Android may top 1 billion activations by next year, predicts Google's Schmidt

You know what's cool? A billion activations

Google chairman Eric Schmidt thinks that Android activations could top a billion by next year, as the operating system continues to reign over more than half of the mobile marketplace.

"We just announced 1.3 million activations of Android phones per day globally - per day," he underlined during a recent interview with AllThingsD.

That's with more than half a billion Android devices already activated globally.

"Do a little math with me," Schmidt asked. "If you're at 1.3 [million activations per day], times 365 [days a year], and of course that number doubling every six months or something like this."

"This is well more than a billion devices globally perhaps within a year."

Android vs Apple defining platform fight

Schmidt defined what 1 billion Android activations means in his company's constant tug-of-war with Apple.

"I believe that the Android-Apple platform fight is the defining fight in the industry today," Schmidt said, before noting Android's progress. "And I didn't say that two years ago."

As with any good fight, there's always a little smack talk and a good backhanded compliment.

"[Apple's has] an enormously large platform for developers, knowledge, cloud services, scale, and so forth." Schmidt went on to laud how many talented engineers Apple has, along with his rival's apps, content, and partnerships.

But that just set him up to say, "The Google platform, Android, is even larger."

"Surveys that we've seen of unit volume indicate that there are four times as many Android phones as there are iPhones."

We're all winners in the eyes of Schmidt

Google's scale has translated into a higher marketshare, with Android at 52.2 percent of active devices and Apple accounting for 33.4 percent, according to pre-iPhone 5 numbers.

But the former CEO of Google, which is now the second most valuable tech company behind Apple, said that the real winners are consumers.

"We have not seen in our industry platform-network fights of this scale."

With lower-cost devices and more innovative hardware teased by the Google chairman, Schmidt concluded, "And I go back to who's the beneficiary. And the beneficiary is you all - globally."

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/android-may-top-1-billion-activations-by-next-year-predicts-googles-schmidt-1103869

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Google boss Eric Schmidt launches Nexus 7 tablet in Japan

Google continued with its roll out of its Nexus 7 tablet on Tuesday, launching it in Japan, one of the world's most lucrative markets.

Google boss Eric Schmidt was in Japan on Tuesday to launch the company’s Nexus 7 tablet.

At a special event in Tokyo, Schmidt said the 7-inch device would be available on its website from today and from retail stores starting October 2. The Android-powered tablet is priced at 19,800 yen ($250) for the 16GB version, Reuters said.

Stores in Japan set to stock the device include Edion, K’s Denki, Kojima Denki, Joshin Denki, Bic Camera, Best Denki, and Yodobashi Camera. As an added incentive, buyers will bag 2,000 yen ($26) of credit to spend in the Google Play store.

Schmidt told the gathered audience that adoption of Google’s Android operating system is rising rapidly in the Asian country, with the number of devices powered by the mobile OS almost tripling in the last 12 months. As a result of the take-up, the Japanese Google Play store is now the third most popular in the world in terms of the number of app downloads.

The tablet, now available in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Australia, was well received by critics when it launched in July. Outside of Australia, Japan is the first country in Asia to start selling the Nexus 7, though earlier this month it became available for pre-order in Taiwan, which is, incidentally, where Asus, the tablet’s manufacturer, is based.

The launch in Japan gives Google a head start over one of its main rivals in the tablet market, Amazon. Its Kindle Fire range of tablets are yet to launch in the country, one of the most lucrative markets in the world.

Whether the Nexus 7 – with its 1.3GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, a front-facing camera for video chat, and the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS – will have any effect on sales in Japan of the popular iPad remains to be seen. It may also have to contend with another tablet expected to be unveiled next month, the iPad Mini.

[via Reuters, TNW]

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/googles-nexus-7-tablet-launches-in-japan/

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Google hasn't 'done anything' about maps for iOS 6 yet

Google in thinking Google is better than Apple shocker

Eric Schmidt has revealed that Google hasn't "done anything" about a replacement Google Maps app for iOS 6 on the iPhone 5.

Apple ditched Google in favour of its own maps app which hasn't exactly gone down as well as the fruity company would have hoped.

But if Google's indulging in a spot of schadenfreude, Schmidt is staying diplomatic about the situation.

Partners

He told reporters in Japan: "We think it would have been better if they had kept ours. But what do I know? What were we going to do, force them not to change their mind? It's their call."

As for a Google-made replacement, he said, "We have not done anything yet. I'm not doing any predictions.

"We want them to be our partner. We welcome that. I'm not going to speculate at all what they're going to do. They can answer that question as they see fit."

But he did have time for one little, hastily retracted dig when using the Google Nexus 7 to show off a cool new touch-free map control feature.

"Take that Apple," he said, swiftly followed by, "That was a joke by the way."

But one of those jokes you actually mean too, right Schmidt?

If you're struggling to find your way anywhere with the iOS 6 Maps app, one hacker has managed to port Google Maps to the iPhone - although you'll need a jailbroken handset and a time machine to get to the future when he's made it available to the public.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/google-hasnt-done-anything-about-maps-for-ios-6-yet-1099504

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