The company remains committed to the initiative
Google’s Android One initiative that aims to deliver affordable smartphones with their latest Android operating system isn’t faring well in the marketplace. Stiff competition in the sub $100 segment and early hiccups in the supply chain meant that initiative has been facing an uphill battle since its launch in India last year.
In light of this, Rajan Anandan is the Vice President & Managing Director of Google, South East Asia & India said that the company is still very committed to Android One according to an interview with the Financial Times, and are looking to deliver a sub-$50 (Php 2.2K) devices along with a massive investment push into the Indian market.
Along with a new, more affordable device, Google is also readying a large scale investment program to bring tens of millions of small businesses online and develop content for Indians whose first language is not English. The strategy makes sense because it makes hopping online easier and more appealing for non-native English speakers which makes up a bulk of India’s population.
Google’s new strategy for Android One in India may be a precursor to a wider roll-out in other similar developing markets, which include the Philippines. While Google’s partners here in the PH are readying to release a new, more expensive 4G capable Android One device (that we’ll see later this afternoon) it’s not too far fetched to see the same strategy applied here. A bigger push to bring more and more businesses online, as well as a bigger incentive to create digital content in the local market along with a cheaper device may just be the ticket.
