Google Has Killed Android (the Brand)

[Shake&Bake]

There are days where a trend you noticed becomes absolutely visible. Today is one of those days.

I have seen the Android brand disappear over time. First, it was the Nexus, then Samsung came with the Galaxy brand, who made Android less relevant. Now, Android is just invisible.

I thought Google was losing a war against its partners, but I finally concluded that it cannot be just a coincidence. It is not just a trend. It is a deliberate effort. By Google.
At Mobile World Congress last year, Android was everywhere. The Android space was the biggest of all. It was all about Android and a bit about the hardware manufacturers.

This year (BTW, if you are going to Barcelona and you want to meet, just let me know), Android will be absent at MWC 2013. No space, no booth. Gone.

If you read about the new HTC One, you'll have a hard time finding Android anywhere. HTC is trying to promote its brand, Android is way in the background. Gone.

Of course, Android is dominant. So much that saying you sell an "Android phone" makes you a cheap commodity play. Nobody wants that, they all want to be cool and different. Leave Android to the Chinese knock-offs.


However, it is not just the device manufacturers. It is Google killing the brand. They moved away from it when Android Market became Google Play, and they are distancing themselves even more now.

They want Google to be the brand, not Android.

Risky business? I am not sure. Who cares about Android? Developers. Only developers.

Even if you water down the brand, developers will know it. It does not make a difference. You are not going to lose developers because you are de-emphasizing the brand.

However, having two brands confuses consumers. Google is planning to open flagship stores. They have bought an hardware manufacturer. They are changing, and they want Google front and central.

Who knows the word iOS? Nobody (oh, you do, but you are a geek).

People out there know Apple. They know iPhone and iPad. iOS is for geeks. It is hidden inside. For those who can tell the difference between a V12 and a V6 engine (see, maybe you are not a geek after all).

Android is now so dominant, it can be killed. Because it is just what's inside. What matters, it is the outside.

Gone is Android. Killed by its own father.

Believe me, you want to buy a Google.

Well written piece and never thought of it like that.
Think I'm in agreement with the sentiment.

Source

 

[Wyzak]

I never had much hope for Android anyway, the vast number of hardware they had to support with so many different versions being rolled out in so short a time. It would be a developers nightmare getting your app to work on all of the different versions with all of the different hardware manufacturers and screen sizes, interfaces etc.

 

[Crowley]

It makes sense. Android is the dominating OS, now start with manufacturer awareness to keep the sales.

 

[kissingmybbgoodbye]

I never had much hope for Android anyway, the vast number of hardware they had to support with so many different versions being rolled out in so short a time. It would be a developers nightmare getting your app to work on all of the different versions with all of the different hardware manufacturers and screen sizes, interfaces etc.

Guess you didn't read the post. It is not about killing of android it is about killing of the brand android.

 

[AlphaJohn]

I never had much hope for Android anyway, the vast number of hardware they had to support with so many different versions being rolled out in so short a time. It would be a developers nightmare getting your app to work on all of the different versions with all of the different hardware manufacturers and screen sizes, interfaces etc.

LOL!!!!! foot in mouth much?

Oh just for info, us developers do not support "every" phone individually, we write once and find bugs that sometimes arise on a phone.

 

[Wasabee!]

I think it is a bit of a pointless article. They make it sound like the Android OS is dead, when the whole article is about the emphasis being put on Google as a brand. I also do not think that it is such a big thing that the article is making it out to be. Just a shift in marketing.

 

[Fox1]

Sensational article with a sensational heading. Android's presence is larger than any single brand simply because it extends into multiple manufacturer's promoting err...Android.

 

[kingrob]

Sensational article with a sensational heading. Android's presence is larger than any single brand simply because it extends into multiple manufacturer's promoting err...Android.

+1

Nothing to see here folks, please move along.

 

[modern10]

Boooooooo.........

 

[jannievanzyl]

Go back two years or so and you'll find my posts on this forum stating that manufacturers inevitably will have to fragment Android to stay competitive and that will lead to it's demise as an open and universal OS. Unless Google take control back and do an Apple/Blackberry on it by controlling the whole eco-system.

But then it won't be appealing to other manufacturers anymore, so either way the vision of Android will likely fail and was most likely always doomed.

 

[w1z4rd]

So I have a choice, choose one of many different types of android phones or choose just one type of ios phone. Whats that about being unique?

 

[ToxicBunny]

So I have a choice, choose one of many different types of android phones or choose just one type of ios phone. Whats that about being unique?

except of course you will know that any app you download will work on your iOS device, whereas you will increasingly start coming across apps that may or may not work on your "android" device.

 

[BigAl-sa]

Go back two years or so and you'll find my posts on this forum stating that manufacturers inevitably will have to fragment Android to stay competitive and that will lead to it's demise as an open and universal OS. Unless Google take control back and do an Apple/Blackberry on it by controlling the whole eco-system.

But then it won't be appealing to other manufacturers anymore, so either way the vision of Android will likely fail and was most likely always doomed.

You of all people should monitor the adverts. The selling point is not V*, M*, Sam*, but rather Android Ice Cream Sandwich (or whatever).

 

[w1z4rd]

except of course you will know that any app you download will work on your iOS device, whereas you will increasingly start coming across apps that may or may not work on your "android" device.

I havent had that yet. Im sure a lot of apps dont work on all android devices, just like not all games on my pc would run on a cheaper PC, but at the end of the day, I dont install obscure apps and the mainstream ones I use are well supported and I have not had a problem yet.

 

[ToxicBunny]

You of all people should monitor the adverts. The selling point is not V*, M*, Sam*, but rather Android Ice Cream Sandwich (or whatever).

Only for a certain segment of the population..

The majority do not have a clue what that actually means, and are only buying it because of the cool advert they saw.

 

[BigAl-sa]

Only for a certain segment of the population..

The majority do not have a clue what that actually means, and are only buying it because of the cool advert they saw.

You're not quite right, word of mouth says ICS, so you buy. You can even have a look at some of the queries on myBB...

 

[kingrob]

Believe it or not, some people still buy a phone because it looks nice.

 

[ToxicBunny]

You're not quite right, word of mouth says ICS, so you buy. You can even have a look at some of the queries on myBB...

Trust me, I work in an IT company, and even there people buy the S3 because they like the way it looks, and it seems like a cool phone, they care not what OS its running.

The majority of people buying phones have no idea what ICS is, and what it actually means.

 

[kingrob]

Trust me, I work in an IT company, and even there people buy the S3 because they like the way it looks, and it seems like a cool phone, they care not what OS its running.

The majority of people buying phones have no idea what ICS is, and what it actually means.

It's the only logic explanation as to why Nokia managed to sell a few 920s, as windows phone sucks donkey balls.

 

[jannievanzyl]

You of all people should monitor the adverts. The selling point is not V*, M*, Sam*, but rather Android Ice Cream Sandwich (or whatever).

You're not quite right, word of mouth says ICS, so you buy. You can even have a look at some of the queries on myBB...

What is the dominant version of Android on handsets today?