I wonder whether Apples ability make the solutions they do and have the success that they have is based on the fact that they have more or less total vertical integration.
We know they have the best ecosystem out there, but there must be other things too.
It does show one thing though.
Google still have a lot to learn outside of advertising. In fact I believe google will fail building any serious kind of business around their mobile attempts.
tl;dr the point of Android is so Google can put their ads on it.
To that extend it is already a success given that google mobile ads were banned on the iphone and probably will be too on BB and windows mobile and that android phones are already outselling the iphones (all together, which is all that matters to Google).
Google is not competing with Apple on devices. Google is more interested in an ecosystem where they won't be at the mercy of other companies. Imagine a vibrant, rapidly expanding mobile internet devices and google doesn't have any footprint on it. They would have to rely on Apple and other smart phone manufacturer not screwing with them, literally being at their mercy.
With Android, this is not the case anymore. Even if Apple decides to screw with Google and provides Bing as default choice for all their products across the board, they have other options.
We know they have the best ecosystem out there, but there must be other things too.
It does show one thing though.
Google still have a lot to learn outside of advertising. In fact I believe google will fail building any serious kind of business around their mobile attempts.