What about on the 3G if you take advantage of the GPS functionality? Will it work on the previous generation iPhone? No.
So if the handset manufacturers do start to produce Android phones that vary in hardware features, like the example you gave where one handset might have an accelerometer but another one doesn't, and I write an app to take advantage of that hardware feature - would I expect it to run on the device that does not and have the same behavior? No, of course not.
Well, that's exactly one of the more serious problems that Windows Mobile had. The more devices with different hardware, the more difficult it becomes to code around and support all the variations. Consumers are confused about which apps will do what where. The greater the variation, the bigger the problem.
Actually, I believe the location services were available on the original iPhone, just not via GPS. However, yes, there are some differences between different versions of iPhone hardware, but, since there is only one vendor, the differences are few, and the APIs are designed with these differences in mind, it's easy to keep track of those differences and handle them. This wasn't true of Windows Mobile and I doubt that it's going to be true of Android.
Don't forget Samsung and LG. Android has got all of the traditional "big five" manufacturers on-board with the exception of Nokia.
Something of note, Nokia owns Qt, which KDE is based off of. I'm sure they're pursuing their own corse, as KDE has recently announced the upcoming KDE Netbook Plasma interface. I'm sure they're working on making something similar for iPhone-like smartphones. If you haven't seen KDE Netbook Plasma UI, check this out:
Do I foresee that demand for Java developers will drop to a point any time soon within the next few years that it will be hard to find employment? No. I couldn't say the same if I was an Objective-C developer.
'Course, now you're just one of many, many Java programmers, whereas good Objective-C developers are in high demand.
And PHP, Ruby, Python, and other languages have displaced much of the work Java was expected to dominate, has it not? Just read about one site that took three years to rebuild their site, all because someone convinced them that they needed to chose Java.
The room seems a little quiet and I seem to read fear of the future for Apple.
I think Fortune was saying good bye to the past and thanks for everything with the award.
The Future does seem to all about 100's of phones on all carriers and application developers climbing over each other to get on the Google Wave.
Good Bye Steve...
It was nice knowing you. The 90's all over again and still a closed system. You'd think Steve Jobs would be smarter 20 years later.
But he's a billionaire now he doesn't really need the money anymore.
So, you have made your fortune is the market and are sure that Apple is dead??? LOL,,, ROFLOL.
--gathers self --- takes breath --- sorry but you sound like you are technically inclined... which is good.... and take yourself too seriously.... which is bad.
Look at mp3 players, cell phones... etc. while some features are required, being the head techno geek these days does nothing for actual sales to teens, and 20-35 ers. Its about cool and ease of use. APPLE all the way.
So, I hope you have other stock holdings,,, like Microsoft or Motorola to support your retirement.
Confusion to who? It's only use techheads who can tell the difference between the actual OS versions. To the average person buying an Android phone, they can't tell if it's running 2.0 or 1.6 or 1.5. Especially if the manufacturer puts a custom GUI on it.
To them, all the basic functions work the same and all the apps work the same. What's there to be confused about?
the reality is that they wouldn't even know it's an android phone. google is selling it's os to manufacturers not consumers.
the reality is that they wouldn't even know it's an android phone. google is selling it's os to manufacturers not consumers.
And lack of consistency is a big problem.
The Droid has multi-touch support in the OS, but doesn’t use it in the UI. The cheaper HTC Eris runs an older version of Android OS and offers multi-touch, but only in HTC’s own custom apps.
The Droid has multi-touch support in the OS, but doesn?t use it in the UI. The cheaper HTC Eris runs an older version of Android OS and offers multi-touch, but only in HTC?s own custom apps.
WinMo all over again.
Speaking of which, that very topic is addressed here.
Consumers might not care particularly if their phone is running "Android", or what flavor thereof, but they do care about ease of use and ecosystem. iPhone users have confidence that the next iteration of their handset will much like the one they have now, but better. And that it will work with the apps they have now, and the accessories they have now. iPhone developers have the same confidence.
The Droid has multi-touch support in the OS, but doesn?t use it in the UI. The cheaper HTC Eris runs an older version of Android OS and offers multi-touch, but only in HTC?s own custom apps.
WinMo all over again.
A lot of the posts are right when we all stop being geeks and actually say, "hmm... i wonder what the majority of users/consumers want?". Apple does it well, MS used to do it well because they copied the right things and pushed their monopoly. Google does it OK but they just don't have the polish in anything they do except search and mail like intelligent spam filtering, size of mailbox, free IMAP, search mail (but to be honest i prefer OSX Mail overall to Gmail).
From a phone sector Symbian blows as far as user experience in most of the mutations I have seen and used. Also, BB is pretty ugly and very much feels like a glorified pager as far as form and function.
Most consumers don't care about jailbreaking or modifying every aspect of their phone. they want the phone to be
1. stable
2. easy to use and intuitive
3. provide the most popular features in an easy to access manner
4. be controlled naturally
5. be a good experience
Can an integrated closed loop configuration like Apple iPhone, Nokia and Blackberry do this better than an open one like Google and WInmo. Yes it can and has.
I find that the iPhone does it best because it does the above 5 points best to its target audience. I think that is why Blackberry was able to be so successful as well for Business. Nokia on the other hand did both open and closed and got away with it but couldn't keep the brand as clean and reliable as the other two.
When you lose control you have more potential to lose quality. To be honest it would be interesting to see if businesses drop blackberry for iphone. Google is not in the game.
Short or no lines greet Motorola Droid as Verizon spokesman claims lines are unwanted and ‘flashy’
"The new Motorola Droid got a sleepy reception on Friday morning when it officially went on sale across the country in Verizon Wireless stores starting at 7 a.m. in some places," Marguerite Reardon reports for CNET. "From New York to San Francisco, most stores around the country had few if any lines when doors opened Friday morning."
"Verizon spokesman David Samberg said that a lack of a long line or shortage of devices is actually a good thing," Reardon reports. "'Long lines forming outside are flashy,' he said. 'But it's not really the goal. What we really want to see is this: a steady stream of people coming today and for the next few weeks buying new phones.'"
Reardon reports, "The lines, or lack of lines as the case may be, are far less dramatic than the hoopla surrounding an Apple iPhone launch."
When you lose control you have more potential to lose quality. To be honest it would be interesting to see if businesses drop blackberry for iphone. Google is not in the game.
The iPhone certainly is gaining popularity in the business sector. No need for BES HW, no need for yearly fee per user for BES, a UI that is more universal which helps IT, and the ability to make a quality corporate app easily and cheaply. There are some key things the BB wins over the iPhone but they have been dropping significantly every year.
I think you are dead on about Android having trouble breaking into corporate. There is already a class action against an iPhone app developer that wrote games to snag your contacts though a vulnerability. With Android, this could be a lot worse.
If Apple didn't release the iPhone, I bet Android would look a lot like evolved Blackberries, Treos, and WM phones. This is one of the early Android prototypes:
A year later, everything Android was touchscreen.
For a good (bad?) example of button-overkill that actually made it to market in a high-dollar product, check out:
Seriously, how many buttons, dials, and screens does it take to operate something?! This is a tractor, not an airliner...
You have to tunnel a little, but at http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCa...8r_series.html Deere shows an iPod touch plugged into one of the machine's power outlets. You'd think Deere might notice and learn from Apple's design.
the reality is that they wouldn't even know it's an android phone. google is selling it's os to manufacturers not consumers.
Except they do if they plan to use apps sold in the Android market. But which apps work on their particular phone (which may or may not have a manufacturer GUI laid over the top), which version of Android do they have (which as you said they might not even know), etc.
Confusion will abound unless someone steps in soon...
Well, that's exactly one of the more serious problems that Windows Mobile had. The more devices with different hardware, the more difficult it becomes to code around and support all the variations. Consumers are confused about which apps will do what where. The greater the variation, the bigger the problem.
Yeah, everyone is wondering how 3rd party applications will fare if there is a lot of differing hardware on Android "smartphones."
I think it is more insidious than Windows Mobile. People talk about how one phone has this feature or not, but I'm imagining screen size and resolutions will be particularly fractious with touchscreen phones.
A 3" touchscreen is different from a 3.5" touchscreen phone. Fingers need about a square cm or more of screen area to have a good tap. This means applications, especially bitmap centric ones, won't scale that well when going from a small touchscreen to a big touchscreen and all significant applications will need to be redesigned.
I'm still wondering what Palm is doing with the Pixi. Only the simple applications will scale. The UI for anything complex will have to be done if Palm wants the user experience to be any good at all, never mind that a touchscreen for a " display wont be much fun.
Also, I'm curious what Apple is going to do for prospective iPhone "nano" and "pro/max/HD." Those thousands of applications won't scale if the screen size and resolutions are different. My only solution for a "Pro" like iPhone would be to use 960x640 screen rez at 3.7-4" diag. Old applications can simply be pixel-quadrupled for the best transition experience. For a smaller screen, Apple probably can't go much more than 480x320 at 3.2" diag before the controls and buttons become too small to tap well.
It's not the 90's anymore and Apple is still operating under the same tactics.
Because in the 90s Apple had an iTunes store with a plurality of all music sold worldwide, a retail chain, dominant position in portable digital player market, a large share of the profits in the mobile handset industry, and over 90% of the over 1000 dollar computer retail market.
...oh.. wait..
Quote:
Originally Posted by CloudFuture
Google could care less about Microsoft, Apple or Palm for that matter. Google, unlike MS has been planning this for years & has every platform covered. Where is the future?
Because of course Google is quite happy to stick to making all it's money off search advertising and email services. Forever.
The future of course is more ways to make money from advertising. Clearly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CloudFuture
It's in your toaster, phone, TV, name it and Google has planned for all of them.
Developing for 1 platfrom or every platform. As a devoper what would you program for?
Of course there's no difference between programming a toaster or a TV or a pair of sneakers, or a cell phone.
In fact, I really want one of those programmable toasters. No really.
Hey, where's my flying skateboard? I feel cheated.
Cloud, you could be a very entertaining troll, and you're almost there, but you need to up your game a little bit. Focus on your points a bit more, don't wander all over the map, and try to say things that at least make some sense.
The differences with iPhone HW versions are very slight, yet you correctly point out that not all apps developed for the iPhone work across all models. The difference is that with 3 models all using the same size display, all with a touch interface and all coming from the same vendor with petty much 1 year difference in release dates the customer will not have much of a problem with knowing which apps work for them and developers will not have much of a problem with testing.
It may change in the future, but it is interesting to see that right now Android is more homogenous target for its developers than iPhone. As you said there is original iPhone, lacking GPS and iPhone 3GS that have extra compass sensor. On the Android side, so far all Google branded phones are pretty much the same. Google learned their lesson from JavaME/WinMobile and is very conservative on this front.
The different screen formats may make this more difficult, but at least you know what is the strategy there (started in Android 1.6) Apple will release different screen format eventually, too, but it is very difficult to future-proof your iPhone application now as you have no details about possible next generation device, you even don't know if/when iPhoneTablet or or iPhoneNano will emerge.
So far this "single vendor" point is not really that strong advantage to Apple as it might look.
Except they do if they plan to use apps sold in the Android market. But which apps work on their particular phone (which may or may not have a manufacturer GUI laid over the top), which version of Android do they have (which as you said they might not even know), etc.
Confusion will abound unless someone steps in soon...
It's already solved. If you don't have device, that matches the API-level, the application won't be visible in the Market for your device. So far, all devices are upgradeable to the latest API level and it is as simple process as upgrading OS in iPhone, so it is pretty much the same on both platforms.
If they were really smart, the "Android" brand would have been tightly controlled with a few trusted vendors with a consistent base of features to match the Zune, iPod and iPhone model. They should have developed a separate brand that is the free-for-all open do-whatever-you-want. That way the techie geeks with a zillion incompatible variations (like the Linux desktop) wont' bleed over into the perception of the platform where the rest of humanity resides. Androids diversity will be an albatross on the user experience for "normal" people and that blowback is going to hurt them. Manufacturers just can't help themselves - they can't say no to the techie's to just throw in features to "distinguish" themselves. End users couldn't care less - they just want a device that works and this is why Apple continues to be successful.
They do exactly that, albeit slightly different way that you suggest. Android is free, open base that anybody can take and modify any way... and some operators will definitely do. Some will still market is as "Android phone" but essentially it is their private playground and Google is OK with this.
Then there is "with Google" phone, that has all the Google Apps on it and - most important - Android Market. To be such a phone, you need to meet pretty strict criteria, and right now, it is easy to target all conforming devices with single application. It works quite well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DocNo42
Really? Google has a plan for 1 platform? Then what is the Chrome OS? That sounds like a different platform then Android.
Android is for mobile and Chrome is for Desktops/netbooks. Is it that difficult to grasp ?
Comments
What about on the 3G if you take advantage of the GPS functionality? Will it work on the previous generation iPhone? No.
So if the handset manufacturers do start to produce Android phones that vary in hardware features, like the example you gave where one handset might have an accelerometer but another one doesn't, and I write an app to take advantage of that hardware feature - would I expect it to run on the device that does not and have the same behavior? No, of course not.
Well, that's exactly one of the more serious problems that Windows Mobile had. The more devices with different hardware, the more difficult it becomes to code around and support all the variations. Consumers are confused about which apps will do what where. The greater the variation, the bigger the problem.
Actually, I believe the location services were available on the original iPhone, just not via GPS. However, yes, there are some differences between different versions of iPhone hardware, but, since there is only one vendor, the differences are few, and the APIs are designed with these differences in mind, it's easy to keep track of those differences and handle them. This wasn't true of Windows Mobile and I doubt that it's going to be true of Android.
Don't forget Samsung and LG. Android has got all of the traditional "big five" manufacturers on-board with the exception of Nokia.
Something of note, Nokia owns Qt, which KDE is based off of. I'm sure they're pursuing their own corse, as KDE has recently announced the upcoming KDE Netbook Plasma interface. I'm sure they're working on making something similar for iPhone-like smartphones. If you haven't seen KDE Netbook Plasma UI, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iULB1zE7EJE
Do I foresee that demand for Java developers will drop to a point any time soon within the next few years that it will be hard to find employment? No. I couldn't say the same if I was an Objective-C developer.
'Course, now you're just one of many, many Java programmers, whereas good Objective-C developers are in high demand.
And PHP, Ruby, Python, and other languages have displaced much of the work Java was expected to dominate, has it not? Just read about one site that took three years to rebuild their site, all because someone convinced them that they needed to chose Java.
The room seems a little quiet and I seem to read fear of the future for Apple.
I think Fortune was saying good bye to the past and thanks for everything with the award.
The Future does seem to all about 100's of phones on all carriers and application developers climbing over each other to get on the Google Wave.
Good Bye Steve...
It was nice knowing you. The 90's all over again and still a closed system. You'd think Steve Jobs would be smarter 20 years later.
But he's a billionaire now he doesn't really need the money anymore.
So, you have made your fortune is the market and are sure that Apple is dead??? LOL,,, ROFLOL.
--gathers self --- takes breath --- sorry but you sound like you are technically inclined... which is good.... and take yourself too seriously.... which is bad.
Look at mp3 players, cell phones... etc. while some features are required, being the head techno geek these days does nothing for actual sales to teens, and 20-35 ers. Its about cool and ease of use. APPLE all the way.
So, I hope you have other stock holdings,,, like Microsoft or Motorola to support your retirement.
Just a thought.
en
http://www.cnbc.com/id/33721096/site/14081545
That mindset could be the most damaging thing to the other mobile developers.
Confusion to who? It's only use techheads who can tell the difference between the actual OS versions. To the average person buying an Android phone, they can't tell if it's running 2.0 or 1.6 or 1.5. Especially if the manufacturer puts a custom GUI on it.
To them, all the basic functions work the same and all the apps work the same. What's there to be confused about?
the reality is that they wouldn't even know it's an android phone. google is selling it's os to manufacturers not consumers.
the reality is that they wouldn't even know it's an android phone. google is selling it's os to manufacturers not consumers.
And lack of consistency is a big problem.
The Droid has multi-touch support in the OS, but doesn’t use it in the UI. The cheaper HTC Eris runs an older version of Android OS and offers multi-touch, but only in HTC’s own custom apps.
WinMo all over again.
And lack of consistency is a big problem.
The Droid has multi-touch support in the OS, but doesn?t use it in the UI. The cheaper HTC Eris runs an older version of Android OS and offers multi-touch, but only in HTC?s own custom apps.
WinMo all over again.
Speaking of which, that very topic is addressed here.
Consumers might not care particularly if their phone is running "Android", or what flavor thereof, but they do care about ease of use and ecosystem. iPhone users have confidence that the next iteration of their handset will much like the one they have now, but better. And that it will work with the apps they have now, and the accessories they have now. iPhone developers have the same confidence.
And lack of consistency is a big problem.
The Droid has multi-touch support in the OS, but doesn?t use it in the UI. The cheaper HTC Eris runs an older version of Android OS and offers multi-touch, but only in HTC?s own custom apps.
WinMo all over again.
A lot of the posts are right when we all stop being geeks and actually say, "hmm... i wonder what the majority of users/consumers want?". Apple does it well, MS used to do it well because they copied the right things and pushed their monopoly. Google does it OK but they just don't have the polish in anything they do except search and mail like intelligent spam filtering, size of mailbox, free IMAP, search mail (but to be honest i prefer OSX Mail overall to Gmail).
From a phone sector Symbian blows as far as user experience in most of the mutations I have seen and used. Also, BB is pretty ugly and very much feels like a glorified pager as far as form and function.
Most consumers don't care about jailbreaking or modifying every aspect of their phone. they want the phone to be
1. stable
2. easy to use and intuitive
3. provide the most popular features in an easy to access manner
4. be controlled naturally
5. be a good experience
Can an integrated closed loop configuration like Apple iPhone, Nokia and Blackberry do this better than an open one like Google and WInmo. Yes it can and has.
I find that the iPhone does it best because it does the above 5 points best to its target audience. I think that is why Blackberry was able to be so successful as well for Business. Nokia on the other hand did both open and closed and got away with it but couldn't keep the brand as clean and reliable as the other two.
When you lose control you have more potential to lose quality. To be honest it would be interesting to see if businesses drop blackberry for iphone. Google is not in the game.
Short or no lines greet Motorola Droid as Verizon spokesman claims lines are unwanted and ‘flashy’
"The new Motorola Droid got a sleepy reception on Friday morning when it officially went on sale across the country in Verizon Wireless stores starting at 7 a.m. in some places," Marguerite Reardon reports for CNET. "From New York to San Francisco, most stores around the country had few if any lines when doors opened Friday morning."
"Verizon spokesman David Samberg said that a lack of a long line or shortage of devices is actually a good thing," Reardon reports. "'Long lines forming outside are flashy,' he said. 'But it's not really the goal. What we really want to see is this: a steady stream of people coming today and for the next few weeks buying new phones.'"
Reardon reports, "The lines, or lack of lines as the case may be, are far less dramatic than the hoopla surrounding an Apple iPhone launch."
------------------------
DéjÃ* vu: "Palm and Sprint: Don’t expect a iPhone-like camping out and lines for Pre; we don’t want them" - June 04, 2009.
When you lose control you have more potential to lose quality. To be honest it would be interesting to see if businesses drop blackberry for iphone. Google is not in the game.
The iPhone certainly is gaining popularity in the business sector. No need for BES HW, no need for yearly fee per user for BES, a UI that is more universal which helps IT, and the ability to make a quality corporate app easily and cheaply. There are some key things the BB wins over the iPhone but they have been dropping significantly every year.
I think you are dead on about Android having trouble breaking into corporate. There is already a class action against an iPhone app developer that wrote games to snag your contacts though a vulnerability. With Android, this could be a lot worse.
If Apple didn't release the iPhone, I bet Android would look a lot like evolved Blackberries, Treos, and WM phones. This is one of the early Android prototypes:
A year later, everything Android was touchscreen.
For a good (bad?) example of button-overkill that actually made it to market in a high-dollar product, check out:
http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCa...es/VR/360.html
Seriously, how many buttons, dials, and screens does it take to operate something?! This is a tractor, not an airliner...
You have to tunnel a little, but at http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCa...8r_series.html Deere shows an iPod touch plugged into one of the machine's power outlets. You'd think Deere might notice and learn from Apple's design.
the reality is that they wouldn't even know it's an android phone. google is selling it's os to manufacturers not consumers.
Except they do if they plan to use apps sold in the Android market. But which apps work on their particular phone (which may or may not have a manufacturer GUI laid over the top), which version of Android do they have (which as you said they might not even know), etc.
Confusion will abound unless someone steps in soon...
Well, that's exactly one of the more serious problems that Windows Mobile had. The more devices with different hardware, the more difficult it becomes to code around and support all the variations. Consumers are confused about which apps will do what where. The greater the variation, the bigger the problem.
Yeah, everyone is wondering how 3rd party applications will fare if there is a lot of differing hardware on Android "smartphones."
I think it is more insidious than Windows Mobile. People talk about how one phone has this feature or not, but I'm imagining screen size and resolutions will be particularly fractious with touchscreen phones.
A 3" touchscreen is different from a 3.5" touchscreen phone. Fingers need about a square cm or more of screen area to have a good tap. This means applications, especially bitmap centric ones, won't scale that well when going from a small touchscreen to a big touchscreen and all significant applications will need to be redesigned.
I'm still wondering what Palm is doing with the Pixi. Only the simple applications will scale. The UI for anything complex will have to be done if Palm wants the user experience to be any good at all, never mind that a touchscreen for a
Also, I'm curious what Apple is going to do for prospective iPhone "nano" and "pro/max/HD." Those thousands of applications won't scale if the screen size and resolutions are different. My only solution for a "Pro" like iPhone would be to use 960x640 screen rez at 3.7-4" diag. Old applications can simply be pixel-quadrupled for the best transition experience. For a smaller screen, Apple probably can't go much more than 480x320 at 3.2" diag before the controls and buttons become too small to tap well.
It's not the 90's anymore and Apple is still operating under the same tactics.
Because in the 90s Apple had an iTunes store with a plurality of all music sold worldwide, a retail chain, dominant position in portable digital player market, a large share of the profits in the mobile handset industry, and over 90% of the over 1000 dollar computer retail market.
...oh.. wait..
Google could care less about Microsoft, Apple or Palm for that matter. Google, unlike MS has been planning this for years & has every platform covered. Where is the future?
Because of course Google is quite happy to stick to making all it's money off search advertising and email services. Forever.
The future of course is more ways to make money from advertising. Clearly.
It's in your toaster, phone, TV, name it and Google has planned for all of them.
Developing for 1 platfrom or every platform. As a devoper what would you program for?
Of course there's no difference between programming a toaster or a TV or a pair of sneakers, or a cell phone.
In fact, I really want one of those programmable toasters. No really.
Hey, where's my flying skateboard? I feel cheated.
Cloud, you could be a very entertaining troll, and you're almost there, but you need to up your game a little bit. Focus on your points a bit more, don't wander all over the map, and try to say things that at least make some sense.
It's a clean room "Unix-like" copy isn't it?
The differences with iPhone HW versions are very slight, yet you correctly point out that not all apps developed for the iPhone work across all models. The difference is that with 3 models all using the same size display, all with a touch interface and all coming from the same vendor with petty much 1 year difference in release dates the customer will not have much of a problem with knowing which apps work for them and developers will not have much of a problem with testing.
It may change in the future, but it is interesting to see that right now Android is more homogenous target for its developers than iPhone. As you said there is original iPhone, lacking GPS and iPhone 3GS that have extra compass sensor. On the Android side, so far all Google branded phones are pretty much the same. Google learned their lesson from JavaME/WinMobile and is very conservative on this front.
The different screen formats may make this more difficult, but at least you know what is the strategy there (started in Android 1.6) Apple will release different screen format eventually, too, but it is very difficult to future-proof your iPhone application now as you have no details about possible next generation device, you even don't know if/when iPhoneTablet or or iPhoneNano will emerge.
So far this "single vendor" point is not really that strong advantage to Apple as it might look.
Except they do if they plan to use apps sold in the Android market. But which apps work on their particular phone (which may or may not have a manufacturer GUI laid over the top), which version of Android do they have (which as you said they might not even know), etc.
Confusion will abound unless someone steps in soon...
It's already solved. If you don't have device, that matches the API-level, the application won't be visible in the Market for your device. So far, all devices are upgradeable to the latest API level and it is as simple process as upgrading OS in iPhone, so it is pretty much the same on both platforms.
If they were really smart, the "Android" brand would have been tightly controlled with a few trusted vendors with a consistent base of features to match the Zune, iPod and iPhone model. They should have developed a separate brand that is the free-for-all open do-whatever-you-want. That way the techie geeks with a zillion incompatible variations (like the Linux desktop) wont' bleed over into the perception of the platform where the rest of humanity resides. Androids diversity will be an albatross on the user experience for "normal" people and that blowback is going to hurt them. Manufacturers just can't help themselves - they can't say no to the techie's to just throw in features to "distinguish" themselves. End users couldn't care less - they just want a device that works and this is why Apple continues to be successful.
They do exactly that, albeit slightly different way that you suggest. Android is free, open base that anybody can take and modify any way... and some operators will definitely do. Some will still market is as "Android phone" but essentially it is their private playground and Google is OK with this.
Then there is "with Google" phone, that has all the Google Apps on it and - most important - Android Market. To be such a phone, you need to meet pretty strict criteria, and right now, it is easy to target all conforming devices with single application. It works quite well.
Really? Google has a plan for 1 platform? Then what is the Chrome OS? That sounds like a different platform then Android.
Android is for mobile and Chrome is for Desktops/netbooks. Is it that difficult to grasp ?