Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt: Andy Rubin Politely Smacks Down Critics
If you’ve been keeping up with all the Android happenings as of late, I’m sure you’ve come across your fair share of editorials regarding the impending doom of Google’s once open Android OS. I can tell you, from my experience alone, I was beginning to have my doubts. After reading numerous articles on Google holding Honeycomb captive, to Google ending custom UI’s, I wasn’t sure exactly where Android was headed.
Calm your restless hearts, Android faithful. Andy Rubin has heard your cries and is here to “set the record straight.”
Trust us. This is one speech you’re going to want to read all the way through. And if you’re name is Steve, last name Jobs, you might want to sit down before reading this:
[This post is by Andy Rubin, VP of Engineering —Tim Bray]
Recently, there’s been a lot of misinformation in the press about Android and Google’s role in supporting the ecosystem. I’m writing in the spirit of transparency and in an attempt to set the record straight. The Android community has grown tremendously since the launch of the first Android device in October 2008, but throughout we’ve remained committed to fostering the development of an open platform for the mobile industry and beyond.
We don’t believe in a “one size fits all” solution. The Android platform has already spurred the development of hundreds of different types of devices – many of which were not originally contemplated when the platform was first created. What amazes me is that the even though the quantity and breadth of Android products being built has grown tremendously, it’s clear that quality and consistency continue to be top priorities. Miraculously, we are seeing the platform take on new use cases, features and form factors as it’s being introduced in new categories and regions while still remaining consistent and compatible for third party applications.
As always, device makers are free to modify Android to customize any range of features for Android devices. This enables device makers to support the unique and differentiating functionality of their products. If someone wishes to market a device as Android-compatible or include Google applications on the device, we do require the device to conform with some basic compatibility requirements. (After all, it would not be realistic to expect Google applications – or any applications for that matter – to operate flawlessly across incompatible devices). Our “anti-fragmentation” program has been in place since Android 1.0 and remains a priority for us to provide a great user experience for consumers and a consistent platform for developers. In fact, all of the founding members of the Open Handset Alliance agreed not to fragment Android when we first announced it in 2007. Our approach remains unchanged: there are no lock-downs or restrictions against customizing UIs. There are not, and never have been, any efforts to standardize the platform on any single chipset architecture.
Finally, we continue to be an open source platform and will continue releasing source code when it is ready. As I write this the Android team is still hard at work to bring all the new Honeycomb features to phones. As soon as this work is completed, we’ll publish the code. This temporary delay does not represent a change in strategy. We remain firmly committed to providing Android as an open source platform across many device types.
The volume and variety of Android devices in the market continues to exceed even our most optimistic expectations. We will continue to work toward an open and healthy ecosystem because we truly believe this is best for the industry and best for consumers.
THAT. JUST. HAPPENED. I apologize for my excitement but in a flying roundkick to the face, Andy Rubin has put an end to all the naysayers, critics and conspiracy theorists. How about you? Do you believe, Mr. Rubins or do you feel like he and Google may be trying to cover up something more sinister about their beloved green robot?