Google announced it is postponing the launch of the Android phones in China due to cyber spying coming from China. Google says it can no longer accept the censoring of search results on its site in China. Because of this, analysts say it could drastically hurt both Motorola and Samsung who have placed a big emphasis on the Droid phones.
Google postpones launch of Droid phones in China
What is the Droid phone without the Google applications? Without being able to access Google on the phone, many users may opt for Apple’s iPhone or the BlackBerry. If this postponement becomes a cancellation, this could have a devastating effect on not only Motorola and Samsung, but may impact Google’s stability as a business partner.
Would you be interested in a Droid phone without the Google maps, email and search? The Android is an open source system, so phone makers could still market in China, and perhaps utilize a different set of apps. This wouldn’t be good for Google, but Motorola and Samsung may still benefit from selling in China. Will China’s consumers embrace the iPhone or BlackBerry? So far the users in China have balked at the high price items.
Motorola may still come out okay in the China market. China Mobile and China Telecom have existing commitments to sell Motorola’s Droid phones. And so far, this is just a delay, not a cancellation by Google.
Most concerning to me is the cyber spying in China targeting Google. We all use Google. Many of us use Google’s applications to centralize our bookmarks, documents and email. This brings up a question of security for a lot of us. It makes me want to back up my files shared on Google and remove them from the Google service.
Are you concerned? Are we being naïve about using online document backup?
