Prepare for the Android onslaught. On Wednesday, Google said there will be at least 18 — and as many as 20 — Android-based mobile phones on the market by the end of the year.
That news came from Andy Rubin, senior director of mobile platforms for Google, at the Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco. He said eight or nine handset makers are manufacturing the nearly two dozen Android-based devices Google knows about, though he declined to reveal the manufacturers or the wireless carriers that will offer them.
Why the sudden flood of Android devices?
“Everybody was wondering if Android was a fluke or if it would be popular. What they are finding out is that Android is not a fluke and it is popular,” said Mike Disabato, a senior analyst at the Burton Group. “Now everybody is scrambling to create something that can compete with the iPhone. I would guess that over time we are going to see a lot more Android phones. This is going to be a problem for Apple.”
Google’s Diversity Advantage
Disabato’s guess is based on sound reasoning. Apple only has one handset to choose from, and current plans don’t call for a clamshell or slider phone with a QWERTY keyboard. There are even rumors that the new version 3 iPhone won’t look any different than the current iPhone 3G. Disabato said that could give Google an edge.
“Google is licensing the software. That’s how they are making their money on this deal,” Disabato said. “I would guess handset manufacturers are going to make different size and form-factor handsets to hit different ends of the market.”
Disabato said there is still a misconception in the marketplace that an Android handset has to look like an iPhone with a big screen — but it doesn’t. Android is an operating system….