Will Google’s Android Really Explode?
According to the CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, Android is getting ready to explode. Not blow up, but start to grow rapidly. The low cost, open source, fully featured, and ready to go operating system is going to take over the cell phone industry. Though his boasting may be overstated, could what he is saying actually come true?
A recent news article also states:
Already, Google is teasing at what may be in store. During the call, Google executive mentioned at least three times that mobile searches on Google were up 30 percent from the second quarter. Of course, they wouldn’t say how many total mobile searches there were or what percentage of all searches they represent (probably still a very small subset), but they are very bullish about the company’s mobile prospects.
In response to a question about how material mobile searches are to Google, CFO Patrick Pichette replied:
Again, we don’t give the detail numbers. On a quarter over quarter basis, mobile searches grew 30% on Google. It tells you something about the mobile space, the smartphones, and how they are transformative. They are basically transforming how people live on a mobile basis. If we move forward the adoption of these mobile phones by lowering the cost because it is open source, think of how many searches [that will produce].
The way he put it, by making Android open source, Google is hoping to accelerate the adoption of Web-capable smartphones and get everyone searching on them. Given that most analysts expect more than 70 percent of mobile advertising to be search, you can see why Google’s CFO can’t wait to get as many search-friendly Android phones into consumers hands as possible.
Can Android really grab a larger share of the market? Will Google be able to make Android as popular as its search engine? How about the new Google Chrome operating system — will it be a success, as well? The money may just be riding on Google to pull all of this off.
But what do you think?
Comments welcome.
What Do You Think?