3 ms·

nit: Android was purchased before the iPhone was announced.

• Arcuru 5y ago
  Yep, the reality is that it was more likely a defensive play against Microsoft. At the time (mid-2005) it seemed most likely that Windows Mobile would eventually take over, and Android's strategy was taken from the Windows Desktop playbook.
• vlovich123 5y ago
  Google had to postpone Android phones once iPhone launched because Google realized how badly they'd misjudged smartphones, particularly on-screen keyboards & multi-touch (& thinking that their primary competitor was Microsoft and Nokia & not Apple). It's actually a testament to the leadership that they managed to recognize that Apple was the 800lb gorilla here so quickly (which clearly wasn't obvious to other competitors in the space). https://venturebeat.com/2008/08/07/first-android-phones-pushed-to-2009/ https://venturebeat.com/2008/08/07/first-android-phones-push...
  • SV_BubbleTime 5y ago
    > which clearly wasn't obvious to other competitors in the space I had a family friend that was a tech writer in 2007 or so. He proudly mocked my interest in the first iPhone. Pulling me aside and showing me how his blackberry had a mini trackball and a mouse cursor and just how precise this all was. It’s obviously funny now, but yea I remember a lot of the “smart money” was against the modern smartphone at the time.