Google kills Android phone store and admits defeat

Well then, chalk another massive unreserved fcuk-up on the ‘Google Screw-up Blackboard’. TechCrunch reports that Google is shelving plans to disintermediate the planet’s mobile phone industry.

If you recall, google.com/phone was intended to be your one-stop-shop for Android handsets where you could, if you wished, pick up a handset unlocked or select your dumb pipe/bank of choice to get the device on contract and subsidised.

That was the idea. And it was a very real threat to the industry. Until about 20 minutes into the launch when it became clear that Google couldn’t cope with actual real people asking questions. The one thing you can’t do with customers paying 500 quid for a device is plug them into an API. No. Someone has to answer the phone at the end of the day. Or at least the email.

I know many of the operators I’ve spoken to are privately filled with glee at the unmitigated screw-up. One thing operators can do in their sleep is manage 18 million customers reasonably competently.

It seems as though Google simply couldn’t hack it, with some operators refusing to play along with the google.com/phone concept. I’d have liked to have seen a lot better. An awful lot better.

Meanwhile I’m beginning to side with many who refer to Google in a reasonably accurate manner as a one-trick-multi-billion-dollar-pony. Oh, and Gmail/Google apps is good too.

Gahhhh.

Posted via email from MIR Live

Recently Published

“Apple will only sell 100,000 of their headsets in the first year” Really?

BGR reports a TrendForce estimate that Apple will sell 100k units of their new headset when released and says “but that’s still a big...

The BlackBerry Movie: Worth a look, but it’s heavy on fiction

I went to see the BlackBerry movie last night here in Dubai. I was astonished to find the movie theatre almost full, apart from...

Question: When is the only time a traffic jam is good news in the UK?

Answer: When you're sitting in the back of an Uber and you need reliable mobile signal. Boom! Sad, isn't it, dear reader? Travel all around...

Ah yes, an S23 with a BlackBerry Bold Keyboard: Exactly what I (think) I need

I was playing with Midjourney, the AI/photo generation service and I asked it to show me what a Samsung S23 would look like with...

It’s ok, your moon photos aren’t fake, they are just enhanced – quite a bit

Have you taken a photo of the moon recently? I almost did, the other day, when I spotted a fabulous moment here in Dubai....

Don’t move! You’ll jinx it! This looks like a tiny bit of innovation in the mobile world

It has been quite a while since I’ve seen anything in the mobile industry that’s caused me to want to write much. Just look...