Joining skeptics like Symbian's Nigel Clifford, ARM's chief executive Warren East (pictured right) also seems to be dubious of Google's move into the world of cellphone operating systems. While acknowledging that Android may spark further growth in the smartphone market, East also said on Wednesday that Android certainly wouldn't pose a threat to the iPhone or any other smart phone in the immediate future. Coming from East, that's not so surprising.
ARM, of course, makes mobile processors and also happens to be the primarily chip supplier for Apple's iPhone. According to InfoWorld, West also said that "solidifying a mobile platform can take years, especially when companies such as Symbian have been active for much longer."
Furthermore, the first phones to feature Google's mobile OS are still over half a year away, a fact that he says will allow rivals the time to develop similar products.
"You're not going to see hundreds of millions of Google phones anytime soon," East said. But you will see millions of iPhones, or at least his company hopes so. "I think it's inevitable if the iPhone continues to be as successful as it appears on launch that there will be iPhone IIs, iPhone IIIs, whatever. And if we do our job right then they will be based on future ARM processors," said East.
Some, like Mac software developer and founder of Red Sweater Daniel Jalkut, have even claimed that Android is nothing more than a head start for phone companies "who don't have the resources or brains to make their own OS."
Quoting from Jalkut's Twitter feed: "Google's basically trying to move everybody along to iPhone style capabilities. Therefore Android = The Laggard's OS." Zing!
[Via InfoWorld]
