According to Asymco, Android currently holds 25% of the burgeoning smartphone market. I wonder if Android can significantly raise its market share beyond 25%. Even if it can eventually grow to and replace Symbian’s current 40% is that significant enough for Google’s agenda for Android?
40% market share for Android means 60% of the market is out of Google’s advertising control. At the moment competitor’s OS’s (iOS, Blackberry OS’s, WinPhone7, etc) in app advertising markets are open to all and of course the mobile web market is open to all which means that there is no need for Android in terms of the need to keep in app markets for advertising open and accessible to Google. In an open advertising environment there is little advantage to owning and maintaining their own OS.
Were these OS specific apps to become “walled gardens” via the OS AND if various governments don’t seek to overturn the walled gardens AND with Facebook’s increasing competition AND Baido’s competition in Asia one starts to wonder just how successful Android is going to be in its role as guarantor for Google of mobile advertising market domination. As I’ve said before the smartphone wars are far from over but right now Google is holding a questionable hand IMO.
