Let’s be honest, this is hardly proof of my prescience, no matter how much spice I inhale. It was already being called a flop as early as November 2010, but the numbers are in and it’s clear that Google has done it* again. Logitech had projected to sell $18 million worth of the units last quarter, and was only able to push $5 million – an underperformance of 70%.
If you really sit down and look at it, Google’s track record kind of sucks when it comes to trying new things. I’m glad I don’t have an Android phone right now, because they could pull the plug on the project at any moment. Despite having a larger gross share of the smartphone OS market, it is in no way sustainable. They’re not making money on it. The devices are horribly fragmented. The platform has become riddled with viruses — something NO ONE should find acceptable on a phone – due to its “open,” non-curated nature. The carriers are taking it upon themselves to modify and cripple the OS as they see fit. Developers aren’t happy with Android as a platform because Android users, by and large, spend far, far less on apps than any other platform.
Am I saying Android is doomed? No. I wish it were, though. Like Microsoft, Google is now stifling innovation by dominating a market they’re completely incompetent in.
*Failed miserably at something stupid.
