Google Phone is a Myth
March 6, 2007 by Ryan Pamplin
Google is not developing a Google branded phone. If Google were to make its own phone it would be directly competing with its own partners. According to Google’s most recent SEC filling more than 99% of profits came directly from advertising. If there was a Google phone, Google’s services wouldn’t be included with most competing cell phones, which would mean missing a big piece of the mobile advertising pie and doing shareholders a major disservice.
Apple and Google are Friends
Steve Jobs and Google CEO Eric Schmidt play nicely together. In fact, Eric sits on Apples board of directors. It is simply a conflict of interest for Google to compete with Apples iPhone. What Google might do is license out its technology and develop mobile applications to compliment its services. Maybe Phone manufactures will even brand certain phones “Google Editions”, but there is certainly not going to be a GooPhone.
Don’t Pull a Microsoft
With the exception of some commodity hardware Google sells with its search software, Google is thus far a service company. To break into hardware seems evil, which goes against the actual Google motto, “Don’t be Evil!” A Google phone would alienate allies and force those companies to work with another provider, such as Yahoo, which could prove devastating to Google profits. It would be as if a software company, like Microsoft, was to create a software platform for MP3 players then compete with partners by releasing its own player… like the Zune. Hold please… that did happen and it is bad business. Remember, only evil monopolies compete with their own customers.
Google Juice
Google’s first tangible product, Google Gulp was released to much fanfare on April Fools Day. There is an equal amount of hope for the Google Phone.
Gulp… looks delicious.
Anyone who thought that a Google phone was a reality simply wasn’t thinking things through.
It make sense that Google would not manufacture its own phone(s). It is a software service provider. It would seem opportunistic for Google to push more software into phones and even brand phones in collaboration with Wireless Service Providers rather than take a HUGE financial risk in phone manufacturing. Recently, though, Google has seen some pressure from Cellular Providers. There concerns are high bandwidth usage from downloading G’s mobile apps as well as offering free services to Mobile Users which takes a small bite out of Cellular Providers profits. This could pose a interesting challenge for Google.
Congrats! On being selected by Technorati as a ‘FEATURED BLOGGER’, on the front page.
Thank you Allan, I didn’t know that I was being featured until now!
Well.. How do you explain a massive relocation of Mobile Software/Hardware engineers that used to work for Danger to Google? And their efforts on looking for Antenna engineers as well as RF engineers?
Mobile Software guy perhaps, but hardware drivers guys you do not need, and that goes for antenna & RF engineer. Antenna especially, only if your want your own hardware developed.
I’ve been working in mobile industry/RF field for 6 years, and unless you are in this field, you may not be aware of movement of engineers from one company to another, because there are so very few of them around, most companies steal them from one company to another.
You’re logic makes sense, however, to make such bold statement from someone who has no experience in the field is quite absurd. I just think that, instead of making assumption based on your logic, BTW, I’m quite confident that you are a bright guy; however, you should perhaps do little more research before making such comment. Lot of people, who have no idea about the mobile industry will take you litterally.