Platform leadership is a dream for most of the technology companies. Few companies such as Intel have been able to do be a platform leader in a particular segment of the market. Platform leadership not only helps that particular company to make profits but it makes associated paraphernalia companies to be successful. I am deliberating on a question: Will Android be a successful mobile platform leader? Google came out with Android and hopes that Android will replicate the success enjoyed by Pentium and Windows in PC market in the mobile market.
Google, along with 30 other companies, announced on November 05, 2007 the formation of “open alliance coalition” for the purpose of developing a mobile platform the future. So, Android was announced as a mobile platform even before it came to the market. Google unveiled first Android mobile phone on September 2008 in NY. Android has attracted everybody’s attention because Android is Google’s new product. Google has designed this phone to target advertising in mobile market, which is expected to be much bigger than PC market. There are multiple platforms that are looking to acquire mobile phone market. Few of the important ones are:
Symbian :
iPhone OS:
RIM blackberry:
Windows Mobile:
Linux:
Palm OS:
BREW:
and Android.
Symbian is market leader with 46.6% market share in smart phone market but iphone has been growing by leaps and bounds and may become the leading operating system in this space. Android is next big thing for some analysts. But, can Android become first successful mobile platform.
Any platform requires support from eco-system to be successful in that market. So, when eco-system supports the technology and that product gets mass acceptance then that technology or product can claim to have platform leadership. Clearly, Android is not there today. But, no other product has also not been able to acquire leadership role, so Google can still play and take its chances.
ECO-SYSTEM:
Mobile Platform Eco-System
Android needs to get acceptance from every player in the market. We will get back to eco-system, first let me list down the problem that I see with Android in its present form.
1. As Google started with platform in mind, so competition is already taking strategic and tactical decisions such as Nokia’s action of declaring Symbian as an open platform.
2. Google has unveiled operating system, but who will be in-charge of hardware platform. User experience depends on hardware as well as on software capabilities. One important consideration is form factor of display system. Because display system defines the user experience for different types of content. Keyboards, system memory and camera resolutions are other things that need to be defined and controlled to provide visibility to application developers.
3. Perfectly open source software encourages creativity but it can endanger user experience too. Most of the users are not sophisticated enough to understand the intricacies involved with the application. Mobile phone is also used in emergency situation such as calling hospital in emergency. If uploaded software hangs the system or does not allow user to call in the emergency situation, then, it can create bad publicity and also involve ire of regulatory bodies.
4. Google is putting too much faith on the application developer community to come out with the new applications. But, carrier provider, google, application developer and content providers are the players involved with providing a great user experience. What will be the revenue sharing between all parties? Who will decide each one’s share is not clear?
5. Intel took the leadership in PC architecture and brought innovations such as PCI or USB to extend the total PC market. Can google do that without thinking about “search” everywhere?
6. Google will focus Android on mobile space market or it will try to fit Android into other different markets such as : consumer electronics, automobile, notebook markets. This will make Android’s job tougher and it will lose focus that one requires to be plaform leader in any space.
7. Mobile phones are not only about s/w features. They are also about design, look and feel. That is why i-phone has acquired around 17.3% of smart phone market in such a small time.
8. Android needs mass acceptance. Google needs to push other carriers and mobile phone naufacturers to bring mobile phones with Android. More phones mean more revenue for application developers and content providers and this will attract more application providers and content providers. This works as a positive feedback but if android does not get initial success in next few then android may turn out to be a “bad dream” for google.
To be continued..
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Tags: Android, google, iphone, media, Mobile, symbian
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