UPDATED 22:08 EDT / AUGUST 09 2015

NEWS

Google to reboot its Android One platform in India after failing to deliver on original promise

Google’s drive into the Indian smartphone market is about to get a refresh with a report over the weekend that the tech giant is planning to “reboot” its Android One platform in the country.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Google’s Managing Director in India and Southeast Asia Rajan Anandan said that platform had not delivered due to supply chain issues that have led to shortages of the phones, but plans for a reboot would be revealed in “the next few weeks.”

“It is like any company when you try to launch a new initiative — we had a few hiccups,” he said.

Launched to much fanfare in 2014, Android One targets OEMs specifically making phones for developing markets with a reference platform designed to help manufacturers build low-cost Android phones to rival those low end phones offered by Microsoft and others.

The advantage of the platform is Google’s involvement in making it easier for manufacturers to develop and produce devices as Google itself does the hard work figuring out materials costs, delivering significantly lower manufacturing and design costs as Google comes to the table with the reference design and recommended parts.

For Google, the Android One platform means that even low-end devices can run its software and run it well, providing a uniform experience across a wide array of devices from multiple manufacturers, along with the ability for Google to make sure these new low-cost smartphones will run the latest version of Android as well.

After first launching in India in September 2014, Android One has been rolled out to countries including Nepal, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Turkey.

Cost considerations

Not every developing country is the same, and it would appear that the cost point for the Android One handsets released in India may have ultimately been their undoing versus any serious supply chain issues.

“Phones made under the standard were priced at about $100 at the launch last year, but Mr Anandan says he wants to target the ‘sweet spot’ for mass-adoption in India’s cost-conscious smartphone market of between Rs2,000 and Rs3,000 ($31-$47,) the Financial Times noted.

Microsoft already beats the $100 mark, offering the Lumia 430 for Rs5,299 ($83,) and there are a range of phones around the Rs2,000 and Rs3,000 mark from companies no one outside of India would have heard of; if Google can lend its certification and name to a phone in this price range it will definitely help it stand out from the crowd among smartphone brand names such as Videocon, Intex, Maxx, Spice and others.

The report noted that the reboot of Android One in India would also coincide with a “massive” investment push by Google into the broader Indian online market.

Image credit: trophygeek/Flickr/CC by 2.0

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