Now I am no technical analyst, or economist, I am merely a consumer who enjoys gadgets and having the latest technology – but I have to say that even before I get the chance to play with Google and T-Mobile’s G1, I am afraid its not going to hold up in the smart phone market.
Right off the bat reports are saying it is not going to be a very business friendly phone, which considering the fact that blackberry is such a powerhouse in that department, gearing the phone in another direction was perhaps a smart move. However now that the target demographic is narrowed down to lets say young adults in the middle to upper class lets look at some facts.
G1 vs G3
Apple has a huge cult following amongst techies and this generation of consumers. And yet the iPhone only accounted for 2.8% of all smart-phones sold worldwide this quarter.
The iPhone is too expensive! Well your in luck! The G1 is a whole 20 dollars cheaper! With the G1 priced at $179 the cheaper price alone will surely not sway a consumer who is on the fence.
The battery can be taken out and replaced easily, which as anyone who has owned any modern battery operated electronic knows – batteries tend fade around a year or less and are crying to be replaced in about 2.
The G1 also offers a camera – also with no video capture application. However Google has created this phone to run on open source software and has the ‘Android Marketplace’ (similar to the app store). Which is meant to encourage programmers to create software for the phone – most likely leading to video capturing programs.
And unlike the iPhone, where apple filters the applications that can be sold on the app store – causing many people to ‘jailbreak’ their iPhones in order to meet the iPhones full potential – thus voiding the warranty – google will not filter any applications, or even charge for them!
“For Google, Android is a cash drain,” said James Faucette, and analyst with Pacific Crest Securities. “They are going to lose money on Android as an operating system. They hope to make it up from the services they are delivering through their infrastructure and services.”
Personally I think it will be a cash drain and I also believe that not filtering the applications will lead to hacks and viruses. However I am sure some type of filter would have to be put into effect one way or another.
Finally if Google founders Lary Page and Sergey Brin’s attempt to compete with Steve Job’s wardrobe gimmick of the jean/sweater is any sign of things to come – the future looks bleak for the G1.
iPhone: 1 - G1: 0
