Google Inc (GOOG): Should Its Android Be Broken Up?

Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) just launched its Home software suite, which I consider more of a “half-fork,” since Home still feeds into Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play even though it emphasizes Facebook’s social services over Google’s. From the social network’s perspective, Home is still the right strategy, since Facebook knows better than to compete on a primary platform level.

Even Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) is now piggybacking on Android’s dominance, using ported Android apps to pad its app counts. BlackBerry devices still rely on BlackBerry World for their app fix, and developers have to manually port their apps to the platform to run inside an emulator, so those smartphones were never getting included in Google’s figures. BlackBerry has made some progress getting developers to go native, but the company serves as another example of a third party riding Android’s success with no benefit to Google.

You can’t have one without the other
Device fragmentation has long been cited as Android’s biggest weakness, but the rise of numerous distinct Android forks takes it to a whole new level. This trend is only strengthening. The challenge for Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is that it can’t, won’t, and shouldn’t fight it. Android has always been built on an open philosophy, which has played a major factor in its rise to the top. Forking is just an inevitable consequence.

Still, Android data should be broken up into its respective camps, because that would paint a far more relevant picture for investors.

The article Should Google Android Be Broken Up? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Amazon.com, Facebook, and Google.

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