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“Apni Kismet Apne Haath”, which literally translates to “Your destiny is in your hands”, is the slogan Google has given to promote Android One. This was just one step among the many the technology giant took to make Monday’s launch seem as Indian as possible. Google’s latest project around mobile devices marks its first global launch from India. But according to experts, the move may not prove to be “too disruptive.”
Sundar Pichai, chief of Android at Google Inc, who launched the project on Monday, said there were four billion people in the world who do not have internet access, and one billion of them are in India. “Smartphones in India are growing fast, but not growing fast enough… Only 10 per cent of Indians have smartphones.” Android One will help increase the penetration of smartphones and will provide quality experience at affordable prices. “Through this we are solving three issues — hardware, software and connectivity,” he said.
Google will not only provide manufacturers with software support but also a menu of Android-compatible component sets to choose from, to improve user experience and bring in some standards in the fragmented Android ecosystem. However, the tight control that Google plans to exercise on the ecosystem might limit the manufacturers, leaving them little room to differentiate in an already very competitive market, also very price-sensitive.
Moreover, Pichai, who is senior vice-president and also heads Chrome and Google Apps, said the manufacturers always have the option to launch Android devices with specifications based on their own research and development. This means if the arrangement doesn’t work for the manufacturers, they can always revert to the old way of things.
Also, the price at which the first lot of Android One devices has been launched from home-grown mobile players — Spice, Karbonn and Micromax — could act as a spoiler. The device priced at Rs 6,399, has dual SIM, 4.5-inch screen and runs a 1.3 GHz quad core MediaTek processor. All the devices have 1 GB RAM, 4 GB internal storage, a 5 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front camera, replaceable battery and built-in radio. However, there are several options from Google’s existing partners and rivals such as Chinese player Xiaomi, which offer products with similar or better specifications at competitive prices.
Vishal Tripathi, principal analyst at Gartner India, said through Android One, Google will control everything from the hardware to the software and will be able to address the issue of end-user fragmentation, along with sending updates directly and quickly. “But, it is not going to disrupt the market.” He said there is nothing “unique”, as the price point is higher than expected the brand value is limited as large players such as Samsung are missing from the partnership, and the look and feel of the devices do not give the feel of “high quality”.
Pichai said Google will be expanding the Android One programme with Acer, Alcatel OneTouch, Xolo, HTC, Lava, Intex, Asus and Lenovo in the next round. Chipmaker Qualcomm has also come forward for a partnership.
While Micromax will sell its handset Canvas A1 on Amazon, Spice Dream UNO will be available on Flipkart and Karbonn Sparkle V on Snapdeal.
Google India managing director Rajan Anandan said the phones will be sold only online for a few days and will be available at retail stores across India from early October.
Google has also partnered with Airtel, which will provide 200 MB of free data for application download and updates. All partners are expected to launch a new line of products around Android One in the coming quarter.
