This year’s Google I/O developer conference was a massively Android-centric affair. The OS dominated the two-and-a-half-hour keynote presentation, which saw a new platform version – Android “L” – previewed to developers, alongside new form factors in Android Wear, Android Auto and Android TV.
It really does seem as if Android is ‘winning’ inside Google. Android on phones, TVs, cars, and watches – the only exception here is laptops, but even those are getting sort-of Android because Android application will run on Chrome OS. You have to wonder how long it’ll take for Chrome OS itself to more or less turn into Android.
The second interesting point that became very clear during Google I/O is that the company is taking control away from OEMs. OEMs cannot alter Android TV and Android Wear’s user experience, and that’s a huge customer win. The downside here is that there’s a very real possibility that these platforms won’t become part of AOSP, ruling out things like CyanogenMod TV or OmniROM Wear.
Third, while it’s clear that Google is trying to exert more control of phone/tablet Android too, it’s still not clear how far they’re willing to go. There was nothing on ‘Android Silver’, and the fact that the company confirmed that the Nexus programme will not go away means they still see a need for OEM-less Android – which would not be necessary if Google managed to get the same kind of control over phones/tablets as it will have over TV/Wear.
The launcher (Android Home), Camera, Gallery and Music are already proprietary. Customized versions of these apps are based on old versions.
Google is taking control of Android back from tablet and phone OEMs by forcing customized Android phones and tablets to run an old UI experience.
Not that OEMs will care. The TouchWiz of Galaxy looks like Froyo. The plan will backfire and there will be few phones running the proper Android experience and many running a customized experience of an old UI. Mark my words.
Edited 2014-07-03 19:09 UTC
This in not correct. The “Google” versions of those apps are proprietary, but there are still open source versions in AOSP. Calling them “old versions” is not really correct, since they are still being updated.
It’s no different than having a “Email” app in AOSP, and Gmail app in the play store.
Google is delusional, who would want every phone to look and work exactly the same? This defeats the whole purpose of Android. For each person that complains about TouchWiz there are 100 who buy Samsung exactly because of it.
Easy answer: Developers would like every phone to work the same way.
If every phone worked the same way it would be easier to develop extensions and skins and make sure that they worked well on all phones. So in a way phones that looked the same out of the box could very well be the key to much better personalized user experience with a little hellp from downloads from Google Play.
Well, OEMs could replace the launcher and stock apps to give their users a customized experience. I don’t see why they have to ruin the whole OS.
Edited 2014-07-04 09:59 UTC
Smaller manufacturers are now using stock Android on many models (especially MTK based models) because it is saves a huge amount of time and money.
If your margin is only $10/phone on basic models you can’t afford to spend millions developing a new GUI and custom apps.
Just a gut feeling of course, but I have a hard time imagining Touchwiz is the reason why people are buying Samsung. I know I bought my Tab Pro despite Touchwiz and because of a lack of better Android alternatives. I’d get rid of it in a second if I could.
Edited 2014-07-04 13:50 UTC
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_mondrianwifi
Samsung make great hardware and lousy software.
I don’t think so. I think that 90 buy it because of Samsung’s marketing and 10 because it has bigger numbers (bigger screen, more Mhz etc).
I must have missed the part where they said the Nexus phones/tablets were sticking around. Does anybody remember where in the keynote/sessions they said Nexus was going to continue?
There wasn’t much about any hardware lines, that does not mean they are not going to be working on them. Consumer focused announcements are likely moving to special announcements rather than packaging everything into I/O keynotes.
It wasn’t during a keynote, but during an interview:
http://readwrite.com/2014/06/26/google-nexus-android-silver#awesm=~…
needs to ditch Android for Tizen. If they can’t exploit their ‘brand’ then why would they carry on using Android?
What would happen to Android development if Samsung departed the fold? Is there a danger got Google’s desire to be in control backfire on them?
IMHO, there are decidedly choppy waters ahead for the Android Ship.
Samsung already has for Watch and never joined for TV.
If they really rewrite the whole GUI toolkit to achieve fluidness of WP and IOS esp. on lower end devices, the developers (esp. for high profile apps) will come once L gets some critical mass (~ 40%).
Till then it’s gonna be business as usual.