The Australian news publication, Sydney Morning Herald, has reported that downloads of the Android Software Development Kit have reached 750,000 since it was released in November of 2007.
The number is quite astonishing, especially considering the number of news portals claiming the original SDK was too clunky for developers to get their hands wet. Still, we’re guessing a large number of these downloads came from news organizations hoping to write reviews and articles about Google Android. General “tech enthusiasts” and even developers with minimal Java knowledge might have been encouraged to take a quick peek.
With the release of Google’s most recent SDK update, that number will surely surpass the 1 million downloads mark quite quickly.
Another highlight of the article is a succinct explanation of Android’s opportunity, hitting the huge opportunity nail right on the head: “The search giant argues that multiple operating systems and multimedia configurations have stifled innovation on phones to date.”
The number of rumored and planned Android enabled devices seems to be a vote of confidence from the mobile industry that Android will work. While it is great for hardware manufacturers and amazing for consumers, wireless providers are still iffy on the concept. Mostly because it could mean money in their pockets transferred to the big G bank account.
What anyone not on board with Android, including these wireless carriers, is that extremely limiting your customer’s options to protect revenue in the short term will detract from your long term profitability. Companies like Google that focus on giving the consumer the best experience, and THEN cash in on this leading experience, will be the real winners.