Advising Google on Their Android Market

There is a veritable industry of unasked-for advice that is freely offered by trade insiders and media commentators to all of the major technology companies. Google is no exception. I am particularly attuned to the stream of articles on how Google should (or must!) improve the Android Market because of my own involvement with Android. This latest article fits the expected pattern, raising no new issues but providing a fresh outlet for app developers to vent their frustrations.

I won't bother to recap these Android Market issues since they are already so well known: you can search out the articles if you wish, and I have even addressed the topic more than once in this blog. What I want to talk about today is, why does anyone bother to rehash these same points and -- perhaps smugly -- give unasked-for advice to Google. Do people believe that Google, with all of its commercial might and talented workforce, is missing the obvious? This is not credible.

We must accept the fact that Google understands very well what it is doing with the Android Market, and that it is doing so intentionally. After 16 months they have had every opportunity to introduce incremental improvements and have chosen to only make a few minor tweaks. They could add more resources, use 3rd-party products, integrate with their search products, and do so much more. They have not because they choose not to. Of course with all the secrecy on their Android-related activities I could look like a fool tomorrow since they could turn around and announce Android Market 2.0 that addresses every concern raised and goes even further. It's unlikely, but I have to acknowledge the possibility.

For all the noise about alternative app stores -- which, unlike with Apple, is perfectly acceptable to Google -- they are not a solution. The only app stores that matters when it comes to addressing the mass market of Android device users are those that come pre-installed on the devices; the vast majority of users will not look further than what the device provides out of the box. This will continue to be true regardless of preaching by well-meaning and intelligent Android champions because the app developer community is fragmented, consisting of small or sole-proprietor shops that have neither the time nor the ability to overcome this massive obstacle. Like it or not, to the majority of the market -- both developers and consumers -- the Android Market is a force of nature that you can either accept or reject. Rejection almost inevitably means departing from the Android ecosystem.

That is my approach: I accept the Android Market for what it is and I do not hope for changes. Since hope is not an acceptable business strategy, we look elsewhere to pursue our business.