Google's Bigger Opportunity: Chrome OS, Not Android
Chrome OS smartphones and tablets would be cheaper to make, more secure and simpler to use than Android. This may not be appreciated -- or even desired -- by the tech elite who love exclusivity and complexity and will surely denounce this article as one resulting from mental illness. They are, however, traits that are important to the other seven billion people on Earth.
This is not an indictment or complaint against Android, which is doing just fine and continuing to take market share. It's just a description of how Google can ensure there's a growth leg beyond Android's eventual peaking in growth and market share. It will take years for this to unfold -- just as it took years for the iPhone to launch in 2007 and become big in 2010.
It's easy for Google's top management to get blinded by Android's current success. It happened to Microsoft (MSFT) in the last decade or so. It happened to Research In Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry. It happened to Nokia (NOK).
If Larry Page wants to ensure that it doesn't happen to Google, he should ensure that the Chrome OS team is afforded the same resources and freedom to enter new markets, as he has done for the Android team.
At the time of publication the author had positions in GOOG, AAPL, NVDA, QCOM AND MSFT. Follow @antonwahlman This article was written by an independent contributor, separate from TheStreet's regular news coverage.Select the service that is right for you!
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