Android By Ryan Whitwam Sep. 17, 2014 1:00 pm
Android has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2008 with the T-Mobile G1, or HTC Dream as the rest of the world knew it. Even with Google reporting massive activation numbers for Android devices, there is a segment of the world it has yet to really break into–emerging markets. Many smartphones in places like South East Asia are running Android, but it’s not Google’s Android. The newly launched Android One program is an attempt to change that. What it’s really about, though, is Google maintaining control of its own platform.
Doubters have predicted the death of Android uncountable times over the years, but its growth has continued unabated. If Google does have a fundamental problem with Android, it’s that it has been a little too successful–people want Android even if it’s not Google’s version. The emerging middle class in countries like India are demanding more advanced devices, but even a $200 unlocked phone might be too expensive to gain traction. The alternative is often a modest device running AOSP Android (that’s the Android Open Source Project).
So what’s the difference between AOSP and “stock” Android? It’s all the Google stuff like Gmail, Maps, and the Play Store. To produce a phone or tablet with Google Mobile Services (GMS), the OEM has to have it tested and certified by Google. This is called the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS). Passing the CTS is a stringent and pricey endeavor that raises the cost of devices. If you need to sell a phone at a low price point, getting certified may not be worth it. After all, AOSP Android is a full operating system, and there are plenty of alternative app stores and services that can be built-in. Android One is Google’s effort to make the economics work more in its favor.
The phones announced under the Android One banner in India earlier this week are intended to sell for the equivalent of about $100 unlocked. They include the Karbon Sparkle V, Micromax Canvas A1, and Spice Dream UNO. The Dream UNO is the cheapest at *Rs 6,299 ($103), the Sparkle V costs Rs 6,399 ($105) and the Canvas A1 costs Rs 6,499 ($106). All three are based on a quad-core MediaTek processor, a 4.5-inch 480 x 854 LCD, and 1GB of RAM. The hardware is par for the course in emerging markets, but the software is pure Google.
Android One phones will receive updates from Google for up to two years. Google also prescribes hardware specs, and OEMs build the devices. That takes the burden off of the OEM, allowing them to continue delivering cheap devices without messing around with the CTS. Android 4.4 and future versions also have specific optimizations for low-power hardware of the sort used in Android One.
So it’s great for OEMs, but Google gets to make sure consumers in these markets are using its services rather than the alternatives often loaded on AOSP devices. It might be a win for everyone at the end of the day, but Google’s not doing this out of some sense of altruism–it makes more money when it has more users.
In a more general way, Android One is about maintaining control over the Android device ecosystem. This is Google playing the long game–it wants to avoid a scenario where a low-cost fork of Android developed for emerging markets suddenly becomes competition. There’s less motivation for that to happen with Android One in the mix.
Android One might not be on the radar of those living in developed nations, but this initiative targets a huge segment of the population. India by itself has a population over 1 billion, and Android One will also roll out to Indonesia, the Philippines, and more in the future. These markets are vitally important to the future of technology, and Android One is a recognition of that.
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Doubters have predicted the death of Android uncountable times over the years, but its growth has continued unabated. If Google does have a fundamental problem with Android, it’s that it has been a little too successful–people want Android even if it’s not Google’s version. The emerging middle class in countries like India are demanding more advanced devices, but even a $200 unlocked phone might be too expensive to gain traction. The alternative is often a modest device running AOSP Android (that’s the Android Open Source Project).
So what’s the difference between AOSP and “stock” Android? It’s all the Google stuff like Gmail, Maps, and the Play Store. To produce a phone or tablet with Google Mobile Services (GMS), the OEM has to have it tested and certified by Google. This is called the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS). Passing the CTS is a stringent and pricey endeavor that raises the cost of devices. If you need to sell a phone at a low price point, getting certified may not be worth it. After all, AOSP Android is a full operating system, and there are plenty of alternative app stores and services that can be built-in. Android One is Google’s effort to make the economics work more in its favor.
The phones announced under the Android One banner in India earlier this week are intended to sell for the equivalent of about $100 unlocked. They include the Karbon Sparkle V, Micromax Canvas A1, and Spice Dream UNO. The Dream UNO is the cheapest at *Rs 6,299 ($103), the Sparkle V costs Rs 6,399 ($105) and the Canvas A1 costs Rs 6,499 ($106). All three are based on a quad-core MediaTek processor, a 4.5-inch 480 x 854 LCD, and 1GB of RAM. The hardware is par for the course in emerging markets, but the software is pure Google.
Android One phones will receive updates from Google for up to two years. Google also prescribes hardware specs, and OEMs build the devices. That takes the burden off of the OEM, allowing them to continue delivering cheap devices without messing around with the CTS. Android 4.4 and future versions also have specific optimizations for low-power hardware of the sort used in Android One.
So it’s great for OEMs, but Google gets to make sure consumers in these markets are using its services rather than the alternatives often loaded on AOSP devices. It might be a win for everyone at the end of the day, but Google’s not doing this out of some sense of altruism–it makes more money when it has more users.
In a more general way, Android One is about maintaining control over the Android device ecosystem. This is Google playing the long game–it wants to avoid a scenario where a low-cost fork of Android developed for emerging markets suddenly becomes competition. There’s less motivation for that to happen with Android One in the mix.
Android One might not be on the radar of those living in developed nations, but this initiative targets a huge segment of the population. India by itself has a population over 1 billion, and Android One will also roll out to Indonesia, the Philippines, and more in the future. These markets are vitally important to the future of technology, and Android One is a recognition of that.
More...
