As I’ve discussed in previous posts, Apple is walking a slippery slope by building a walled garden around the iPhone. Well… this week they started slipping and generated a fair amount of negative press, all starting with Apple barring Google Voice apps from the iPhone App Store. This includes both third-party Voice-compatible applications as well as Google’s official Voice application. It’s no surprise that Apple’s actions against Google created a buzz, and here are some articles on what industry experts are saying:
- Apple beginning to view Google as competition?
- Is the iPhone causing Apple to lose the plot?
- I Quit The iPhone
All I can say is … OUCH! I’ve been saying for a while that Apple is making strategic mistakes similar to what they did in personal computing. It’s only a matter of time before the masses see what the experts are saying.
What’s most interesting with the latest Apple developments is that they are going head-to-head against Google. But wait, aren’t they everyone’s two favorite companies? Shouldn’t they get along so all of us can be happy? Nope. Google is making a strong push into mobile which threatens Apple since they share the same cult followers and now users will have to pick between the companies. Who would you pick? My vote is for Google because they are doing mobile the right way. They’ve enabled multiple handset manufacturers to build phones and let consumers choose a device that fits their lifestyle. They have a strong OS designed to support cloud-based apps. They are not controlling content. Here are some articles on positive steps Google is taking in the market:
- Pigs Fly As Facebook And Google Work Together On An Android App
- Hesse confirms Sprint will have an Android device this year, maybe more
- HTC Hero / T-Mobile G2 Touch Android smartphone review
Over the next year, I predict that we’ll see Apple and Google become bigger rivals and when these two juggernauts go to battle, it means only one thing… goodness for us consumers!
Earning season continues with Verizon and Sprint reporting this week. Verizon saw a drop in their profit but added 1.1 million wireless customers. They also said that the Palm Pre will be out on Verizon and that they are launching an app store. Sprint struggled again last quarter, reporting a drop in earnings and lost 250,000 customers but it seems their decline has slowed down after they released the Pre. Sprint also announced this week their intention to purchase Virgin Mobile for $483 million, to add to their pre-paid business. This move to focus on pre-paid business might make sense with the Palm Pre becoming available on Verizon, opening the door for more customers to jump ship.
As always, here are other stories and news I found interesting during the week:
- Windows is supposedly re-branding Windows Mobile to “Windows Phone”. Seriously? Why not just call it the wPhone. The brand managers at Windows need to be fired immediately!
- An interesting study on mobile web usage and how it’s not confined to smartphones alone. Goes to show that the world still isn’t centered around iPhones, BlackBerry, Palm and Android.
- AT&T launches an all-in-one social networking application
- Juniper Research predicts 20 billion applications downloads per year by 2014. I don’t agree with their analysis since I think that cloud-based apps will take over to ease cross-platform compatibility, so app downloads will actually slow down in a couple years.
In reference to the last item above, Gregg just released a 5-part blog series that discusses the Mobile web vs. app debate. Anyone interested in mobile apps should read all five articles as they provide excellent insight and analysis.