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Missing the Point

September 22, 2010 6:41:58.465

Paul Thurott gushes about the joys of Android based phones before noting two pretty glaring flaws:

Where the DROID X--Android, really--falls apart is on the services side. As with Apple and, soon, Microsoft, Google supports Android with an online marketplace, in this case the Android Market. It's horrible. And I don't just mean it's lacking in some vague way, I mean that it is an absolute disgrace.
...
This is perhaps less dramatic, but because Google doesn't (yet) have an online store to match Apple's iTunes Store, the Android experience for loading, syncing, finding, and playing media (music, movies, and other content) is truly second rate and, I suspect, must vary from phone to phone.

So.... finding apps is a chore, and getting media on the phone sucks a lot - and yet it's a "great" device. Sure Paul, sure. The bits many people would call core functionality suck, but it's a marvelous device.

Thurott goes on to say that this could be "easily fixed", but here's the thing: I doubt Google will do that. Why? Look at their hit or miss software development. It's all about throwing stuff against a wall and seeing whether it sticks (and, most of the time, it doesn't). Google doesn't really care about user experience - like the old Microsoft, they are an engineering led company. Sometimes that works (Gmail), but usually it doesn't (Wave).

Ultimately though, Thurott is looking at the wrong metric. Apple never looks at killer market share - they look at margins. A quick look here tells you everything you need to know about who's winning that battle. Beyond that, Google has major carrier problems that Apple really doesn't have. Android probably will end up with a larger share of the smartphone market than Apple, and analysts will call that a win. Meanwhile, Apple will be laughing all the way to the bank.

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posted by James Robertson

Comments

Re: Missing the Point

[Geert] September 22, 2010 7:39:50.191

I have to disagree with most of what you said here James. I reckon Google does really care about user experience ... but have to agree with you that Wave was a big fail :) Its not really about Google vs Apple, its more about choice and putting a bit of pressure on the arrogant bully Apple is becoming! I for one do absolutely not enjoy being forced to use crappy iTunes to get stuff on my iPhone! My iPhone doesn't need replacing yet, but I highly doubt my next smart phone will be another iPhone.

Re: Missing the Point

[james Robertson] September 22, 2010 8:59:30.027

Geert,

That's why I linked to this:

[link 1]

To a very large extent, there's only the illusion of choice with Android - because Google's approach has allowed for full carrier capture.

[1 http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/09/android-open/]

Re: Missing the Point

[David Mitchell] September 22, 2010 10:53:13.569

Apple is no doubt the king of hardware margins, but...

I don't have the financials in front of me, but I think in the profit margin game, Microsoft beats Google who beats Apple.

Re: Missing the Point

[Geert] September 22, 2010 11:15:13.686

Sure the author of that link is known to be a bit biased in favor of Apple isn't he :) If that illusion is needed to get Apple to be less arrogant than Go Android I'd say.

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