It’s good to see one of the more tiresome myths of the last couple of years – that everyone is trying to be like Apple, just look at Google buying Motorola! – get put to bed once and for all. Earlier today Google sold the remains of Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for $2.91 billion,1 closing […]
Open Source Apps
I’m a bit late to the most recent flareup around app store pricing – it’s been a busy week of traveling – but it’s worth noting that the trend towards free is basically inevitable and the expected result in a functioning market. To put it another way, apps want to be free just like apples […]
Another Nokia Explanation; The Same Tragic Conclusion
While I remain convinced that Microsoft’s Nokia acquisition was largely driven by fear of losing Nokia as an OEM, either to Android or bankruptcy, there is something else curious about the timing. (The following scenario is conjecture, but not the analysis that follows) ValueAct, who is opposed to Microsoft’s push into devices, was dissuaded from […]
In Chrome Versus Android, Chrome Wins
John Gruber: So this is weird. Back when Chromecast was announced, I wrote that it doesn’t do something that Google made it seem like it did — stream video directly from your phone (or tablet) like AirPlay. But then it ends up it was capable of something like AirPlay, but it required a third-party app, […]
Understanding Google
The surest route to befuddlement in the tech industry is comparing a vertical player, like Apple, with a horizontal one, like Google. Vertical players typically monetize through hardware, only serve a subset of users, and any services they provide are exclusive to their devices. Horizontal players, on the other hand, monetize through subscriptions or ads, […]
The Android Detour
Google is at its best when its product focus follows its business model; for too long Android was a detour.
If Not for Android, Where Would Google Be?
John Gruber responded to yesterday’s piece about an alternate reality where Android didn’t exist and Apple gained 70% market share with piece called If Not for Android, Where Would the iPhone Be?: But with today’s piece, we have a first: one where I disagree with Thompson’s conclusions. I don’t think the iPhone’s market share or […]
Observations on the App Annie Index
App Annie posted their quarterly app report this week, and there were three big-picture trends that jumped out at me. 1. Google Play is getting over the monetization hump, and it’s likely due to in-app purchase From the report: Over the past quarter, Google Play has achieved higher growth rates than the iOS App Store […]
The Real Reason Andy Rubin left Android
Business Insider: Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Andy Rubin viewed Android’s most successful partner, Samsung, as a potential threat. Why?: Samsung could grow so popular with consumers, that it could eventually re-write Android’s code in an entirely customized way, and stop calling it Android altogether. The report said Rubin told a […]
First targeted attack to use Android malware discovered
Ars Technica: On March 25, the e-mail account of a Tibetan activist was hacked and then used to distribute Android malware to the activist’s contact list. The e-mail’s lure was a statement on the recent conference organized by the World Uyghur Congress that brought together Chinese democracy activists and Tibet, Southern Mongolia, and East Turkestan human […]