Silicon Valley-based tech giant, Google has squarely dominated the smartphone market with its Android OS, used in over 80% of the smartphones used today. Even though it does not develop the hardware for these smartphones, the ‘open source’ software OS provided by Google is the major reason why these handsets sell.
After almost 9 years of being in the industry, the company is now planning to launch its own smartphone by the end of this year. By own smartphone we do not mean the existing Nexus devices, but completely its own, including manufacturing, from the hardware to the software. While Google has been releasing Nexus Devices, they are all launched in partnership with a Smartphone vendor, who manufactures it for them!
This device, or set of devices, will be the first Google-owned Non-Nexus devices. It is already in talks with mobile operators to launch its own smartphone, according to a report by the Telegraph.
Reasons for launching its own smartphone
Most of us would have experienced Google’s constant nagging about providing regular updates to users and pushing handset makers to upgrade their smartphones as soon as possible. Marshmallow, Google’s latest version of Android, is present on only 7.5% of the Android devices globally.
Google also reprimanded some handset makers for not upgrading their smartphones to latest versions of Android, thereby shooing people away from the innovative OS and negatively affecting the sales of the Android-based smartphones. There are pros and cons to an open-source OS and fragmentation is one huge problem for the tech titan.
Apart from Google’s Nexus devices, only a few flagships are able to receive regular software upgrades. It is possible that Google wants to finally follow Apple’s strategy and launch its own smartphone to pursue defragmentation.
Time and again, Google has struggled to increase the market share of its latest Android version, and with its own smartphone, it can hope for things to improve. The company is also contemplating punishing handset makers that do not adhere to Google’s directives. Indirectly, these handset makers are cannibalizing Android’s sale across the world.
What does this mean for Nexus devices?
Although Google has not yet shared any information about the fate of the Nexus devices, we’re quite sure the flagship series will not be wiped off completely. We should continue to see Nexus devices every year, considering Google has the power to direct companies to employ hardware of its choice.
This year’s Nexus devices have been rumoured to be developed by HTC and should be launched in September/October 2016. Alongside these smartphones, Google wants to pitch-in a product it feels will allow it to have more control over the operating system.
We feel Google’s hardware will be top-notch like its software, and the smartphone would be power-packed at a reasonable price. It will give Google some control over the Android OS industry and propel it to take on Apple’s iPhones.
Source: Telegraph
