Google Android delayed. Probably. So what?
A rumor came out yesterday that the first Android phone might get delayed. Apparently HTC is having some problems cramming all the features that the G wants in the phone and now they’re trying to get some kind of minimum revenue assurance from Google. Ok, you all know I’m a big Android skeptic, I just don’t believe it’s going to be good. I’d like it to be, but I don’t think they (Google and its 18 closest friends) can pull it off. But whatever, this report, even if true, is non-news.
First of all. It’s delayed. Is anyone surprised? It’s a huge undertaking and these things are delayed all the time. That’s life, the iPhone was delayed, the SDK was delayed, it just happens. Hey, look at Palm? They’ve delayed their next gen OS for like 6 years! Ok, sorry, that wasn’t called for.
The analyst goes on to say that the developers aren’t flocking to the platform because they’re busy working on toolkits offered by Apple, Microsoft, RIM and Nokia. Well. Duh? Second of all, he actually just means, they’re busy working on toolkit offered by Apple. Sure there seems to be some general developer unrest in the Android world. But is anyone actually surprised that developer momentum would shift to Apple’s camp? Sure before iPhone2.0 came out and Android hype was strong, you’d get more interest. But now that the App Store is open for business and people are buying apps for a phone in many millions of people’s hands is there any surprise that developers are building apps for the iPhone and not for a non-existing platform? Any surprise at all?
That isn’t bad news for Android. It’s a fact of life. When Android hits the shelves, if it is popular and gets traction developers will build for it, too! Wow! Turns out developers like to build for a platform that actually exists! That’s so crazy! They also like an SDK that’s getting updates and is fully featured. Android will get that once things settle down.
Remember, Apple didn’t have an SDK for a year after the iPhone launched. A year. And they controlled everything. Google controls nothing, is working with outside vendors that it probably hasn’t worked with before, is trying to launch an OS, hardware and SDK all at the same time with its coalition partners breathing down its neck and the developers clamoring for attention. All at the same time. That’s the real story about why it isn’t going to work. But, that it’s delayed is just not surprising and that devs are doing iPhone apps is not inherently bad news for the OS.
Come on. I don’t think Android’s going to be a consumer hit. Nor do I think it’s going to be the open developer panacea many hope it’s going to be (write once run on every Android phone!). But, that piece was a complete load of non-news. Everything Chowdhry said, besides the fact that it might be delayed, was just silly. Silliness that shaved off 6% of Google’s market cap.
