The iPhone 5 News Blog

A massive screen, NFC, quad-core processor, and some new bells and whistles like a fake Siri — Samsung’s GS3 seeks to deliver the goods that are on most iPhone users’ wish lists. Is the GS3 and its late-May release positioned to steal the iPhone 5′s thunder? You bet it is.

Let’s go out on a limb here: is it safe to say that Samsung has a pretty good idea of when the iPhone 5 will be released, and what kinds of features it will have? Given Samsung’s position as major supplier to some of the iPhone’s most critical components, it would stand to reason that the South Korean company knows better than most what to expect from Apple — and when to expect it.

If this is case, then there’s a lot we can infer about the new Samsung Galaxy S3: first, that it’s designed to be an iPhone 5 killer, and second, that its release date might be ultra-strategic.

According to the Mail, the GS3 sports “a large 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen running a resolution of 1280 x 720p – far bigger than Apple’s iPhone, and close in size to the smaller end of the tablet market,” as well as “a quad-core processor – similar to the ones found in many laptops, and far more powerful than the dual core found in the iPhone. The phone also includes an NFC chip – near-field-communications – allowing users to share content such as video by tapping phones together. And if you are sick of wires, a separate wireless charging kit means you can charge your phone without hooking it up to the socket.” Read More

Samsung continues to maintain parity with Apple, posting big quarterly profits. But is Samsung’s claim that the Galaxy S 3 is poised for massive sales really true, or is it a play to garner attention away from iPhone 5 speculation?

In the world of tech, there should be a whole series of DVDs entitled something like iPhone Competitors’ CEOs Gone Wild. In an effort to curtail the unchallenged buzz of speculative Apple products like the iPhone 5, iTV, and Mini iPad, Cupertino’s competitors habitually say the stupidest things. You’ll recall, for example, last September when HTC President Martin Fichter proclaimed that “iPhones are not that cool anymore,” because his daughter’s friends at college told him so.

Then, in December, Nokia’s Director of Portfolio, Product Management, and Sales Niels Munksgaard had this to say, ““What we see is that youth are pretty much fed up with iPhones. Everyone has the iPhone.” Oh yeah: Apple has a real problem appealing to the youth demographic.

Today, Samsung made its own pitch for inclusion in iPhone Competitors’ CEOs Gone Wild in their quarterly earnings report by trying to convince themselves and investors that the Samsung Galaxy S 3 is going to be just as popular and successful as the iPhone 5. Read More

Will Google seek to craft the Motorola Atrix 3 into a competitor to the iPhone 5 by ditching its TI chips for one of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chips?

The recent report of a supply shortfall among the new 28nm Qualcomm S4 Snapdragon chips and its possible implications for the iPhone 5 has spurred a few new stories — namely, what other 2012 smartphones might be vying for the same chips. Just today, we explored the possibilities that the Samsung Galaxy S 3 might soon debut with many of the hardware features that are rumored for the iPhone 5. The Samsung Galaxy series is often considered to be a natural rival to the iPhone, so all eyes are on Samsung starting today to see what the GS3 will deliver.

But what about the Motorola Atrix 3? After Google’s acquisition of Motorola, it has been assumed that the search engine giant would use the Motorola brand to design and manufacture their first truly in-house smartphone that could take on the iPhone from top to bottom. By having total oversight and control over the design and manufacturing, a model like the rumored Atrix 3 could live up the same quality, performance, and features that have propelled the iPhone to enjoy evergreen success.

Coincidentally, the Atrix 3 is back in the news, and guess what — rumors suggest it may use chips from the same set of Qualcomm S4 Snapdragon chips that are currently in short supply.

According to Droid Matters:

“. . . a recent GLBenchmark result for an AT&T Motorola device going under model number MB886 is showing that it will feature Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 processor- the same one found in the HTC One XL which is rumored to launch sometime next week on AT&T. The MB886 is rumored to be the Atrix 3 and will reportedly have a screen resolution of 1196 x 720- similar to the Galaxy Nexus, meaning that the Moto phone may get on-screen buttons.

With NVIDIA still in the process of designing their LTE-capable chips, Motorola opted for Qualcomm, because of their known compatibility with LTE networks. The S4 processor is already getting great feedback from the tech community and the recently leaked benchmarks for the AT&T HTC One X can prove it.”

This great report from Zack Nebbaki clearly reveals the Atrix 3 will be outfitted with the same rumored 28nm chips for the LTE iPhone 5. It is very possible that both Apple and Google/Motorola have managed to exhaust supplies of these chips in a production ramp-up for summer releases.

But what I also found interesting was Droid Matters’ mentioning of on-screen buttons for the Atrix 3. The home button issue for the iPhone 5 is long-running, with early speculation wondering if Apple might finally forego the home button. The inclusion of the home button on the iPad 3 seemed to have dissipated any fresh speculation about the iPhone 5 ending up with no home button, but with recent rumors of seamless bonding, edge-to-edge screens, and a LiquidMetal back, now the suggestion that a top rival like the Atrix 3 featuring on-screen buttons makes one wonder if the iPhone 5 could replace the physical home button with an on-screen variant in order to create a completely smooth, seamless form factor. To be sure, the proposed longer screen would allow for this functionality. In any case, it will be interesting to see what happens with the Atrix 3 — whether it’ll be released before or after the iPhone 5, and if it will be able to live up to some of the hype surrounding it as Google’s eventual answer to the iPhone franchise.

By Michael Nace 

A purported photo of the GS3. Whoop-dee-freaking-do.

A 4.6-inch screen, 8 megapixel camera, 16Gb of storage and NFC technology — at first glance, this seems like a list of long-rumored features that could very well end up on the iPhone 5. But while Appledom has been imagining these features on the next iPhone, so too has the Android sect prognosticated them for Samsung’s new Galaxy S 3, the 2012 Android smartphone set to give Apple its stiffest competition in the marketplace. And with Samsung being first to market with features that are highly coveted for the iPhone 5, the tech community is left wondering if Samsung will manage to siphon off potential iPhone users, thanks to their strategy of preempting iPhone launches with their own competing device.

Samsung has been trying to channel the buzz and mystery that perennially propels the new iPhone each season by setting up a cryptic countdown clock at tgeltaayehxnx.com, which, in true Android form, crashed as a result of heavy traffic. But the heavy traffic is at least a good sign for Samsung, who appears to have made more of a buzz-worthy impact on smartphone consumers this year thus far, what with a relatively successful string of sales reports of the Galaxy Note, and now a steady crescendo of interest for what the Samsung Galaxy S 3 will offer.

The question is, will the GS3 be a true iPhone 5 killer?

In terms of features, the GS3 may very well end up offering the same hardware features as the iPhone 5, and maybe even more: if Samsung delivers on a 4.6-inch screen, it still may turn out to be a larger display than the iPhone 5, which could turn out to have a longer yet thin display. And while NFC payment technology is heavily rumored for the iPhone 5, it could still be a year away, leaving the GS3 as the flagship device for NFC in 2012. More memory, more RAM, an improved 8-megapixel camera sensor, and LTE — all of these iPhone 5 features could be matched by the Samsung Galaxy S 3.

But where the iPhone 5 could excel is in its form factor and software, alla iOS 6.

The photo above depicts a purported photo of the GS3. While it might turn out to be bogus (as photos like these usually do), chances are the GS3 will probably turn out to look something like what is depicted here: a kind of boxy, plastic, Androidy design.

Conversely, the iPhone 5 could turn out to reinvent the already impressive glass and metal design of the iPhone 4 with the advent of a molded LiquidMetal back. LiquidMetal Technologies themselves stipulate that their unique metal alloy, while offering many benefits, such as being lightweight, strong, and moldable, also has the capabilities of being crafted into beautiful designs. The metal alloy is used in jewelry and high-priced watches, after all. So, in terms of pure aesthetics, the iPhone 5 could look like a completely different species of smartphone next to the GS3. That might not count for much to the hard core tech geek, but for the average user, they will seek out the device that makes them look and feel unique, even in spite of the fact that the singular iPhone sells almost as many units as all of Android combined. Finally, just as 2011′s iPhone 4S showcased some major software upgrades via iOS 5, we could see iOS 6 deliver some next-generation user interfaces and voice command functionality that will make it stand out from its Android competition. Apple has long searched for software solutions in contrast to its competitors, who strap on more hardware to keep their new devices fresh. The combination of an impressive, new form factor and mind-blowing iOS features will be hard for even a high-performance smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S 3 to compete against, no matter how many crashed countdown websites or new features they throw up. By Michael Nace

Once crowned “App of the Year,” Instagram has been a major draw for users to onboard to iOS devices. But with Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of the company, as well as its launch onto the Android platform, Apple and Twitter Execs have turned their backs on ever-burgeoning photo-sharing social network.

Instagram has been the recipient of a lot of good stuff recently — tons of new subscribers, positive press, and plenty of money, thanks to Facebook’s $1 billion dolar acquisition of the start-up company. But not everyone in the mobile computing milieu is particularly pleased by the acquisition — or Instagram’s expansion into Android.

According to 9to5Mac, both Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller deleted their personal Instagram photo sharing accounts in a very public manner, leveraging their semi-celebrity status in the technology sector to drive home a few pointed comments about Instagram’s recent business maneuvers. When a reader asked Schiller why he had deleted his Instagram account, he replied, “It ‘jumped the shark” when it went to Android.”

What’s Phil Schiller talking about?

Schiller is referring to the fact that Instagram is now running on Android. As you recall, Instagram achieved its success as an iOS app, and while it is a third-party app and was never owned or operated by Apple, Cupertino’s marketing department — largely spearheaded by Schiller — promoted the photo sharing app prominently, having been “featured several times in Apple’s App Store, even winning “app of the year” recognition. As marketing chief at Apple, seeing one of the platform’s most popular third-party pieces of software running on millions of Android phones is a disappointing sight.”

Dorsey’s public dissing of Instagram is borne of a different disappointment — Twitter was purportedly in the bidding mix for Instagram, but lost to Facebook. But his departure from Instagram is similar to that of Schiller’s in that “sour grapes” appear to be at the heart of their decisions to leave Instagram and levy criticisms.

To be sure, Cupertino is not used to losing at much of anything in business, and Twitter is clearly locked in a contested market share war with Facebook. But is Phil Schiller’s characterization of Instagram “jumping the shark” a fair criticism? Granted, Schiller or any other Apple executive would be hard-pressed to admit that Android-based apps are comparable to their iOS counterparts, but to say that Instagram “jumped the shark” denotes that the company has essentially reached its low point in doing so.

Yet, the vast majority of ultra-successful third-party apps run on both the iOS and Android platforms — it isn’t uncommon at all. And as both an iPhone and Android user, while I can safely say that iOS apps are typically much more feature-rich and reliable than Android versions, I don’t think that it precludes Instagram from penetrating the Android market. They are, after all, in business to make money for themselves — not for Apple.

Similarly, Dorsey’s sour grapes are equally questionable: I’m the first to label Facebook as the evil empire of social media. But was Instagram obliged to take a less favorable deal from Twitter in order to help them level the social networking playing field?

We, the consumers, benefit when companies like Apple, Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram play against one another aggressively in the marketplace. We end up with bolder, better products to purchase and use. But in my opinion, Schiller and Dorsey are being unsportsmanlike and petty here. In the grand scheme of things, their departure and public criticism of Instagram isn’t going to even ripple their steady rise in subscriptions. Maybe if Steve Jobs had done something like this, Apple enthusiasts would have followed suit — but I doubt Steve would have ever stooped low like this. Rather, I think that Mr. Jobs would have instead redoubled efforts to find the next big photo-based social networking experience that would someday make Instagram obsolete. It’s days like this when one only wishes Steve Jobs was still around.

By Michael Nace

As the iPhone 5 release approaches, a new Neilsen survey finds that iPhone usage in the U.S. is now only 5% behind the entire Android army of smartphones. 

Apple detractors have often remarked that Apple’s bark is bigger than its bite; that the buzz surrounding the iPhone is much bigger than those who actually own an iPhone. Kind of like a controversial book that everyone talks about, but few actually read.

Of course, that supposition is clearly wrong: Apple has gone on to become the richest, most successful business in the world, and they’ve been on a winning streak for quite some time now. A new Neilsen survey, however, is now quantifying this sense, revealing that the singular iPhone and its various iterations are nearly even with all of Androidom in the United States.

According to Apple Insider: “sales of Apple’s iPhone accounted for 43 percent of all new smartphone purchases over the past three months, a 6 percent increase from the period ending in December, while Android’s share fell nearly 4 percent to cover 48 percent of activations.” That is an astounding reversal of market share.

Neilsen’s other study finds that, over the past three months, Apple has significantly cut into RIM’s market share: while Android has remained steady, Apple’s market share has bumped up, while RIM has fallen sharply (see the infographic above).

I have commented on this blog several times about how odd it is that we compare the iPhone to Android, as it is really an “apples to oranges” comparison (no pun intended). How could it ever be fair to compare one device’s sales and popularity to an entire horde of competing devices? If anything, the iPhone should only be held against it most obvious singular Android competitors, such as the Samsung Galaxy S series.

And yet, we now see that, in spite of just one iPhone release a year, Apple has managed to pull nearly even with Google’s army of Androids. Their plan was clearly to expand and conquer, by giving manufacturers the Android OS as a means of always staying ahead of Apple in features and innovation. But what the Android partners have failed to do is come even remotely close to the quality, reliability, and buzz that the iPhone franchise enjoys.

It is worth noting, however, that Google still makes a fair share of money from the iPhone, and in this way, it is invested in its success, hedging its loss in market share. Jonny Evans at Computerworld explains: “Based on data provided by Google as part of a settlement offer with Oracle, The Guardian asserts that Android devices generated less than $550m in revenues between 2008 and the end of 2011, but, tellingly, its deal with Apple generated four times as much cash,” thanks to iOS’ use of Maps and Google Search.

This may be yet another reason why I think Apple is quickly and effectively getting into the search business with Siri: don’t be surprised if over the next few years they look to roll out an alternative to Google Search, as well as Google monetizing products, such as AdWords.

In the meantime, Google will continue to make money on both ends of the smartphone spectrum, as the iPhone edges ever closer to eclipsing Android.

By Michael Nace

Google, the world leader in online search, is reportedly set to tweak its search algorithm to be more like Bing and Apple’s Siri, with vast, new databases of information that can answer complex questions.

When you think search, you think “Google.” For well over a decade, they have been the undisputed leader in online search, dominating the search market, and even managing to effectively monetize search through their Google AdSense program. Competing search engines like Yahoo and Bing have only managed to hold on, garnering a nominal percentage of search traffic and market share. In essence, just as Xerox became ubiquitous with photocopying, so too has Google become synonymous with search.

A new report, however, indicates that the nature of search is changing — thanks in large part to smartphones — Bing and Siri are actually on the cutting edge of these new search trends, and Google is now trying to be more like them.

The Mail is reporting that new changes are coming to Google Search that will make it more like Bing and Siri, focusing more on answering users’ questions: “Google has quietly amassed information on 200 million of ‘entities’ – people, places, products – and the new version of search will feed users information about the ‘entity’ they are searching for. Instead of relying on Wikipedia, for instance, to provide facts and figures, Google will provide this information itself.”

This is a dramatic change for how Google currently answers questions in search: typically, a question is answered by providing a page from a website — such as from Wikipedia, eHow, or Ask, and not by drawing from raw data. According to the Mail, “Bing is the second most-popular search engine in the U.S. – and built do deliver answers to questions.”

However, what the Mail article fails to recognize is that this new trend in search has been driven primarily by smartphone users — and that it is Siri that is truly leading the way in “semantic search,” as it is called.

The iPhone 5 News Blog has long argued that Siri is a search engine — a new kind of search engine that is particularly well-optimized for mobile users who often use their smartphone to get answers and information to specific questions. Our theory was further supported by a report we covered on February 13th that the semantic search engine Wolfram Alpha was providing search results to 25% of all Siri search queries, and that Apple and Wolfram Alpha are moving closer together in business partnership.

It would appear that Google is now recognizing that they are behind on this new form of query-based search style brought on by mobile computing, and are working aggressively to match Bing and Siri in being able to deliver semantic search results. There is even a Siri-like Google/Android patent that we covered In an article I wrote on February 22nd, entitled “Patent Reveals Android Rival To Siri, Google Worried Siri Will Dominate Search.”

For as much as Google is often seen as an impenetrable brand when it comes to search, it appears that Apple is well-positioned to outflank them in the long run with Siri. This, combined with the ever-increasing success of the iPhone, shows Apple to be on a continued trajectory of success, with the prospect of eventually expanding their empire in the search market.

By Michael Nace

Google is getting into the patent wars fray, first by buying Motorola, and now by filing a new Siri-like patent for Android. Is the search giant worried that Siri could eclipse Google Search?

The great thing about Patently Apple is that they not only cover Apple patents, but rival patents as well. And given how patents and trademarks are the most deadly weapons in the gadgets sector, they will most likely remain busy for the foreseeable future.

They broke a new Google patent that I think is actually a rather big piece of news. The new patent reveals an innovative concept that would allow Android users to give voice to commands vis-a-vis a Siri-like feature that would in turn control smart televisions — ostensibly that could rival Apple’s rumored iTV. PopHerald explains: “According to Patently Apple,  the patent was described as a cloud-based technology that will allow voice commands from Android phone or tablet to interact with a Set-Top Box, Smart TV and other devices. For starters, the Android device equipped with the unannounced “Siri-like” application must have an internet access in order to control the supported TV. Sounds Apple-ish? Not really because if I’m not mistaken, Google is the first to file the patent.”

But what I think PopHerald is missing here is Google’s somewhat subversive means of answering Apple’s Siri by developing a highly intuitive Siri-like voice recognition feature for Android devices. Sure, the idea of a voice-controlled smartphone changing television channels might be Google’s idea, but the “means to an end here” is a voice recognition package that would provide that kind of functionality.

This is just my hunch, but my feeling is that Google is worried about Siri, or even a more advanced “Assistant,” which has also been rumored for the iPhone 5 and iOS 6. I’ve argued in the past that Siri is a search engine, and that its intuitive, artificial intelligence in many ways improves on Google Search’s own algorithms, since it not only determines context, but actual voice commands as well. Recent reports that Siri leverages the unique Wolfram Alpha search engine is further proof that Apple is looking to differentiate its search methods from Google. Clearly, Apple snuck themselves into the search market with Siri, and now Google is trying to sneak into the advanced voice recognition market sector.

What remains to be seen is who will come out on top. Android was the first to advance voice recognition in its operating system, but what is in place now doesn’t even come close to what Siri offers. On the other hand, Google has dominated the search business — some would say that Google invented it — and it may be presumptuous for Apple to think they could ever cut into Google Search’s market dominance, especially considering that Yahoo and Bing have many more years of search experience under their belts, and still have not managed to mount a serious affront to Google.

I subscribe to Search Engine Land‘s daily newsletter, and even though I cannot substantiate it, I can imagine an article a year or two down the line with a title similar to “Siri Cuts Into Google Search Market Share.”

By Michael Nace

In the wake of Google gaining approval for acquiring Motorola Mobility, the rumored Atrix 3 might become Google’s first serious contender against this year’s iPhone 5.

What you are looking at here are purported photos of the newest potential “iPhone 5 killer,” the Motorola Atrix 3. At present, there isn’t much to look at — a monolithic black slab ‘o smartphone, with rounded edges and what looks to be a buttonless front with a large screen. But gives the rumored specs for this new iteration of the Motorola Atrix, together with the recent news that Google will indeed purchase Motorola Mobility, conspires to suggest that the Atrix 3 could be Google’s first foray into building a smartphone that can take on the iPhone 5 mano e mano.

The photo itself is purported to be a true prototype, and not a production-ready device. But the features for the proposed Atrix 3 seem very real, and impressive enough to rival the iPhone 5′s possible quad core A6 chip, larger screen, 4G LTE, et al. Rumored specs for the Atrix 3 include the impressive Quad-core Tegra 3 processor and 2 GB of RAM, as well as a beefy 4.3 inch 1280 x 720 display and 10 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, which may or may not trump the Sony camera sensor that is rumored to be slated for the iPhone 5.

The Atrix 3 would also ostensibly include Android 4.0.

If the Atrix 3 turns out to feature these specs, what will the ramifications be for the iPhone 5? There has been talk that the A6 chip will not turn out to be quad core after all — and we should this by the time the iPad 3 is released. There are an equal number of iPhone 5 perspectives that suggest the augmentation of the iPhone 5′s screen could be less than 4.3 inches. In fact, some even believe that Apple could opt to keep the overall dimensions of the iPhone 5 chassic in line with previous iPhone models, and increase the screen only from 3.5 to 3.7 inches.

It also appears that, if rumors prove to be true and the iPhone 5 is released in June, it is likely that the Atrix 3 could be released around the same time, shaping up a major smartphone war to begin the Summer.

Fortunately for Apple, their customers don’t make iPhone purchases based solely on processors, RAM, and other tech elements. The iPhone 4S is a testament to this reality, with Siri, the innovations of iOS 5, and the coolness factor associated with the iPhone springboarding iPhone 4S sales, in spite of having no 4G LTE and the same screen and form factor as the iPhone 4.

Conversely, Google will have an uphill battle to re-imagine Motorola as a brand that can compete with Apple in terms of coolness and leading-edge technology. Though Motorola has a proven track record of innovation, the company has never had a product that has made a cultural impact like the iPhone.

It remains to be seen if Google’s Motorola experiment will work, and that their Atrix 3 could even come close to competing with the iPhone in 2012. Fortunately for Google, there are enough Motorola patents that they will suck up in the acquisition process that the investment will at the very least have a hedge against Motorola failing miserably to compete one-on-one with Apple’s iPhone 5. But the prospect of “winning” via cynical courtroom battles against Apple is a far cry from Google’s dream of making Motorola into the next ultra-hip smartphone manufacturer.

By Michael Nace

One of the Android community’s long-standing bragging rights over Apple’s iOS is that Android is an open-source platform. But HP CEO Meg Whitman suggests that Google’s acquisition of Motorola could mean that Android could become proprietary to Motorola devices, just as iOS is to Apple gadgets.

Oh, how the wheel turns!

At the recent HP Global Partner conference in Las Vegas, HP CEO Meg Whitman talked candidly about Google’s soon-to-be purchase of Motorola Mobility, and that they could mean for the Android platform as we know it. Information Week reports: “When Google announced its intent to purchase Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, there was an immediate fear that Google would close the OS and work only with Motorola moving forward. Other hardware makers voiced support for the deal publicly, but you can be sure they were cursing behind closed doors. Ever since, Google has said over and over that Android will remain an open platform. HP CEO Meg Whitman isn’t so sure. Speaking to attendees of the HP Global Partner conference in Las Vegas, reports PC World, Whitman contended that “the industry needs another OS,” and went on to suggest that Google may change its mind once it owns Motorola.”

While many in the media are characterizing the acquisition of Motorola by Google as a move designed primarily to scoop up the company’s valuable patents in the ever-widening courtroom battles between technology companies, Whitman’s suggestion that Google could make future iterations of the Android platform available only to Motorola devices would further corroborate the alternate theory about the Google-Motorola fusion: Google will convert Motorola into a clone of Apple from a business structure standpoint, giving them the opportunity to design, build, and market a completely in-house set of mobile devices with completely proprietary software.

In this way, Google could match Apple tit for tat in all of their product and service offerings.

To be fair, Meg Whitman has an agenda, and in many ways, her musings may be little more than wishful thinking and sneaky self-promotion. HP, after all, is looking to peddle its own OS — webOS — as an alternative not to Apple’s iOS, but rather to Android. Information Week gives us some background: “WebOS floundered under HP’s ownership, and last August the company announced that it would cease making webOS smartphones and tablets–mere weeks after launching the webOS-powered TouchPad. The company announced its intent to open source the platform in December. Since then, it has begun making individual components available to the community, though the entire OS isn’t expected to become available until September of this year.”

webOS will not compete on a manufacturing level with iOS, and only slightly on the retail level, since iOS is part of a tightly-marketed “Apple ecosphere,” which consumers either buy into or they don’t. And because no other tech manufacturers can use iOS other than Apple, webOS only has to vie against Android in this way. Thus, if Whitman can scare the tech community enough into thinking that Google could abandon them down the road, they might look to start building some devices for the new webOS.

But the question is, are tech manufacturers buying it?

Probably not, and the reason is that Google may have much more to lose in close-sourcing Android than they could ever gain from funneling all of their mobile focus through Motorola. Android’s business model is predicated on it being open source and available to a wide range of manufacturers. If Apple’s business model is a rifle, then Google Android’s is a shotgun.

And to wit, the Android approach would seem on paper to be a safer business than what Apple employs. The x-factor in Apple’s success thus far hasn’t been a superior business model necessarily, but rather the ability to leverage Steve Jobs’ cult of personality, the innovation and uniqueness of Apple devices, and a marketing department that really knows hw to mange buzz and vibe in intangible ways. It is a “vertical” approach to marketing that works in a world that is mostly dominated by big corporations effectively using “horizontal” marketing schemes.

And Android has managed to that rather well, which is probably why close-sourcing the platform isn’t going to happen in the near future. In fact, given the huge changes in Apple in the wake of Steve Jobs’ death, one has to wonder: will iOS someday be open source?

By Michael Nace