Google's Identity System

I haven't been able to get into Google+. It looks pretty and I know it gets some users very excited, but I already have a presence on Facebook (a service I don't love) and nobody I know is using Google+.

Is it possible Google isn't actually competing with Facebook? That's a theory put forth by Ben Thompson, once again on his stratēchery blog today in response to a piece by Harry McCracken.

I need to give this some more thought.

Google's Detour

Anybody who follows tech has to have wondered at some point during the last few years, exactly what Googles aim was with Android. They don't make any money licensing the OS and they earn more advertising revenue from their iOS users. I know I've wondered.

Ben Thompson has written a great post on the topic over on his stratēchery blog. I think his idea is really interesting and has a lot of merit. It will be interesting to see where the Android OS goes in the next few years.

US Phone Platform Growth

Horace Dediu has taken a look at the platform growth of the major smartphone operating systems in the US. The prettiest picture is for Apple.

An observation from yours truly, and it’s not the point of his post by any means, is that Apple’s problem isn’t one of screen size. In the US market, customers must have hundreds of larger options than the iPhone from which to choose, and they’re choosing the iPhone at a more rapid rate than ever. Apple’s problem with Android competition is in the rest of the world where the subsidized market doesn’t play.

Apple’s number one iPhone priority needs to be on a lower cost model for these markets. I’m sure they know that.

Facebook Home

Facebook held their big Facebook Home event yesterday and gave everyone a look at the next step in their plans to expand in the mobile space. The product doesn’t interest me in the least, but it will interest a lot of people who value the role of Facebook in their lives more than I do. Facebook home will also look and feel better than most any user facing interface on Android.

Dan Frommer writes a very smart post about the market and prospects for Facebook Home. I agree with much of what he writes and think the near future is going to be very interesting for Google and Android users.

Hat tip to Daring Fireball

Trust Google?

Ezra Klein has written a good story about his personal feelings about Google in the wake of their shutting down Reader. I agree with much of what he says and am looking to decouple Google from my life where possible. The biggest sticking point right now is Gmail, but I’d love to have a solution implemented by the end of the year. Shut a service down once and dissapoint me, shame on you. Do it twice, three, four times, shame on me.

Hat tip to Daring Fireball