The fallout between Internet giant Google Inc. and the world’s largest communist bloc—China—seems to have exacerbated with the company’s decision not to hold a software developers’ event in Beijing.
Despite this being Google’s first entrance into the highly competitive mobile smartphone market with the Nexus One, the latest move illustrates another sign that the company is stepping back from its mainland Chinese ties. According to Reuters, an unnamed source familiar with the situation claimed that the potential marketing event in Beijing was abandoned rather than unplanned.
However CNET.com claims that a company spokesperson said that, “There was not a Nexus One launch event scheduled in Beijing. Google is hosting 3 Android Developer Labs in Asia over the next couple weeks in Singapore, Taipei, and Hong Kong. These are technical events for developers who want to build applications for Android.”
“We never planned to hold an Android Developer Lab in Beijing, and suggestions that we did plan one are not true,” the spokesperson said. Considering that Google’s Nexus One is sold online exclusively, the marketing campaign is focused on the Internet nevertheless.
But others contradicted Google’s public stance. “If Google did not have such an issue with the Chinese government, they would have conducted a similar event in China too,” the unnamed source told Reuters.
Mario Queiroz, Google vice president for product management, described the unveiling as “the next stage in the evolution of Android” when the Nexus One phone was launched in January. Queiroz said there were now more than 20 Android phones available from 59 carriers in 48 nations. Google is bolstering the relevance of its Web searching capacity on mobile phones rather than just relying on its computer applications.
According to U.S.-based Flurry, Inc., a mobile application analytics firm, Google managed to sell 80,000 Nexus One phones in its first month. An unlocked phone retails for approximately $530—which approximates around $42 million in revenues from the phone alone.
Moreover, Flurry said that first-month sales of the Apple iPhone and the Motorola Droid (which uses Google’s Android mobile software) were 600,000 and 525,000, respectively. In fact Apple announced it sold 1 million iPhones 76 days after it came onto the market. Comparatively, the Nexus One still has a long way to go.
Irrespective of the nature of the event being scheduled in Beijing, in the context of Google’s code of conduct being “don’t be evil,” there was intense debate recently with the popular Internet search platform being prone to censorship and hacking from within China.
After Google publicized certain “highly sophisticated” cyber security compromises targeting information and personal details about human rights activists, it announced that it might close its Chinese operations. At first glance, the job security of Google employees in China may be threatened—however Bloomberg reported that there has been some new recruitment of engineers, managers, and sales staff by Google from within China.
A key U.S. congressional committee also investigated alleged security breaches on Google. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company will commence cooperation with high-level U.S. electronic surveillance organizations to combat cyber attacks.
Recently Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, also announced plans to hold a hearing on global Internet freedom.
“Google sets a strong example in standing up to the Chinese government’s continued failure to respect the fundamental human rights of free expression and privacy,” Durbin said in a statement. “I look forward to learning more about whether other American companies are willing to follow Google’s lead.”
Google dominates the Internet search engine market with a 65.4 percent market share in January, according to research firm ComScore.
Despite this being Google’s first entrance into the highly competitive mobile smartphone market with the Nexus One, the latest move illustrates another sign that the company is stepping back from its mainland Chinese ties. According to Reuters, an unnamed source familiar with the situation claimed that the potential marketing event in Beijing was abandoned rather than unplanned.
However CNET.com claims that a company spokesperson said that, “There was not a Nexus One launch event scheduled in Beijing. Google is hosting 3 Android Developer Labs in Asia over the next couple weeks in Singapore, Taipei, and Hong Kong. These are technical events for developers who want to build applications for Android.”
“We never planned to hold an Android Developer Lab in Beijing, and suggestions that we did plan one are not true,” the spokesperson said. Considering that Google’s Nexus One is sold online exclusively, the marketing campaign is focused on the Internet nevertheless.
But others contradicted Google’s public stance. “If Google did not have such an issue with the Chinese government, they would have conducted a similar event in China too,” the unnamed source told Reuters.
Mario Queiroz, Google vice president for product management, described the unveiling as “the next stage in the evolution of Android” when the Nexus One phone was launched in January. Queiroz said there were now more than 20 Android phones available from 59 carriers in 48 nations. Google is bolstering the relevance of its Web searching capacity on mobile phones rather than just relying on its computer applications.
According to U.S.-based Flurry, Inc., a mobile application analytics firm, Google managed to sell 80,000 Nexus One phones in its first month. An unlocked phone retails for approximately $530—which approximates around $42 million in revenues from the phone alone.
Moreover, Flurry said that first-month sales of the Apple iPhone and the Motorola Droid (which uses Google’s Android mobile software) were 600,000 and 525,000, respectively. In fact Apple announced it sold 1 million iPhones 76 days after it came onto the market. Comparatively, the Nexus One still has a long way to go.
Cyber Attacks
Irrespective of the nature of the event being scheduled in Beijing, in the context of Google’s code of conduct being “don’t be evil,” there was intense debate recently with the popular Internet search platform being prone to censorship and hacking from within China.
After Google publicized certain “highly sophisticated” cyber security compromises targeting information and personal details about human rights activists, it announced that it might close its Chinese operations. At first glance, the job security of Google employees in China may be threatened—however Bloomberg reported that there has been some new recruitment of engineers, managers, and sales staff by Google from within China.
A key U.S. congressional committee also investigated alleged security breaches on Google. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company will commence cooperation with high-level U.S. electronic surveillance organizations to combat cyber attacks.
Recently Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, also announced plans to hold a hearing on global Internet freedom.
“Google sets a strong example in standing up to the Chinese government’s continued failure to respect the fundamental human rights of free expression and privacy,” Durbin said in a statement. “I look forward to learning more about whether other American companies are willing to follow Google’s lead.”
Google dominates the Internet search engine market with a 65.4 percent market share in January, according to research firm ComScore.
