Samsung's massive Android success worries Google
Google is reportedly worried that Samsung might just become to big for Android
Google is said to be extremely worried that partner Samsing is becoming too big for Android, according to a new report Monday. The Internet search giant is reportedly concerned that Samsung, the world's largest Android OEM, might extract some sort of financial benefits if it gains leverage in the Android arena.
Samsung sold nearly 200 million more Android smartphones than the next largest smartphone OEM in 2012. The company is by far the most successful Android partner on the planet, outselling LG, HTC and many many others. It is the only vendor that can't compete with Apple, which is really something worth bragging about.
With regard to tablets, Samsung is also pretty far up the ladder. Over the last few months, Samsung's share jumped to 27.9 percent in the fourth quarter from 15.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011. The company is simply dominating Asus, Lenovo and Amazon, as well as all other Android tablet OEMs out there. As with smartphones, its only real competitor in the tablet space is Apple.
Anyway, the report goes on to say that as of now, Samsung is clearly in Google's corner, but if the company continues to grow there could be trouble. Worst case scenario Samsung and Google can’t get along and Sammy forks Android. Samsung could then easily start working on its own version of Jelly Bean.
At a Google corporate meeting for top Google execs, Android top dog Andy Rubin allegedly addressed these concerns head on. Rubin reportedly said Samsung could become a major threat if it keeps up its dominant position. Rubin also reportedly said Google was keeping Motorola as a back-up in case any problems came up. Motorola is sort of like Google's ace up its sleeve.
All in all, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out for Google. With Samsung growing so rapidly, however, expect to hear more reports like this in the coming months. It's fairly obvious the relationship between Google and its top vendor is fundamentally changing.
What do you think? Can you see Samsung forking Android this year? What about next?
