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Android was originally never intended for phones — Google designed it for cameras. But even back in 2005, Google spotted the potential in smart phones — and the rest is history.
Speaking to a gathering of Tokyo business types, Android founder-turned Google exec Andy Rubin told PC World that mobile software Android was originally intended to connect cameras to the cloud, syncing snaps wirelessly to an online server called Android Datacenter.
Rubin was one of the founders of Android, which was bought by Google in 2005.
But Google decided cameras weren’t a big enough market. Instead, Rubin was “worried about Microsoft and I was worried about Symbian, I wasn’t worried about iPhone yet.”
So the Big G decided to give Android away free to undercut Microsoft and other mobile software rivals. The first Android phone was released in 2008, and Google hasn’t looked back since.
Perhaps surprisingly considering this revelation, there aren’t many cameras powered by Android. They include the Nikon Coolpix S800c and the Samsung Galaxy Camera. But Android has come to dominate the world of phones and tablets.
We’re up to version 4.2 Jelly Bean. The next version of Android is set to be Key Lime Pie, expected to be unveiled at annual developer conference Google I/O in just under a month.
For more on the evolution of Google’s software, check out our guide to every version of Android.
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