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Should Google Get Aggressive About Monetizing Android?

Posted by Soulskill on from the i'm-gonna-go-with-no dept.

Nerval's Lobster writes "Google's core search-advertising business is slowing down (despite an uptick in revenue and earnings for the most recent quarter) and a new report suggests that advertising ROI is much higher on iOS than Android. In light of that, it's worth asking whether Google, having dominated much of the mobile-device market with Android, will ever get around to more aggressively monetizing its mobile operating system, and what that could mean to the manufacturers that have been loading the software for free onto their hardware. If Google started charging licensing fees to manufacturers, and attempted to clamp down so that Google Play served as the only hub for Android apps (something that would definitely put it on a collision course with Amazon, which boasts its own Android app store), would it be shooting itself in the foot? Or would the rest of the ecosystem respond in a muted way, considering the sheer size of Google's power and presence?"

3 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. Fuck No, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Monetizing things is what fucks 'em up...look at Slashdot, 4chan, hell, pretty much everything. They're already way too rich and invasive. To go further with money-collecting would be just...Jewish of them!

    -- Ethanol-fueled

  2. Obvious Answer is OBVIOUS ... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Most android users (all except the "lusers") use my HOSTS file to block advertisements &/or MALWARE. MAC IOS does not have a HOSTS file so lusers see more ads &/or MALWARE.

    APK

  3. "Open" was a Strength that is now a Curse by BoRegardless · · Score: -1, Troll

    Google didn't see the benefit of a open & yet controlled environment along with the concept of having their own top line hardware and now Apple has seemingly walked away with the mindshare of the educated & upscale side of the country. I don't see Apple letting up on their advancement of both hardware and software plus the key OS programming environment.

    A product is not just an "OS" in today's world.