And even though Android is a powerful OS, the goal for Google has always been to rule the cloud. So we’re moving from a Windows world of smart devices in a relatively dumb internet, to dumb devices in a smart cloud. Because of course your Android device is not much use (and not much fun) if it can’t network with your personal data in the Google cloud — as well as everything else that’s online, too.
What this change underscores is how much you and your data are key to Android’s value. Desktop PCs were great for organizing and accessing your data. But mobile and infrastructure devices are also for generating data. The more you use your devices, the more information it gathers about you, and the “better” it gets. That’s what has led to so many improvements in Google Now, as well as countless other apps that track everything from pedestrian patterns in malls to rodent life in forest ecosystems.
Windows all over again. I wouldn’t be surprised if iOS market share continues to slip because the majority of Android phones sold are very cheap, sometimes free. Just like Apple had a hard time competing with the days of the $299 Windows PC.