Could Android actually be going the way of Apple?
I will readily admit to you that I have switched back to an iPhone recently, pretty much exclusively for business purposes involved with running and operating this website and podcast…..and it breaks my heart. I had been using an LG G2, which is hands-down one of the best phones on the market. So as a somewhat of an Android convert, and long time iPhone user, I was really stunned to read about the mandate from Google requiring “powered by android” be displayed prominently on all upcoming new device boot screens, such as the new HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5. Want to keep letting your consumers access the Google Play store on these millions of Android-powered devices all across the world? Toe the line, and run the copy: Android is “powered” by Google.
So just how different is this business practice from others, say, at Apple? In my opinion, not very. Apple always gets the billing of being the gigantic corporation who controls how you use your products and devices. In the past, one of the most freeing aspects of any Android phone I’ve ever used has been the feeling that I was somewhat out of the shadow of some large overlord controlling just exactly what my device did, and how I used it.
On it’s own, Android is not itself a household brand, as this article by geek.com points out. Once you really think about that, it’s incredibly true; the power behind your choice in an Android-powered phone is usually in which one (of many) brands and models you select from. Although Samsung has really stepped out as the “Apple of Android devices”, the fact that Google now is taking it a step further and requiring this branding is pretty outrageous. See the above article for the use and standards guide to accurately displaying this logo.
While this can be viewed as “a relatively small gesture”, in my eyes it’s huge; this is the same big corporation “Big Brother” feel that many Android enthusiasts claim that Android shelters you from.
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