Nvidia CEO Agrees With Us; Intel CEO Calls Android Chaos to Apple's Order
Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang blames the slow adoption of Android tablets partially on the high price point when they entered the market, just as we pointed out. And, Intel CEO Paul Otellini contrasts Apple's necessity for complete control over their products with Android's open "chaos."
In a conversation with Cnet's Brooke Crothers, Huang said there were multiple problems with the Android tablets. Among other issues, the Nvidia CEO thinks the tablets should have been launched with a base level WiFi model to compete at a lower price point and with a lot more attention to the retail experience for consumers. And he's right. The Android tablet was launched with an unfinished operating system, a base hardware that fell short of the iPad in numerous ways, and a marketing campaign that could never compete. Google has never put their marketing might behind Android, and that may account for the slow adoption rates. When competing with the likes of Apple, it's imperative to be able to play on the same level and Android is only just starting to get there.
Of course, it's always more difficult when dealing with the myriad of partners involved in getting Android products to market. Huang thinks things are getting better, with the launch of a generation of Android tablets with Honeycomb 3.1, which provides a much more seamless software experience, hardware that bests the iPad in almost every way, and a price point that undercuts the cheapest Apple tablet. It's the only way for Android to win this battle; a better product for less.
Meanwhile, Intel's Otellini compares the tablet wars to the early days of Windows vs. Mac. Before Windows was able to settle on the Intel x86 architecture, it used to run on numerous platforms, while Macs were created by Apple and ran on Apple OS.
Otellini points out that recent moves by Google to rectify fragmentation issues will make chaos a thing of the past. Apple meanwhile has never had that issue as they demand control over every aspect of their product and experience. In the end, he chalks Android's current woes up to growing pains and believes they will find their way out of this mess eventually.
