Over the years, a lot of words have been written about how Samsung is the true face of Android – I’ve done it myself. However, these days, I’m not sure that Android actually has anything resembling a face. If so, he’s wearing a Verizon hat.
Yes, this is another US-centric article that has nothing to do with Europe, Asia or anywhere else, except that it does. We will talk about why and how companies like Samsung can make money making Android phones.
Here’s a short but nice Android history lesson for anyone who might need it. The HTC T-Mobile G1, the first commercially available Android phone, was launched in the United States in October 2008. Other models, such as the Sprint HTC Hero, Samsung Momentum, and Verizon Droid Eris, soon followed. But no one could have predicted what would happen after Verizon and Motorola launch the Moto Droid.
In fact, it was very easy to predict.
No quick history lesson is complete without talking about the iPhone. Specifically, Verizon just couldn’t get it. The iPhone was not the first smartphone, but it was the first smartphone to collect the following. People wanted an iPhone because it was cool, so they went to an AT&T store and overpaid for one.
Verizon was jealous of all those bucks and wanted a great smartphone of its own and Google was happy with that. The rest, as they say, is history.
Because of this history, phone manufacturers can satisfy the wants and needs of our smartphones – not just Samsung, not just the US, but all smartphone makers everywhere.
Money is the “root” of everything
Moto Droid and drooooooooooooid noises are sold out in numbers. large numbers. It was very profitable for Verizon and Motorola. Was an exclusive phone locked to a single carrier that controlled every aspect of the experience well for the Android ecosystem? In the short term, it was.
This is what makes Android different when compared to something like iOS or Windows. Google disclaims it and allows any person or company to do anything about it. It’s more than a recipe, consisting of Millions of lines of code It should be built by the person or company you want to use rather than a product.
Phone makers and carriers can do just about anything for Android. And they have. And it was profitable.
there Rules about what the company can do If it wants to include all of Google’s services, this is where Google recoups the money it spends to maintain all of the Android source code. yes, Android 13 It only exists because Google can use it to make money with your data through its services. The same will be true Android 14 And even Android 20 if we got that far.
This leaves room for companies like Motorola and Verizon to make money from more than just device sales and service plans. Just a few years ago, if you bought a locked device by your carrier, you would see a lot of nonsense apps and services the carrier used to make money. Money is the root of everything.
Samsung runs some very seasoned entrepreneurs. She knew she had to pull a better Verizon Moto Droid rabbit out of her hat, and that’s what the original Samsung Galaxy S. was born. There were different models made for many different markets, and carriers loved them because Samsung allowed actual trash programs from those carriers, like the AT&T Yellow Pages app or the Sprint Nascar service that no one used. The rest is history. second.
This was an eye-opener for companies that could take advantage of relationships with component makers to build quality products, sell them much cheaper than expected, and still have adequate profit margins. Oppo comes to mind here. Oppo has been a consumer electronics manufacturer for a long time, and they knew exactly how to do the bare minimum of everything needed to build millions upon millions of Android phones on the cheap. And it’s not the only company that can do that, which is why Asia gets all these great, inexpensive phones.
Companies like Oppo likely It could have started making Android phones anyway, but seeing the massive success of the Verizon Moto Droid showed just how much consumers want it. Awesome smartphone in their hands. It was a kick in the pants to get these manufacturers moving.
Will we see more 3 billion Android devices Around the World If Verizon Moto Droid Wasn’t So Successful? Maybe, but we don’t have to guess because something real happened. This ugly phone with its silly, horizontal sliding keyboard, made a profit for every company it touched and started the smartphone gold rush.
The rest is history. real this time.
