The majority of Android's value to Google is indirect - by having people view their ads through their platforms and the developer mindshare that comes with the

The majority of Android's value to Google is indirect - by having people view their ads through their platforms and the developer mindshare that comes with the platform. It's exactly the same strategy as Chrome. It is very telling how difficult it must be for developers on the Play Store though. Back then they didn't sell hardware which is where most iPhone revenue comes from.