Carl Howe, Director, Anywhere Consumer Research, Yankee Group
A bit later after the end of the G1 press conference, I chat on the phone with Yankee Group director, Carl Howe (pictured), about his thoughts on T-Mobile’s G1 phone and the mobile competitive landscape. Here’s an excerpt of our conversation.
How is Google Android different from the other 4 mobile “platforms” i.e. Apple, Microsoft, NokiaI and RIM?
The difference with Android is that it’s open source software and I can modify it completely: user interface, input devices, etc. With the other platforms, you have access to those APIs but you can not change it. All of those platforms are written with a particular hardware in mind. With Google, it is the first case where it’s much more like the Windows model [that Microsoft did not use for Windows Mobile by the way!!!]. If you don’t like the driver, put a different one and use that one instead. You have the freedom to do that.
What about Microsoft delaying Windows Mobile 7?
It’s a recognition by Microsoft that what it had planned for Windows Mobile 7 was not going to be as exciting to its developers as they had hoped. They may have been a little surprised by how rapidly the market is changing. I think they are taking a more aggressive approach by delaying it. There are going to put a lot more features, that’s my guess.
Is it game over for Palm?
Palm is certainly struggling, particularly with their next platform also coming out next year. I think they hope to have it out this year. Again, they are in the battle for developers and when you’ve got a 5-way race already (Apple, Google, Nokia, Microsoft and RIM), having a sixth vendor who is viewed by many for not having a compelling value proposition, it’s going to be a tough fight for them. The main thing to keep in mind is that this is a battle for developers that are writing the software. And so this is really become a platform game more than anything else. Whoever can deliver the most customers wins.
Should users be wary of adding new applications to their Google phone? How’s the security in the G1?
Quite frankly we still don’t quite know how Google is doing the accountability for add-on software. Apple requires that you get a certificate from them that allows you to develop. So if they discover that your software is causing problem they can actually trace it back to you and pull your certificate until you fix the problem. I’m personally on the side that a more secure and simple plateform will probably give less problems [like Apple's]. But it’s also the most closed one. So the market will decide here.
[...] TechPulse 360 added an interesting post today on Microsoft Delays Windows Mobile 7 to Add iPhone/Android Like Features, Yankee Group Analyst Suggests. Sees Palm Struggling with Upcoming PlatformHere’s a small readingCarl Howe, Director, Anywhere Consumer Research, Yankee Group A bit later after the end of the G [...]