9 October 2007
Vodafone Chief Executive Arun Sarin has poured cold water on Google's purported attempt to manufacture its own mobile phone.
He expressed scepticism on the amount of market share which the device could gain, saying that its appeal was "not a no-brainer" among consumers.
The comments come hard on the heels of reports from the US saying that the GPhone - subject of frenzied internet hype which has labelled the device an 'iPhone killer' - is not even a phone at all, but an operating system.
In other words, the new Google technology would be installed into pre-existing handsets, rather than going into the manufacture of a new phone.
Speaking to the New York Times, Mr Sarin continued: "What is it that is missing in life that [Google] are going to fulfill?
"You can reach Google already through a number of devices. You don't need a Google phone to do that."
Earlier this summer, Google announced that it might ready a multi-billion dollar bid for a section of free wireless radio spectrum - which many industry analysts interpreted as signifying its mobile phone ambitions.
The Daily Telegraph reports that an official announcement from the internet giant - whose stock market worth is estimated at £187 billion - on the GPhone is expected next year.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
Content for the uSwitch.com market news service is provided by a third party, Adfero Ltd. Whilst uSwitch.com makes reasonable efforts to check the reliability of this content, uSwitch.com does not guarantee the accuracy thereof or endorse the views or opinions given by Adfero Ltd, unless expressly stated otherwise.