Android One here, is an endeavor from Google’s mobile operating system which allows the manufacturers to get Google’s operating system for free with the approval to customize it for their own products. Google Inc is all ready to penetrate the low income mobile economies in Asia, which targets the next billion customers who are currently in the feature phone market. These phones will be bound to Google in every way possible while keen on providing a better Android experience to the users. Introduction of such a smart phone series might even wipe out the feature phones altogether. This is meant to give a boost to the smart phone industry which currently accounts only up to 20% of the overall phone market.
It is true that Indian market has no need of low priced smart phones. Brands like Spice, Karbonn etc have been ruling the low income smart phone arena for quite long. Android One is more of a response to Android being brought low to fit into low cost setting. Enforcing Android One is bound to raise the minimum standards here. Beyond the price game, challenge is not to compromise on the quality and performance because that is exactly were all the efforts fall flat. Smart phones with operating systems like Mozilla Firefox is on the move. Still Google is supposed to make the bigger impact of it all. The project is also supposed help other Google services like Google Maps. This could be the first time that a global launch is taking place from India under the leadership of the Indian born senior vice president of Google Mr. Sunder Pichai.
These sets are likely to be distributed via e-commerce outlets rather than retail shops. While it is being perceived as a great leap forward by many, there are speculations about this move rendering the entire Android network paralyzed with poor user experience and lack of room to experiment. Availing technology at such cheap rates yet higher volumes has its own consequences as Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple Inc defines this move as “toxic hellstew of vulnerabilities”.
