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Cornered! Android's adversaries analysed - or are they?
Cornered! Android's adversaries analysed - or are they? | Android's adversaries analysed - or are they? |
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| Written by Stuart Corner | |
| Thursday, 03 January 2008 | |
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Page 1 of 3 I don't have he luxury of access to the full report but the press release announcing its publication and the freely available summary provide little re-assurance that the report adequately analyses the nature and extent of competition to Android from other Linux mobile platform initiatives. The report claims to "look through the hype and cynicism that has surrounded Google's official unveiling of Android and analyses the significance of Android versus competitive platforms such as Symbian, Windows Mobile and MontaVista, as well as competing devices such as Apple's iPhone and RIM's Blackberry." According to Dr Philip Sugai, director of the Mobile Consumer Lab and lead author of the report: "Google's next (and most) critical challenge at this early stage of development actually lies in how it will address MontaVista, and galvanise the mobile Linux development movement. Without successfully accomplishing this goal, Android will become obsolete within 2008, never ever levelling a substantial competitive threat against either Symbian or Microsoft." According to the report: "Android is the first legitimate attempt to re-create the success of Japan's 'Wireless Ecosystem' model within the context and realities of international mobile markets [and]...if successful...could spark unprecedented innovations within mobile content, service and application development." But the mobile Linux Development movement is much larger and more complex than MontaVista - a Linux software company. There are at least two bodies, each with an impressive array of industry heavyweight members - that are backing open Linux-based mobile platforms, plus four such platforms within the aforementioned Japanese wireless ecosystem. And the stakes are very high. As I reported on iTWire in August 2007 , Linux is being tipped as the fastest growing smartphone OS over the next five years and set to account for 31 percent of all smartphones on the market by 2012. So here is a quick overview of who's who in this market. |
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