I was having lunch with Andrew when the topic of forum layout came up. I’m currently brainstorming ideas of how we can streamline it to help reduce the number of subforums.
Here’s the problem; when it comes to Android we’re spoiled for choice; Samsung, Huawei, LG, Motorola, whatever. The problem with this is that some Samsung related discussions are also relevant to other companies that make Android devices. We could make a separate forum for those types of discussions but I’ve always believed that less is more when it comes to subforums.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was just an Android forum that served as a catch-all for all types of Samsung, Huawei, Android apps discussion?
Then it hit me, is Android even a thing now?
No, I’m not an Apple fanboy trying to egg some of you into a flame war. Rather, since we’re sort of in a post-peak Smartphone period, companies are now focusing more on growing their own ecosystems to keep making money.
Think about it, if all you do is make Android phones, eventually another company will come along and make a phone with the same specs as yours and sell it for cheaper. The same thing happened in the PC industry. I’m also not talking about overlays but rather when you buy a smartphone from company A, you’re also encouraged to bundle it with accessories from the same company.
Apple is a prime example of this. When you pick up an iPhone you might also pick up a pair of AirPods, an iPad and HomePod for your couch, an Apple Watch for your wrist along with subscriptions to Apple Music, iCloud, etc. Apple is really good at providing synergies when you have a couple of their products.
It’s a good business model because the deeper you get into the quicksand - i mean ecosystem, the harder it is to get out. Here’s an analogy, why do you think so many people are reluctant to introduce their significant other to their parents? They don’t scared about getting in too deep.
When someone asks me which phone they should get the first thing that I usually ask is what are their family members using?
So what does this have to do with Android?
While Samsung and Huawei are both large Android smartphone OEM’s, they’re emphasizing their own proprietary software for their smartwatches instead of Android Wear.
I don’t want to get into what’s right and wrong with Android Wear, but one thing to take away from this is that sometimes it’s in a company’s best interest to not rely too heavily on Android when they’re building out their ecosystems.
If you rely too heavily on Google, you’re stuck waiting for Google to figure out the best way to do something. Google does a great job with many things but no one’s perfect. If you want your own ecosystem try your best to go out and build it yourself.
One of the most interesting ecosystems is Samsung’s. Along with the usual mobile-centric products they are also leaders in appliances, TV’s among other things. Most of their non Android stuff including the Galaxy watch and TV’s runs on the Tizen operating system. Samsung doesn’t own Tizen but they’re the primary patrons on if.
How many people not reading this have even heard of Tizen?
Let’s also not forget that Samsung also has their own voice assistant; Bixby. Say what you will about Bixby but voice assistants are basically an operating system for all your internet connected devices. If you want your own ecosystem and don’t want to rely too heavily on Google you need to try your hardest to have your own assistant.
For many people they’ve never thought of themselves buying an Android phone, rather they picked up a Samsung Galaxy or an HTC phone. Now, that the future seems to be ecosystems that encompass more than just phones Android has moved even further into the background.
Thoughts?
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