For several years the Boards of Directors of Google and Apple were a few members in common. As soon as the activities of Google and Apple are increasingly overlap, the companies were under pressure from U.S. antitrust authorities. They were forced to abandon the friendship.

Arthur Levinson, recently left the board of directors of Google, was the last manager, who was the head of both companies. Earlier, from his post at Apple declined to Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

Under American law is the same person can not enter the leadership of competing companies. In the last two years of Google and Apple are increasingly overlap. Search engine released mobile operating system, appeared guglofony. In addition, Google is going to create its own operating system.

But the relationship Google and Apple can spoil not only because of the pressure of competition authorities. So in Android do not support multitouch, but it is in the iPhone, which makes guglofony less competitive compared with phones Apple.

Apple is not so long ago acquired a startup Placebase, which specializes in mapping software. Currently, Google Maps is preinstalled in the iPhone. It is possible that in the future Apple will complete the phone’s own navigation software.

At the western markets history of sales of mobile phones under the brands (private label) operators begins in the first half of 2000-ies. In this case the leading producers of mobile phones (eg, Nokia, Samsung, etc) tend to retain their own brand of vehicles. In particular, China’s biggest operator China Mobile sells its subscribers Nokia handsets with dual branding – logos painted on the telephone operator and the Finnish manufacturer. In turn, the smaller second-tier players, as well as numerous telephone companies collectors from Southeast Asia do not have their own strong brand name, are usually the providers of telephone operators, the so-called private-branded devices, the shell which is only the label operator whereas the name of the manufacturer or do not, or it is invisible (eg, inflicted inside the phone).
The advantages of such devices for mobile operators is the ability to customize their own for specific services (for example, content services, provided by a specific operator), as well as customize the interface. The vast majority of these phones locked by the operator (locked), that is, they are intended for use only in its own network. At the same time, there are pluses of this approach – branded camera tube is often sold at a lower price (if the price is subsidized by the operator), the difference is compensated by the contractual obligations assumed by the subscriber when buying a phone.

An example of this approach is the Taiwanese company HTC, which provided dozens of mobile operators around the world their Windows Mobile-solutions under their brand names, often with a particular customer is not only the additional software, and design models of the body, color schemes, and as some features of smartphones and communicators. The first agreements with the operators of the NTS were concluded in 2001. Today, the largest mobile operators offer HTC products under its own brands – T-Mobile, O2, Orange, Vodafone. On the way HTC subsequently went not only to little-known users of Asian companies, assemblers, such as Quanta, Compal, but fairly well-known suppliers of telecommunications equipment, for example, the Chinese company Huawei (she, in particular, delivers 3G-terminals for Vodafone).

According to research agency ABIResearch, in 2008 the world had been sold 85 million carrier branded phones, and in 2009 is expected to be sold 90 million such phones, which is about 5,8% more than in 2008. In 2008, according to IDC, the world has sold 1.18 billion phones, thus, the proportion of operator branded phones was 7,2%. In 2009, as predicted by IDC (July 2009), the global market of mobile phones will be sold 13% fewer vehicles in comparison with 2008.

The company Vodafone, according ABIResearch, – a leader in the segment of the market operator branded mobile phones.

In February 2006, VodafoneGroup and HuaweiTechnologies signed a strategic partnership agreement under which Huawei manufactures mobile phones under the brand of Vodafone. The agreement is intended as a minimum of 5 years. It is with this agreement began selling branded phones Vodafone. And in October 2006 introduced the first Vodafone branded 3G-phone, which was launched on the market in several countries

In February 2007, Vodafone signed a similar agreement with ZTECorporation.

History of sales of branded phones in Russia
In the mid 2000’s phones under its own brand offering Russia operator Tele2. However, more commonly known sale of MTS phones in 2004-2005. In 2004, the exhibition “Svyaz-Expocomm, MTS introduced branded phone S-680 in co-branding project with the company” Sitronics “.

In May this year the company released a comprehensive solution for communication in just 990 rubles: co-branded phone Alcatel OT-S210, connected to the tariff plan of the MTS “Super Zero”. The project was very successful and exceeded internal forecasts of the company: in just 3 months, the company sold the entire first batch of vehicles.

In December 2008, MegaFon’s first started selling phones under its own brand (manufacturer – Huawei). The project extends to the markets of Moscow and Moscow region. The operator proposed a set of “telephone + SIM-card” for 999 rubles. The project was also represented in North-West region, where the kit has already cost 1200 rubles. MegaFon “also offers a set of branded phone CP09 and tariff plan. Cost of kit is 3500 rubles

At the end of last year, VimpelCom started selling branded phones in the Far East. The company now sells a 3 phone: U121 at the price of 3 890 rub., U7200 costs 5 990 rubles. and U5700 at the price of 4 690 rub.

The practice of selling phones bundled with the tariff plan for Russia market
Phones with the included tariff plan – a common service of mobile operators in Russia and abroad. This kit allows the user to begin to make calls immediately after acquiring start-up package. For example, popular packages “Phone + rate” for today in Russia are the sets of iPhone 3G handsets with various versions of the tariff plan.

In particular, MTS offers its users iPhone 3G special tariff plans «i-Onlayner” and «SIM», attractive packages that include voice minutes, SMS-packages and unlimited mobile Internet. Other comprehensive proposal “phone + tariff” from MTS – Service BlackBerry ® InternetService for private users, enabling them to work with e-mail. The service is available to subscribers of virtually all tariff plans of MTS in the Moscow region (except tariff «i-Onlayner», «SIM», «cool”). The subscription fee for the use of BIS, which includes unlimited e-mail traffic in the MTS network in Russia is 350 rubles a month.

Russia Market 3G-phones

According to research company J’son & Partners Consulting, in the 2 quarter of 2009 in Russia, sold 960 thousand UMTS-phones (working in networks of 3G). Last year, sales decreased by 4%. According to analysts J’son & Partners Consulting, the cause of decrease in sales of UMTS-phones has reduced demand for mobile phones in general. This is due to a decrease in income due to economic instability in late 2008 – early 2009.

In monetary terms, sales of 3G-terminals in the 2 quarter of 2009, according to research by J’son & Partners Consulting, exceeded 356 million dollars. The figure of 22% lower than 2 quarters of 2008, which is attributable to lower sales of UMTS-phones in kind, as well as reduction in the average retail price of 3G terminals by 19%.

The things in the market for operating systems are changing. Proof of this is that Microsoft offered the beta version of Windows 7 for download recently or who is preparing a specific version of the netbooks. The domain of the windows is overwhelming but analysts predict that Android will get away with it.

When the market began to emerge netbooks, manufacturers chose to offer cheap Linux to reduce costs, the ‘leitmotif’ of these teams. However, given the reluctance of consumers began to offer alternatives with XP. However, despite that the market has managed to damage in part to Microsoft, you’re looking for strategies to avoid losing ground in this market.

A port of Android for these computers, cheap netbooks, would be one of the keys to its success hypothetical because, for now, this is a mobile operating system. Android is based on Linux but has been sponsored and funded by Google, which guarantees you a position and supports the industry much better.

“Without a strong support, Linux is just a niche platform. Now, with the help of Google, Android is a much better chance to win Microsoft users,” said Daiwa Securities analyst Calvin Huang, in an interview with ZDNet Asia .

Android would take advantage of Google’s push in combination with the advantages of Linux, including support of manufacturers and low rates. “The payment of import licenses and the manufacturers really do not like the price of Microsoft,” Huang pointed out. The analyst has predicted a boom as long as Android, which could eventually “kill Microsoft” in this field.