Found this interesting piece via my pal Brian Walsh (@bpwalsh), who worked with Clearwire on the 4G WiMax drivers used in the HTC EVO.
Entelligence: Will carriers destroy the Android vision? — Engadget
Interesting quote:
Google must take a stand for the end user and insist that all carrier installed apps and services are easily and freely removed by users at their discretion.
Do you see that happening? I wonder if Google has the stomach for a drawn-out battle with each of the carriers.
Coincidentally, this announcement of a Verizon V CAST App Store doesn’t bode well for the future carrier-Google relationships.
If you’re hoping for a Verizon iPhone anytime soon, take note. CDMA isn’t the only sticking point holding up that unicorn.
I wonder why Google doesn’t just acquire a carrier business and compete directly?
Thoughts? Find the comments.
In the end, Google didn’t have the stomach to battle China. In some respects, the carriers are a more formidable opponent.
Perhaps if the millions of mobile phone users were motivated to make a principled stand, Google itself might be more insistent that the carriers “preserve the Google experience.” However, I suspect that the number of consumers who would vocally insist on free wi-fi is a very small minority.
Your previous suggestion of a Google-owned carrier might be Google’s best hope (and could also inspire Apple to do the same, which would really change the game in the carrier industry). However, is Google willing to mount THAT battle?
I’ve resisted the urge to get either an iPhone or an Android Phone. I have to look in the opposite direction every time I walk past a phone store these days. I suspect the longer I wait, the less convincing the arguments for having one will be because they will become increasingly polluted by crappy apps supplied by carriers. I can see Captain Support’s next job will be removing crappy apps from phones belonging to my friends and family.
Cheers
Tim…
Not that it’s a value judgement, but the iPhone is slim on crapware. I do consider the inability to remove Apple’s iOS standard apps (e.g. Voice Memos) an annoyance, but otherwise, there are no AT&T bloatware apps.
Android is going the other, as noted in the post.
One caveat that should interest you is that both iPhone and any Android phone can be modded (jailbroken/rooted) to deliver exactly what you want. I’m seriously considering going to Cyanogen on my EVO; the one issue is support for the 4G receiver.
Incidentally, I enjoy the adventures of Captain Support and would love to see a comic book spinoff 🙂
Agree with your assessment of China, carriers and Google’s lack of intestinal fortitude :)You make a good point about the vocal minority. The average person buying an Android phone won’t care about the Google experience or fragmentation of app stores. Similarly the average Windows user doesn’t care about bloatware.I do think Google is committed to transforming the carrier experience. In fact, I’d go as far to say that the Google-Apple war would cease fire if Google made that happen, i.e. Apple would rather do their own thing on a Google owned network than stay under AT&T’s or any carrier’s thumb. Similarly, Google would happily lose sales to iPhone to take a piece of that action.Apple and Google have more closely aligned goals than either has with any carrier.