Senior Google executive pledges to keep platform open
By Kim Yoo-chul
A senior Google executive said the Android operating system will continue to evolve and remain competitive on the strength of its openness and easy accessibility.
Sundar Pichai, Google senior vice president and Android chief, said the company's commitment to startup entrepreneurs will strengthen the Android ecosystem.
His optimism reflects Google's confidence in its position in the mobile platform market.
As of the second quarter of this year, Android was running on 84.7 percent of the world's smartphones, according to market research firms. Android has become a popular word, even among those who are not technologically inclined.
According to Pichai, Google's support for startup entrepreneurs to help them exchange ideas and best practices needs to continue in order to "make things even better."
"A transition where we can help bridge the gap is where we can provide them with best practices," he said. "A small team of developers can now make a big impact. We want the exchange of ideas."
Pichai, who helped create Google's Chrome browser and ran Google's Gmail service before taking control of Android last year, said the company's open platform-based business strategy would remain very competitive because it was so easy for developers to partner with Google.
One key reason Google's Android platform is so popular is that it is free.
Being open source simply means developers have access to the Android software's source code and can adapt and customize the software as they see fit, within certain limits. Pichai has no doubt that developers value this accessibility.
"We truly believe in that, and Android has been very open for the last several years," he said.
"We plan to keep it open in the future so that everyone can work on it. The inherent advantage of an open platform is that you get everyone in the world to bet on it and to work on it. It's not just you doing it alone. You pull in thousands of people."
He said Google works with hundreds of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) around the world, and millions of developers, whenever it develops new software and devices.
"This ecosystem approach, how you involve everyone, really helps an open platform succeed," he said.
Eyeing Korea
Google recently decided to open a startup-incubating center in Gangnam, one of Seoul's trendiest districts, because of the Korean mobile industry's growth potential, he said.
"When we were looking for cities in which to open a campus in Asia, we all believed what's happening in Korea and in Seoul with the mobile industry is breathtaking," he said.
"Korea is now one of the top five countries in terms of the number of Android developers. We looked at that, and we realized that given how everyone in Korea has access to smartphones, some of the most important ideas are going to come out of Korea in the future. We wanted to be a part of it."
The startup center in Seoul, which will be operational early next year, is Google's third base outside of its headquarters in Silicon Valley. The company opened similar facilities in London and Tel Aviv in 2012.
The center will host events, offer working space, and run educational programs for local entrepreneurs.
He said he was impressed to see the growth of the Android platform in Korea.
Considering the achievements of the country's leading technology firms, he said Korea was in an ideal position to become a model for many more countries ahead of the impending "smartphone revolution."
"Compared to what Korea has today, that growth or that change is significant," he said.
"People are used to that. I think this is the reason why the rate of smartphone adoption in Korea is at 80 percent. Forty million people have smartphones. The pace at which the society accepts change and adopts new technologies is very unique. I think this is why Korea has many unique developers that create new things for everyone."
Korea's Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest smartphone manufacturer, is the strongest supporter of the Google Android platform, with its range of Galaxy devices running on the platform.
While Samsung uses the Tizen platform ― a new mobile platform that it co-developed with Intel ― on some devices as part of its updated strategy to cut its heavy reliance on Android, such devices aren't intended for mass production.
The two companies agreed to share patents and to work together to strengthen mobile security for Android devices.
"What I like about Android is that when I travel around the world, I constantly run into entrepreneurs, who all have ideas. Android gives them the capabilities to translate those ideas into products. It can be localized to any country, and any partner can build on it," Pichai said.
It is not language that is holding Korean startups back from going global, the executive stressed, but lack of awareness.
"In Silicon Valley, there are people from all over the world," he said.
"That really helps. People in Silicon Valley, therefore, can raise awareness of how their products can be used outside of Silicon Valley. I think understanding how things will work in other countries will help people build things. Getting more aware of that, I think, is what will make the difference."
Bahk Eun-ji contributed to this story
By Kim Yoo-chul
 |
| Sundar Pichai, Google senior vice president and Android chief |
Sundar Pichai, Google senior vice president and Android chief, said the company's commitment to startup entrepreneurs will strengthen the Android ecosystem.
His optimism reflects Google's confidence in its position in the mobile platform market.
As of the second quarter of this year, Android was running on 84.7 percent of the world's smartphones, according to market research firms. Android has become a popular word, even among those who are not technologically inclined.
According to Pichai, Google's support for startup entrepreneurs to help them exchange ideas and best practices needs to continue in order to "make things even better."
"A transition where we can help bridge the gap is where we can provide them with best practices," he said. "A small team of developers can now make a big impact. We want the exchange of ideas."
Pichai, who helped create Google's Chrome browser and ran Google's Gmail service before taking control of Android last year, said the company's open platform-based business strategy would remain very competitive because it was so easy for developers to partner with Google.
One key reason Google's Android platform is so popular is that it is free.
Being open source simply means developers have access to the Android software's source code and can adapt and customize the software as they see fit, within certain limits. Pichai has no doubt that developers value this accessibility.
"We truly believe in that, and Android has been very open for the last several years," he said.
"We plan to keep it open in the future so that everyone can work on it. The inherent advantage of an open platform is that you get everyone in the world to bet on it and to work on it. It's not just you doing it alone. You pull in thousands of people."
He said Google works with hundreds of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) around the world, and millions of developers, whenever it develops new software and devices.
"This ecosystem approach, how you involve everyone, really helps an open platform succeed," he said.
Eyeing Korea
Google recently decided to open a startup-incubating center in Gangnam, one of Seoul's trendiest districts, because of the Korean mobile industry's growth potential, he said.
"When we were looking for cities in which to open a campus in Asia, we all believed what's happening in Korea and in Seoul with the mobile industry is breathtaking," he said.
"Korea is now one of the top five countries in terms of the number of Android developers. We looked at that, and we realized that given how everyone in Korea has access to smartphones, some of the most important ideas are going to come out of Korea in the future. We wanted to be a part of it."
The startup center in Seoul, which will be operational early next year, is Google's third base outside of its headquarters in Silicon Valley. The company opened similar facilities in London and Tel Aviv in 2012.
The center will host events, offer working space, and run educational programs for local entrepreneurs.
He said he was impressed to see the growth of the Android platform in Korea.
Considering the achievements of the country's leading technology firms, he said Korea was in an ideal position to become a model for many more countries ahead of the impending "smartphone revolution."
"Compared to what Korea has today, that growth or that change is significant," he said.
"People are used to that. I think this is the reason why the rate of smartphone adoption in Korea is at 80 percent. Forty million people have smartphones. The pace at which the society accepts change and adopts new technologies is very unique. I think this is why Korea has many unique developers that create new things for everyone."
Korea's Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest smartphone manufacturer, is the strongest supporter of the Google Android platform, with its range of Galaxy devices running on the platform.
While Samsung uses the Tizen platform ― a new mobile platform that it co-developed with Intel ― on some devices as part of its updated strategy to cut its heavy reliance on Android, such devices aren't intended for mass production.
The two companies agreed to share patents and to work together to strengthen mobile security for Android devices.
"What I like about Android is that when I travel around the world, I constantly run into entrepreneurs, who all have ideas. Android gives them the capabilities to translate those ideas into products. It can be localized to any country, and any partner can build on it," Pichai said.
It is not language that is holding Korean startups back from going global, the executive stressed, but lack of awareness.
"In Silicon Valley, there are people from all over the world," he said.
"That really helps. People in Silicon Valley, therefore, can raise awareness of how their products can be used outside of Silicon Valley. I think understanding how things will work in other countries will help people build things. Getting more aware of that, I think, is what will make the difference."
Bahk Eun-ji contributed to this story
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