Isn't Google's smartphone OS strategy akin to Microsoft's PC OS strategy? That is, they create and supply an OS to third-party hardware partners but don't actually compete in the hardware field themselves (as opposed to Apple and RIM who create both the OS and the hardware). What possible gain is there to abandon that strategy now, considering that history has shown time and again that the system available to the greatest number of hardware manufacturers tends to win the most marketshare even if competing technologies are superior (e.g. Mac vs. DOS/Windows, Betamax vs. VHS, etc.).
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