Android was developed to kill Windows Phone, not the iPhone

[akash.nu]

A very interesting article on the verge. Shows how things were initially started with a completely different focus.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/14/15970082/google-killed-windows-phone-not-iphone

 

[Stefan johansson]

The real beginning of android,even if it was not called android,or even thought of as a phone OS,was when Linus Thorvalds created the first seed of Linux code.

 

[Jimmy James]

Ironic that Android, with its openness, is the Windows of mobile.

 

[eyoungren]

Interesting.

Explains why the Android UI always looked half-finished with ugly icons. You didn't really need to work too hard on that to take out Windows Mobile.

Having used a WinMo 6.1 Pro device for 3.5 years I can say the underlying OS was hideous. Sense UI (from HTC) was the only thing that made that phone attractive.

 

[kdarling]

Yep, been pointing this out for years.

Especially every time that stupid myth comes up, the one claiming that Android was originally intended to compete with RIM's Blackberry. Nobody would've gone up against RIM back then, not with their enterprise contracts and carrier NOCs.

Google was worried that Microsoft would block out Google Search in the mobile market. That's why they wanted to put out a competing mobile OS, and that's why Android was always intended to come in both a non-touch and touch version, just like Windows Mobile.

Heck, even the original non-touch internal Android developer phone was the same as a known Windows Mobile device:

 

[v0lume4]

Ironic that Android, with its openness, is the Windows of mobile.

*was

Android of yesteryear really was not great. Remember when all Android phones shipped with trackballs? My first Android phone did. Yikes!

So thankful that Android OS has really found its footing in recent years, as there used to be absolutely no competition between Android and iOS.

 

[AFEPPL]

iOS is too old now and looks dated. I like some of the things other are doing.
Apple has fallen into the same rut as MS of the 90s.

 

[akash.nu]

iOS is too old now and lots dated. I like some of the things other are doing.
Apple has fallen into the same rut as MS of the 90s.

Every company will eventually get in that state, especially if it's a consumer driven service.

 

[Michael Goff]

The real beginning of android,even if it was not called android,or even thought of as a phone OS,was when Linus Thorvalds created the first seed of Linux code.

And yet the rumor is that Android might be moving away from Linux soon.

 

[akash.nu]

And yet the rumor is that Android might be moving away from Linux soon.

To what?

 

[shyam09]

To what?

Look into Google Fuchsia OS. It'll run on the Magenta kernel (which is based on the Little Kernel project), and will use Google's Dart programming language.

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbre...le-fuchsia-os-magenta-armadillo-first-look-ui

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

And yet the rumor is that Android might be moving away from Linux soon.

Excuse my ignorance. But could that mean Java will be out the picture?

 

[sk1wbw]

Excuse my ignorance. But could that mean Java will be out the picture?

It will be based solely on Flash.

 

[Michael Goff]

To what?

Magenta kernel.

Excuse my ignorance. But could that mean Java will be out the picture?

Doubtful. Java runs on everything and would likely run on Magenta. If not now, by the time they move.

 

[bbrks]

Java out of the picture.......to good to be true

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Magenta kernel.

Doubtful. Java runs on everything and would likely run on Magenta. If not now, by the time they move.

I was hoping maybe HTML5. That's what Samsung is trying to get developers to base their Tizen apps on. Or C++. Java just requires more resources, and taking Java out the picture would be a huge boost for Android performance.

My coding skills is very limited, so again, excuse my ignorance.

 

[Michael Goff]

I was hoping maybe HTML5. That's what Samsung is trying to get developers to base their Tizen apps on. Or C++. Java just requires more resources, and taking Java out the picture would be a huge boost for Android performance.

My coding skills is very limited, so again, excuse my ignorance.

Java can be good. But would you really suggest Google try to launch a version of Android that can't run most Android apps?

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Java can be good. But would you really suggest Google try to launch a version of Android that can't run most Android apps?

Well Google has the power to implement a system that developers would have to roll-out non java apps in x amount of time.

 

[jamezr]

Samsung's Tizen 3 is supposed to not suck to bad lol

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/5/1/15498428/samsung-tizen-3-0-z4-mobile

 

[Michael Goff]

Well Google has the power to implement a system that developers would have to roll-out non java apps in x amount of time.

Yes and no. They can say “no more Java”, but I doubt Google can really convince a million or so devs to rewrite their apps.

 

[Abazigal]

Ironic that Android, with its openness, is the Windows of mobile.

For better, and for worse.

 

[mib1800]

For better, and for worse.

No matter what, it is still better than a closed off proprietary hardware/software/ecosystems of apple.

Android is the lesser of two evils.

 

[Michael Goff]

No matter what, it is still better than a closed off proprietary hardware/software/ecosystems of apple.

Android is the lesser of two evils.

Neither is evil and better is subjective.

 

[OriginalAppleGuy]

The iPhone was the windows killer for me. I had the HTC 6700 when the 3GS came out. I was tired of having to hack the phone to get it to do what it should have done out of the box. Additionally, there were too many times I couldn't answer incoming calls and had to reboot the damn thing constantly. The iPhone on the other hand, just worked and was fun to use.

It doesn't surprise me Google was going after Microsoft, Nokia and blackberry. They were big players who left A LOT on the table. Palm was out there, but it too wasn't stable enough. And it had a weird way of "typing" with the stylus.

 

[I7guy]

No matter what, it is still better than a closed off proprietary hardware/software/ecosystems of apple.

Android is the lesser of two evils.

Baseless comment, this is. Competition is good except when it comes apple, eh?