[Google’s Android boss man Andy] Rubin said that the biggest problem for Android on tablets is “there’s no organized way for consumers to recognize it as a viable platform,” and that Google wants consumers to see its tablets as part of the broader Android ecosystem. “The educated consumer realizes it now that they’re either picking the Apple ecosystem or the Microsoft ecosystem or the Google ecosystem… we’re going to do a better job at making people understand what ecosystem they’re buying into.”
I’ve got to hand it to Rubin, he seems to understand some of the problems Android — and not just the tablet end of things — is facing. But then, just then, he blows it. Again, Patel:
Of course, one of Android’s biggest challenges in the tablet market is the lack of high-quality apps designed for the larger screen, but Rubin was somewhat dismissive of those concerns.
Android’s fragmentation is a bad thing, and the lack of a cohesive consumer-facing strategy is bad, too. While Google may claim that Android is one ecosystem, walking in to a Best Buy doesn’t really portray that. In fact, it feels like the PC wars — OEMS facing off against each other, despite the mass similarities between their products.
But those things would matter far less if there were decent apps out there for Android.