Google: With Maturity Cometh Fear
September 15, 2008
CIOL News reported on September 13, 2008, “Google Mobile Chief Says Can’t Afford a Dud.” You can read the story by Yinka Adegoke and Eric Auchard here. The peg for the write up is that a Googler (Andy Rubin, director of mobile platforms) told folks that Android had to be a success. Not long ago, Google would roll out a beta and walk away carefree. Now, it seems, the company recognizes that a foul up with Android might chip one of Googlzilla’s fangs. CIOL News does a good job of summarizing the promise, the disappointments, and the status of Android. For me, the most important statement in the article was this passage:
Google plans its own software store, called Android Market. “It’s not necessarily the operating system software that is the unifying factor, it is the marketplace,” Rubin said. Unlike Apple, Google does not expect to generate revenue by selling applications or to share revenue with partners. “We made a strategic decision not to revenue share with the developers. We will basically pass through any revenue to the carrier or the developer,” said Rubin.
I found this interesting, but a trifle off center with some of the research I have done for my two Google studies here. Let me highlight three thoughts and invite you to purchase a copy of my studies to get more detail.
First, Google’s telephony related inventions span a wide range of technologies. While the marketplace is important, the investment Google has made in its telco inventions suggests that the marketplace may be the current focus, not the only focus, particularly over a span of years.
Two, Google, like Microsoft, is behind the eight ball in terms of Apple. The iPhone is a game changer, and the ecosystem that Apple has in place and generating money has momentum. Google and Microsoft have words and some devices that are not yet in iPhone’s league.
Third, mobile is a big deal, and I found a number of patent documents that suggest that Google is headed down the path to a walled garden. Right now, I don’t think that aspect of the Google strategy has been analyzed fully. The battle, therefore, may not be the one that most pundits write about; namely, Google and Microsoft. There are other wars to fight and soon.
Agree? Disagree? Help me learn.
Stephen Arnold, September 15, 2008
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One Response to “Google: With Maturity Cometh Fear”
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Nice post. I’ll definitely be back. All the best, Tyshawn