23 Sept 2008

Android G1 is here

Android - G1 is here...

And as almost everyone thought, its pretty amazing...

Yet the usual we-know-everything-and-we-hate-Google team in SiliconAlleyInsider try to convince us that its not as amazing as we think it is...

Dan Frommers' ridiculous attempt:
  • The G1's keyboard is nice, but what are you really going to be typing on a phone?
WHAT?? ARE YOU SERIOUS? How about text messages, e-mails, blog posts, search queries, ANYTHING that we really have a hard time typing on an iPhone...
  • Apple's App Store is a year ahead of Google's. We're surprised by how many apps we've downloaded, especially professionally produced games, and how much time we spend using them. At Google's launch event today, we heard about two geeky apps for the G1, but nothing about partnerships with Electronic Arts or other big gaming shops. Google's Android App Store will be sparse at the beginning, and will take a while to fill out.
So... Wait... you KNOW that the Android App Store is still ON ITS FIRST DAY OF EXISTENCE... and you KNOW that its main advantage over the iPhone app store is that fact that its OPEN and it PAYS ALL REVENUE TO DEVELOPERS, but... yet... all you can say is a crappy joke about "two geeky apps"????
  • Syncing the iPhone to your computer is a breeze. Music comes from iTunes, photos from iPhoto, etc. Google won't have an iTunes-like desktop syncing app, and instead will sync up with Google's various Internet-based services. We still don't know how we'll be able to move music from our computer to our phone, but we're betting it won't be nearly as simple and seamless as Apple's made it.
Yet AGAIN, the fact that ANY DEVELOPER can (and WILL) create apps for all of the above, DOES NOT RING ANY BELLS?? Instead your are "betting" that something with endless possibilities won't be "nearly as simple and..." yada yada yada???
  • We're not nearly as hung up about stats as some of our blogging brethren. But Google's G1 comes with a tiny percentage of the memory -- 1 GB -- that Apple's iPhone comes with -- 8 GB. Sure, you can buy an 8-gig card for $50, but there goes any cost savings over the iPhone.
So, these 50 bucks you DON'T LIKE, but.... having to pay A BOATLOAD OF MONEY for every single accessory of the iPhone other that the actual phone IS OK WITH YOU??


And then Henry Blodget (tries to) comes to the rescue, as Dan obviously has the whole world laughing at his "neutral analysis"...

First thing he deals with? Is it the G1?? NO!!

Its as always about the lagging GOOG stock, the failing new revenue streams, and all the usual short-sighted remarks...

But then.... he goes on and includes an excellent analysis by Sandeep Aggarwal of Collins Stewart:

"About Android

Android is a collaborative efforts of 30+ technology and mobile companies to develop a complete & open source mobile platform...


First Android powered mobile device to be launched on Sep 24th

Our view is that the launch of Android will likely trigger the mobile Internet adoption globally, in turn creating an entire Android ecosystem (30+ technology & mobile co's) with Google arguably being the largest beneficiary. We think that Android will fully blossom in about 3 years and will likely see a very fast adoption of mobile Internet usage, thus triggering massive mobile initiated search/display ad opportunities for Google. A mobile phone installed base of 3bn vs. 1bn for PCs, 24/7 access to mobile devices by users, known demographic information for mobile users, and location knowledge, make mobile Internet the most lucrative new opportunity for Google since it launched its core search offerings nearly a decade back. We think that by 2011, Android can be a $5bn incremental ad revenue opportunity for Google on a global basis. We reiterate our Buy and $615PT for GOOG.

$5bn in incremental ad opportunities for Google

We think that by 11, GOOG will generate $5bn in incremental rev based on our assumptions -4bn mobile devices installed base and $1.25 in Internet ad revenue per mobile device in installed base (5 paid searches @ $0.25 per paid search/year). For context Google, made $1 in Internet ad revenue per PC in installed base in 02 and this number reached $19 in 07. Unlike desktops, all mobile phones can not access the Internet and thus we think that the trajectory of Google's Internet ad revenue curve on the mobile Internet will look less steep than PC based Internet ad revenue.
"


What else is there to say?
Bottom Line?? You got "Apple" written on one forehead, "AAPL" on the other...



3 comments:

Unknown said...

Yes, but the i-phone is still a beautiful thing. And I suspect I have "Apple" stamped across a couple of places, too :)

Anonymous said...

Yes, but android is free. Apple wins when you buy iphone, Google wins whether you buy iphone or android. What Google needs is everyone to have good internet access from their mobile devices.
In this sense they are not really competitors, Apple is competing with HTCs and Motorolas and Nokias of the world. I always felt that Apple and Google are the same play on the stock market and that you can not have much of the edge by going in different directions.

Alexis said...

"Yes, but android is free. Apple wins when you buy iphone, Google wins whether you buy iphone or android. What Google needs is everyone to have good internet access from their mobile devices."

spot-on my friend...
(I can see Schmit smiling!)