ComputerBox34
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2003
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- 13,770
Exhibit A: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013...ntrolling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary/
Cliffs:
Exhibit B: http://www.androidauthority.com/and...oogle-experience-launcher-report-says-283120/
Google has apparently developed it's own launcher (based on leaks) and they intend on bringing that into the Google Apps umbrella.
This is HUGE. The launcher is the glue that brings a user's experience together and is the single most manipulated element for phone makers such as Samsung and HTC who depend on varying their software to differentiate themselves from competitors. Imagine, now with KitKat, if every phone when you turned it on LOOKED THE SAME; Imagine a Galaxy Note with no easy S-Pen functionality due to being forced to use Google's launcher - The list goes on. The quote on Google's website
So through agreements revolving around OEM's putting Google Apps/ecosystem on their phones, Google has effectively locked down Android. They can try removing all of the apps and going it alone without Google, but you lose access to the Play Store as well as the API's that many app developers use in their apps making it twice as hard for them to support apps across multiple little branches of Android.
I'm curious to see what comes of this...if Samsung gets fed up and throws billions of dollars at devs to bring them over to Tizen or if they somehow find a way around this new launcher that preserves all of their little gimmicks they like to sell their phones on. If OEMs need time to figure this out, it will delay 4.4 on many phones (pretty much all except Motorola) since they would have to use the new KitKat launcher if they go forward with their upgrades.
Time will tell...
Cliffs:
- Android is open source but Google Play Apps are not
- Google keeps power and control over Android by forcing all OEMs who want access to the Google ecosystem (ie. Google Play Store and it's millions of apps) to sign away any rights to develop derivative versions of Android without Google Apps (ie. Amazon Kindle)
- Over the past several iterations of Android, Google has been increasingly moving core Android apps over from AOSP (open source apps that can be used and modified by anyone) to closed source Google Play Apps (chrome, calendar, music, keyboard, etc, etc)
- One of the latest major steps has been Google Play Services. (green icon in your app drawer) It has effectively moved control of all Google API's used by developers for Android from AOSP to closed source Google Play Apps
- If an OEM uses Google Apps it can not pick and choose what apps it can put in their stock build - it must include ALL of them.
Exhibit B: http://www.androidauthority.com/and...oogle-experience-launcher-report-says-283120/
Google has apparently developed it's own launcher (based on leaks) and they intend on bringing that into the Google Apps umbrella.
This is HUGE. The launcher is the glue that brings a user's experience together and is the single most manipulated element for phone makers such as Samsung and HTC who depend on varying their software to differentiate themselves from competitors. Imagine, now with KitKat, if every phone when you turned it on LOOKED THE SAME; Imagine a Galaxy Note with no easy S-Pen functionality due to being forced to use Google's launcher - The list goes on. The quote on Google's website
adds fuel to this theory.It's our goal with Android KitKat to make an amazing Android experience available for everybody
So through agreements revolving around OEM's putting Google Apps/ecosystem on their phones, Google has effectively locked down Android. They can try removing all of the apps and going it alone without Google, but you lose access to the Play Store as well as the API's that many app developers use in their apps making it twice as hard for them to support apps across multiple little branches of Android.
I'm curious to see what comes of this...if Samsung gets fed up and throws billions of dollars at devs to bring them over to Tizen or if they somehow find a way around this new launcher that preserves all of their little gimmicks they like to sell their phones on. If OEMs need time to figure this out, it will delay 4.4 on many phones (pretty much all except Motorola) since they would have to use the new KitKat launcher if they go forward with their upgrades.
Time will tell...