Google rumoured to release iPhone competitor

THE Apple iPhone accounts for more than half of high-end smartphone sales but Google is quietly hoping to change that.

Can Google cut through some of Apple’s sales with a phone of its own?

GOOGLE will launch a smartphone of its own in what could be a fresh attack against Apple, according to a new report.

The Google-branded phone, slated for release by the end of this year, “would tighten (Google’s) grip on mobile software and see it compete directly with the iPhone,” according to the UK’s Telegraph, which cited unnamed sources.

Google’s Android operating system powers four out of five smartphones worldwide, which are produced by third parties like Samsung.

Google also has partnered closely with manufacturers including LG, HTC and Huawei to produce the line of Nexus-branded phones.

Still, Apple’s iPhones account for more than half of the lucrative high-end smartphone market globally.

“The proliferation of Android device makers, many of which apply the software differently, means Google has struggled to ensure consistency,” the report noted.

Google — which historically has focused on developing free software as a platform for selling ads — in April hired Rick Osterloh, the former president of Motorola, to lead a new hardware division focused on smartphone development.

Still, the Telegraph’s report drew some sceptics, who cited recent comments from Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai that seemed to indicate Google is doubling down on its Nexus partnerships.

Last month, Pichai said the search giant will be “investing more effort” into Nexus phones, and that it will become “more opinionated” about their design.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was published here with permission.

Originally published as Google rumoured to release iPhone competitor