Google and Its iPhone Play
May 8, 2010
With the Nexus One’s weak initial sales, many have been tempted that Google, typically a steamroller in any area they take on, has faltered. But not so, says “Five Lessons for Google from Nexus One’s Sluggish Start.” It’s merely a test run, “a sort of inspired experiment, a laboratory for Google to get a taste of the mobile-handset business, up close and personal.” While Google has confirmed that it is the first of many Android handsets, the article does caution: you can’t sell phones like computers, and in the complex ecosystem of mobile phones, marketing is important. One thing the capital G did get right was “earning developer goodwill” – sales going to the programmers, handing out free handsets, and using the early adopter feedback to debug. Even Adobe employees get free Google phones. As Google tries to replicate the Apple ecosystem, the company finds itself trying to close the gap on a competitor with a significant lead. Despite the push into media, Google may face the “we can’t get there from here” pressure that has plagued other companies. Google has entered a new era. It is no longer competing in an space with little or no competition. Google is right in the thick of media initiatives where there are smart, strong, and aggressive market powers. Is Google’s management up to this challenge? Will the math club approach triumph over the theatre club? The other angle is that Google seems to be aiming its Hummer toward tracks worn in the consumer forest by others. Seem that was to you?
Samuel Hartman, May 8, 2010
Note: Post not sponsored.
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