{"id":11309,"date":"2010-01-29T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-01-29T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pocketpccentral.net\/newscenter\/2010\/01\/29\/editorial-how-google-android-can-beat-the-ipad-in-the-tablet-wars\/"},"modified":"2010-01-29T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2010-01-29T18:00:00","slug":"editorial-how-google-android-can-beat-the-ipad-in-the-tablet-wars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/computerhunter.us\/?p=11309","title":{"rendered":"Editorial: How Google, Android Can Beat the iPad in the Tablet Wars"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Android When Apple unveiled its \u201clatest creation\u201d earlier this week, I was disappointed.  Cautiously expecting paradigm-shifting technology, what I got was a camera-less, non-multitasking, non-AMOLED, DRMed<\/a> up the Dock Connector, large iPod touch.  <\/p>\n

Disappointments list aside, I am not dismissing the iPad; it\u2019s just that the device didn\u2019t deliver the expected wow<\/em>.  Matter of fact, I think tablets will be huge in coming decade, and iPad helps set the stage for this new frontier.  Molly Wood\u2019s excellent analysis<\/a> sums up my thoughts on the subject brilliantly.   <\/p>\n

But I also think Apple\u2019s iPad-punt makes it more likely that other companies will have the chance to dominate the coming tablet market.  Google and Microsoft are obvious players, but since moving quickly is antithetical to the Microsoft modus operandi, it\u2019s up to Google for now.  <\/p>\n

If Google takes the tablet by the \u2013 well, gently by the side with just enough thumb pressure \u2013 and runs with it, the company will position itself very well very quickly.  <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how I think Google and Android can win the Tablet Wars in the coming years. <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

By Continuing to Improve<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

Google\u2019s Android OS has matured significantly in the last year, and there are already tablet-style Android devices available or in the pipeline.  The company has polished and improved its OS a great deal in a very short time, and hardware has surprisingly kept up with software enhancements.  This will undoubtedly continue.  <\/p>\n

Google also has the influence, money, and partners to push advanced tablet devices. Establish hardware parameters (screen size, etc.)  to keep software designers from having to code for 30 different specs, speeding app development.  Back, push, and fund (if necessary) hardware improvements tailored to the Android OS which will give us faster, more powerful options.  Keep up the lightening pace of improvement to the UI, SDK and underlying code.<\/p>\n

By Distributing Media<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

Google already has its fingers in video, music, news and books.  In order to take on Apple in the Tablet Wars, the company must provide a media distribution system that\u2019s as \u201cwell-stocked\u201d and easy-to-use as iTunes.  iTunes remains one of the major factors in iPhone and iPod dominance.  No matter how beautiful, powerful or innovative Android smartphones or tablets become, millions of users will stay away as long as they can\u2019t quickly and easily get music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks and other media right on the device.  <\/p>\n

And Google doesn\u2019t even have to do the heavy lifting.  Amazon, already the Android solution for music downloads, could provide the media content.  Google just needs to work on the front-end.  <\/p>\n

By Embracing Openness<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s default position remains \u201cwe know best, deal with it.\u201d  This attitude garners silly praise from fanboys with statements like: Apple just knows where to takes us; we may not understand at first, but we soon realize it\u2019s where we always wanted to go<\/em>.  <\/p>\n

Google\u2019s openness will prove a real strength in the tablet market because, unlike phones-first smartphones, tablets are everything devices \u2013 i.e. computers – and users don\u2019t want their computers controlled or limited.  Would you, for example, own a MacBook (or any computer) if it were as locked-down as an iPhone?  No non-approved software, peripherals, or browser plug-ins; no file manager; no third-party application interoperability; no video output; no app replacement; no expandable storage; no default program options; in short, nothing Apple doesn\u2019t think you need (or want you to have).<\/p>\n

The inability to expand the storage of my iPhone (or the iPad) in a world of $37 16GB memory cards<\/a> particularly annoys me.  Android device\u2019s expansion options will be freeing to many users.<\/p>\n

By Offering Free (or Very Cheap) Wireless Data<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

Remember that 700MHz spectrum Google grabbed a couple of years ago?  Three-words: free wireless data.  Okay, so maybe it won\u2019t exactly have to be free, but it could be very cheap.  Imagine if an Android tablet gave you free or very inexpensive all-you-can-eat data, while an Apple device would set you back $360 a year for the same.  Another option would be using wireless partners (Verizon, Sprint) with ad-revenue sharing to fund data access.  However it\u2019s done, it\u2019s important.<\/p>\n

By Leveraging Cloud Computing Know-How<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

An always-connected tablet makes Cloud Computing a viable reality, and Google knows the Cloud.  Their services – Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, Gears, Picasa Web, YouTube, etc. – are already well established with a huge number of users.  And they\u2019re free.  Not only that, but they actually work, unlike the overpriced MobileMe.<\/p>\n

The Cloud also offers interesting options like server-side rendering of games, off-device storage, wireless syncing, collaboration, etc., all of which would be well suited to tablet computing.<\/p>\n

By Feverishly Studying Style (or Buying It)<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to dismiss (or compete with) Apple\u2019s style chops, and this is the one area where Google really has to push itself.  Google\u2019s software tends to be rather plain.  With the exception of Android and Picasa, Google doesn\u2019t focus on eye-candy much at all, and even the mobile OS needs some styling work.  But Android is improving all the time, with frequent and significant updates.  Android on tablets must be even more attractive \u2018cause there\u2019s more to look at.  <\/p>\n

If there\u2019s no one at Google who truly understands blow-your-mind style, recruit the best in the business.  The importance of the visual experience can\u2019t be overstated.<\/p>\n

Hope Springs Eternal<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

While not a fanboy, I am a fan of Apple, and a loyal customer.  I own iPods, an iPhone 3GS and a MacBook.  And while I don\u2019t exactly want Apple to lose the Tablet Wars, I don\u2019t want them to have the only army on the battlefield.  Fierce competition in this market will benefit us all, and make the transition to a new computing reality quicker and farther reaching.  <\/p>\n

I do, however, hope to see Google knock Apple off its tablet game, at least in the beginning.  Apple may have fired the first shot, but I believe Google can<\/em> ultimately win the war.  <\/p>\n

Either way, they should put up one hell of a fight.<\/p>\n

M. Nichols<\/a>, Products Editor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Apple unveiled its \u201clatest creation\u201d earlier this week, I was disappointed.  Cautiously expecting paradigm-shifting technology, what I got was a camera-less, non-multitasking, non-AMOLED, DRMed up the Dock Connector, large iPod touch. 
\nDisappointments list aside, I am not dismissing the iPad; it\u2019s just that the device didn\u2019t deliver the expected wow.  Matter of fact, […] Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/computerhunter.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/computerhunter.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/computerhunter.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computerhunter.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computerhunter.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11309"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/computerhunter.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11311,"href":"https:\/\/computerhunter.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11309\/revisions\/11311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/computerhunter.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computerhunter.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computerhunter.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}