This is a very provocative point of view from analyst Rob Enderle. Android, the Google phone and mobile internet device OS is litigation bait. Going back to an Economist article from October, Android seemed to be igniting a massive surge in smartphone adoption given its open source model and compelling price of free. Now Enderle says not the case:
“Google’s been having a tough year with Android. First Apple sues HTC for violations of Apple’s intellectual property, and it becomes clear that Google has no defense against this kind of expensive attack, and then Microsoft convinces HTC to license its technology to cover Android.”
“A rough back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that HTC is paying between US$20 and $40 for this license to Microsoft, and the litigation cost and reasonable risk to Apple is probably twice this, suggesting the real cost of Android may be between $40 and $80 a phone — or the most expensive phone OS currently being sold on the planet. And, if you take into account that Apple doesn’t license, you might conclude that after paying all of this money, HTC might still have to abandon Android.”
via Technology News: Tech Buzz: HP’s Deal of the Century, Android’s Short Life.
Way to go, my caucasoidian technological brother.
JimF
Not to mention Google’s mistake in attempting to take on a sovereign nation where much of the manufacturing and purchasing takes place.
About to grab an HTC Incredible…. Hope they continue to catch on.
I don’t know much about this … but doesn’t Apple have too much control?