On October 22, Google’s first phone will drop its hat into the ring to compete with the iPhone, the first real challenger to Apple’s domination of the marketplace in that sector.
Unlike the iPhone, which is entirely Apple’s creation, this phone is not entirely made by Google. The software is made by Google, but the company HTC made the phone. (T-Mobile runs the network, like AT&T does for the iPhone) The New York Times reviewer compared it to Windows on a computer; you can buy a Mac and they are all made by the same company, but you can’t buy a “Windows” computer. Just like there are many companies that buy and use windows software, there will soon be many more phones that use Google software in the next few years.
The product has been getting pretty good reviews, and mostly critics think that Google’s phones will keep improving rapidly. You can use all of Google’s programs very easily and it will allow you to download any applications to the phone. It will even allow programs that enable calls to be made over the internet (for free or very cheap), thereby circumventing using one’s T-Mobile minutes. T-Mobile has said they will allow this, which is a refreshing adherence to the spirit of the Google Phone.
This will be an interesting battle between Google and Microsoft. As I said in my previous blog entry, these “phones” are in actuality a completely new sector of the technology market. As two relatively new superpowers battle each other, their two philosophies will determine their fate.
Google subscribes to the theory that the device should be open, and allow any applications to be downloaded onto it. In this sense, the devise is like a true portable computer with no restrictions or firewalls. This allows for great flexibility and innovation, because it allows anyone to come up with a great program for a Google phone. If you have a great idea for an iPhone application, I hope you work for Apple.
Apple’s iPhone, on the other hand, is “closed.” The only applications available for download are sanctioned by Apple. Granted, the applications are great and fun (this is Apple after all), but it seems like they may get overwhelmed by Google’s. One could make the argument that this is a battle between quantity versus quality.
In the end, if there will be a clear-cut winner, I believe it will be Google. There will not be enough power behind the iPhone, nor will there be enough of them to compete. Google’s future of many phones with countless applications will subdue Apple. I believe that Google will learn from Apple and make sure that their devices are cool and sleek and desirable, as well as functional. Really, the biggest strength that Apple has in this battle is its reputation for making great portable devices that everyone loves to use. It was also the first one to enter this phone market, beating Google there by almost a year.
Whatever the iPhone does better than a Google phone can quickly be copied by Google because they will have a quick turnover rate. The iPhone will be overshadowed by Google’s wide range of phones and applications, but it will be remembered as the pioneer in this marketplace.
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