A lot has been made about the poor sales of Google's Nexus One, which is reported to have only sold 135,000 units in its first 74 days according to Flurry -- the same time period it took the original iPhone to sell 1 million units.
But there is a lot wrong with that comparison, not the least of which is that the iPhone was something rather new to the gadget world, whereas we've already seen a number of phones running on Google's Android mobile operating system. The iPhone was also piggybacking on the success of the iPod, whereas (once again) it was earlier Google phones piggybacking on the hype of Android and Google.
One big mistake Google did make was releasing the phone so soon after the release the Droid. Perhaps they didn't realize the hype machine Verizon and Motorola would build around the Droid, but it certainly stole some of the Google Phone's thunder.
But does the Nexus One even need to match the sales of the original iPhone? If it's only stride for stride with barely over 1/10th of the original iPhone's sales, what happens when there are 10 phones built around the Google Android operating system?
That's the key. Google doesn't need a single phone to blast past the iPhone. They simply need the platform to outsell it. And, trust me, they've got the inside track on that one. The iPhone may remain the best-selling smartphone for the foreseeable future, but the only way they will be the de facto platform is to open it up -- and that is something Apple simply won't do.
Honestly, I was rather surprised to see a snarling Apple send over a bunch of patent mumbo jumbo to Google. That's not really a fight they want, though it may be a fight the media is egging on. Apple should let Google do its thing, even if that is to become the dominant platform for smartphones. So long as Apple concentrated their cool on the iPhone, the'll still have the best-selling mobile device.
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Comments
I don't think they care how many they sell. I think they just want to be sure people use their services. That's the point of android for them. Putting the N1 out there encourages other handset makers to meet or exceed it. Selling it this way gives customers an alternative to carrier contracts. I don't think they care if Chromium OS dominates either. If it prevents microsoft or apple from gaining too much leverage, it will be a success.
I'm not shocked one bit. Apple invents the Mac. Microsoft copies it. Apple invents the iPod. Everyone copies it. I'm pretty sure Apple's sick of being everyone's free R&D department. Suing HTC and others won't hurt consumers, it will benefit them by forcing existing phone makers to come up with something even better. Google's come up with a lot of original ideas, Android wasn't one of them.
@FjordPrefect: Actually, if you do a little research you'll find that APPLE is being sued by the Tiawanese company, Elan Microelectronics, as of April 2008, for stealing their multi-touch technology. The very same technology that Apple is saying they developed, and is now suing HTC over. Don't think for one second that Apple invented the wheel.
Also, companies like Archos, Cowon, and Iriver were doing the things that iPod does long before iPods were around. These companies were just doing it across the pond. Take the Archos internet media tablets, for instance. Look like an iPad before the iPad to me.
Apple stole Mac's visual interface and mouse from Xerox.
Stealing other people's ideas is an American tradition. Just ask Thomas Edison!
> Don't judge the book by its sales
No? So if something is disliked by so many people... that it doesn't sell... we should pretend it's a great device anyway???
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