Everybody who reads this site is a computer user. Computers are everywhere. But, are you prepared for the mobile phone to start following suit? With the recent actions of Google in the mobile arena, we are getting a little closer to just that.
The Apple Iphone was the big news in mobile for a few months. But, as far as I’m concerned, the Iphone is old news. They tied the thing to AT&T and that was one of the stupidest things they ever did. A whole movement grew up over people unlocking the Iphone to unlock it from AT&T. The most interesting thing to behold is watching Apple try so hard to keep that from happening. It is as if they WANT their Iphone users to get screwed. They overcharge for the phone, then slash the price on everybody (much to the chagrin of early adopters), then work really hard to make sure you can’t do everything you want with the thing.
Well, perhaps all of that will start to change with Google getting in on it. Google makes so much money in advertising that they have a habit of giving great things away for free. Just check out Gmail, Google Docs, etc. So, when I see Google throwing their weight behind a mobile alliance designed to open up the world of mobile, I pay attention. No, we’re not going to see a wave of free phones. What we can expect to see if increased competition in the world of mobile, competition centered around giving users more flexibility with their mobile phones. And hence more power.
Open Handset Alliance
Ahhh…the word “open” should make one excited when speaking about cell phones. The above Iphone-AT@T cabal is case in point why. However, most mobile phone companies dictate terms to you. They tell you the kinds of phones you can have and, often, the applications you are allowed to run on it. For example, a few months ago I tried to install Google’s Gmail client into my Palm Treo (powered by Alltel ). No dice. I got a message saying that the ability to run java apps on the phone had been disabled. Google has not had the most luck getting some of their mobile efforts into the hands of the wide majority of mobile users simply because those companies will not allow it for one reason or the other.
The Open Handset Alliance is the group of 30+ mobile companies that are joining up under the direction of Google to open up the field. According to their site:
A commitment to openness, a shared vision for the future, and concrete plans to make the vision a reality.
Welcome to the Open Handset Alliance™, a group of more than 30 technology and mobile companies who have come together to accelerate innovation in mobile and offer consumers a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience. Together we have developed Android™, the first complete, open, and free mobile platform.
Android is the name of the software Google is pushing to make this possible. Android is a company Google bought in 2005. The alliance is now working to launch a new line of cell phones using the Android platform. According to Techcrunch’s coverage of the initial announcement, the platform will be built atop Linux and will be able to run all Google Apps as well as third-party applications. The idea is to have an open platform, one which gives the user (you) control over what you can run on your own phone. After all, the phone company should only make your phone able to talk to the outside world, nothing else. The current mobile world would be the equivalent of my ISP telling me what I am allowed to run on my computer. No thanks.
The important thing to realize is that it is a platform. What vendors create for that platform is anybody’s guess. There are already screenshots out of a supposed first app created for Android, using Google Maps. While this is only the beginning, you have some people trying to bash it before it even gets off the ground. Others wonder if it will take off. Notably missing in the list of carriers is AT&T and Verizon Wireless. AT@T doesn’t suprise me at all seeing as they conspired with Apple to lock down one of the most innovative devices to hit the mobile world in awhile – the Iphone. Verizon? Well, they’ll probably get on eventually. None of these companies, including people already on board, are going to do anything to jeopardize their bottom line. But, I think they realize this is where things are going and that they can still make a boatload of money by giving users more control.
So, What About This Gphone?
Well, that’s it. A lot of people have been speculating about the Gphone. The speculation was very Apple-ish in it’s creativity. Was Google going to produce it’s own cell phone and give it away for free? Were we going to see phones with a big “G” planted firmly on it? Well not exactly. Google is an internet company and common sense tells you that it does not belong in the business of manufacturing phones.
But, what they can do is use their collective technology to organize the existing cell phone world in such a way that could change the landscape. The Gphone, then, represents more of an effort than an actual phone. Put another way, every phone which comes out (starting in 2008) that uses the Android platform will be a Gphone. It will be labeled by the manufacturer that built it and the carrier you choose, but it will be a more open device.
And the world of mobile technology is sorely in need of that. This is going to make the closed nature of the Iphone look like a joke.
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Good…I hope the Gphone does kick butt…especially Apples. This will force Apple to make the iPhone a better phone.
A good place to discuss everything Android mobile is http://www.androidmobileforum.com if you are interested.
David M:
The iPhone already is a “better phone”, and I doubt the gPhone is needed to insure that Apple keeps improving it.
Regardless of Android’s success, I’m sure the market will continue to accomodate Apple’s iPhone for those that want simplicity and elegance.
Brett, I think you might have missed the point. The Iphone is elegant, yes. But, it is also very limiting because Apple does everything it can to block third party apps and tie you to AT&T. Until Apple stops making those moves, there is ample room for an open platform like Gphone.
Third party apps will come to the iPhone once Apple releases their official developer APIs in February.
As for the deal with AT&T, I’m sure Apple would have preferred to make the iPhone as widely available as possible. I suspect exclusivity was a necessary concession. Apple was an unproved newcomer to the cell phone business who wanted the carrier to enhance their network, support custom features (like visual voice mail), forgo additonal income from selling media, and who knows what other conditions. As you know, carriers have been traditionally been very strict about controlling the features of phones on their networks (to the detriment of consumers — My Verizon RAZR doesn’t offer voice memos even the though hardware could support it). Because of Apple’s iPhone, control of the feature set may finally be changing in favor of the handset developers.
Now that the iPhone has proven itself a huge success, Apple will be in a better bargaining position when their contract with AT&T expires. I expect other carriers will be eager to support the iPhone then.
Apple’s obnoxious ringtone purchasing policy is likewise probably mandated by the record companies. I’m sure they would have preferred to let users create ring tones from their iTunes libraries without charge.
With Jobs’ famous letter to the music industry, Apple has already stard the ball rolling toward widespread DRM-free music sales. Maybe in time he can convince record companies that the abilty to make ringtones from purchased music is an incentive to drive music sales instead of an opportunity to double dip and screw the consumer.
Apple are the good guys fighting the big telecom carriers and media industry to bring a better experience to consumers. Give ‘em a break.
You’re awfully good at explaining away Apple’s stupid moves. You should work for them.
I choose to judge them by their actual actions, not by what they were “probably” thinking.
BTW, I highly doubt Apple needed AT&T to get the Iphone off the ground. With Apple’s great marketing skills, they could have sold this phone to practically anyone had it not been locked down. It is simply ridiculous to say Apple had to placate to AT&T to sell their new phone. The truth is probably a lot closer to the fact that both Apple and AT&T saw an opportunity to form an alliance that would corner the market and send checks to the banks for the length of the contract. And due to the overly forgiving nature of so many Apple users, they can get away with it.
Personally, I hope some of these class-action lawsuits against Apple for this succeed. Apple and AT&T are only serving to take this industry in the exact wrong direction.
Blame Apple if you must. But given the history of the companies involved, I’m inclined to give Apple the benefit of the doubt.
I love Open Handset. In fact I only bought one cell phone from one provider since I had my first cell phone in 1989. The freedom of using any prepaid sim card or global sim card without a contract is great and saves allot of money. With an unlocked Windows Mobile Phone with WI-FI you couldn’t imagine what this could do for you. I like Windows Mobile and it’s great for business. I also sold a few and people loved then if you’re interested. Please contact me. Computers Run The World.Com
The author of this article stated:
“This is going to make the closed nature of the iPhone look like a joke.”
With the present success, as of 3-2-09, and market share gains of the iPhone, compared with the competition’s downward spiral as well as the stalling of the geeky Android platform, the one looking most “like a joke” is the PC loving, anti-Apple author of this article.
I think you have this wrong, Apple lost out to the PC but Apple are now changing computing as we knew it, just look at the iPAD!!
My view… AJC