Dell Pushes Google Barrow

Dell is getting in on the Android phone market…should Apple be worried?

Apple’s marketing strategy has always been one of less is more, let’s be a little bit mysterious, and a sort of aloof “we know better than you do” mentality. And so far it’s worked. They make cool-looking products, that seem to function pretty well and seem to be at the cutting edge of communications technology.

However, there are now rumblings coming out of CE land in the US that PC maker Dell is about to jump on the Google mobile handset wagon, with help from iPhone monopoly holder AT&T.

Now, AT&T have shown in the past that they haven’t exactly been happy to spruik the Android phone – why would they when it is direct competition with the iPhone. Yet, the deal with Apple will expire next year, and it is doubtful AT&T will hold onto its exclusivity, so they are expanding their mobile horizons.

Of more interest though is that while people think Apple is cool, there are those fence sitters who are waiting for the next new thing, and the Android may be it. Consumers aren’t too savvy about the functionality of Android mobiles and what they mean, but some experts believe that once they “get” the functionality of Google, and how it melds with their PCs etc, then Apple might have to start rethinking its single-phone business model.

With the first Android models already rolling out, the next 18 months in the handset market are going to be very interesting. And should Apple be worried? Yes, they should be. Watch this space.