[ABrandt]

I think you're on the right track with Google wanting to increase their ad footprint. I tend to view every move that Google makes as an attempt to increase their ability to collect ad revenue. Even the self-driving car frees people up from staring at the boring road and offers an opportunity to look at ads.

Android can be explained in the same manner. Google saw the traffic potential the mobile web had, and they wanted to make sure they were the search engine of choice. The best way to do this is to control the software people use to access that mobile web.

[yalogin]

The problem is I cannot see Android specifically adding to that. Specifically I cannot see the ROI. Google is in such a position that people want to use their apps/services (unlike yahoo or some other company) so I cannot see why they could not have gotten the same ad footprint with just apps instead of an OS.

I don't know if I would reduce the self-driving car to just increasing time to see ads though. Its much grander and in fact revolutionary than that.

[Evbn]

Apple could block Google from iOS in an instant. For example, Maps just got dropped. Most of the revenue is in the default installed apps not downloadable alternatives, the mass market won't seek alternatives.