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Many attempts at decoupling Google & Android have failed in the marketplace. Billions have been poured into a viable third mobile OS (Windows phone, meego, tize

Many attempts at decoupling Google & Android have failed in the marketplace. Billions have been poured into a viable third mobile OS (Windows phone, meego, tizen, sailfish ...). The consumers have spoken - they want iOS or Google's Android. This is horrible for Europe - where end users will eventually pay more for their preferred 'Google Android'.

TeMPOraL 8y ago
> The consumers have spoken - they want iOS or Google's Android. Consumers haven't said shit, nobody asks them. All the general population cares about is that they can buy a phone that can handle calls, texts, and apps for popular services. I miss Windows phone, even though I also hated it. Microsoft had a decent UX paradigm for touch devices, way better than Google and Apple had. But you can't just "lean-startup" yourself into this market using your own brand. They should've waited a year longer, should've used that time to polish the OS instead of releasing a barely-functional version. We could've had a decent competitor with a refreshing mobile experience.
untog 8y ago
That's not really true, though. Users never said, for example, that they didn't want Windows Phone. They said that they wanted access to service X, Y and Z or app 1, 2 or 3, and Windows Phone did not provide that access. That isn't consumer rejection so much as consumer reaction to the duopoly they are presented with.
pkaye 8y ago
Did they say what the charges will be? Maybe it is $1. It could just be a token amount to clear themselves of antitrust.
- AnssiH 8y ago
  Being free wasn't the issue, it was the bundling. So if Google doesn't want to charge anything, they could still offer them for free (just unbundled). That said, I wouldn't be surprised if the license fee ends up at around $1 anyway. My personal guess is that it will be less than $10.
394549 8y ago
> This is horrible for Europe - where end users will eventually pay more for their preferred 'Google Android'. It won't be "horrible for Europe." Those users have always paid for these apps in one way or another.
- writepub 8y ago
  What am I missing here? Google isn't changing the data they gather via their apps. They're adding a $ cost for access to it. You're basically paying twice - with your more expensive Android devices, and Google's regular data tracking. This is bad for Europe
  - simion314 8y ago
    Samsung may decide to use different apps not Google ones, they may decide to use a Chromium fork with Bing as search engine so your data will not go do Google, maybe Mozilla will manage to do a deal with a big manufacturer and put Firefox as default and nobody will have to pay.
    - writepub 8y ago
      What has stopped them from doing this all this while? A shell company by Samsung renders any deals with Google impotent - a strategy used by many Chinese OEMs who have Google Android for international markets and their own app stores within China. This is not my opinion. If you go to a VC or even YC with these claims, they will counter with the widely available data pointing towards the high probability of a third ecosystem failing.
pjmlp 8y ago
Actually I want Windows Phone, because I am not going to pay contracts for an iPhone and paying Google feels like supporting their torpedo against Sun. And yes, I will keep using my Lumia as 2nd phone until it dies. A phone that has received more updates than all my Android devices together.

TeMPOraL 8y ago

> The consumers have spoken - they want iOS or Google's Android. Consumers haven't said shit, nobody asks them. All the general population cares about is that they can buy a phone that can handle calls, texts, and apps for popular services. I miss Windows phone, even though I also hated it. Microsoft had a decent UX paradigm for touch devices, way better than Google and Apple had. But you can't just "lean-startup" yourself into this market using your own brand. They should've waited a year longer, should've used that time to polish the OS instead of releasing a barely-functional version. We could've had a decent competitor with a refreshing mobile experience.

untog 8y ago

That's not really true, though. Users never said, for example, that they didn't want Windows Phone. They said that they wanted access to service X, Y and Z or app 1, 2 or 3, and Windows Phone did not provide that access. That isn't consumer rejection so much as consumer reaction to the duopoly they are presented with.

pkaye 8y ago

Did they say what the charges will be? Maybe it is $1. It could just be a token amount to clear themselves of antitrust.

AnssiH 8y ago
Being free wasn't the issue, it was the bundling. So if Google doesn't want to charge anything, they could still offer them for free (just unbundled). That said, I wouldn't be surprised if the license fee ends up at around $1 anyway. My personal guess is that it will be less than $10.

394549 8y ago

> This is horrible for Europe - where end users will eventually pay more for their preferred 'Google Android'. It won't be "horrible for Europe." Those users have always paid for these apps in one way or another.

writepub 8y ago
What am I missing here? Google isn't changing the data they gather via their apps. They're adding a $ cost for access to it. You're basically paying twice - with your more expensive Android devices, and Google's regular data tracking. This is bad for Europe
- simion314 8y ago
  Samsung may decide to use different apps not Google ones, they may decide to use a Chromium fork with Bing as search engine so your data will not go do Google, maybe Mozilla will manage to do a deal with a big manufacturer and put Firefox as default and nobody will have to pay.
  - writepub 8y ago
    What has stopped them from doing this all this while? A shell company by Samsung renders any deals with Google impotent - a strategy used by many Chinese OEMs who have Google Android for international markets and their own app stores within China. This is not my opinion. If you go to a VC or even YC with these claims, they will counter with the widely available data pointing towards the high probability of a third ecosystem failing.

pjmlp 8y ago

Actually I want Windows Phone, because I am not going to pay contracts for an iPhone and paying Google feels like supporting their torpedo against Sun. And yes, I will keep using my Lumia as 2nd phone until it dies. A phone that has received more updates than all my Android devices together.