Why should I hate Android (or Apple)?
MG Siegler’s Android examination has spurred me once more to put finger to keyboard. It started with an attention grabbing controversial headline “Why I hate Android”. MG is probably Apple’s greatest fan barring Stephen Fry, but hey ho read on.
My reading of his arguments are basically;
- It’s an IPhone copy
- Google didn’t deliver a free/cheap phone
- Google got into bed with the carriers
- Google hasn’t helped the net neutrality debate in the wireless space.
- Android is carrier opiate for the masses.
- Because Android could have been something beautiful.
So this man who uses an iPhone because he refuses to be imprisoned by Android. He would prefer to live in Steve Jobs’s walled garden, paying via iTunes every time he wishes to breath. Google didn’t deliver a free phone, but the they did deliver a viable phone that continues offers an alternative to iPhone. Imagine a world without Android. Without the competition Apple, I suspect would have been quite content to extract even higher margins from their reality distorted acolytes.
I must step back and say I think the technology in the Apple stable is best of breed. It gives Google, and Microsoft something to aim at. This in turn stimulates Apple to keep deliver better to their customers. Competition is good, very good. The best is never the best. Complacency and conceit will lead half baked, poor, dismal products, and a resulting death spiral for the company concerned.
Apple have a poor reputation for rejected and borrowing developers’ app ideas when it suits them, and re-baking them as their own innovations, whilst imprisoning developers and content providers, and taking a 30% cut of their earnings. Look at Barnes and Noble, Amazon et al, standing on the shoulders of giants and innovating, something Apple refuses to acknowledge it does too!
Sure the Android OS is not a completely open playing field, but it is why more open than the Apple’s offering taken from BSD, enhanced and redefined as their own innovation. That is not say that they shouldn’t do it, but they don’t acknowledge the foundations and help they have received along the way or pay it forward or giveback anything in return.
Let us be clear both the OEMs and carriers, both have put way too much crap on my phone. Some I have managed to remove, the rest I push to one side or ignore. I could root my phone and put a custom ROM on it. At least I can circumvent the tardiness of some OEMs and carriers, and get a later or custom operating system. My choice, no bars at the windows or walled gardens. I am a name, not a number; 3G, 4s or whatever! In short I love my freedom, even if like any society there are rules you have to follow.
So should the carriers let Google take over their networks. Clearly the Answer is no. Trying to stop the carriers putting all their crap on your phone is an issue. Net neutrality need real action and should not be left to large corporations and politicians who wish to muddy the waters for the own ends. With the waters being so muddy it is difficult to accurately gauge what is neutral – litmus for the net?
As for the issue of whether the networks should over charge for poor service, that is a regulation issue. It is not Google’s job to break that monopoly only to create their own advert driven one. Using their own financial muscle to “improve” our service is probably the best way of bringing an anti-trust suite down on your head.
So do I hate Apple no,sure I won’t buy one any day soon. Google, Amazon and Microsoft, come guys keep innovating.Come on Blackberry – wake up! MG ? Hate – No way – life’s too short! Any he got my fingers typing again. Though business ethics tend to get in the way I just love technology!
Disclaimer:
I used an Android Phone. I have never used an iPhone, though I did lust after one and started formulating ideas for an App, which I have now been reworking in html/Javascript I don’t work for Google. I live in Europe.
Eric Hewett 