The IHT is pretty convinced we won’t see mobile phone from Google–yeah, we know that already. However, they’ve shed some light on what exactly Google is working on.
It appears the Mountain View search giant is putting together an operating system for mobile phones based on Linux. The open-source software is designed to go head-to-head with Microsoft’s Windows Mobile.
Really? Google launching a Microsoft competitor? How novel!
…unlike Microsoft, Google is not expected to charge phone makers a licensing fee for the software.
“The essential point is that Google’s strategy is to lead the creation of an open-source competitor to Windows Mobile,” said an industry executive, who did not want his name used because his company has had contacts with Google. “They will put it in the open-source world and take the economics out of the Windows Mobile business.”
Sounds like the same strategy used to not compete with Microsoft Office.
Google hopes it’s Windows Mobile alternative will loosen the control held by the major wireless networks. However, some analysts predict a tough battle ahead for Google…
Microsoft, whose mobile operating system has been available for years, has distribution agreements with 48 phone makers and 160 carriers around the world. Still, only 12 million phones sold this year will be based on Microsoft’s software, giving it 10 percent of the smartphone market, according to IDC.
Yeah, and who thought in 1999 there was room for a search engine to take away 58+% market share? Microsoft’s Windows Mobile is hardly a piece of genius. It dominates because there’s a lack of a solid competitor. If Google can launch something half-decent, it’s brand will carry it the rest of the way.
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