While many accept and do not grudge Kirt McMaster, CEO of Cynogen Inc’s penchant for plain-speaking, his comments at recent industry event appeared to be short of provocative! The target of his comments was Google Inc’s growing focus on profit-generation and big-money acquisitions.
Cyanogen Inc has been one of the few independent open source companies, which has not taken too lightly to Google Inc’s overpowering control over Android OS. Time and again McMaster has referred to Android platform Google Now’s limitations for third-party apps.
McMaster does not leave any stone unturned to reiterate that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Now does not offer fullscope for deep integration with Android for independent companies, as Google continues to control Android OS. So, the solution to Google-centric Android OS is to ensure that there is a parallel platform that does not overpower third-parties and start-up to support themselves with in-built apps, which will eventually end in Google’s acquisition of them!
“We are making an Android Version” McMaster
McMaster commented at industry event, ‘Next Phase of Android’ at The Information, in San Francisco on Thursday that Cyanogen is not far from developing a version of Android which does not require Google’s hand-holding.
His goal, which was his self-introduction at the event, ‘We are attempting to take Android Away from Google.’
Google’s Iron-Fisted Android OS
Currently Google’s control on third party services, such as Cyanogen’s suite is indirect and subversive. For third party’s to use core Android OS features such as PlayStore, Gmail and Maps Google Inc has an indirect control mechanism, as in, these apps have to comply with set of pre-conditions.
For some time now, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has been successful in closing-out those of the companies which have forked, by shutting down Google Apps. This has strategically allowed Google Inc to control the Android OS platform and leave no space for a competing Android platform to emerge.
However, the only company to emerge from Google Inc’s iron-clasp of the Android OS thus far has been Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN)! It is time to wait and see if Cyanogen CEO has put his foot in his mouth, or packs a punch here, ala Amazon Inc?
