The release of Google Earth for Android (2.1 only) prompted James to write this excellent comment on 247. Well worth dragging to the front page-

I still think this says plenty about the Android strategy from the standpoint of both the manufacturers and the carriers.  As an iPhone 3GS user, I know where I stand with Apple.  Right now, apart from storage, I stand at the pinnacle.  That’s what I paid for when I finally upgraded to a new phone after four years.  Later this year, when Apple releases what will probably be an evolutionary upgrade, I bet I’ll still be able to run the latest OS and apps – maybe just a bit more slowly.  Two years from now, when Apple will put out an iPhone with 4G and Lord-knows-whatever other features, I’ll accept my fate and acknowledge that I’m not the flashiest out there, as I did with my last smartphone, a Treo 650 that was purring like a kitten less than a year ago.  At least I’ll have spent 12 months as king of the world and I’ll save my nickels and dimes for the next gadget.

Compare that with the Android world:  Around six months ago, the myTouch 3G was the belle of the ball, now it’s running an OS version which could be considered third-class in that ecosystem, with no clear path to an OS upgrade.  Less than four months ago, someone who picked up a Motorola Droid got the chance to stand at the top of the Android foodchain.  Two months later, the Nexus One upset the apple cart.  Now, not only does Motorola not have top device for the purpose of showing off, their handset can’t even run the latest apps.  The update will undoubtedly come, but still, I’d chafe as a consumer and be nervous if I were managing a company preparing to release a “pinnacle” Android device.  I still don’t know why Motorola’s CEO participated in the Nexus One launch.  Does the Nexus One do a single thing for Motorola other than steal sales from the Droid?

It’s not great for developers, either.  If Google can’t release an application for its own platform for all the devices released in the last six months, what hope does a developer have of keeping track?

Everyone keeps saying that Android’s path is the way of dominance, but that only seems to apply to raw OS deployments.  This is Windows v Mac all over again, except that at least a manufacturer of a Windows computer knows his OS will be updated along with everyone else’s and that Microsoft isn’t going to try to jump in on the desktop hardware business.  Does Michael Dell sleep any better at night knowing that he’s selling computers with the dominant platform when his profit margins are razor-thin and there are hundreds of other manufacturers selling products that are indistinguishable from his on paper?

Apple and RIM will watch Android take marketshare and still laugh all the way to the bank because they aren’t looking at Android as a platform.  They’re looking at a series of manufacturers – HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, et al., who have much more to worry about from each other and from their own OS provider.  Each individual manufacturer is a bit player who couldn’t dream of moving as many units as Apple or RIM do, or enjoying the same profit margins.“