Android de-Googled?

[Quoth]

I can't imagine it will really happen.
https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...onopoly-ruling

MS maybe should have been been split in 3. They are repeating what they did with IE with Edge.

Very little changes. Apple is fighting hard against EU regarding getting income on anything related to iOS, even when it's nothing to do with them.

See also Amazon and English language eBooks, Kindle, Goodreads, IMDB, Audible and KDP Select / KU exclusive. Dark patter marketing of Audible and Prime.

[DiapDealer]

I'm completely invested in Google's Android garden (Pixel Phone, Pixel Tablet, Pixel Buds--not to mention GMail and Google Calendar). A big part of that is because the plain-jane vanilla Android on their devices is far less annoying than that on any other Android phone/tablet/device I've ever used. It just works like it's supposed to. I get a new device, I log in, and there's my stuff (without any unwanted stuff). The Buds switch seamlessly from phone to tablet just by picking one up and playing something. I'm not for anything that threatens to dork up my device nirvana simply because some people can't NOT tilt at windmills.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

…
It just works like it's supposed to. I get a new device, I log in, and there's my stuff (without any unwanted stuff). The Buds switch seamlessly from phone to tablet just by picking one up and playing something. I'm not for anything that threatens to dork up my device nirvana simply because some people can't NOT tilt at windmills.

That is NOT what this is about!

Besides, frozen pigs will fly over hell before it happens.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Quoth

That is NOT what this is about!

Maybe not directly. But it's my position that "everything just works" precisely because of the One Ring to Rule Them All effect. There is no doubt in my mind that my seamless integration experience would begin to suffer if Android was no longer under the control of the manufacturer of the devices it runs on. Patches to ameliorate hardware issues would become drawn-out battles between separate entities.

[Quoth]

Google wouldn't be making phones & tablets, but Android would.

Beside many would not agree with your perception of "seamless integration experience" or even "everything just works"being limited to Google branded, or being real or actually good.


You are totally missing the point of the investigation and proposed (and very unlikely to happen) remedy.

[Quoth]

A better article than "The Giuardian"
https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/..._monopoly_fix/

Google is a monopoly. The fix isn't obvious

A business breakup may be coming – but what comes after may not be better
Thomas Claburn
Thu 15 Aug 2024 // 11:28 UTC
COMMENT After more than 15 years of insisting that "competition is only a click away," Google's antitrust mantra is no longer keeping the regulators at bay.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Quoth

You are totally missing the point of the investigation and proposed (and very unlikely to happen) remedy.

I understand completely. It's not that difficult to grasp. I read the article fairly carefully. After finding Google in violation of antitrust over its search engine, there is scuttlebutt that the DOJ may not be done with them yet. Two of the things mentioned quite often are divesting them of their Android Operating System and Chrome. Unlikely or not, I am not in favor of Google being split up to in that way. I gave my reasons for why I believe breaking Google up into those pieces would be bad for MY experience as a user.

I don't really care what other users Google experiences are. I'm selfish that way. You may not agree with me, but what point is it that I have totally missed again? If it's something along the lines of "breaking up Google would be a good thing," then yes. I may have missed that. Same as you always seem to miss the point that it very well might be a bad thing to break Google up. Or maybe neither of us is missing anything and we're simply diametrically opposed in our opinions of multi-national megacorps.

I also don't buy the notion that the newly divested company in charge of developing the Android operating system would be developing/manufacturing/selling their own hardware to run it on. Not to mention the likelihood of such a company being able to seamlessly integrate their OS with Google's other cloud services that I've grown accustomed to being installed on devices by default. A broken up Google couldn't possibly give me the same satisfaction, ease of use, and seamless integration across a range of devices/apps that a unified Google does. That dog won't hunt.

[Quoth]

I've used about a dozen brands of Android phones and tablets from Android 3.x to Android 13.x, including Google branded.

I don't see the differentiation you claim on integration to Google services between a Google branded model and others. That's actually required by Google if there is Playstore support.

You are focusing on one narrow issue, that might not even be real now. Also see Google Graveyard. Google doesn't need to produce any Android gadgets, and many or all are actually 3rd party made. Google could stop selling their branded models tomorrow and you'd get an identical experience from many other brands.

I'm not going to get sucked into a analysis of Android versions in this thread, but it's harder to NOT have seamless Google services integration on Android from most brands than to have it. It's all there, enabled and working by default. Those even update even if never manually selected for update.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Google could stop selling their branded models tomorrow and you'd get an identical experience from many other brands.

Hmmm. So I could buy some other brand of phone, tablet and earbuds that switched as effortlessly from watching a movie on one to taking a call on another? That's not been my experience. Other earbuds could detect when I'm in a conversation and pause the activities on my phone/tablet; turn off the ANC, and crank the external audio (and resume everything after the conversation is over? That's not been my experience. Other branded Android phones/tablets/earbuds can find each other anywhere in the world with no Tile or Airtag? That's not been my experience

What I'm hearing is that YOU could get an identical experience from many other brands (should Google stop selling theirs tomorrow), but I know for a fact that I couldn't. The Pixel brand is simply better than any of the dozens of Android brands I've experimented with and owned over the years. And I don't want that experience jeopardized by Google being de-Androided.

You pretending that Google being broken up can't possibly hurt my experience as a Google devices user does not make it true.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Quoth

...


You are totally missing the point of the investigation and proposed (and very unlikely to happen) remedy.

What point did DiapDealer miss?

[lumping-sugar66]

I’m reminded of Rearden Steel conglomerate. Wesley Mouch would be proud.