> In that case other companies, say, Micrsoft could then start to offer a $100 Android version containing Edge, Bing Maps, Hotmail as services.
Just like Microsoft offers a $100 iOS the same way, right? All you're asking for is for Google to stop developing Android for free. Then Google's version becomes macOS to the legacy Android's FreeBSD, or WINE trying to keep up with every change to Windows.
It would make it harder to develop an alternative to Google Play than it currently is because then you would also have to produce an alternative to Android.
And it does nothing to solve the actual problem, which is that app stores have network effects, so users won't use one with no apps and developers won't use one with no users. Even ignoring Android, suppose the value of Google Play to the OEM is $50 and the value of being default to the highest bidder (e.g. Microsoft) is $20. Then the OEMs have been getting a discount of $30 to get both for net of zero.
Now suppose you price them separately and Google offers Google Play for $35 and pays $35 to be the default. The result is exactly the same. Google Play is worth $50 to the OEM over alternatives, costs $35, so they net $15 by choosing it. Google Apps pay $35 when the alternative pays $20, so they net $15 by choosing it. No change in behavior at all.
If you want to actually fix it you need to break the network effect, e.g. separate the Google Play service from the Google Play app, so that anyone can build a store app that can install apps from multiple stores (even if OEMs still have to pay for access to Google Play). Then explicitly allow app developers to pass the store fee onto customers using that store through differential pricing between stores, so that the same apps from stores with lower fees actually have lower prices. That's how you get more stores, which is how you break Google's leverage with the Play Store.
If I measure by market cap it also looks different, but that's an equally irrelevant measurement in this case.
The issue here is where the anti-trust line is drawn. Why people in the tech side never seem to understand this is beyond me, but the line is clear.
It has everything to do with your marketshare. Google could make zero dollars off Android, if they still own & control it and it reaches a vast majority marketshare, as it has in Europe, then they are pressured to open it up and increase competition within the platform.
Whining about Apple and whataboutism is ridiculous. They are not the majority of devices in any major region (NA/Europe/Asia/Worldwide). Some isolated countries are majority iOS, but they all exist within the EU and the EU is 75% Android.
This will be the death of Android. Thanks to EU bureaucracy. They are fine with Huawei sending data unencrypted to CN servers. Apple charging billions for their closed walled garden. While Google is giving the OS for free, can anyone name one OS with alternative app store which works better than Google platform ? Before anyone jumps about the data mining. How about we talk about the Google dashboard options vs M$ / Apple (draconian idol) / FB or <Any company>.
"They will also be able to license Google Play separately from search and chrome, will full freedom to install rival apps" Hogwash.
Look at Amazon phones preloaded with bloatware and lockscreen ads and stupid quality fork. Or the MIUI Chinese crap, Huawei local market and how can we forget that VLC banned Huawei for their aggressive background killing ? This puts more corporate companies to turn their rubbish grade services and ruin Android UX further, add more fragmentation due to no Google involvement in the Gplay app Targeting or the security scanning from Gplayprotect.
I don't use assistant and all the background services and logging are stopped, search tracking is off, location history is off. I can set the permissions with every app and they stick. Unlike the rubbish iOS asking for each and every app for location for eg - settings needs location for what ? And need of iTunes BS for using the phone itself. And unable to sideload, or basic copying of music ? Add the HW ecosystem lockdown, planned obsolescence with their trash book pros - sealed batteries to the chassis, BGA soldered chips, prone to fail KB, flawed VRMs, Proprietary chips for EC HW from Basic I/O to Encryption.
Google is already dying due to the scale of them and trying to being innovative (stocks) and comply with US GOVT (NSA) but this EU incapable of delivering something substantial on the same grounds is relegated to these stupid political policies (controversial Article 13/14).
Brainwash of Apple and their walled garden is so fruitful ever, $1Bn no one cards about Android because they think its cheap but the fundamental aspect of offering choice - Bootloader unlock. Running GPL v2 code, Linux kernel, side load, root and tons of control in your hand, no worries Google is already chasing the same path with ChromeOS trash with rehashed Ubuntu/Gentoo running a containerized OS, running Android apps blown up, but ashamed to name Android at the event ! Fuschia OS another MIT license, to make Google sole controller over the OS unlike Android with GPL which enforces the changes to be Open sourced as well unlike the former which doesn't stipulate anything like that, once you make the changes behind the closed source you don't need to push them.
Yeah, Slate doesn't have a headphone jack, Pixel 3XL ugly imitation, Android P's downgrade from draw over other apps, killing accessibility APIs hard SDK targeting, closure of the hidden APIs loss of the QS settings in P, aggressive sand boxing like removal of app mah level battery consumption with packages in the name of security. Not just Android. windows too with their WDDM2.x and UWP walled garden over Win32 and 6 Month EOL perpetual alpha mining Guinea pig OS called Win10 Home. Its a shame how massive Apple impacts due to their market cap. Add the Intel BGA push to the mobile laptops from inspired by Apple because until Has well Intel HM class chipsets all had rPGA sockets and MXM GPUs with modular batteries. All is past since Apple started their MacBooks they all used BGA.
Kudos to everyone who made this Orwellian era possible, all the Apple fans. Its inevitable that liberty and choice will be drained soon than expected and we will start living in world like the movie "Equilibrium"
IMHO they should strive to by means of fair practices (that don't include using their dominant positions to suppers competition or use their wealth to buy-and-close other companies) but should never achieve that.
8 comments
[ 0.22 ms ] story [ 22.6 ms ] threadJust like Microsoft offers a $100 iOS the same way, right? All you're asking for is for Google to stop developing Android for free. Then Google's version becomes macOS to the legacy Android's FreeBSD, or WINE trying to keep up with every change to Windows.
It would make it harder to develop an alternative to Google Play than it currently is because then you would also have to produce an alternative to Android.
And it does nothing to solve the actual problem, which is that app stores have network effects, so users won't use one with no apps and developers won't use one with no users. Even ignoring Android, suppose the value of Google Play to the OEM is $50 and the value of being default to the highest bidder (e.g. Microsoft) is $20. Then the OEMs have been getting a discount of $30 to get both for net of zero.
Now suppose you price them separately and Google offers Google Play for $35 and pays $35 to be the default. The result is exactly the same. Google Play is worth $50 to the OEM over alternatives, costs $35, so they net $15 by choosing it. Google Apps pay $35 when the alternative pays $20, so they net $15 by choosing it. No change in behavior at all.
If you want to actually fix it you need to break the network effect, e.g. separate the Google Play service from the Google Play app, so that anyone can build a store app that can install apps from multiple stores (even if OEMs still have to pay for access to Google Play). Then explicitly allow app developers to pass the store fee onto customers using that store through differential pricing between stores, so that the same apps from stores with lower fees actually have lower prices. That's how you get more stores, which is how you break Google's leverage with the Play Store.
http://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/ireland
Current stats show Android in the lead. As it is almost everywhere.
Not according to this.
The issue here is where the anti-trust line is drawn. Why people in the tech side never seem to understand this is beyond me, but the line is clear.
It has everything to do with your marketshare. Google could make zero dollars off Android, if they still own & control it and it reaches a vast majority marketshare, as it has in Europe, then they are pressured to open it up and increase competition within the platform.
Whining about Apple and whataboutism is ridiculous. They are not the majority of devices in any major region (NA/Europe/Asia/Worldwide). Some isolated countries are majority iOS, but they all exist within the EU and the EU is 75% Android.
"They will also be able to license Google Play separately from search and chrome, will full freedom to install rival apps" Hogwash.
Look at Amazon phones preloaded with bloatware and lockscreen ads and stupid quality fork. Or the MIUI Chinese crap, Huawei local market and how can we forget that VLC banned Huawei for their aggressive background killing ? This puts more corporate companies to turn their rubbish grade services and ruin Android UX further, add more fragmentation due to no Google involvement in the Gplay app Targeting or the security scanning from Gplayprotect.
I don't use assistant and all the background services and logging are stopped, search tracking is off, location history is off. I can set the permissions with every app and they stick. Unlike the rubbish iOS asking for each and every app for location for eg - settings needs location for what ? And need of iTunes BS for using the phone itself. And unable to sideload, or basic copying of music ? Add the HW ecosystem lockdown, planned obsolescence with their trash book pros - sealed batteries to the chassis, BGA soldered chips, prone to fail KB, flawed VRMs, Proprietary chips for EC HW from Basic I/O to Encryption.
Google is already dying due to the scale of them and trying to being innovative (stocks) and comply with US GOVT (NSA) but this EU incapable of delivering something substantial on the same grounds is relegated to these stupid political policies (controversial Article 13/14).
Brainwash of Apple and their walled garden is so fruitful ever, $1Bn no one cards about Android because they think its cheap but the fundamental aspect of offering choice - Bootloader unlock. Running GPL v2 code, Linux kernel, side load, root and tons of control in your hand, no worries Google is already chasing the same path with ChromeOS trash with rehashed Ubuntu/Gentoo running a containerized OS, running Android apps blown up, but ashamed to name Android at the event ! Fuschia OS another MIT license, to make Google sole controller over the OS unlike Android with GPL which enforces the changes to be Open sourced as well unlike the former which doesn't stipulate anything like that, once you make the changes behind the closed source you don't need to push them.
Yeah, Slate doesn't have a headphone jack, Pixel 3XL ugly imitation, Android P's downgrade from draw over other apps, killing accessibility APIs hard SDK targeting, closure of the hidden APIs loss of the QS settings in P, aggressive sand boxing like removal of app mah level battery consumption with packages in the name of security. Not just Android. windows too with their WDDM2.x and UWP walled garden over Win32 and 6 Month EOL perpetual alpha mining Guinea pig OS called Win10 Home. Its a shame how massive Apple impacts due to their market cap. Add the Intel BGA push to the mobile laptops from inspired by Apple because until Has well Intel HM class chipsets all had rPGA sockets and MXM GPUs with modular batteries. All is past since Apple started their MacBooks they all used BGA.
Kudos to everyone who made this Orwellian era possible, all the Apple fans. Its inevitable that liberty and choice will be drained soon than expected and we will start living in world like the movie "Equilibrium"