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After we talked about how nice a Google retail store would be, rumors began ramping up that Google would actually look to launch a small crop of stores either later this year or early next year. Why not, right? The Nexus program has skyrocketed, the ChromeBook Pixel needs a home, and you have a lot of third-party partners that would love to get their Android and Chrome-based products on your shelves. It all seemed to make sense… until the godfather of Android — Andy Rubin — decided to crush our hopes and dreams.
As reported by AllThingsD, the Android chief decided to address the rumors in a round-table discussion, saying “Google has no plans and we have nothing to announce.” Furthermore, Rubin doesn’t even believe the Nexus program is far enough along to warrant needing a retail store. This suggests two things:
- It would suggest Google isn’t looking to third-party OEMs to help fill out store shelves. As we suspected, Google’s not interested in getting into favoritism or pushing the wares of others. Leave that to WalMart, Best Buy, and the carriers.
- It also suggests Google hasn’t completely turned down the idea of a retail store in the future. The Mountain View corporation could reconsider if the Nexus line ever gets active enough.
Rubin also decided to touch on Firefox OS. Being the noble man that he is, he says there are no ill feelings toward the development. Rubin understands that Android has evolved into a beast of a mobile operating system, and that the world still needs something to fill out the category of devices that have limited specs. Some might say this would imply Firefox OS will only be useful to provide low-end options for emerging markets, but we won’t stir the pot too heavily.
Rubin says Android was originally built because there was no open option, but things are changing. Ubuntu has come with a very intriguing suite of its own even if it has no major backers yet, and, well, there’s Firefox now. Tizen is still floating about, but for now it seems like more of an enthusiast project than anything. The options exist, and Google’s happy that there will be others challenging the very space that helped Android’s rise to prominence in the first place.
Competition is always exciting, and the users are the ones who ultimately win out in the end. We love us some Android, of course, and we’re excited to see how these other players will challenge Google to innovate and keep the interest of the mobile world for years to come.
[via AllThingsD 1, 2]
My nexus 4 is active enough.
:(
That’s why they call it friendly fire
My galaxy nexus is still rocking
Who thinks Andy Rubin is gay? I’ve thought it for the longest time.
Why? Does it matter if he is? Are you going to base your decision to buy Android on his sexual preference? Or is it because you have the hots for him?
who cares?
He has a wife. Maybe you should ask her?
This is why I like Google, they like competition because it makes the work harder, while others *cough Apple *cough, would do anything to make sure they are the only option.
We all like Google, but to say Google likes competition and others don’t is imo a bit on the wrong end.
Of course they will welcome competition in public comments, heck, almost every company does that. But what have they done so far?
WP8 has a larger market share than Firefox OS, but Google still does not create a native youtube app for that platform. Claiming that their market share is to small to be worth the effort.
So how much will google actively do to welcome this new Firefox competitor? Unless they can garner a significant amount of customers for Google to see profit in it to help them in some way, I think their good spirit will mostly just live on in words as with most companies.
Google said it had no problem with letting WP8 users have a youtube app. In fact they gave MS the right to make one. They will do the same for Mozilla. Google tends to let anyone use their services, most of them is open source.Very few other companies can claim this. Your right, a lot of companies do like and welcome competition, the point I was trying to make was Apple isnt one of them.
Apple isn’t a lot of things ;D
Like good or number 1.
Let’s keep in mind that we shouldn’t fix what’s not broken.
Why would Google cut out the retailer that’s their money. Not selling, the company is made solely for generating ad based revenue. Why you think their down to get you the ads in your hands and to as many and as cheap as they can. It’s the ads kids yes as cool as Google is in the end even Larry answers to other people. Them are called investors it’s gotta pay and pay big for them or Google tanks. It’s another Corporation.
Grammar is. You’re friend,
Rubin is a moron