Vertical has won.
I argued a couple of months ago that Android could well not exist, and the picture would not change much. It served as a strong brand for Samsung’s recognition, but now that the market sees the value in Samsung itself, its hardware, its ecosystem, Android is a second rate player. Actually, people don’t buy and Android phone from Samsung, they buy a Samsung phone that runs Android Apps, interacts with Samsung TVs, looks good and is cheaper than an iPhone.
That is why Google builds its own hardware now. And Microsoft. Vertically integrated has won.
