In 2007 when the world was first introduced to the Open Handset Alliance and their goal of developing open standards for mobile devices we were thrilled. Quickly thereafter the OHA’s first product was unveiled, Android, a mobile device platform with the goal of reinventing the smartphone landscape. Now that Google has been able to develop Android into arguably one of the best mobile platforms on the market we begin to wonder whether they’ll be able to quickly deliver software updates to so many devices across the world.
The worries of Google delaying software updates stems from the release of a single device, the Motorola Droid. Being the first device to ship with Google’s Android 2.0 OS, existing owners of Android devices immediately wanted to know when their device would see such an update. Up until Android 2.0, all builds of the mobile platform had been open source and under an Apache License. At this point Android 2.0 remains a closed source OS and there has been no official word on whether this will change.
Up until this point in the U.S., T-mobile has been the front runner in the Android campaign since they were one of the first members of the OHA in 2007. Google has done a good job pushing software updates to both devices over the air albeit with a few hiccups. The reason for this success is that both devices are ‘Google Experience’ phones which basically means Google controls all aspects of the software resulting in a default Android build. Theoretically this means that ‘Google Experience’ devices will be the first to receive updates and all other Android-powered devices will require customization from their respective manufacturers.
As it stands today, HTC is focused on driving their Sense User Interface into the Android platform. Motorola has also realized the power of a fresh UI on Android with MOTOBLUR. This method of unique branding which results in what we consider a superior Android experience comes at the cost of delayed OS updates. You can see this first hand with the mysterious Android 1.6 update that never hit the HTC Hero which is now reported to receive the Android 2.0 update in the the near future. Does this mean that non-Google Experience devices will miss smaller Android updates and instead only be updated to major versions? If Google needs to release and updated build of Android to address security concerns will we really have to wait until Sense UI can be compatible?
These questions are being echoed throughout the Android community, but an even bigger question is on my mind. Is Google looking to power play Android 2.0 so wireless carriers can lure customers through exclusive devices and first access to OS builds? Congress is working on eliminating exclusivity deals between manufacturers and wireless carriers so exclusive access to mobile platforms seems to be the likely evolution. When the Motorola Droid for Verizon Wireless was released last week and it became the first and only Android 2.0 device on the market I began to seriously doubt whether Google would be able to deliver timely updates of Android to so many devices.
There are not many reasons to want an iPhone once you have the Motorola Droid, but if there is anything that Google and the OHA can take away from Apple’s strategy it is the consistency and availability of software updates. All devices receive their updates on the same day world wide and no device is left behind. The current position of Android is becoming very similar to Windows Mobile where certain devices receive updates and it all ultimately relies on the carrier for your device to deliver that update. This is not the Android I signed up for two years ago and I hope that this is not the Android of the future.
Does anyone else think it is just too much of a coincidence that the Apple iPad comes out right after ALL of the wireless service providers mandate an outrageously high $30 data plan with all smart phones?
Think about it… most family plan/personal users are just like me – they just want to piddle around on the internet while watching TV (a much bigger market than the wireless providers would lead you to believe). That can easily be accomplished by purchasing a smart phone with wifi and using the wireless connection you already have established (or can easily establish) in your home. Most family plan/personal users like cannot afford or are not willing to pay an extra $30 per phone just to run google searches in order to solve their crossword puzzle answers.
Enter the Apple iPad – conveniently priced at $500-$900 and made just for piddling around the internet while relaxing in your chair. Interestingly enough, a data plan will run you $720 minimum if you purchase a smart phone with a 2-year contract… that just happens to be right in the middle of the iPad’s price point. Coincidence?
Here is my theory:
The market for the iPad is significantly smaller (or non-existent) if there were no mandatory data plans with all smart phones. The popularity of the iPhone puts Apple in an unusually powerful position when it comes to negotiating with the nation’s wireless providers. By eliminating options for the private user (via an expensive mandatory data plan), Apple significantly increases the market for the iPad.
How did Apple do it? I don’t think it would take much convincing to get Verizon to mandate a data plan. Even with the reduction in price of their unlimited voice plan, Verizon stands to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars of additional revenue in the first year alone. Plus Apple could sweeten the deal with iPhone rights (or other product rights) further down the road.
Then of course AT&T conveniently followed suit. I am sure the rest were easy to get on board considering the instant revenue they would gain. Plus it would be a simple matter of Apple saying “if you don’t implement the mandatory data plan, you will get no rights to the iPhone or any other of our products when/if we make them available to all providers”.
Does my theory have merit? Maybe, maybe not. I developed it because I was bothered by the noticeable lack of outrage about the mandatory data plans in the press and in the public. I wondered why the very idea of using technology to enrich our lives has suddenly been forgotten by the very companies that should be championing it.
Sadly, I cannot start my own wireless company and offer a better deal because these providers are given special rights by the FCC to use the public airwaves. By the way, where is the FCC in all of this???
Very good insight Jeff. I still think it's pretty amazing that we pay as much per month for our smartphone data plans as we do for our home Internet connections. I miss the time when I was spoiled by the Sprint SERO plan using the $30/month 500 minutes + unlimited data/text.