Google: More control over Android
According to insiders, the group is striving for greater standardization
The fact that Google announced last week that it would keep the source code of Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" under lock and key for the time being was probably a sign of a strategic rethinking. Because behind the scenes, the group is pushing for greater standardization of the open mobile operating system, reports the industry portal DigiTmes. According to industry insiders, Google could also work with technology company ARM http://arm.com negotiate the standardization of products based on the ARM processor architecture.
Android purism
Analysts have long been warning of a fragmentation problem with Android and Apple boss Steve Jobs blasphemed precisely about this in autumn 2010. Apparently, Google wants to put an end to the problem by the fact that the company controls more precisely who changes the software and how. According to top managers of various companies, manufacturers will have to get approval for their plans from Google's Android boss Andy Rubin in the future, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Only then will you continue to have early access to new versions.
Allegedly, Google demands that Android licensees adhere to "non-fragmentation clauses". This potentially means advantages for app developers, for example, who currently often implement Android programs for several operating system versions and optimize them for individual devices in order to reach the broadest possible user base. Based on the reports, however, it does not seem clear how much Google really wants to restrict Android changes and what that means, for example, for manufacturer-specific user interfaces such as HTC's Sense or Samsung's TouchWiz.
ARM alliance
If Google works with ARM to standardize the Android platform on the hardware side too, that could make Android updates easier. This would curb the fragmentation problem to the extent that so far software updates for older models have often been a long time coming or have not materialized at all. It seems questionable to what extent ARM chip manufacturers such as Nvidia, Qualcomm or Samsung could be enthusiastic about standardization. In addition, Google could come into conflict with Intel, as the chip manufacturer is working on an Android implementation for x86 CPUs.
(ck) 31.03.2011/XNUMX/XNUMX
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