I guess I was wrong… Google really is going to release a phone in the coming year.
This news comes only days after Google tried to get the FCC to change how the wireless spectrum could be used by would-be bidders in the upcoming spectrum auction. Google accomplished some of its goals when it managed to get half of its proposals approved.
Anybody with half a brain can see that the next phase of the Internet will live on our phones. Google finally beat down Microsoft during the Internet Explorer era only to be introduced to a new competitor: cell phone carriers. Google sees this and is doing its best to ensure that round won’t be another David vs. Goliath.
It’s actually rather surprising, in this context, that Microsoft isn’t doing more to fight for its share in the mobile age. If everybody begins to use the phone to browse the Internet, where exactly is Microsoft’s “MSN is IE’s homepage” edge? It seems as if Microsoft might end up becoming less relevant in the coming years.
All this still irks me since Google’s CEO is on Apple’s board of directors. I guess they see it as pals fighting together against the carriers rather than real competitors (for now).
While the article (stupidly) focuses on the ad supported nature of the Google phone, if the execution is done right, it could be a godsend. The idea of “free” goes a long way, and perhaps Google’s market is the direct opposite of Apple’s iPhone: go after everybody and anybody who can’t otherwise afford a phone.