sense of style.
“Thousands of developers”? Isn’t more dozens?
Between Google, Adobe, Nokia and Microsoft
Apple looks like U.S. in World War II fighting
Germany, Japan, and the Fascist symphatizers.
But just like the U.S. in the 1940s’ Apple too has
unique weapons, in OS X iTunes and iPhone OS.
I expect Google, Adobe, Nokia and Microsoft to
find this out soon.
It’s amusing. Reading this article makes me feel like I’m watching glen beck. Just blatently attacking its competition, twisting facts, and desperetly trying to point out meaningless things that noone actually cares about. All just to put down Android, while not proving anything.
Android isn’t open becuase everything little thing it’s about it can be changed by anyone. It’s open because people, like Cyanogen, can take most current publicly released verison and play with it as they please without legal issue. Something you can only dream of using an iPhone.
That and because Google doesn’t charge makers to use it.
But don’t forget, the ONLY reason Google is doing any of this IS TO MAKE MONEY. That doesn’t make this a closed system, it just makes Google a business.
This article is surely some kind of joke? Apple are so “open” they won’t even allow Flash or 3rd party development suites on their platform! Thank you guys for giving me such a laugh
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Awesome information. Added to my chart: iPhone vs. Android Comparison Chart
Okay — so I have a friend who had a big influence in me switching to a Mac. But this friend is also a Flash Developer (ducks) and he’s really getting pissed off at Apple and he says he’s going to get an Android phone ‘because they’re more open.’
I told him, “There are over 185,000 apps on the iPhone. How much more open do you need? Name me one app that runs on Android that doesn’t run on an iPhone? I’m sure there are several but now name me one app that anybody really cares about?”
Crickets.
“Anti-fragmentation agreement”
What? It’s already fragmented.
@Switcheroo
Google Maps Navigation. Show me a free app on the iPhone that matches that. Or the the near perfect voice recognition on the Nexus One. Just because there are 185,000 apps on the iPhone doesn’t make it more open. How many of those apps can you install on an iPhone at once. And how many can you run at the same time? Answer: one
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Pretty pointless statistic anyway. All useful applications are now available on both platforms, the size of the app market isn’t an issue anymore.
Google have said they are selling 60,000 Nexus One’s per day now. Enough to make Mr Jobs shit his pants. Add to that 60,000 the huge number of HTC Desire’s being shifted, and the Droid, its pretty obvious the market is at a tipping point.
@Kev
60k per day? That’s rich. As far as I remember that was what HTC sold in one MONTH.
Oh wait, ’twas actually 50k. Sorry about that
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Also… “All useful applications are now available on both platforms, the size of the app market isn’t an issue anymore” and “Or the the near perfect voice recognition on the Nexus One”? Talk about drinking the kool-aid.
“And how many can you run at the same time? Answer: one “
http://www.apple.com/iphone/preview-iphone-os/
It really does not matter. Apple’s strategy is not the “closed” or “open” strategy. It’s THE strategy that cares about the user’s experience, as well as the developer’s experience.
That’s why there are “9x” (or whatever) more iPhone customers compared to Android, and why there are who knows how many “x” iPhone developers compared to all other mobile platforms combined. And how many “x” times more download volume. The number of available apps is one thing; the total volume of downloads for all the available apps is quite another.
The iPhone (now with iPad) platform is the only one where small developers can work efficiently with minimal resources and be on an equal footing with big developers. Small developers are why there are so many apps for iPhone, and most are going to keep working exclusively on iPhone.
@ Kev
Google Maps Navigation is a good point.
But I probably should’ve phrased my questions this way:
…. name me one app that Ireally care about …
Google Maps is practically useless unless you have a good cell connection (Unless you want to plan ahead and store maps) so driving cross country or in the mountains requires an app that downloads the entire USA map database. Like TomTom which I have and love. Google Maps “for me” is a big fail.
Voice Recognition
Voice Recognition on the iPhone 3Gs works fantastic. Never tried Nexus One (never will, I’m hundreds of dollars into iPhone apps) but it can’t work any better than perfect can it?
How many of those apps can you install on an iPhone at once
Well— with iPhone 4.0 that number will be 2160. How many on an Android? 512MB? Have fun carrying around all your little SD cards so you rotate apps. Thats convenient.
How many apps can you run at the same time?
Well— after 4.0 as many as you want.
<b>… the market is at a tipping point.<b>
Lol. Ya, there will soon be way over 100 million iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices. Ya, I’m sure Jobs is shitting his pants.
Android open source geeks are so tied into this stupid ass mindset that Apple is this walled garden.
<b>Your quote:<b> “All useful applications are now available on both platforms …”
<b>So tell me, just what in the hell is your point again?<b>
kev = paid troll
Google’s free ride has ended.
I heard (or read) something a little while ago that mentioned how Google was going on a massive data collection binge of personal information and might sell this information to marketers, etc.
Somebody ought to do a little digging to see if Google is doing this with their Android OS.
Android sucks. I read an article the other day about how you can get apps that read bra sizes for the android. Oh yea let me tell you i want to run out and get one of those. The issue with Android and winmobile is some phones do one thing some do others and the whole app store thing is mute. Reason is with the iphone every app in the app store is compaitble with my iphone. NOt so with Android. Some are only compatible with some apps.
Google is NOT selling 60k Nexus 1s, a day, handset makers are selling 60k Android-based phones a day.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen more fanboys in one place in my life. Of course why am I suprised, this is a Mac publication and readership.
But while you all continue to blindly believe in the fascist Apple regime, remember what happened to AT&T;, what almost happened to Microsoft and what IS going to happen to Apple.
Oh, and as to Swicharoo’s comments:
***How many of those apps can you install on an iPhone at once?
Switcharoo: Well— with iPhone 4.0 that number will be 2160. How many on an Android? 512MB? Have fun carrying around all your little SD cards so you rotate apps. Thats convenient.
What are you babbling about? You are aware that the iPhone and the iPad only have 256mb of operating ram right? No wonder they have to resort to such a convoluted “multitasking” solution, there’s not enough ram to truly mutlitask. As for the iPad I’d bet the situation is going to end up being really bad, Apple might even have to say “can’t do” since higher res apps will use more memory and these devices are so limited it might not be possible.
***How many apps can you run at the same time?
Switcharoo: Well— after 4.0 as many as you want.***
Ah, we’re talking “AT THE SAME TIME” which is still essentially zero as unless you are using SPECIFIC “service calls” you will be frozen until returned to screen. This 4.0 crap is psuedo multitasking. Sure sounds a lot like the old Palm OS to me.
<b>… the market is at a tipping point.<b>
Switcharoo: Lol. Ya, there will soon be way over 100 million iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices. Ya, I’m sure Jobs is shitting his pants.
Android open source geeks are so tied into this stupid ass mindset that Apple is this walled garden.
Apple is a walled garden, with a gardener who will chop off your legs if you try to leave or if you try to plant your own plants, even if you own the plot of land. Get real.
I have an iPad, and an iPhone. Why? Because for NOW they are the best choices. However that is going to be changing in a BIG way later this year. There’s going to be some very solid pieces of hardware coming out from some companies and I think Apple will find itself in the same position it was 15 years ago where it’s “walled garden” approach forced it into a corner it couldn’t expand in time to keep up with the demands of it’s customers for delivering on missing capabilities users expect.
Oh yeah, “Go Adobe!”
@Switcheroo
If your stylish little iPhone makes your life so great, where does all of the hostility come from? J-a-c-k-a-s-s.
1.This is the biggiest joke ever… In no way is it closed its open to anyone!!!.
2.Closes review of what? Any company can use the Android for an operating system.
3.You want speed of evolution? What OS are iphone’s on and how many more os upgrades have Android had in half the time around!!!
4. Incomplete how? Because they able to do thing’s iphone users can never?
5.Gated community? I can name atlest 6 different sites major into the development for the Android OS
6.Ok i agree w/ this one.
7.Private roadmap my ass everything is public and even mentioned the year before whats going on at Google I/o
8.This isn’t even make sense?
this whole post is redundant and a pathetic attempt to put down android in favor of the iphone as an OS gimme a break there isnt one its a screen with apps and a communist as the regulator, you can haz no flash or code with its language, why ? BC WE SAID SO
For one the iPhone is pretty pointless… Each Software upgrade means you need to buy a new iPhone to use all the features… iPhone 3G people won’t have multitask because the “Hardware is capable” but the Android platform had it since day one. Another note who needs n app store with 190,000+ apps when you know there is like 20 of same look a like feel like apps…. Another note Android has been open since day one, it can be built by any person in the whole wide world and not be able to get sued… Look at XDA forums under G1 or Mytouch you will see different devs from around the world making Android what it should be and what it is. Tell me one app in the AppStore that allows you to tether your internet to any device with out the extra 50 bucks a month plan… NONE! why because apple and AT&T;don’t allow it because your phone sucks… iPhone OS is playing catch up to Android and is no where near the Android Platform… Just adding the ability to multitask… SAD SAD apple and apple fan boys…. Another note… OMG APPLE NEW iPHONE OS WILL ALLOW YOU TO CHANGE THE WALLLLPAPPPPER LMFAO!!!! a feature that android had since day one i laughed at that so much like that is a BIG feature…. FOLDERS OMG LOL you would think that apple would have come up with that along time ago with there pages and pages of icon base screens… If you want to smear Android look at the iPhone OS and the features now take a phone with Android on it… You’d be surprised how closed iPhone OS is…
@lukeskymac
Sorry, my bad, it is (currently) 60,000 android units per day. Makes no difference, it’s the number of devices that are important not the manufacturer.
@Mark
You ‘heard’ or ‘read’ that google was planning on selling your information? LOL. Is this the same google that pulled out of China to protect it’s users information from hackers? That’s the business equivalent of cutting off your right arm.
@ken1w
If you think that Apple run such a fascist regime regarding apps on the Apps store has anything at all to do with user experience, you need to get real. It’s ALL about Apple making money. The reason Flash won’t ever be allowed on an iPhone is not because it will run down the battery (or some other lame reasons I have read). It’s because it would take control away from Herr Jobs. You could run all your stupid iFart apps on a browser and save your money for something useful (like, say, an HTC Evo running on a decent network).
“But this friend is also a Flash Developer (ducks) “
no ones going to get in your face for having a friend who develops for Flash. The technology, not the developers, are buggy and crash alot. He should expect to transition away from that Tech in the next 18-24 months, its a dead end at this point.
Hahaha. Look at all the Google apologists crawling out of the woodwork.
I guess it’s because the illusion of being open is one of the major things Android has going for it, so if anybody dares to point out that Android is actually closed in various ways, Google sends out the stooges to defend their baby.
I wonder if they’re using the same astroturfers as Microsoft does? Sure seems like it.
@ faceless Google stooge:
“Apple is a walled garden, with a gardener who will chop off your legs if you try to leave or if you try to plant your own plants, even if you own the plot of land.”
That’s gotta be the most amusing bullshit here. Apple chops your legs off for trying to leave their walled garden? Yeah, they sure do, what with their support for open, interoperable, multi-platform standards which makes leaving their walled garden about as painless as switching platforms can be. DAMN THEM!
And all their EEEEVIL efforts to punish jailbreakers which… Uh… Well, they don’t punish jailbreakers, so… Err… Umm… DAMN APPLE, DAMN THEM AND THEIR FASCIST REGIME!
@ faceless Google stooge
“Sorry, my bad, it is (currently) 60,000 android units per day. Makes no difference, it’s the number of devices that are important not the manufacturer.”
Makes no difference?
Android is a fragmented nightmare of different versions being offered by different vendors running on different hardware with different specs. Out of those 60,000 Android units per day, how many of them are even compatible with one another? it can’t be very many, because not that many Android models are compatible with other Android models.
So while 60,000 units may be getting sold a day, you’re leaving out the important detail that most of them are competing against eachother, and how there’s an increasing laundry list of apps that can only be run on this brand of Android phone but not that brand of Android phone.
Android has essentially become a bunch of seperate platforms sharing the same name.
Now here’s a message I want you stooges to pass on to Google’s upper management: GO BACK TO BEING PLATFORM AGNOSTIC, YOU IDIOTS. That is… Or was… Your company’s greatest strength. It meant that no matter what happened, be it Apple crushing Microsoft or Linux crushing both in a surprise twist, it wouldn’t have a negative impact on you because you supported them all. But now that you’ve got your own dog in the fight, things are quickly falling apart for you, and you’ve started turning into the next Microsoft complete with dreams of world domination. Stop it and come back to your senses.