While all the hype and excitement seems to be still around iPhone, I think Android is to be watched in the next couple of years. Here are the reasons.

1. G1 had solid sales number. This is only the first Android phone, and it sold really well already at estimates of around 1 million units since launch. Maybe not, iPhone-like well, but nothing to sneeze at. Lots of potential for future phones with more improvements.

2. Android Market is coming. Android Market for free apps have already launched. Paid market that will enable developers to monetize will come early in 2009. Watch out, App Store.

3. Everyone is ganging up on Apple. Most of the major handset OEMs have already jumped onto the Android Band Wagon. Android will be central to their strategy to compete against the iPhone, and heck, they know they need to do something about Apple. You don’t expect all these OEMs like Sony Ericsson, Softbank, LG, Samsung, Motorola and Toshiba to just exit the market, do you?

4. Google is the closest to the future of mobile advertising among all the big players. When location-based services take off in a big way, and mobile advertising truly becomes mainstream and not be just a lame banner ad on your mobile search, we will be much closer to naming a winner. Google is the closest to this right now with their software and services stack: their mobile OS, mobile advertising, Google maps, and advertising network.

5. Windows Mobile 7 seems to be far away. Steve Ballmer confirmed that WM6.5 will come for holiday season 2009. Wow, that means WM7 won’t be out until at least another 6 months after that. The world will be very different by then.

So watch out Apple. There are a lot of companies with crosshairs aimed at your back.

- J.

Related Posts