Google Mobile

Google Mobile refers to all products and services offered by the Google Inc. Group in order to enhance the use of the Internet on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, including the Android OS and the Google Nexus smartphone.

Background

Ever since Google launched its Android mobile operating system in 2008, it has become clear that the Group is generally interested in the use of the Internet far beyond just the Google Search and Google AdWords web program. Google has continued to adapt its strategy to the increasing use of mobile devices to surf the Internet. Today, Google Mobile can be broken down into the following areas:

• Its own operating system with Android
• Nexus series devices that are specifically designed for Google products
• Numerous apps designed for mobile devices. These include products such as Google Now, Google Maps, and Chrome web browser
• A broad user community that exchanges facts and questions about Android

Development

When Google was founded in 1998, the main interest was the web search. With the increasing use of the search functions and with the associated income earned from advertisements via Google AdWords, the Group was able to venture into new business areas. Eventually, the Google Maps service, YouTube, direct flight search, book search, Google Earth, and many other products were introduced in addition to the search engine. Even with the considerable expansion, the main source of income was and still is in the background: advertisements in the form of text or images. Monetization is always the target even with projects such as Google Loon from the secret Google X Laboratory.

Google had long recognized that surfing the Internet will no longer be done primarily using desktop PCs but rather via smartphones and tablets. Therefore, Google used its dominant market position to also position itself strategically in the mobile Internet industry. In 2012, more than 50% of the smartphones around the world were already using the Android operating system.

In order to promote its products, Google established not just its own Google Play Store, which was integrated in its search engine, but also launched its own smartphone in 2010, the Nexus One that operates exclusively with Google products. To date, other versions of the so-called “Google smartphones” as well as Nexus series tablets have then followed.

Based on this entire development, one can conclude that the Google Mobile strategy was an attempt to control mobile Internet access exclusively using Google products. Whether the user is looking for directions on Google Maps or the nearest restaurant using the optimized Chrome browser, Google apps and devices are always being used. This way, the Group is able to not only strengthen its already dominant position in the mobile sector but also receives important user data that help it improve its targeted advertisement strategies across different device platforms.

Web Links

• Official Landigpage for Google Mobile