iPhone vs Android

All of the dark forces are beginning to circle their prey.

iPhone has taken the world by storm - and stunned the "other" mobile phone carriers (and makers), leaving them stumbling around in the darkness. Read more about why here: http://www.saloob.com/AndroidFunambol

The above "dark forces" are represented by the collection of slow-burner carriers (and makers).

The prey is the iPhone market - current and near-future.

The word "prey" may seem out of place considering Apple is dominating and Apple themselves have such strong belief in what they are doing, they will not consider themselves prey and in fact, the opposite. They want to crush the rest of them - especially the carriers that didn't jump on board with them from the start (Dumb Docomo who are now on their knees seeking forgiveness - and getting none) . Some think Apple is falling victim to a well-known phenomena called Bill Gates Syndrome. More on this later.

So, let's have a look at how certain events have been and are unfolding right now as we type;

1) Apple contracts with AT&T 5 years ago to be the sole carrier for iPhone devices in the US. This was fine then - when some of the above slow-burners thought Apple was out of their league trying to enter their market. They are a PC maker..of sorts...right? Not. This kind of reminds us of the Japanese hosting companies that blindly believed Google "was just a search engine company" as recently as 2006. 4 years still seems like a long time. Get some OX into ya!

2) Yes, we all know the next part - iPhone is a massive hit - officially made Apple the coolest tech company in the world. Also officially made the slow-burner carriers look real stupid. Dumb.

3) Google wanted in upon the Apple fun - tried to release their Google Voice app - which Apple soon rejected. No one would question whether Google was pissed-off with being rejected by Apple.

4) Apple rejects flash on iPhone - sayonara You Tube..er..Google.

5) What else is a simple "search engine company" to do about this? Go back to just developing world-class search? Nope - they decide to build their own mobile Operating System of course!

Say hello to Android - an open source Operating System for mobile devices that Google conceived, created and released upon the free world. Why? Because they can - and because they are the only ones who will benefit from Android in the end - along with some makers...see at the end of this article.

6) Japan's makers and carriers lobby for a new law that allows customers to switch their mobile numbers between carriers - called number portability. Obviously the normal mobile phone market was saturated and Softbank needed some way to get more subscribers - take them from NTT - who has been an arrogant, bloated bully in the market and deserves it anyway.

7) Makers and Carriers finally start giving up on their bubble era and ignorance and accept that they have no choice but to go with Android. They flock to it and start releasing Android-based smart phones. Docomo first, followed closely by Softbank.

8) Japan's makers and carriers lobby for a new law that allows customers to switch their Simcards between devices - which until now they were not offering - especially when they had control of their mobile operating systems. Oftentimes they unethically locked their customers into their service, making them pay for unnecessary options and extra payments that were written in fine-print. 

9) Docomo announces that it will begin releasing non-locked mobile phones.

10) Google announces the release of an application that let's ANYBODY create an app for Android with NO programming skills required. Let's flood apps into the market and dilute not only the importance of iPhone apps, reduce their market strength based on apps - but even more - Google will make apps boring and too numerous and bothersome to even worry about. In the end, won't it just be easier to get all you need via Google's own web services???

11) "Jailbreaking" smart phones gets OK'd by US Copyright law. Essentially, they have realised that the iPhone is without doubt experiencing a monopoly position - at least in smart phones - and that forcing the locking of a mobile device (ie. iPhone) would appear to go against anti-trust laws. Quite right. Remember how Microsoft's Bill gates used to play this game..often? With Intel and Dell.
Thus the Bill Gates Syndrome.
Apple - or better yet - Bill Gates' nemisis, Steve Jobs, became just like the man he once despised... (They actually became buddies - see http://www.saloob.tv for their interviews)

12) Now you might wonder, why would Softbank bring out a competing Android mobile phone when they already have the hard-faught iPhone contract? Obviously they see a wonderful situation where;
  12.1) They still enjoy the hype and growth of iPhone - and keep selling, and
  12.2) They can later at any time offer an Android phone and switch the customer over and make MORE money - because they don't have to share so much with Apple! They will start doing this when Apple starts to faulter and lose out to Android.

13) Device Makers now realise that they don't have to be tied to Carriers! That is right - they can now make AND manage their own devices - including the OS and may the coolest bundle win! This is where Funambol will have its good times - it is the only carrier-grade solution that offers the source code.

14) Yahoo! Japan = Softbank - contract with Google to use Google for search and advertisement. Sayonara Microsoft and the original Yahoo!

What about Google? How do they benefit from all of this? Der!

Well, what the blind carriers don't see - except softbank - that NONE of them have the services to back up their own service. Once a customer has an Android - they have unstoppable access to everything that Google is preparing - that "simple search engine company" is going to rip a gaping hole right through them all.

Apple might have to adjust and will make it more open just when the break-even point makes it the right timing. This point is when they know they have juiced as much out of the segment, just before it might get miffed - although people just love and accept their Apple gear now.

Android and iPhone will then enter price wars, driving prices down, down, down - making it so cheap to get a powerful phone into every kid's hands. Pity for makers who have to put up with that - especially when they don't have any services in the back-end to make up for it - like Google and Apple dos. Every Android bought is another gateway to Google's services. Same for Apple with iPhone and iPad. Simple as that.

When they bring out Google Voice - and WIFI becomes as common as the Internet - which has become as common as water on tap - then you can finally say goodbye to the mobile carriers - it will be VOIP all the way - and good riddence to them as well. Apple will also do the same as they will also own the device market with iPhone and iPad...

Don't forget Apple's strategy with Facetime - this is and will be much more than what it seems. This will be the communication platform for video, messaging, VOIP, collaboration, file sharing, music sharing, etc., etc, Look out Facebook, Twitter, Google and Skype..